The art and science of bidding to win public contracts for goods and services will be explored at a Dundee and Angus Chamber of Commerce seminar later this month.
Public contracts offer considerable business opportunities, worth more than £225 billion each year in the UK, including £9billion in Scotland.
Tim Williams, managing director of Aberdeen-based electronic procurement specialist Millstream, will be the keynote speaker at the Public Sector Procurement business lunch and learn event on Thursday, September 26.
Millstream manages the Public Contracts Scotland website for the Scottish Government and runs the Tenders Direct website.
Tim will share his knowledge of the tendering process, including the common pitfalls, how to avoid them and how to maximise chances of success when pitching for public sector business.
He said: “A number of European governments and public authorities now handle procurement electronically in order to save money and time and to comply with the latest EU legislation so there are literally thousands of opportunities out there.
“However, the procurement process can appear complex and time-consuming which can put companies off bidding for work. After working in procurement for more than 20 years, I hope to be able to share some of my experiences and advice on how to navigate the process and ensure you win the work.”
As well as running Public Contracts Scotland, Millstream was recently awarded a contract by the Welsh Government (Llywodraeth Cymru) to run Wales’ national e-procurement database, which handles £4.3billion of tenders annually.
Millstream’s Tenders Direct website provides private companies with comprehensive information on new business opportunities from the public sector, such as the government, local authorities, emergency services, NHS trusts and the armed forces.
It also runs myTenders, a tender publication and management service used by more than 700 public organisations in the UK to submit fully compliant contract notices to the Official Journal of the European Union (OJEU) and Contracts Finder, as well as publicising them on the organisation’s own website.
The lunch and learn event will run from 11.45am to 2pm on Thursday, September 26 at Verdant Works, W Henderson's Wynd, Dundee DD1 5BT. Admission is £20 plus VAT, which includes refreshments and a light lunch. To book, visit www.dundeeandanguschamber.co.uk