EKFB
Source: gov.uk (2025-11-10)

We, the undersigned, commit to honour the Armed Forces Covenant and support the Armed Forces Community. We recognise the value Serving Personnel, both Regular and Reservists, Veterans and military families contribute to our business and our country.

The Armed Forces Covenant

An enduring covenant between the people of the United Kingdom, Her Majesty’s Government and all those who serve or have served in the Armed Forces of the Crown and their families

The first duty of Government is the defence of the realm. Our Armed Forces fulfil that responsibility on behalf of the Government, sacrificing some civilian freedoms, facing danger and, sometimes, suffering serious injury or death as a result of their duty. Families also play a vital role in supporting the operational effectiveness of our Armed Forces. In return, the whole nation has a moral obligation to the members of the Naval Service, the Army and the Royal Air Force, together with their families. They deserve our respect and support, and fair treatment.

Those who serve in the Armed Forces, whether Regular or Reserve, those who have served in the past, and their families, should face no disadvantage compared to other citizens in the provision of public and commercial services. Special consideration is appropriate in some cases, especially for those who have given most such as the injured and the bereaved.

This obligation involves the whole of society: it includes voluntary and charitable bodies, private organisations, and the actions of individuals in supporting the Armed Forces. Recognising those who have performed military duty unites the country and demonstrates the value of their contribution. This has no greater expression than in upholding this Covenant.

Section 1: Principles of the Armed Forces Corporate Covenant

1.1 We EKFB will endeavour in our business dealings to uphold the key principles of the Armed Forces Covenant, which are:
- no member of the Armed Forces Community should face disadvantage in the provision of public and commercial services compared to any other citizen;
- and in some circumstances that special treatment may be appropriate especially for the injured or bereaved.
Section 2: Demonstrating our commitment

2.1 EKFB recognises the value serving personnel, reservists, veterans and military families bring to our business. We will seek to uphold the principles of the Armed Forces Covenant, by pledging to the following:
- Armed Forces Friendly
- UK Service Veterans And Leavers
- UK Service Spouses And Partners
- UK Reservists
- Armed Forces Day
- Reserve Forces Day
We also pledge the following:

Promoting the Armed Forces: promoting the fact that we are an Armed Forces-friendly organi-sation, to our staff, customers, suppliers, contractors and wider public. Veterans: supporting the employment of veterans, recognising military skills and qualifications in our recruitment and selection process; working with the Career Transition Partnership (CTP) to support the employment of Service leavers. Service Spouses & Partners: supporting the employment of Service spouses and partners; partnering with the Forces Families Jobs Forum; and providing flexibility in granting leave for Service spouses and partners before, during and after a partners deployment. Reserves: supporting our employees who are members of the Reserve Forces; granting addi-tional 5 days leave for annual Reserve Forces training; supporting any mobilisations and de-ployments. National Events: supporting Armed Forces Day, Reserves Day, the Poppy Appeal Day and Re-membrance activities. Forces Network: We will continue to provide assistance and support to our veterans, reservists, spouses and dependants by setting up and hosting an Armed Forces Network. This network will support with mental health, deployments, resettlement and coaching for those who require it. Return to Work Programmes: We will continue to educate and provide assistance to spouses and dependants regarding careers in the construction industry, looking at transferable skills and return to work programmes to increase opportunities for those whose circumstances previous-ly may have prohibited them from a long term career path. Buildforce: We will work with and support Buildforce by assisting in recruitment events, provid-ing assistance with their coaching programmes and providing feedback and support to all candi-dates. Work Placements and Mentoring: Working with service leavers to arrange industry work placements during their resettlement period and offer mentoring to those on site from former service personnel to new leavers.

2.2 We will publicise these commitments through our literature and/or on our website, setting out how we will seek to honour them and inviting feedback from the Service community and our customers on how we are doing.