08 July 2008

MP congratulates Northwest businesses in the run up to 2012

Pat McFadden, MP Minister of State for Employment Relations and Postal Affairs yesterday met with representatives from the Northwest’s 1,000th company to register for CompeteFor, a unique programme that aims to match companies to opportunities supplying London 2012 contractors.

Co-ordinated by the Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA), the event was part of a round table event with the Minister and Mark Hughes, Executive Director at the NWDA. 

Based in Denton, Greater Manchester, Jennings Design Associates are the 1,000th company to register. The company offers an architectural and surveying services to private and public sector clients.

Congratulating Jennings Design Associates and encouraging more Northwest-based businesses to sign up for Compete For, Pat McFadden, MP said:

“The Games present significant business opportunities for local companies – there will be £6 billion in contract opportunities.

“There is no size bar on supplying the Olympics.  Many of the North West companies who have already signed up are small businesses, run by and employing local people.

“There is no distance bar, either.  As more contracts come online later this year, there will be more opportunities for North West firms to win business.”

Steven Broomhead, Chief Executive, NWDA, said:

“London 2012 presents huge opportunities for the business community and I am delighted to see that within just six months of launching we have had 1,000 Northwest businesses register with CompeteFor.

“The NWDA is working to ensure Northwest businesses can benefit from the Games and it is excellent to see that already many of the region’s businesses are ready to help deliver the 2012 Games. I hope this will encourage many more to sign up.”

CompeteFor was launched less than six months ago on January 16th at Manchester United’s Old Trafford stadium as part of the London 2012 Business Network.

The NWDA has funded CompeteFor by £2 million to help Northwest companies access the anticipated 75,000 business opportunities in helping to deliver the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. CompeteFor will also link companies with Business Link North West which will help boost the long-term competitiveness of companies.

The Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) and London Organising Committee (LOCOG) expect to allocate over £6bn of work over the coming years and up to a fifth of London 2012 supply chain opportunities are expected to go through the CompeteFor system.

CompeteFor also provides access to business support services. So far, over 90 Northwest businesses have been automatically referred through CompeteFor to Business Link Northwest for business improvement support.

Twenty Northwest companies and organisations have already won work supplying the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA), 11 of them small and medium (SMEs) size, and many more have been supplying the ODA’s contractors.

How CompeteFor works:

ODA and LOCOG are advertising their direct contract opportunities online through CompeteFor and direct London 2012 contractors appointed will be encouraged to advertise their supply chain opportunities through the system. For example all contractors that have been awarded ODA infrastructure or venue contracts are registered as buyers on CompeteFor.

Companies at every level of the London 2012 supply chain will be encouraged to advertise their supplier opportunities through CompeteFor.

After registering basic company information any interested business can view the opportunities advertised. Companies can then complete a business profile, which involves answering a series of simple questions, to be able to compete for opportunities.

A company’s business profile is automatically tested against a small number of minimum standards in areas such as health and safety. If these requirements are not met the company is automatically referred to tailored business support to help improve their performance. This service is provided by Business Link in England and the support services in Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland.

Once a company’s profile is successfully published on CompeteFor they are automatically matched to opportunities which suit their business and invited, by email, to apply for them by filling out a short, tailored application form. The buyer advertising the contract then selects a shortlist of companies and invites them to formally tender through the buyer’s own procurement system.

Details of the winning bidder(s) are published on CompeteFor and unsuccessful bidders receive feedback from the buyer. Throughout the process local business support agencies are on hand to help companies maximise their chances of success.

The ‘London 2012 Business Network’, which can be accessed at www.london2012.com/business provides information about London 2012 related business and events and links to the ‘CompeteFor’ service.
North West Business Network was also launched on January 16th, 2008. The NWDA and Business Link North West will provide a regional programme of events giving further support to companies on areas such as health and safety, contract negotiations and sustainable public procurement to ensure that North West companies are equipped with the skills and capabilities to bid and win contracts from London 2012.

--- Ends ---

Editor’s Notes
• CompeteFor has been developed on behalf of the English Regional Development Agencies and UK Devolved Administrations by the London Development Agency, working closely with the London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) and the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA).

• Northwest companies that have been working directly with the ODA include the TAS Partnership Limited, which has undertaken a procurement study for the provision of coach and bus transport for the Olympic family within the Olympic sites. Many more companies based in the North West have been supplying the ODAs contractors including Bolton based Watson’s Steel who will manufacture and fabricate the steel structures for the Olympic Stadium.

• The NWDA, in conjunction with Business Link Northwest, has begun to roll out a programme of business events and workshops to help Northwest business prepare to compete for London 2012 contract opportunities. For information on this and future events visit www.businesseventsfor2012.co.uk

• The Minister visited One Central Park to learn more about enterprise in New East Manchester, Media City and finally Old Trafford where the Minister met businesses involved in 2012.

• On July 10th, an event will be held to help Northwest businesses understand sustainability and London 2012. David Stubbs, Head of Sustainability & Environment for London 2012, will be a keynote speaker.

For further information please contact Shelley Tattersall, Press Officer on 01925 400256 or 07500128482 or shelley.tattersall@nwda.co.uk 

For urgent out of hours press enquiries please call 01925 400259.

For further information and to view all press releases visit us at www.nwda.co.uk/press

The Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA) leads the economic development and regeneration of England's Northwest and is responsible for:

• Supporting business growth and encouraging investment
• Matching skills provision to employer needs
• Creating the conditions for economic growth
• Connecting the region through effective transport and communication infrastructure
• Promoting the region’s outstanding quality of life