London 2012 Olympics - a good thing for the South West

Procurement Opportunities

The South West MAS is warning manufacturers in the region that they are missing out on potentially lucrative contracts for the London 2012 by failing to register their interest with the Games organisers.

A new online resource ‘CompeteFor’ has been launched – www.competefor.com/london2012business/login.jsp - to give companies access to London 2012 business opportunities. It acts as a brokerage service between buyers and potential suppliers. CompeteFor also facilitates access to business support services as well as networking opportunities.

Although the South West is second to London and the South East in terms of companies registering their interest for London 2012 information, the South West MAS believes only a relatively small number of these are manufacturers.

The Government’s manufacturing troubleshooter is calling on manufacturers to register with CompeteFor to avoid missing out on the reported £21bn of potential new business up for grabs nationally.

Public interest in London 2012 is already at record levels across the region. A recent study found the South West has the highest support for the Games in the country, with 87 per cent backing the competition.

Says Arthur Richardson, director with South West MAS: “UK companies are able to compete for substantial contracts across a variety of sectors, including manufacturing. After all, the Olympic villages and facilities will require lockers, towels, seats, clothing, and a myriad of other products that UK manufacturers are perfectly positioned to supply.”

One manufacturer in the region who has experience of tendering for Olympic contracts is Aggreko - the temporary power, temperature control and oil-free compressed air systems specialist. The firm has recently been named as the Temporary Power and Temperature Control Exclusive Supplier of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games by the Beijing Organizing Committee for the Games of XXIX Olympiad (BOCOG). Under the agreement, Aggreko will provide temporary power generation and delivery systems, temperature control systems, and related maintenance and repair services 

The company, which has offices in Bristol and Plymouth, isn’t resting on its laurels, and is busy preparing for 2012. Best known for supplying generators to events such as Glastonbury, The Ryder Cup and The British Open Golf Championship, Aggreko has already established a dedicated team to co-ordinate activities.

Explains Jeremy Fish, Aggreko’s general manager for the South West: “Tendering for Olympic work is a fairly unique process. The secret is getting to understand it and ensuring you have the right resources in place to handle it.”

Although Aggreko is a publicly-quoted global organisation, Fish doesn’t believe the size of a company should hold it back from bidding for work: “The formal tendering process involves a lot of work and can seem daunting, especially given that you have to jump through so many hoops, but I can assure you, from our experience in Beijing, that it is well worth it.”

Leading the campaign to get more South West companies involved in London 2012 is Team South West, the regional directorate for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Team South West, which is funded by the South West of England Regional Development Agency and Sports England South West, is charged with working to secure a lasting legacy for the region from the Games.

Adds Guy Lavender, South West England director for the London 2012 Games: “CompeteFor provides South West companies with an unprecedented chance to become involved in the London 2012 Games opportunity. This is the first time that any country hosting the Olympic and Paralympic Games has instituted this type of mechanism to ensure businesses from across the host country and those from outside traditional supply chains benefit. The South West business community should grasp this potential by registering as soon as possible.”

The South West MAS is hoping to co-host a workshop in the South of the region, in partnership with Business Link for Cornwall, Devon & Somerset, that will explore how to submit a tender for Olympic work. If you are interested in finding out more, please get in touch with South West MAS at info@swmas.co.uk

Will you help carry the Torch for Dorset? (download PDF document)

UK Schools Games is coming to the West of England. The event will be held between August 28th and 31st - just four days after the closing ceremony of the Beijing Games and six days before the start of the 2008 Paralympic Games. See the press release from the SWRDA.