Business, Economic Development and Regeneration

Is your Business ‘Fit2Supply’ the 2012 Games?

Want to be a part of the London 2012 Games? Not everyone can become an elite athlete, but there are plenty of opportunities to find out how you can compete for and win Games related business contracts.

Over 160 South East small businesses from many sectors have already won contracts from London 2012, many through the ‘CompeteFor’ website. So far more than 28 contracts have been awarded to Kent companies, from million pound deals to those worth £2000 – proving that no matter what the size of your business, you can be part of the 2012 Games.

Kent have 2,684 different companies registered with CompeteFor (as of July 2009) and have the highest number of companies both registering and being published than any other county in England.

Coming up are the latest ‘Fit2Supply’ workshops host by Business Link Kent. These workshops provide the ideal opportunity for businesses looking to gain insight into the opportunities available to them through the London 2012 supply chain.

The workshop aims to inform you about how to get your business in the best shape possible to win Games-related contracts. Key themes include:

• How to access more opportunities
• Meeting contract and buyer mandatory requirements
• Increasing your chances of winning a 2012 or public sector contract
• How to proactively win new business
• Ways to develop your action plan to get ‘Fit2Supply’

To book your FREE place at a workshop visit www.southeast2012events.co.uk

Small contracts from just a few thousand pounds upwards are being won by small businesses from all sectors on the CompeteFor website at competefor.com and also with Local Authorities through the South East Business Portal

1000s of new contracts are waiting to be won – are you ready to compete? 

Improving accessibility will increase profitability

Ministers have urged companies to be more conscious of improving goods and services for disabled visitors to the 2012 Games as it will potentially increase profitability.

The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) commissioned a report setting out the opportunities that disabled visitors bring to businesses in an attempt to encourage businesses to actively improve their goods and services. For an average business, disabled customers make up for 20% of the customer base. This is a significant amount for businesses therefore, it is vital that in order to meet the needs of its disabled customers, customer service and the quality of goods and services provided need to be to a high standard if businesses want to profit and benefit from repeat custom.

The risk of losing business to a more accessible competitor is high as consumer experiences of disabled people can then affect the choices of family and friends which has the potential to be damning to businesses. The report ‘2012 Legacy for Disabled People: Inclusive and Accessible Business’ also shows that 32% of disabled people have difficulty accessing goods and services that they choose.

Minister for Disabled People Maria Miller said:

‘The 2012 Games provide a powerful opportunity for the private sector to reach out to disabled customers, counter disability stereotypes and showcase their equality credentials’.

It is hoped that this report encourages businesses to act on becoming more inclusive of and accessible to disabled customers.