BUSINESSES in Warrington and Cheshire are being urged to use the new year as their chance to bid for the £650 million of council contracts up for grabs each year.
Cheshire and Warrington Growth Hub is holding a workshop next month to help businesses looking to bid for public sector contracts in 2022.
The three Cheshire local authorities have combined contracts each year of £650million, offering a huge potential boost to local companies if they are successful in winning them.
The workshop is on Tuesday, February 15 and aims to show Cheshire and Warrington businesses how to get started in the bid process, how to produce a tender response for the public sector and best practice in writing a bid response.
There will also be a chance to hear about opportunities for public sector tendering from HS2, Cheshire East Council, Cheshire West and Chester Council, and Warrington Borough Council.
Dave Powell, Managing and Creative Director at Thrive, a Congleton-based marketing and advertising agency will also be sharing his first-hand experience of winning public sector contracts.
Dave, who has secured public sector contracts with several local authorities, said “Many businesses avoid tender opportunities because of the investment in time and competitive nature. The trick is to identify opportunities where you can demonstrate relevant experience.
“Always take the opportunity to clarify and validate through Q&As and never be afraid to look beyond the brief for better ways of delivering on the requirement. You’ll find the more tenders you respond to, the less time-consuming they become – through practice and re-purposing information.”
Andy Devaney, Director of Business Innovation at Cheshire and Warrington Growth Hub, part of Cheshire and Warrington Local Enterprise Partnership, said: “The new year provides a fantastic opportunity for people to think about potential new opportunities for their business, including public sector contracts.
“If a business has not bid for these contracts before, it can seem daunting but by coming along to our workshop, businesses will get a better understanding of what the process involves and learn some of the basics of successfully bidding.
“As well as offering information for businesses new to the world of bidding for contracts, there is also plenty for more experienced businesses to find out how to improve their chances of winning contracts and hear about upcoming opportunities to bid in Cheshire and Warrington.”
The Growth Hub’s workshop will be split into two sessions, businesses can choose to attend both or just one session:
•The morning session is aimed at SME businesses with little or no knowledge of public sector bidding. This session will look at how to ‘get started’ in the bid process, how to produce a tender response for the public sector and best practice in writing a bid response.
•The afternoon session is aimed at more experienced businesses who want to write the best responses and win more contracts. This session will also allow businesses to hear from a range of public sector organisations on their upcoming opportunities.
The free workshop is being delivered by Jo Tillott from Strive Consultancy and is for businesses in Cheshire and Warrington only. Places are limited to one per business. To sign-up, go to: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/bidding-for-public-sector-contracts-tickets-219219931717
Picture shows Andy Devaney, (left) Director of Business Innovation at Cheshire and Warrington Growth Hub and Dave Powell, Managing and Creative Director at Thrive
