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South East SMEs urged to sign up for government contracts

Small firms from across the South East are being urged to sign up to the government’s Supply2.gov.uk website and take advantage of the thousands of public sector contracts available.

Nationally, more than 123,000 companies have already signed up to the website, which provides an up-to-the-minute database of government contracts for small businesses wishing to supply to the public sector.

To date, around 110,000 opportunities have been advertised through the Supply2.gov.uk portal – 11 per cent of which were specific to the South East – with an average of over 3,000 new opportunities posted every month.

Suppliers who have signed up to the site receive advice on how best to access government contracts and a free daily email alert notifying them of new opportunities relevant to their business.

South East Regional Minister, Jonathan Shaw, said:

“At a time when many businesses in the South East are struggling as a result of the economic downturn, I would urge small and medium-sized companies from across our region to take advantage of the opportunities presented by this website.

“Supply2.gov.uk is a fantastic tool for the region’s SMEs to bid for some of the billions of pounds available, every year, through public sector contracts.”

Robin Young is director at Blue Hills Ltd, a training provider based in East Sussex. He said:

“The best thing about the supply2.gov.uk site is that I get an email every day with a whole host of possible leads – the work is done for you! I’m delighted that in less than 12 months we have secured two separate contracts and are in the process of pursuing other relevant leads. I would definitely recommend that others sign up.”

Supply2.gov.uk Marketing Brand Manager, Fiona Campbell, said:

“A recent refresh to the Supply2.gov.uk website in November 2008 has ensured the site is a more user friendly platform where registrants can benefit from increased information and better navigation.

“A key feature of the service, the ‘daily email alert’ profile, allows suppliers to match their contract search results exactly with their business requirements. Additional resources and information on interoperability relationships have also become more prominent on the site in order to further enhance the contract notification service.”

To raise awareness of the Supply2.gov.uk facility and how to use it, a roadshow is touring centres in England and Scotland - including Hilton Hotel, Southampton, 26 May 2009 - between March and June this year.

16 Feb 2009