benefit from london 2012 business opportunities
DESCRIPTION
Chas Morrison, a business link adviser talks about how your business can benefit from opportunities of public sector contractsTRANSCRIPT
Benefit from London 2012
business opportunities
2012
Chas Morrison
Adviser Manager, Business Link
An opportunity for your business
• 75,000+ contracts
• One web site
• An opportunity spread over up to eight years
• Simple systems
2012
• Business to Business
• Business to Consumer
• Goods and services
• Think “small town”, rather than a “sports event”
www.businesslink.gov.uk
•Cargo Services
•Carpenters and Joiners
•Carpet Cleaning Equipment
•Carpet Fitters
•Carpet Accessories
•Carrier Bags
•Cartons
•Carvers and Gilders
•Case Makers
Statistics
• The Olympic Park, Stratford - The 2012 games will
feature 10,500 Olympic athletes, 4,200 Paralympic
athletes and will attract 1.2m visitors. After the games
9,000 new homes will be built and the area will benefit
from state-of-the-art sporting venues
• In Beijing, around 7,000 breakfasts were served daily
in the Athletes’ Village in the space of one hour
Statistics
• The organisers of London 2012 have announced an
ambitious series of cultural events to run alongside the
Olympic Games
• Some 500 events costing at least £40m and
culminating in a festival of culture are promised – at
various locations across the country
www.competefor.com
• Register as a supplier
• Register for e-alerts
• Register for sector-specific project alerts
www.competefor.com
It acts as a brokerage service between buyers
throughout the London 2012 supply chain, and potential
suppliers. CompeteFor also provides access to business
support services; building skills and capacity to ensure
that businesses across the UK can access opportunities
linked to the hosting of the London 2012 Games
DON’T MISS THE BUS!!!
Benefit from London 2012
business opportunities
Supplier Matching Service
Jayne Westwood
Business Growth Adviser
Business Link
What is the Supplier Matching Service?
The Supplier Matching Service helps
small businesses solve their problems
by supplying them with a shortlist of
the best-fit experts that we can
identify that most closely meet their
requirements.
Key points
• Providers of B2B services register their details for free
along with 2 customer referees
• We check and validate suppliers before making their
details available for searches
• You are prompted every 6 months to update your
registration to ensure your information is accurate
• The service is free to customers looking to source help
• A search is made on our database to identify the ‘best
fit’ service providers
• The customer selects which suppliers they wish
to contact from the shortlist we provide
What are the benefits?
• The opportunity to market yourself to potential
customers in the SME sector across a wide area
• Control over the content of your record which you can
update as necessary
• Referrals are in direct response to a customer
need
• We can provide guidance on how to optimise your
details if you need it
• Simple, online, free registration
www.suppliermatching.co.uk
Garbage in . . . .
• Assistance in the form of FAQs, Guide download and
from Business Link will help you prepare a positive
profile
• Concentrate on your 3 key skills you wish to promote
to SMEs
• Use company description to cover additional skills or
experience our customers are likely to be interested in
Top 10 Searches in quarter one
Website design 193
Accountant 141
Marketing (strategy, advice, services) 72
Legal issues - general 66
Book keeper 44
Business Consultant/advisor/plan 30
Human Resources 29
Public Relations 29
Quality, ISO 28
Office/Secretarial/Admin/PA services 24
Rob Walker
Xcite Digital Ltd
07810 564 064
www.xcitedigital.com
What to do next . . .
• Visit www.suppliermatching.co.uk
• Talk to Business Link if you need more
information
• Register your company
• Complete your profile and details of
customer referees
• Keep your details, skills and
experience up to date
Benefit from London 2012
business opportunities
PRESENTATION BY TIM COLMAN
Business Link Seminar
“Benefit from London 2012
Business Opportunities”
Aldershot 2nd October 2008
TENDERING and QUOTING
THE TEN GOLDEN RULES
OF
BID WRITING
Introduction
The following presentation briefly outlines some
basic tips and techniques that should help you to win
more business when competing in the tendering
process.
These tips apply equally to all Public Sector
Projects – including those for London 2012 - and
are valid for formal tenders and RFP’s
Introduction
The rules are not merely theoretical – written by a sales
and marketing “guru” who has never actually completed
tender documentation
They are a very practical guide that works – based on 30
years of success in bidding for Public and Private Sector
projects.
Following these rules I have personally led bid teams
that have won 80% of the projects we bid for!
The Ten Key Rules Of Tendering
1. Before you start typing…….
2. Don’t lie!
3. Go through commercial conditions with a fine toothed comb….
4. Timescales
5. Know what your client really wants
6. Know your competitors
7. Plan the bid presentation and make it look good.
8. Spend serious money if working on a serious bid!
9. Don’t bid if you can’t cope…..
10.Finally – what to do if you don’t win…..
BEFORE YOU START TYPING
Quite apart from the tender documents themselves, there will be some instructions on exactly how the tender should be handled.
Very often this information is only mentioned in the covering letter that accompanies the main tender document.
BEFORE YOU START TYPING
The type of issues that could be mentioned are:
Acknowledge of receipt
The return envelope
Time limit for questions
A pre-tender meeting or site visit
The number of copies of the bid itself
DON’T LIE!
If you don’t meet the exact specification given in tender
documents – then admit it.
Don’t pretend you meet all the requirements if you don’t
– you will simply get into trouble later. However, don’t
simply say “I don’t comply” – stress the benefits of your
solution.
Go through commercial conditions
meticulously
Don’t cut corners.
If there are many pages of technical or commercial
conditions then go through each one line by line and put
“confirmed” or “comply” by each one you accept and
explain any that you do not or cannot meet.
This will save you problems in the future and will also
demonstrate to the client that you have taken the bid
process seriously.
Timescales
Many official tenders – particularly in the public sector –
will have very tight deadlines.
Sometimes they will only give a few days to prepare the
bid itself and will then promise to make a decision
quickly and – in turn – place an order very quickly.
Invariably this does not happen!
Timescales
So don’t be bullied into accepting a risk on materials cost
and exchange rates based on the assumption that
everything will be settled in a few days.
Make it clear that your price and delivery schedule will
depend on the client meeting his own deadlines.
Timescales
Tied into this is the issue of penalty payments for late
delivery or failure to meet specifications.
Do not accept unrealistic penalty clauses.
(These are typical in the construction industry)
Know what your client really wants
You must understand the tender documents.
If you don’t understand – then ask.
Getting it wrong may mean you are too expensive - but
winning the job and not understanding what is really
required could bankrupt you!
Know your competitors
If you really know your competitors you highlight their
weaknesses to your benefit.
Don’t “name and shame” - but if they have a weakness
then stress your strength in this area.
If they have a strength, then explain why your way is
better.
Plan the bid
If the bid is substantial then plan the presentation of
documents before you start.
You may need to present special drawings or plans so
consider reserving some Drawing Office time in advance.
Plan the bid
Don’t merely fill your presentation with photocopied
brochures. If they are relevant then include them – but
never copies.
You may want to incorporate 2 or 3 technical or
commercial options and alternatives – make sure that
this is obvious to the client.
Serious Bids cost Serious Money
If it is a big project then expect to spend serious money
on the bid itself.
The London 2012 Olympic Bid (which was actually a
response to an RFP) cost more than £80 million.
Whatever some may say it is a £20 billion project!
Don’t bid if you can’t cope…..
Many companies have been bought to their knees by
successfully bidding for big projects.
They may have missed commercial or technical issues in
the tender document.
They may not be able to actually raise enough money to
finance the project.
Don’t bid if you can’t cope…..
They may have a client who goes bankrupt on them.
They may simply be unable to cope with the size of the
project or could have underestimated costs.
Don’t bid if you can’t cope…..
Making more of a product does not necessarily reduce
unit costs.
There come “break points” in manufacture where you
may need to invest in another production line or even
factory.
You may need to employ specialist project managers or
pay higher salaries to attract more staff.
If you don’t win…..
The other issue is influencing the specification of a future project.
By entering a non-compliant, yet financially interesting, bid there are several potential outcomes.
The whole tender may be cancelled, the specifications changed, and then the tender re-opened.
If it is a multi-stage project, your specification may be very seriously considered for the next phase.
Closing thoughts…..
Winning a tender is not a matter of the lowest bid or
necessarily the best product.
The following factors can also influence the final
decision…
• Professional presentation
• A demonstrable understanding of the clients needs.
• Service and reliability of the product offered.
• Innovation – or the opposite (tradition)
• Quality
• References
• Client trust and personal relationships
• Going the extra mile……
A Few Thoughts on Olympic™ Bids
Do not expect to win any Olympic™ contracts (ODA or
LOCOG) unless you are “bid ready”.
This means that you need to have certain key policy
documents in place before you bid.
A Few Thoughts on Olympic™ Bids
These include:
• Health and Safety Policy
• Equal Opportunities Policy
• Environmental Policy
• Quality Management Statement
The Winning Formula
Over the past twenty five years I have either personally
bid, or led bid teams, for around 600 projects – maybe
more.
We have won more than 80% of them – but “should”
have won about 50% - 60%.
Getting the response documents right moves the odds in
your direction.
The Winning Formula
Think of roulette – the odds in favour of the bank are
really quite slight (depending on the use of one or two
zeros on the wheel).
But that slight benefit is what keeps casinos in business.
Tim Colman
Tim has thirty years experience in bidding
and can work with you and your clients to improve
your chances of winning at the right price.
Tim Colman
0845 257 7213
07780 601523
www.timecheckconsulting.com
Timecheck Consulting
A Division of Abacus HR Limited
Worting House, Church Lane
Basingstoke
Hampshire RG27 9SA
Benefit from London 2012
business opportunities