EEDA - East of England Development Agency

10,000 businesses in the East of England heading towards 2012 Olympic win

20 October 2009

Ten thousand businesses in the East of England are already off the starting blocks and heading for London 2012 Olympic gold having registered on CompeteFor.

CompeteFor acts as a brokerage service between buyers and potential suppliers to open up the London 2012 supply chain for businesses of all shapes and sizes within the region. There is a breadth of opportunities, with contracts ranging from supplying 100 tonnes of copper to fresh sausages and from abseiling services to floristry. 

CompeteFor means that businesses are winning contracts that without the Games would not otherwise be available. Camfaud Concrets Pumps Ltd – a specialist provider of liquid concrete pumps based in Essex – published on CompeteFor and has been awarded the contract for Wetlands concrete pumping by BAM Nuttall Ltd.

Brendan Murphy, Director for Camfaud Concrete Pumps Ltd said: "Even though our service provision is quite specialist, we have already been able to respond to six relevant contracts within our first year published with CompeteFor.

“Working with BAM Nuttall Ltd on the Olympic Park has not only opened up further opportunities for us but by being published on CompeteFor we are well positioned to benefit from similar contracts as and when they arise in the future.”

The investment from the East of England Development Agency (EEDA), along with support from Business Link and county partners, has allowed businesses in the region to successfully engage with contracts and already over 8% of all the contracts awarded via CompeteFor have been granted to businesses in the East of England, helping the region to prosper.

Richard Ellis, Chair of EEDA, said: “The CompeteFor website signifies a huge investment, opening the door to a wide range of possibilities in the region. It is encouraging to see that local businesses registering on the portal are starting to see the advantages. Already 30% of all businesses published on CompeteFor in the East of England have been shortlisted for a contract, the largest success rate for any region outside of London.”
 
Councillor Stephen Castle, Chairman of Nations and Regions East, added: “We are delighted that the East of England has hit the 10,000 mark on CompeteFor registrations, however there are still businesses in the region who have yet to sign up and are missing out on the array of opportunities available. The next 18 months are crucial for these businesses to sign up and benefit from the 2012 Games. The businesses that have already won contracts in the East are a great example of how London 2012 is making an impact locally and reinforces that the benefits from the Games reach much further than sport.”

Business Link is offering free events across the region to help businesses that want to register for CompeteFor and for businesses that have already registered but want to maximise their success. To book a place on any of these events please contact the Business Link events team on 0845 601 1000.

Businesses can get more information on how to sign up to CompeteFor by visiting www.eeda.org.uk/competefor.

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