The LEP Network

Local

Location: Thames Valley Berkshire
Date: 15/07/13

Thames Valley Berkshire, 17th June 2013 - Thames Valley Berkshire Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) is hosting a range of free Local Authority procurement workshops for SMEs from 15th to 17th July 2013.

The ‘Seize the Opportunity’ workshops will be run by Improvement and Efficiency Social Enterprise (iESE), designed to equip SMEs across Thames Valley Berkshire with in-depth understanding of Local Authority procurement processes.

The workshops will run in the evening at FE colleges across Berkshire.  The sessions will outline how the supply chain works, identifying how local government buyers in Thames Valley Berkshire procure, ultimately providing delegates with a thorough understanding of where in the supply chain an SME can access opportunities.   It will also discuss bid management with SMEs and highlight some of the common errors made in the preparation of tender submissions and proposals.  Additionally the sessions will cover the policies and procedures that must be embedded (i.e. Health & Safety, Environmental, Quality and Diversity) before SMEs can become suppliers. Each of the FE Colleges will also be providing details of their own courses and apprenticeship schemes, outlining how they work with and support local businesses.

For those businesses that attend the ‘Seize the Opportunity’ workshops in July there will also be a chance to discuss opportunities with a procurement officer from each of the six unitary authorities at a Meet the Buyer event on 18th September at the Centre Slough; run as part of the East Berkshire Show.

The timetable for the ‘Seize the Opportunity’ workshops is as follows:

15th July – Reading College

16th July – East Berkshire College

17th July – Newbury College

To register for the workshop and for further information, visit http://freesmeworkshop.eventbrite.co.uk/