Breakfast meeting reveals Contracts Finder coming to finditinbirmingham

Date added: 01/12/2011

Exciting new business opportunities from a £650 billion market were the hot topic at ‘Government contracts for SMEs’ with Contracts Finder this week (Thursday 1 December).

More than 90 delegates at the Birmingham Hippodrome were among the first to hear about finditinbirmingham’s new arrangements to advertise key government and public sector contracts to its members.

The agreement means that all opportunities posted on the new national Contracts Finder website will also feature on finditinbirmingham, beginning this month.

Premium and Corporate Members will receive email alerts about Contracts Finder opportunities relevant to their chosen sectors.

The breakfast meeting introduced members to the Contracts Finder service, which is a crucial part of the Cabinet Office’s drive to do more business with SMEs.

Ian Sears from the Cabinet Office explained how government procurement is changing, so SMEs will find it easier to bid for – and win – more work.

He was joined by Contracts Finder’s project manager, Siobhan O’Keeffe, who illustrated how local businesses can make use of the free, national service to find opportunities and see what contracts central government has awarded.

Ian Sears and Siobhan O’Keeffe’s presentations can be viewed or downloaded here.

There were plenty of networking opportunities with many of the city’s most influential owners, directors and senior managers too – plus a complimentary breakfast.

"We’re very excited about the possibilities for companies in the city,” said Stuart Horton, finditinbirmingham’s Project Manager. "Members who came to the breakfast meeting received a valuable insight into Contracts Finder and new government procurement practices, thanks to Ian and Siobhan’s excellent presentations. And our agreement with Contracts Finder means that all of our members will have direct access to high-value opportunities to supply the government, public services and their contractors.”

Basic members are being encouraged to upgrade to Premium or Corporate Membership to take full advantage of the new arrangements with Contracts Finder.

"There’s never been a better time to become a Premium or Corporate Member of finditinbirmingham,” said Stuart. "As well as receiving free entry to breakfast meetings like this one, Premium and Corporate Members will receive email alerts about Contracts Finder opportunities. At less than £1 per week, city companies need to ask whether they can afford not to be a Premium or Corporate Member.”

Keep an eye on the ‘Opportunities’ section of finditinbirmingham for Contracts Finder opportunities, or upgrade to Premium or Corporate Membership now for email alerts straight to your inbox.

The next finditinbirmingham breakfast meeting on Thursday 5 January will focus on regeneration projects around the city. Book your place now – don’t leave it until after Christmas because demand for places is expected to be huge.