Face to Face Is Still Important in the World of Public Sector Contracts

 

One of the things that we can take away from this year’s Procurex and GO Awards Wales is that face-to-face communication is still one of the best ways to connect buyers and suppliers.

At these events, our team met several familiar faces from the Welsh Government and public sector, as well as making new connections among those who attended to learn more about public sector buying in Wales and the wider UK.

While products like Tracker and DCI remain the market leaders in procurement information products, it is still important for your business to attend procurement events like Procurex Live.

What Is the Purpose of Procurement Events?

Procurex Live is a programme of procurement events held in major cities in the UK’s countries and regions.  Each Procurex Live event brings together key organisations from across UK regions for a day of innovation, collaboration and education. If you would like to win public sector contracts, it is important that your business has a presence at one or more of these regional events.

Just like other networking events, Procurex Live gives public sector buyers and suppliers the chance to engage with a wider community. With many training sessions at Procurex events, those that attend can interact with like-minded individuals, peers and market leaders.

 

Welsh government at a procurement event

 

Signing Up for Public Procurement Events

As the old saying goes, if you aren’t in it, you can’t win it. There are several procurement competitions taking place that can get your name out there. If your business or organisation does work in or with the procurement sector, then there are competitions throughout the year that you can sign up for. Among these is the Government Opportunities (GO) Excellence in Public Procurement awards series which, like Procurex Live, takes place across the UK.

Sara Taylor from NWSSP Procurement Services picked up the prestigious Team of the Year Award on behalf of her team at the GO Awards Wales last year. She encourages those who want to win public sector contracts to catch the eye of the procurement industry’s leaders:

“For anyone who is thinking of applying to this award ceremony next year, do it! I say that because we have always thought about applying but have never done it and we have won an award! This is the best forum to display what your organisation is doing!”

 

How to Network with Public Procurement Professionals

At events like Procurex Live, organisations are there to showcase what they can do and what they have been doing for public procurement, so get involved! Make sure that you are attending any relevant workshops or training sessions that are relevant to your business.

For example, at this year’s Procurex Wales event, many delegates left with specific insights to help them to win public contracts. Usually you can just turn up on the day and attend training sessions and other workshops; however, for some sessions, you may have to book a one to one.

 

BOF winning public contracts at Procurex Live

After Procurement Events

If you have struck up any interesting conversations at the event, follow up any leads using social media. Chances are, the person that you are seeking will appreciate that you have remembered their name out among all the other delegates whom you will have met at the procurement event.

 

How Can I Get Involved?

You can find all the events that are hosted by BiP Solutions in our events diary. Events like Procurex showcase SMEs, established companies and procurement-related developments within both the Westminster government and the devolved administrations, making such events an excellent place to find new and exciting procurement networking opportunities.

 

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