Workshops shine light on public sector procurement
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A MORAY programme is helping local businesses secure more public sector contracts.
Working alongside the Scottish Government’s Supplier Development Programme (SDP), Moray Council’s procurement team held the first of two training workshops aimed at improving local business access to the tender process.
The authority's payments manager Diane Beattie said it was a huge success for contractors and the public sector.
She said: "I was surprised by the diversity of businesses that attended the workshop, all of whom had the potential to bid for public contracts.
"I had to remind myself that although I represent local authority procurement, the course was much wider than that and covered bidding for all public organisations.
"Every day is a school day and although I am 'procuring’ day in day out, I learned a lot about what it means from the sellers point of view."
A second workshop, to be held in Moray College, Elgin, is scheduled for February 19 and already 20 companies have registered to attend.
A spokeswoman for SDP said the council’s partnership with the programme has enabled meaningful connections between buyers and suppliers throughout Scotland.
She said: "It is clearly making a huge difference to suppliers, as 100 per cent of attendees that responded to the post-event survey said that their business has improved its capability of bidding for more government contracts.
"Suppliers can find out about up-and-coming Moray contract opportunities in 2020, as well as the wider public sector in Scotland which spends £11 billion per year nationally."
Visit the Supplier Development Programme website to book a free place on the February 19 workshop.
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