Other News
Small Scottish firms urged to sign up for Government contracts
Sector: Central Government
Date Created: Tue 24th Feb 2009, 12:21:00
Source: Glasgow Chamber
Link: http://www.glasgowchamber.org/
UK - Scottish Secretary of State Jim Murphy is encouraging small firms across Scotland to log on to the government’s Supply2.gov.uk website to take advantage of the thousands of government contracts available.
Scotland currently has the highest number of all UK public sector contract opportunities advertised on the website. The site makes it easier for business and government to work together by uniting them in a single location.
Of more than 123,000 companies already signed up to the website, 7.5% are based in Scotland, and have access to an up to the minute database of government contracts looking for small businesses to supply to the public sector.
Suppliers who have signed up to the site receive advice on how best to access government contracts and a free daily email alert notifying them of new opportunities that are relevant to their business. Small businesses will have an opportunity to learn more about supply2.gov.uk when "Tendering for Success" road shows visit Edinburgh and Glasgow in the spring.
Secretary of State for Scotland Jim Murphy commented: "SME’s are the life blood of the Scottish economy. They represent 99% of all enterprises and 53% of all employment in Scotland. The Supply2.gov.uk website provides these businesses with a tremendous opportunity to take advantage of the many public sector contracts available from the UK Government."
Successful contract winner, Mark Hobbins, Senior Energy Engineer at Glasgow based Barron Evers Ltd said: "Supply2.gov.uk has been a good source of tenders for our business and has really helped increase the profile of the company to potential clients. We have won some good pieces of work through the website, including one contract for local government we are currently working on. Supply2.gov.uk is the only fee-paying procurement site we use so that is testament to its success. I find the email bulletin alerts save time and energy in sourcing possible tenders and the site is well managed by helpful support staff."
Supply2.gov.uk Marketing Brand Manager Fiona Campbell said: "A recent improvement to the Supply2.gov.uk website in November 2008 has ensured the site is a more user friendly platform where registrants can benefit from increased information and better navigation. A key feature of the service, such as the Daily Email Alert profile, allows suppliers to match their contract search results exactly with their business requirements. Additional resources and information on interoperability relationships have also become more prominent on the site in order to further enhance the contract notification service."
