South West England

Events to help you win more business!

The Supply National SME Engagement Programme is designed to provide vital information and resources for new and growing small businesses in order to build their knowledge and increase their chances of winning public sector business.

The public sector is the largest buyer of goods and services. Through a series of workshops, seminars, conferences and Meet the Buyer events, this carefully designed SME Engagement Programme will put your business at the heart of an industry that spends over £220 billion a year on goods and services.

To maximise the benefits for small businesses, these cost-effective events will be held regionally, giving you the perfect opportunity to attend an event near you.

Make sure you pencil into your diary some time away from your desk to attend one of the events – there are endless opportunities across the UK and we can help you to make the most of them.

About

This is the year to take your business to the next level.

With up to 3000 new contract opportunities published in the UK every month across all business sectors, a sound understanding of documentation and tendering procedures is paramount for any business investing valuable time and resource in responding to government contract opportunities.

Throughout 2010, the Supply National SME Engagement Programme will tour all areas of the UK, offering you a range of workshops, seminars and conferences, which will take you from the basics of understanding an advert to the development of the skills you require once you have won contracts.

There are huge opportunities available to small businesses. If you do not take up this opportunity – someone else will!

Who is the Supply SME National Engagement Programme for?

This series of tailored events will assist owners, executives, managers and other senior staff in the small business community to develop the skills necessary to explore public sector procurement opportunities, providing them with a competitive edge that no other programme of events can offer. The Programme is designed for:

• Start-up businesses
• Small businesses new to the tendering process
• Small business looking to supply to the public sector
• New and growing businesses seeking new ways to develop
• Organisations which find the tendering procedures difficult to understand

Workshops

The Supply SME Engagement Programme will deliver half-day workshops which have been designed to give you in-depth training to help to improve your knowledge and understanding of important areas within procurement that are likely to affect you in your day-to-day activities.

This series of six workshops focuses specifically on the key stages of tendering and will enhance your knowledge and skill set as you advance through the programme.

• Workshop 1: Understanding the Contract Notice
• Workshop 2: What do I need to Tender?
• Workshop 3: Understanding Pre-Qualifying for Tenders Questionnaires
• Workshop 4: Effective Tender Writing
• Workshop 5: Benefit from partnering with others
• Workshop 6: Post Tender Skills

Make sure you find time in your schedule to develop your skills through the series. Alternatively, attending just one of these events will assist you in winning more business.

Seminars

Understanding Public Procurement is your first step to winning new business from the public sector.

This seminar is designed to help those new to tendering to understand the tendering documentation, exploring its essential aspects, and introduces basic procedures that suppliers need to understand to tender successfully in the public sector marketplace.

Understanding Public Procurement will provide you with an overview of all aspects of the tendering process including:

• Accessing information
• The scope of the contract
• Division into lots
• Subcontracting and partnering
• Quality Standards
• Policies
• Framework Contracts
• Debriefs

Hosted by procurement specialists and local pubic sector organisations, Understanding Public Procurement will provide you with the basic skills you require to start your journey on the road to success.

Conference

The Supply National SME Engagement Programme regional conferences will give attendees the chance to hear directly from a range of government and business support organisations about the latest developments, initiatives and opportunities that exist within the current marketplace.

These one-day events will also provide a unique networking platform where delegates can engage with like-minded colleagues, speakers and representatives from related organisations in their region, in addition to a host of business advice support services.

Within the ever-changing public procurement environment, keeping informed and engaged is an essential requirement for achieving success and ongoing growth for your organisation.