11 November 2008

Armitt support for Northwest businesses

- 2,012th Northwest business now registered on CompeteFor.
- 28 Northwest businesses have won contracts to supply the ODA.
- 72 percent of suppliers are SMEs.

The Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA) is pleased to host John Armitt CBE, the Chairman of the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA), as he spends two days in the region.

Mr Armitt will visit two Northwest companies which have already won London 2012 contracts. He will also discuss what other regional businesses should be doing to compete for contracts and detail the massive opportunities linked to the London 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games.

Today (November 11th) during a Business Breakfast at the Reebok Stadium in Bolton, Mr Armitt addressed 200 businesses and stakeholders who have registered their interest in supplying London 2012 through online business service CompeteFor which matches businesses with London 2012 related opportunities. Businesses were also updated on the progress of Olympic Park by Morag Stuart, Head of Procurement at the ODA, following an introduction from Vanda Murray OBE, NWDA Board Member.

ODA Chairman John Armitt said:  “London 2012 can offer Northwest businesses of all sizes opportunities to help in the current economic climate. These figures show that businesses from all over the UK are already winning ‘economic gold’ with millions of pounds worth of 2012 work. These benefits are directly a result of hosting the Games.

“We want to work with the best of UK plc to successfully deliver the Games – the largest project this country has seen for generations.”

The latest London 2012 business figures show 28 Northwest companies have already won work supplying the ODA, 72 percent of them small and medium sized. Six more companies have won work supplying the ODA’s contractors and through CompeteFor.

Northwest companies that have been supplying the ODA include KOREC, a surveying and mapping company based in Crosby, which has supplied a 3D Trimble Laser Scanner for the survey of the Weymouth Pavilion and Ferry Terminal that will form part of the venue for the London 2012 sailing events. An early winner was Watson Steel in Bolton, which has won a contract from Team MacAlpine to supply steel for the main Olympic stadium. A company which has won work through CompeteFor is Speedy Hire plc, a tool and equipment hire company based in Newton-le-Willows which has been awarded a contract to supply and maintain a water bowser and generator for Portakabin for use at the Olympic Park in Stratford.

Mr Armitt arrived in Bolton yesterday (Monday) when he met representatives of local companies which have won London 2012 contracts. These included Watson Steel and KOREC.  Following this morning’s Business Breakfast, Mr Armitt will visit Watson Steel to meet Steven Day and tour the facility. In the afternoon he will travel to KOREC to meet Alan Browne, Group CEO, and tour the premises.
Vanda Murray, NWDA Board Member, said:

"Over 2,000 Northwest businesses large, medium and small right across the region have been engaging with London 2012 and have registered their interest to supply. I am delighted to see that Northwest companies are now winning contracts and taking advantage of the massive number of opportunities provided by the Games.

"The Northwest has an enviable reputation for supplying and hosting major events, including our successful delivery of the Commonwealth Games in 2002. London 2012 will enable us to demonstrate our expertise and build on this legacy."
 
Business clinics will also be held at the Reebok Arena today to give Northwest companies a chance for one-to-one discussions with ODA Supply Chain representatives. Other clinics are being provided by Business Link Northwest, UKTI, Enworks and The Manufacturing Institute.

* The 2,012th Northwest business to be registered on CompeteFor is Kindecs Ltd. Based in Bootle, Merseyside, the company offers a painting and decorating service to the commercial sector to a wide range of clients throughout the UK. A representative from the company will speak at today’s Business Breakfast.

-Ends-

Editors Notes

- Over 2231 Northwest businesses are registered on CompeteFor (85% SMEs).

- 107 companies have been shortlisted for contracts through CompeteFor

- Overall 34 companies have already secured work from London 2012. This breakdowns as 28 ODA contracts, 4 ODA supply chain and 2 that have secured work from 2012 related contracts.

-The NWDA is providing funding of £2 million from now until 2012 to help companies to prepare for, bid for and to win London 2012 contracts through the Northwest Business Link. All Northwest businesses registered on CompeteFor have been automatically referred to Northwest Business Link for business improvement support.

- John Armitt CBE was previously Chief Executive of Network Rail and Chief Executive of Railtrack plc. From 1993 to 1997 he was Chief Executive of Union Railways. In 1997 he went back to construction as Chief Executive of Costain, a position he held until 2001 when he joined Railtrack just after it had been put into administration. John was awarded the CBE in 1996 for his contribution to the rail industry.

-The next London 2012 business event in the Northwest will be on Tuesday, December 9th. An introduction to the Northwest Business Network, the London Business Network and CompeteFor will be held at the Rheghed Centre in Penrith.

- 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 the NWDA 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.

-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. 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 in England and the support services in Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland.

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.

- See www.nwbeinspired.com to find out more on the London 2012 opportunities available in the Northwest.

For further information please contact Sam Shale, Press Officer on 01925 400264 or 07717 427872 or sam.shale@nwda.co.uk

For urgent out of hours press enquiries please call 01925 400259.

For further information and to view all press releases visit us at www.nwda.co.uk/press

The NWDA is supporting businesses and prioritising investments to ensure that the Northwest is in a strong position to respond to the current economic climate.  Initiatives include:
• The launch of a £10m High Growth business support programme 
• A new £4m Innovation Voucher Scheme to help 1,000 businesses work with our knowledge base 
• Dedicated Access to Finance support within Business Link Northwest – now available
• £140m Venture Capital Loan Fund (VCLF) - to be launched in 2009
• £40m package of support to stimulate investment in priority skills development - to commence in 2009
• 10 day prompt-payment pledge to our suppliers to help with cash-flow
 
For more information, see nwda.co.uk/business

The Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA) leads the economic development and regeneration of England's Northwest and is responsible for:

• Supporting business growth and encouraging investment
• Matching skills provision to employer needs
• Creating the conditions for economic growth
• Connecting the region through effective transport and communication infrastructure
• Promoting the region’s outstanding quality of life