5th June 2008
Yorkshire & Humber companies winning London 2012 business benefits
Fourteen Yorkshire and Humber companies and organisations have already won work supplying the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA), eight of them small and medium (SMEs) size, and many more have been supplying the ODA’s contractors. The latest London 2012 business engagement figures published today also show that SMEs make up 86% of the 912 companies from Yorkshire and Humber registered on the unique ‘dating agency’ which aims to match businesses with London 2012 related opportunities. Over 67 businesses have been automatically referred through CompeteFor to the local Business Link for business improvement support.
The Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) and London Organising Committee (LOCOG) expect to allocate over £6bn of work as part of an estimated 75,000 future business opportunities covering direct contractors and their supply chains over the coming years. 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, a business ‘dating agency’ supported by Yorkshire Forward matches companies to opportunities supplying London 2012 contractors. Up to a fifth of London 2012 supply chain opportunities are expected to go through the CompeteFor system.
Companies in North Yorkshire that have been working directly with the ODA include Scunthorpe-based GrantRail Group who will be involved in the second phase of the Stratford International Station development in east London. Weetwood environmental engineers of Tadcaster have also been working on a major British Waterways project in south east London related to the Games.
ODA Chairman John Armitt said:
“We want to work with the best of businesses in Yorkshire and Humber, large and small, to deliver the venues and infrastructure for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games and a lasting legacy. It is a challenging project and we are on track. Creating a level playing field to ensure we get the best of business is an important part of this and companies in Yorkshire and Humber are showing an encouraging appetite to be part of this once in a lifetime opportunity.”
Yorkshire Forward’s Executive Director of Business, Simon Hill, said: “we are delighted to be working with our regional partners and the Yorkshire Committee for the 2012 Games to bring these opportunities to the businesses of our region while also helping them to meet the challenges they face in procuring contracts.”
How CompeteFor works
ODA and LOCOG are advertising their direct contract opportunities online through CompeteFor, which is co-funded by Regional Development Agencies, 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.
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.