Council to give free workshops to good local businesses

Cheshire East Council is to hold further ‘free’ procurement training workshops to help business people with public sector contracts.

The procurement training sessions will be provided by the council’s arms-length Skills and Growth Company and are for local businesses in Cheshire East. The workshops are designed to support small to medium-sized enterprises and create an opportunity to secure a portion of the £200 billion spent each year by the UK public sector on private sector contracts.

The training is provided by Onto The Page, who will share their expertise in bidding best practice and create opportunities for Cheshire East businesses.

In total, 18 businesses from across Cheshire East attended a recent event held at Macclesfield College. They represented a wide range of local sectors, including creative and digital, education, construction, food and drink, manufacturing and engineering. 

Dave Turner, from Knutsford, managing director of Topspeed Couriers, was a guest speaker, who shared his success stories, relating to securing work in the public sector.

Topspeed Couriers are a specialist courier service delivering items including crime scene evidence and food samples across the UK. Mr Turner took attendees through the process of becoming a supplier for government agencies including Defra, the police and the Home Office.

The workshops are organised by the Skills and Growth Company, in conjunction with the procurement team at Cheshire East Council. Abi Owers, of Macclesfield, another attendee, from the marketing agency Big Brand Ideas, found it very beneficial. 

Ms Owers, engagement director, said: “The event was the first I had been to run by the Skills and Growth Company. The course structure and trainers were fantastic, delivering a jam-packed day filled with guidance and advice, including the opportunity to meet council procurement leads.”

Councillor George Hayes, chairman of the Skills and Growth Company, said: “We are pleased to help support local businesses to maximise opportunities to supply goods and services to the public sector. It can be a complicated procurement process and this can put off many businesses.

“This training is designed to equip businesses with the skills to succeed and win contracts with the public sector.”

The next workshops will be held on Wednesday 5 December and Wednesday 20 March 2019. To register an interest visit: www.skillsandgrowth.co.uk/events