Partner Article

North East companies ready to beat competition

Businesses from across the region are lining up in the race to win a range of new contracts after a visit to the Olympic Park in East London.

Alastair MacColl, chief executive of Business & Enterprise North East, the organisation that runs the Business Link service in the region, accompanied 19 North East businesses as they visited the multi-million-pound project and met representatives from the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA).

The trip was designed to show North East firms the type of work that is likely to come up for tender as preparations are made for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

The visit also marks the official launch of Compete North East, a new service by Business Link to help businesses in the region tender for emerging national and international contracts.

Funded with a £750,000 investment by Regional Development Agency One North East over the next three years, Compete North East aims to provide procurement information, tendering advice and brokerage services for regional businesses.

Paul Taylor, project director for Compete North East and a member of the group that visited the Olympic Park, said: “This week’s visit and the launch of the Compete North East service demonstrates that the opportunities presented by the 2012 Games are becoming very real.

“We are working nationally and regionally to identify upcoming project and to provide high quality information, advice and support to ensure North East businesses take advantage of these opportunities.”

ODA Chairman John Armitt said: “Companies from the North East are already winning gold from London 2012. Businesses of all sizes and from every sector are working together to deliver the largest project this country has seen for generations and are reaping the benefits of millions of pounds of work.

“Direct contracts are the tip of the iceberg and there are still golden opportunities up for grabs through the UK-wide supply chains.”

For more information on the Compete North East service visit www.competenortheast.co.uk.

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