Help is at hand for Kent businesses to guide them towards winning more work through a nationwide marketplace for public sector contracts. Business Link is offering small and medium sized businesses the chance to attend a workshop that will help them to gain a Quality Management statement. The QM statement will qualify them to enter the online bidding for contract opportunities throughout the UK and Northern Ireland.

Britain’s 4.5 million small businesses are able to bid for contracts posted on the government supported CompeteFor site at www.london2012.com/business. This gives them access to opportunities to be gained from the London 2012 Games, with contracts and sub-contracts for infrastructure, buildings and the organisation of the event estimated to be worth some £9 billion to British business. Being registered on CompeteFor also allows businesses to network and form consortiums to bid for the larger contracts.

Small British companies are already the biggest winners among the £2 billion worth of 2012-related contracts awarded so far, according to the latest figures released by the Olympic Delivery Authority. Of the 650 companies that have already won contracts more than 70% are small and medium sized businesses and 98% are UK based.

There are currently 18,000 companies registered on CompeteFor, of which nearly 90% are small or medium sized businesses. In addition to holding a Quality Management statement, businesses will also need to demonstrate that they have both a health and safety policy and an equal opportunities policy.

These three criteria will also be useful to businesses wishing to bid for public sector contracts of up to £100,000 on www.supply2.gov.uk

Business Link’s Paul Toben, who is Programme Manager for the London 2012 Games, said: “Hundreds of Kent businesses could be losing out because they simply haven’t got the required policies or processes in place, one of which is a Quality Management statement or system.

“The half-day workshop we are running will see delegates leave with a draft Quality Management statement for their own business.”

The workshop is being held on Wednesday 30 July at Kent Science Park, Sittingbourne. It will begin at 9am and is expected to finish by 12.45pm, followed by a sandwich lunch. To book, visit eventskent.co.uk/2012 or call 01732 878555.

For general business support to prepare your company for London 2012 or Public Sector procurement, email london2012@businesslinksoutheast.co.uk to arrange for the Customer Services Team to contact you or telephone 0845 600 9 006.