The Competitive Edge - Feb 2026

Turning sustainability into contracts, customer growth and resilience

We exist to help B2B companies win contracts, strengthen customer relationships and grow - by putting practical sustainability and resilience plans in place that create real commercial value.

And when we say sustainability, we mean the full picture - including net zero, but also the resilience, governance and commercial strength that allow a business to compete and grow over the long term.

We mean how your business succeeds now, and continues to succeed over the long term - managing risk, responding to change and staying competitive in a world where markets, regulation, supply chains and customer expectations are evolving quickly.

In this issue, we cover three themes that are highly relevant for mid-sized B2B suppliers supporting major infrastructure, energy and public sector delivery across the UK supply chain.

1. The energy transition - a huge opportunity for B2B businesses across all sectors

From the east coast of Scotland to ports and industrial clusters across the UK, the energy transition is no longer theoretical. Offshore wind, grid upgrades, electrification and infrastructure investment are moving at pace.

For UK manufacturers, engineering firms and service providers, this represents one of the largest industrial opportunities in decades.

But developers and Tier 1 contractors are under intense delivery and risk pressure. That changes what they look for in suppliers.

Increasingly, contracts are awarded not just on technical capability or price, but on confidence:

• Can you scale reliably?

• Do you understand supply chain risk?

• Can you evidence responsible sourcing and workforce resilience?

• Are you aligned with local content ambitions linked to UK projects?

The companies winning work are those who can clearly demonstrate how their business reduces risk and strengthens delivery confidence for developers and Tier 1 contractors - not just deliver a product.

Where Thrive supports suppliers:
We work with Tier 1, 2 and 3 suppliers through focused sprint engagements to quickly build the plans, evidence and positioning needed to access energy transition opportunities - without pulling leadership teams away from BAU.

2. Social Value - increasingly deciding who wins public sector work

In public sector procurement, Social Value is no longer a side section in bids. It is often a decisive scoring component.

We continue to see strong businesses lose tenders because their social value response lacks clarity, evidence or credibility.

Buyers are looking for commitments that are:

• Specific and measurable

• Relevant to local priorities

• Deliverable through normal business activity

• Supported by data and reporting

This is particularly important for private sector suppliers entering public frameworks for the first time, or scaling into larger contracts.

Where Thrive supports businesses:
We design practical Social Value Plans through short sprint contracts that translate what your business already does into credible, measurable commitments that score well in tenders - while remaining deliverable in practice.

3. UK Sustainability Reporting Standards (UK SRS) - what this means for B2B companies

This week’s announcements around the UK Sustainability Reporting Standards (UK SRS) signal the direction of travel for UK business reporting.

At present, the standards remain voluntary. We expect the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) to confirm its approach in August 2026, likely applying formal requirements initially to large and listed companies.

However, the practical impact will extend well beyond those organisations.

Large companies will need to understand, evidence and report on risk, resilience and transition planning across their operations - which means they will increasingly require better data, governance and assurance from their supply chains.

In practice, this means more questions coming your way about:

• Climate and transition risk

• Governance and oversight

• Supply chain transparency

• Operational resilience

The important point: this is less about producing reports, and more about being able to demonstrate that your business understands and manages the risks and opportunities affecting long-term performance.

Practical takeaway:
Even if reporting does not apply directly to your business, it is worth considering which of your largest customers are likely to fall within scope - and what that will mean for you as a supplier. In practice, this will translate into new data requests and evidence requirements. Getting ahead of this now will make future requests far more manageable and position you as a lower-risk, easier partner to work with.

What we’re seeing across the market

Across energy, public procurement and reporting standards, the direction is consistent.

Sustainability is becoming a proxy for something broader: confidence in long-term business performance.

The companies pulling ahead are not necessarily the loudest - they are the ones quietly putting practical structures in place that make customers comfortable choosing them.

That is where Thrive works best - working alongside leadership teams to quickly create clear, implementable plans that strengthen resilience, unlock contracts and position businesses as long-term partners to their customers.

Helping businesses translate a changing external environment into clear commercial advantage.

If these themes are starting to appear in your customer conversations, tenders or financing discussions, it’s usually a sign the market has already moved.

Our approach is intentionally practical. Short, focused sprint engagements designed to give you clarity and momentum - without creating internal drag or consultancy overload.