Partner Article

Tender boost for SMEs

Small and medium sized businesses have been given a “significant” extra avenue to win new contracts in the private and public sector.

The Business Online Network (BNO) provides business networking and tendering, the first site to offer both.

The BNO, developed by the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) and Accredited Chamber Network (ACN), will provide a platform for businesses to buy and sell their products and services, as well as build new contacts.

John Dunsmure, managing director of the BCC said: “All businesses are having to look for new ways to drive sales during these difficult times and we believe this tool will help in so many ways.

“Unlike some professional networking sites, the BNO isn’t about collecting ‘colleagues’ that have no relevance to your business, here each contact you make is a realistic prospect of having a positive impact on your business.”

The tender alert facility is the “big pull”, and offers alerts through email or text when a prospective tender contract becomes available.

The BNO will initially cover the UK, but international plans are in place expected to be complete in early 2010.

Mr Dunsmure said: “There’s no doubt that business networking online is here to stay - those that embrace it fully will benefit in terms of building their company’s profile and driving sales.

“Ultimately it allows you to reach more people with less effort, to identify and connect with the right people more quickly and reduce travel and expense.”

The BNO will be free to sign up for ACN members, with a three-month free trial on offer for non-members.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ruth Mitchell .