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Supplier Development Programme: Meet the Buyer North 2020


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Join the conversation on social media at #meetthebuyernorth2020
Join the conversation on social media at #meetthebuyernorth2020

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Prepare your business to get a share of £11bn public sector contracts

EVERY year the public sector in Scotland spends £11 billion.

That is £11 billion set aside for goods, works and services that Scottish businesses can provide – and goods and services that public bodies, whether local councils or national organisations, want Scottish businesses to provide.

And no business is too small to get its share of public sector spending. Even one-person operations can have something to offer.

The problem for many small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) is knowing how to put their name out there so the bodies offering these contracts know what they have to offer, or finding out what contracts are on offer.

That is where the Supplier Development Programme (SDP) and its Meet the Buyer events come in, bringing together suppliers and the public bodies which need them.

The third annual SDP Meet the Buyer North event will take place on Wednesday, September 2.

Like so many other events this year, it has been forced online by the coronavirus crisis, but as a fully virtual, online event, Meet the Buyer North has the potential to reach even more businesses and connect them with the organisations which need what they can provide – and without any additional travel or accommodation costs.

And with SDP’s experience of delivering webinars and training online over the last five years, moving from a physical to virtual event should be a seamless transition.

Partnered by the Scottish Government, this unique event allows businesses to spend one day, or part of a day, meeting buyers, such as procurement officers from local authorities and other public organisations.

Previous Meet the Buyer North event.
Previous Meet the Buyer North event.

While many of the suppliers taking part will already be experienced in the tendering process for public contracts, those unfamiliar with the process or who have not been involved in the public sector for some time need not feel intimidated, as the SDP team will guide them through the process with free training sessions before and after the event.

More than 1300 suppliers have already registered for the free event to take advantage of the opportunities on offer in the Highlands and Islands, Grampian area, Fife and Tayside, providing a one-stop shop for both suppliers and the public sector.

This year’s event has taken on an added importance as the impact of the Covid-19 crisis forces the country into recession, and SDP Scotland has been working with members and partners to continue to provide support and training to Scottish SMEs, third sector and supported businesses throughout lockdown to help them play a part in the nation’s economic recovery.

Public service contracts can provide a vital lifeline for smaller businesses which have found their futures at risk from the effects of the Covid pandemic, with the bonus of a guaranteed payment within 30 days – or even 10 of there is an urgent cash issue.

Public sector contracts also offer stability for their suppliers. Regardless of the economic implications of issues such as the pandemic, Brexit or any other economic downturns which may have a negative impact on private sector investment, public services still need to be delivered. This provides suppliers with a relatively stable and durable customer base. There is also marketing mileage from having a large customer like a public body, which can then be used to promote your service to grow your business.

In certain cases, such as with local authorities, public bodies have a commitment to finding local suppliers where possible, but for others, geography is no barrier to securing a contract, providing an opportunity for businesses to expand into new regions.

The virtual event is free to attend for suppliers of all sizes, but businesses must register for a free SDP account at www.sdpscotland.co.uk/register/

Previous Meet the Buyer North event.
Previous Meet the Buyer North event.

Along with free access to any SDP event anywhere in Scotland, this will also furnish SME businesses with full access to information, resources, toolkits and templates on the SDP website, training tailored to the business’s needs and the option to be included on SDP’s Supplier Register, which can be viewed by other Scottish-based SMEs and buyers.

This includes free coaching on how to make the most of your opportunity at Meet the Buyer events, whether live or online.

SDP programme manager Gillian Cameron believes the opportunities are so wide ranging, from long term contracts to “Quick Quote” contracts of £50,000 or less, that there is something for every participant, no matter the size or speciality of the potential contractor, from cleaners, IT specialists and engineers to photographers and even funeral directors.

“If someone goes to a Meet the Buyer event and comes away with nothing, I would be shocked,” she said.

Communications company Provista is among the many businesses which have found it more than worthwhile to participate in Meet the Buyer, winning contracts with Moray Council and NHS Highland among several other public agencies.

“The service and training available from SDP helped us to achieve our goal. By using the knowledge and experience gained from SDP, we are more strategic on which tenders we bid on, resulting in an increase in the number of tenders we win,” the company stated.

“We would encourage other companies to bid for public sector work. A smaller, more dynamic organisation can be seen as more appealing to public sector bodies than a larger, more bureaucratic company.” In addition to virtual exhibitions from the Scottish Government, confirmed buyers include Highland, Moray, Aberdeen City, Aberdeenshire, Fife, Perth and Kinross and Argyll and Bute councils.

Craig Innes, head of commercial and procurement shared services at Aberdeen City, Aberdeenshire and Highland councils, pointed out that Meet the Buyer North presents not just an opportunity to attract new work, but a platform for dialogue between different suppliers and between buyers and suppliers which could help towards the creation of a greener wellbeing economy.

“We are keen to encourage more local businesses to consider bidding for public contracts – not just our contracts, but wider public sector opportunities,” he said.

Other notable organisa­tions taking part include Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE), SELECT, the trade association for elec­tricians, and the Scottish Procurement Alliance, which supplies goods and services for work on social housing and public buildings, and the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA).

SEPA works to protect and enhance Scotland’s environment and each year spends in the region of £18 million with suppliers.

David Morgan, SEPA’s sustainable procurement manager, said: “Our supply chain is essential to the delivery of our strategic aims. We look to work with business big and small across Scotland who share our values and can contribute to the effective and efficient delivery of our services.”

SEPA has been working closely with the Supplier Development Programme (SDP) to encourage Scottish small and medium sized businesses into their supply chain.

Although online this year, the Meet the Buyer North event will be a great opportunity to find new suppliers – particularly in the more rural parts of the Scotland.

Previous Meet the Buyer North event.
Previous Meet the Buyer North event.

Every year SEPA has contract opportunities around the maintenance of their river gauging station network. This network is essential to effective flood forecasting as the data it provides is used for modelling potential flooding and ultimately enables the issuing of flood warnings and alerts to people across the country.

Multiple contracts between £2000 and £15,000 are available each year for these works.

Mark Franklin, SEPA’s hydrometry unit manager, explains: “Quotes are requested directly from potential suppliers. Meet the Buyer North will be a great opportunity to make SEPA aware of your business and potentially be selected to offer quotes for future contracts.”

Also taking part will be the Forth and Tay Offshore and DeepWind Cluster, Red Rock Power, the infrastructure and construction centre, hub North Scotland, Scape Group, which offers framework opportunities across the UK, Scotland Excel, the Centre of Procurement Expertise for the local gov­ernment sector which is co-funded by Scotland’s 32 local authorities, national organisation Transport Scotland, and the Crown Commercial Service, the biggest public procurement organisation in the UK.

Third sector organisations can also find extra support through Just Enterprise and the Partnership for Procurement (P4P) which will be exhibiting.

To find out more about the Meet the Buyer North 2020: Live Virtual Event, visit www.sdpscotland.co.uk/events-mtbn-virtual/

The SDP website also provides important information on training opportunities to help you prepare for its events and make the most of the opportunity, and then guide SMEs through the next stage of the tendering process.

If you have any questions, you can contact info@sdpscotland.co.uk

Join the conversation on social media at #meetthebuyernorth2020

How to prepare for the event

Although online this year, the Meet the Buyer North event will be a great opportunity to find new suppliers – particularly in the more rural parts of the Scotland.
Although online this year, the Meet the Buyer North event will be a great opportunity to find new suppliers – particularly in the more rural parts of the Scotland.

  • Do your homework!
  • Look at the listed buyers on the event page, consider which buyers you wish to meet, go to their websites, read their contract procurement reports, and have a look at their contract registers to see if they buy things that your business offers already – and make a note of the dates these expire.
  • Prepare an informal verbal introduction to your business
  • Think about what you can provide or supply to the public sector. If you have questions for a specific buyer, or about potential upcoming contract, framework or Quick Quote opportunities, make a note of these too.
  • Prepare your contact information in advance
  • When you connect with a buyer or another supplier on the day, you’ll automatically exchange your contact information. As this is an online event, you’ll be asked to fill in settings which will auto-populate with the information you’ve already provided at registration. However, you can optionally add a profile picture, and a summary of your business, and links to your social media accounts. Why not write your summary now, and have your logo or image ready to go on the day?
  • On the day, join the queues at the virtual exhibition stands and download buyers’ digital leaflets, flyers and information. Buyers are encouraged to display upcoming tender opportunities, business support and other useful information that you can download and read while you wait.
  • Make a point to connect with other suppliers in the Meeting Hub and exchange contact details with other potential suppliers attending the event. They could also become customers.

What to expect on the day

Join the conversation on social media at #meetthebuyernorth2020
Join the conversation on social media at #meetthebuyernorth2020

When you register for Meet the Buyer North, you will be emailed with confirmation and you’ll be sent a link to the live portal. On the day of the event, Wednesday, September 2, click on the link to log in with your unique ID.

This will also allow you to update your profile which will be seen by potential business partners with new details and photographs. This will then take you to the home page for the event where you can meet the virtual exhibitors and find details of the day’s sessions.

Each session will provide an opportunity to ask questions via email, participate in polls and take notes on screen which you will be able to save. To make direct contact with other participants, log into the meeting hub and click on any name or organisation which is of interest. Once accepted, you will be able to have a live chat or arrange a video call.

Exhibitors will also be able to make direct contact with any potential suppliers which interest them.

At the end of the event, you will be able to download any relevant information, such as contact details and information about potential contracts, and any notes you have made in the sessions or one-to-one meetings.

Then register on Public Contracts Scotland (PCS) website and get tender ready with SDP’s free training to await the opportunity to bid for upcoming contracts.


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