Billions of Pounds Worth of London 2012 Games Contracts
now available through Business ‘Dating Agency’
A groundbreaking business ‘dating agency’ was recently launched at Birmingham’s Villa Park stadium, to help companies compete for thousands of business opportunities, helping deliver the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, and related projects.
The Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) and London Organising Committee (LOCOG) expect to spend over £8bn, with an estimated 75,000 future business opportunities, covering direct contractors and their supply chains, over the coming years.
This ‘London 2012 Business Network’ is accessible at www.london2012.com/business
It will help companies to compete for London 2012 business opportunities directly with London 2012, or with suppliers in its supply chain.
The Network has three component parts:-
1) essential information for West Midlands companies on upcoming opportunities and how to supply London 2012
2) business events taking place in the region related to 2012
3) the new ‘CompeteFor’ service, a business ‘dating agency’ that will match West Midlands companies to thousands of opportunities supplying London 2012 contractors.
ODA and LOCOG will advertise their direct contract opportunities online through CompeteFor. Successful contractors will be encouraged to also advertise their supply chain opportunities on CompeteFor. For example the Olympic Stadium construction contractor ‘Team Stadium’ opened the service with an advert for their site accommodation cleaning contract.
Companies at every further level of the London 2012 supply chain will be encouraged to advertise their supplier opportunities through CompeteFor. So there will be Tenders from both the public and private sectors on the system.
After registering basic company information, one time only, 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 free by Business Link West Midlands.
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 short-listed bidders receive feedback from the buyer. Throughout the process, business support agency, Business Link, is on hand to help companies maximise their chances of success.
Jim Johnston, 2012 Business Manager at Advantage West Midlands said:-
“The London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games are now starting to offer a new and unprecedented opportunity to West Midlands firms, to supply the event with goods and services. In world terms, Britain is a tiny country, and the West Midlands is one of the regions closest to London. CompeteFor now offers an easy, free-of-charge system for West Midlands firms to identify and bid for these contracts.
“As well as the direct contracts from London 2012, there are other, 2012-related projects which will offer billions of pounds of contracts, over and above the costs of building for, and operating, the 2012 Games. These include contracts from the five 2012 “Host” boroughs in London, transport improvements in London and south-east, and the £5 billion “Stratford Village” project. It is hoped that many of these Tenders will also appear on CompeteFor, in due course.
“Olympic business can be won. Barhale Construction plc of Walsall has recently won a multi-million pound contract to provide a deep foul sewer and pumping station for the 2012 Olympic Park. West Midlands firms have also previously secured contracts from earlier Olympic Games. Rojac Ltd. of Wednesbury helped to create the giant statues of Greek Gods that were used in the Athens 2004 Summer Games’ Opening Ceremony. Simworx, also of the Black Country, supplied mobile motion simulators for Olympic sponsor, Coca-Cola, which travelled throughout Italy, arriving in Turin for the 2006 Winter Games.”
For information on CompeteFor and how to register, visit www.london2012.com/business
For general help and business support on 2012 opportunities, contact: Business Link West Midlands on:-
0845 113 1234 or www.businesslinkwm.co.uk