What Is Club Ability?
Club Ability is a collaborative initiative designed to connect corporate demand for services and talent with the high social impact capabilities of Special Employment Centres (CEE). Born within the framework of the Premio Integra by BBVA and supported by Telefónica, Club Ability acts as a meeting point where businesses discover inclusive, competitive and economically sustainable solutions.
The Madrid Marketplace: A Strategic First Encounter
The marketplace held in Madrid brought together companies seeking efficient and responsible suppliers with CEEs associated with the Premio Integra. This face-to-face event offered a structured environment for dialogue, negotiation and shared learning around inclusive employment and accessible services.
Organised jointly by Telefónica and BBVA, the encounter created a safe, practical and results-oriented space where demand and supply could interact directly. Instead of theoretical discussions, participants focused on concrete projects, service portfolios and real business needs.
A Meeting of Demand and Supply with Social Impact
On the demand side were companies looking for competitive, reliable and economically viable solutions in areas ranging from customer support and back-office processes to logistics and digital services. On the supply side, the CEEs linked to the Premio Integra presented their capabilities, certifications and success stories, demonstrating that social value and business value can advance together.
Club Ability positions itself precisely at that intersection: it helps organisations transform procurement and outsourcing into powerful levers for inclusion, while enabling CEEs to scale and professionalise their service offerings.
Role Play as a Tool for Understanding and Collaboration
One of the most valuable elements of the marketplace was a structured role play exercise that simulated real negotiation and collaboration scenarios. Company representatives and CEE teams took on different roles to explore typical challenges: defining service levels, clarifying expectations, evaluating costs and identifying mutual benefits.
This dynamic method allowed participants to:
- Better understand each other's language, priorities and constraints.
- Detect potential obstacles before they appear in real projects.
- Experiment with inclusive and flexible solutions in a risk-free environment.
- Strengthen trust between corporate procurement teams and inclusive suppliers.
The result was a more transparent and realistic view of what collaboration between companies and CEEs can look like, beyond traditional stereotypes about disability and employment.
Economic Efficiency and Social Responsibility in One Model
Club Ability is built on a simple but powerful premise: inclusive employment is not only an ethical choice, it is also an economically sound strategy. CEEs that participated in the event presented competitive proposals in price, quality and flexibility, proving that they can operate according to the same standards as any other supplier.
For companies, collaborating with these centres offers multiple advantages:
- Access to specialised teams and services.
- Improved compliance with social and diversity commitments.
- Creation of measurable social impact integrated into the core business.
- Contribution to a more inclusive and resilient value chain.
By connecting these complementary strengths, Club Ability shows that inclusion and competitiveness do not compete; they reinforce each other.
The Role of Premio Integra and Strategic Partners
The Premio Integra by BBVA has long been an engine for recognising and supporting innovative projects in the field of disability and employment. The marketplace in Madrid is a natural evolution of that commitment: it turns recognition into concrete opportunities by placing award-winning or finalist CEEs in direct contact with potential clients.
Telefónica's involvement adds an additional layer of innovation, technology and scalability. Together, these strategic partners contribute not only financial resources, but also knowledge, networks and visibility, amplifying the reach of Club Ability and accelerating the creation of new alliances.
From One-Off Event to Continuous Community
Although the Madrid marketplace was framed as a specific event, its true value lies in what continues afterwards. Club Ability aspires to become a living community in which companies and CEEs maintain ongoing dialogue, share best practices and incubate new projects.
The goal is to move from isolated collaborations to stable, strategic relationships that normalise the presence of inclusive suppliers in corporate procurement portfolios. Each successful project becomes a reference case that encourages new companies to participate and broadens the range of services offered by CEEs.
Club Ability and the Future of Inclusive Business
The experience of the marketplace reveals a clear trend: inclusive business models are moving from the margins to the centre of corporate strategy. Organisations are increasingly aware that their social footprint is measured not only by philanthropy, but also by how they buy, whom they hire and which partners they choose.
Club Ability responds to this new paradigm with a concrete proposal: create bridges that allow companies to integrate inclusion into their daily operations, ensuring that every contract, service and alliance can generate both economic and social value.
Why Club Ability Matters for Companies Today
In a context where reputational risk, regulatory pressure and stakeholder expectations are increasing, Club Ability provides a practical, market-based response. It facilitates access to suppliers that already incorporate inclusive employment by design, making it easier for companies to align their procurement strategies with their diversity and sustainability goals.
Beyond compliance, this approach opens the door to innovation, new perspectives and stronger, more loyal teams. By recognising the value of different abilities, organisations can build more creative and adaptable solutions to complex challenges.