Coventry businesses have been given the chance to meet face-to-face with a range of key public sector decision makers to discuss trading opportunities thanks to the latest in a series of Public Procurement support events organised by Supply2Cov, a Coventry City Council initiative funded by LEGI.
The day-long Meet the Buyers event, held at the Windmill Village Hotel in Coventry on the 16th April 2008, allowed local businesses to present their products and services directly to 21 major public sector buyers from Coventry and the West Midlands. Representatives included those from a cross-section of Coventry City Council departments, the Ministry of Defence, the Environment Agency, the Coventry Sports Trust and Warwickshire, Malvern Hills and Nuneaton & Bedworth councils.
More than 100 people from Coventry-based businesses attended the LEGI (Local Enterprise Growth Initiative) funded Supply2Cov event. Supply2Cov is a project run by Coventry City Council Procurement Services that aims to support regeneration in Coventry by re-directing Council spend into the local economy.
“Businesses often struggle to sell into public sector organisations as the process can be time consuming, expensive and frustrating,” commented Carl Pearson, Head of Regeneration at Coventry City Council. “This type of event allows local businesses to pre-arrange meetings with numerous decision makers over the course of the day in order to discuss how best they may fit into the public sector supply chain and how they can access trade opportunities.” Attendee Nathalie Allard, Director of Raspberry Frog, a website design company based in Coventry University’s TechnoCentre enthused: "I'm new to working with the public sector so it's been great to make so many good contacts. It’s absolutely fabulous!"
Supply2Cov is planning numerous events over the coming months, including a mini Meet the Buyers event and a range of Understanding Public Procurement workshops. All public events will be advertised on the Council’s website: www.coventry.gov.uk/procurement.
For further information on Supply2Cov and its project activities, please contact Leslyn Rew, Project Manager on 024 7683 3761 or leslyn.rew@coventry.gov.uk
