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Micro businesses register with new tender alerts service Supply2Gov

It has been over a week since we launched our new brand Supply2Gov. The tender alerts service for sole traders and micro businesses aims to make the public sector marketplace more accessible to smaller businesses.

Registration for the new service is currently free. If you want to find out more, we have all the details below.

Designed for micro and small businesses

Supply2Gov is a fresh and friendly brand that talks to micro and small businesses about the benefits of public procurement. Supply2Gov users can create new and lucrative revenue streams from the public sector supply chain.

With a modern look and feel, Supply2Gov can be a free and easy way for micro businesses to find more tender opportunities. Our application simplifies the whole registration process and presents an intuitive customer journey.

Flexible payment options

Completely new to the market, Supply2Gov tender alerts gives customers the option to ‘pay as they grow’, with a cost-effective monthly plan as well as a new biannual option.

This means customers have the scalability to work with a solution that’s aligned with their business model and suits their cash flow.

Coverage Options

BiP has introduced simplified and comprehensive coverage options, with Supply2Gov starting with free local area coverage and then moving directly to home country cover.

This gives customers full free access to relevant opportunities on their doorstep with the option to upgrade and access their regional market opportunity.

With more growth potential available and payment plans to support phased expansion, the new Supply2Gov is an excellent introductory solution for micro businesses and sole traders looking to break into the public sector marketplace.

Tender alerts for micro businesses

The team behind the brand are delighted with the final product and are excited to see that many sole traders and micro businesses are already interested in the tender alerts service.

Senior Marketing Executive Melissa Russell says: “Our team are all really excited to see Supply2Gov go to market and really kick off 2018.

“We know how time-consuming tender searches can be, especially if you’re a small business. That’s why we’ve made it as easy as possible for users to find procurement opportunities as soon as they become available.”

Reduce the amount of time your business spends on manual searching with Supply2Gov. Find out more about Supply2Gov and tender alerts on the brand’s website.

For a better insight into all our brands, visit our website.

Introduction to Procurement – Opportunities in 2018

preparing for public procurement opps 2018

While your competitors prepare to wind down for Christmas, you can brush up on your public procurement skills and look for prospects with the backing of a PASS Procurement “Introduction to Procurement” course.

Now that the Autumn budget has been announced, your business can focus its attentions on winning new business. The UK Government wants to work with businesses of all sizes, in all sectors, therefore there is no reason why your business shouldn’t start to look for public procurement opportunities. Why wait? Let’s get started!

Preparing for Tender Opportunities

If you have found an opportunity within the public sector that looks suitable for your business but you are unsure how to tackle it, there are certain steps that are vital when it comes to winning public sector contracts.

Planning

One of the best things you can do is prepare and plan. A winning team is key for winning public procurement opportunities. but lack of resources should not put a sole trader off. The most important thing is to take your time to prepare a strong bid.

Proofing

Creating a timetable at the start of the tender response process will help you to work towards the final deadline date more efficiently. It is important that your tender response is not rushed. If you do not have a proof reader in your team, then make sure that you allocate time to checking your response before it is sent away.

Timing

A good tender response takes time, so choose your battles wisely – only apply for opportunities that you realistically could win. Public sector procurement is competitive and you will be judged on both content and presentation. Make sure you have answered all the questions asked before you consider showing how you could innovate or exceed the requirements of the contract. Above all, apply for the opportunities that would be the most valuable to your business and give yourself extra time to spot any silly mistakes that may have slipped through the net.

training for public procurement

How Can BiP Help?

Public procurement opportunities can be extremely lucrative for organisations that want to win more business. If you have not worked with the public sector before, then the BiP Ultimate Guide to Procurement will give you a head start when it comes to winning government contracts.

Introduction to Procurement

After reading the Ultimate Guide to Procurement, the best way for beginners to approach public procurement is by attending an introductory course. Once you understand the procurement journey you will be well on your way to winning new business.

PASS Procurement’s Introduction to Public Procurement is specifically designed for buyers and suppliers, providing a full overview of how the public procurement process works, from start to finish.

pass procurement logo

There is only one more date for this course in 2017. However, the PASS Spring schedule 2018 is offering course dates across the UK. You will find all PASS Procurement course dates in our events diary.

The last Introduction to Public Procurement event for 2017 is on 13 December in Glasgow City Centre.

Spring Budget Public Procurement Opportunities, Explained

Spring Budget Public Procurement Opportunities, Explained

Public Procurement Opportunities

The Spring Budget offered new routes for leveraging business growth through public procurement opportunities as Chancellor of the Exchequer Philip Hammond made commitments to boost productivity, and improve skills and infrastructure to boost economic growth.

Hammond delivered an upbeat assessment of the UK economy, which has outperformed the mostly pessimistic predictions for what would happen after the vote for Brexit last June. Growth in the UK economy picked up through 2016, and the Office for National Statistics (ONS) estimates that the economy grew 1.8% in real terms in 2016, second only to Germany among major advanced economies. The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) now forecasts that the UK economy will grow by 2% in 2017.

This outlook, combined with spending initiatives announced in the Budget, indicate that there will be public procurement opportunities to win new business regardless of your sector. To help you take full advantage, here is our breakdown of the who, why, where, what and when of 2017’s Spring Budget.

Who is likely to benefit most from this Budget?

Throughout the Spring Budget, the Chancellor focused on national productivity and was keen to stress that national debt remains too high while productivity remains too low.

Mr Hammond also noted that the Government is looking for innovative solutions to bridge this gap. To support the creation of such solutions, Mr Hammond announced the National Productivity Investment Fund (NPIF) in last year’s Autumn Statement. The fund, which will invest £23 billion into the British economy over the next five years, will focus on four key areas: transport, digital communications, R&D and housing.

The first funds from the NPIF will be allocated this year with £300 million committed to science and innovation research, £270m to researching disruptive technologies of the future, £16 million to a 5G mobile technology hub and £200 million to the Government’s National 5G Innovation Network.

With the Government explicitly stating that they are looking for new and innovative ways to solve their problems, suppliers who are able to differentiate themselves from competitors by offering previously unconsidered and innovative solutions will potentially see the most public procurement opportunities from the Spring Budget.

 

Why are critics calling this a ‘wait and see’ Budget?

Whilst a number of announcements were made, many have noted that the Government is keeping its powder dry in preparation for a post-Brexit economy and deferred making any big decisions until Article 50 has been triggered and the Brexit process has unfolded.

Whilst Mr Hammond delivered the Budget against a backdrop of better than expected economic performance, by delaying any significant spending announcements, he has given himself room to manoeuvre in the future should Brexit have more damaging economic consequences than currently forecast.

This was made clear prior to the Budget itself when Hammond, appearing on the BBC’s Andrew Marr programme, vowed to build a £60 billion Brexit war-chest in case the EU gives the UK a bad deal.

 

Where will there be subcontracting opportunities?

It’s often the case that government spending has a ‘trickle down’ effect with large companies winning sizeable contracts, but relying on subcontractors to deliver certain aspects of the work. Indeed, data from the National Audit Office shows that 60% of the Government’s spending with SMEs came via a larger contractor in the supply chain.

With a number of specific spending announcements in the Spring Budget, it is possible to identify where there are likely to be subcontracting opportunities in certain sectors or geographical areas in the near future; identifying these public procurement opportunities ahead of time can pay dividends in the future.

For example, the Government is investing £200 million into a programme of local projects to test ways to accelerate delivery of superfast broadband networks to every corner of the UK – with an emphasis on rural businesses that struggle with poor connections. Suppliers who win these contracts may be able to deliver innovative solutions with regards to the technology, but may find it harder to provide inventive construction solutions to lay the cables in these rural areas. This means that there are likely to be tendering opportunities for those in the construction industry who can provide this type of service.

 

What are the opportunities in my sector?

The Chancellor announced funding for specific projects in areas such as national productivity and social care, as well as investments in infrastructure to boost economic growth.

As previously mentioned, the £23 billion National Productivity Investment Fund is starting to be allocated this year, which will create opportunities across a number of sectors including technology and infrastructure. Additionally, the transport sector is in line to receive fresh investment with £690 million to be spent on new local transport projects, and £490 million made available by early autumn 2017.  Moreover, £149 billion will be spent on health in 2017/18, with an additional £425 million for investment in the NHS to come over the next three years.

To get started, you should identify what the public procurement opportunities in your sector and if you can supply the relevant services. Our Industry Highlights blog features the main takeaways from each sector, including a breakdown of where the money will be spent and what it will be spent on.

 

When should I get started?

You may have earmarked a particular investment as a key opportunity to sell to the public sector and be waiting until the tender officially goes to market. However, with the competitive nature of tendering for government contracts, by then it may already be too late.

As soon as you have identified the opportunity, you should be striking up pre-tender conversations with buyers and looking for ways to put yourself in the best position to win the tender.

Pre-market engagement is crucial to success in winning government contracts. If you’re not engaging as early as possible, it’s likely that you’re already falling behind the competition.

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