London 2012 Contracts Still Open For Business
Hundreds of millions of pounds worth of contracts are still available relating to the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. To help businesses make the most of these opportunities, Business Link Yorkshire and the Yorkshire Gold Business Club are running a series of free events.
They include an evening networking event at The Crucible Theatre in Sheffield on Tuesday 7 June. Likeminded business people will be able to network in a relaxed atmosphere, exchange ideas and hear about local opportunities the Games presents. Business Link Yorkshire adviser John Coulter will be present during the evening to offer help and advice. Sheffield City Council’s 2012 Delivery Manager Ben Brailsford will also talk about Sheffield’s plans in the lead up to the Games, as the city prepares to welcome the Olympic torch on 25 June as part of the UK torch relay.
Ben said, “Sheffield's had numerous benefits from London hosting the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. We've seen four British Olympic teams and one Paralympic team relocate their high performance training centres here. We've attracted USA Diving, Brazil Judo and the Serbian Olympic Committee to Sheffield for their Pre Games Training Camps. We've hosted numerous international sports events and international training camps linked to the games over the last four years. All this boosts Sheffield's economy and employment opportunities. With the announcement of Sheffield as one of the evening celebration sites for the Olympic Torch relay, there's even more for the city to look forward to."
Helen Mirfin-Boukouris, Sheffield City Council's Cabinet Member for Business, Jobs and Growth, said, "I'm delighted that we can share the council's expertise with city businesses. The economic boost to the city of hosting major sports events and international training camps is worth over £6 million this year alone. There are lots of opportunities and we want to see companies in Sheffield leading their field."
Further events include CompeteFor workshops in Harrogate (30 June) and Bradford (7 July). CompeteFor is the website which offers businesses unique access to London 2012 opportunities. The workshop guides delegates through the registration and publication process and provides handy hints and tips on making their business profiles stand out. Business Link Yorkshire adviser Don Cartlidge, who will be present at the Harrogate event, said, “The idea is to show customers how simple the process can be – when some may be under the impression that it is very difficult and time-consuming.”
To register for these events, please visit www.ygbc.co.uk or call the Yorkshire Gold Business Club on 0114 286 6297.
Many companies from across Yorkshire and the Humber have already won contracts relating to the Games thanks to CompeteFor, which acts as a brokerage service between buyers throughout the London 2012 supply chain and potential suppliers.
After the London 2012 Games; CompeteFor still opens up many other tendering opportunities for major public and private sector contracts. Any business can register on CompeteFor.com. It is free of charge and also helps businesses access focused support, so helping boost their long term competitiveness.
Business Link Yorkshire also offers other help for companies looking to secure new contracts. As well as its popular Meet the Buyer events across the region, it now offers a Contracts Finder service via its website. Here, suppliers can find live tenders, buyers can publish opportunities and the public can find out what government has bought and is buying. Visit www.businesslink.gov.uk/contractsfinder
The procurement section of the website has a pack of downloadable factsheets to help businesses bid for and win government contracts. Among them are ‘Selling to the Public Sector’ and ‘Writing Effective Bids, Proposals and Quotes.’
For more information and advice call Business Link Yorkshire on 08456 048 048 or visit businesslinkyorkshire.co.uk.
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NOTES TO EDITORS
ABOUT BUSINESS LINK YORKSHIRE
- Business Link Yorkshire is the central point of information, advice and support for all businesses in the region, no matter what size or stage of development. This covers an individual thinking about starting a business to a large corporate company wanting to enter new markets.
- We are a private sector business funded by the public purse, through Yorkshire Forward. This means we are impartial, free and have no vested interests. We are here to help businesses set up, survive, grow and increase profitability. Our services help businesses assess and reduce their risks, avoid pitfalls and learn from the mistakes and successes of others.
- We run free courses and workshops throughout Yorkshire and Humber for established businesses, social enterprises, for those who have recently started up their own business or for budding entrepreneurs. You can access the full timetable at: www.businesslinkyorkshire.co.uk/events.
- For information on Business Link Yorkshire and our free business support service ring 08456 048 048 or visit businesslinkyorkshire.co.uk
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For more information please contact Business Link Yorkshire’s PR team: |
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Helen Williams PR & Communications Executive Tel: 01226 73 54 24 h.williams@businesslinkyorkshire.co.uk |
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? Yorkshire Gold Business Club is funded by Yorkshire Forward, the Regional Development Agency, and has been set up to not only link Yorkshire companies to the London 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympics Games but to a variety of major projects including the £16bn Cross Rail project, The Commonwealth Games, Leeds Bradford Airport, Heathrow Terminal 6 & 3rd runway expansion and Transport for London upgrades. The club aims to ensure that the Yorkshire and the Humber region benefits from these major opportunities.
For more information please visit www.ygbc.co.uk or contact Yorkshire Gold Business
Club Project Coordinator on 07545 401 573 or Claire.mcmahon@square5.co.uk.
Note – Yorkshire Gold Business Club is managed by Square 5 Business Networks and is a not for profit organisation. Yorkshire Gold Business Club and Square 5 Business Networks Ltd do not have any official association with the London 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games.
