Events

The Procurement Act 2023 is due to go live on 24th February 2025. This event for both buyers and suppliers will look at what we have learned since the Act has been in force.

We'll look if possible at the Competitive Flexible Procedure and how it's being used, how dynamic markets are operating and whether Frameworks are being let under the new constructs as well as how the Central Digital Platform is working and if the new notice regime is helping to create more transparency and accessibility to public sector buyers.

We'll also be asking SMEs to feedback about whether their experience has changed at all.

We're delighted to be joined once again by Annaliese Forthergill from YPO and we'll draw on her expertise and knowledge in this session.

We often get asked about how to approach working with other businesses to secure public sector opportunities. Working with others can help you apply for larger opportunities, and can spread risk and bring together multiple skills and strengths.

We're putting on this event, dedicated to exploring collaborative working.

We'll give an overview of the things you might want to consider leading up to becoming ‘contract ready’ in a partnership and we'll explore what the key areas of focus are for businesses wanting to work together to secure work in the public sector.

We’ll explore what the make or break elements are of preparing to work with others.

Go4Growth is a collaboration between two businesses and so we'll share our experiences of both the positives and the challenges we've encountered along the way.

This highly interactive workshop will also give an opportunity for businesses who want to, to give an intro to their business and exchange details and explore how to form new working relationships. Come along and find out more about collaborative working and hopefully find and make new connections for future work whist you're there!

We have developed this webinar for organisations who are working with or wish to work as a supplier to the Public Sector and/or want to understand social value better and learn how to develop an approach to social contribution through your business.

Social and environmental impact is a growing priority in both private and public sector competitions and so this workshop will help businesses who are seeking to increase their knowledge in this area to support growth generally. We're seeing weightings of 20% in many bids which means social impact can be bid winning!

The Public Services Act requires commissioners in the public sector to consider social outcomes in everything they spend. Over the last few years, social value considerations in procurement have been steadily receiving more scrutiny and importance. With the recent changes to the regulatory environment, this is only set to increase in traction further. Now is a good time to understand how you can contribute socially through your core business.

We will explore how to practically develop the social value narrative of your organisation, work out what's important for you, and how to communicate it. We'll reference back to central government’s Social Value Model, the TOMs (Themes, Outcomes and Measures) and SDG's (Sustainable Development Goals ) which are good reference models regardless of which sector your prospective client is in.

“Unlock Opportunities to Win New Work in the Public Sector" - Join Our Free Workshop with Barnsley and Rotherham Councils on 29th April 2025

Are you a local business or voluntary sector provider in the Rotherham or Barnsley areas looking to expand your reach and grow your business?

Don’t miss our upcoming workshop on Tuesday 29th April at the Digital Media Centre in Barnsley from 1:00pm to 3:00pm

This free event is designed to help you navigate the complexities of public sector procurement and understand the new opportunities created by the UK’s Procurement Act 2023. Whether you’re new to bidding or looking to enhance your success rate, this workshop will provide you with practical tips and insights to give you a competitive edge.

What We’ll Cover

• How to Get Involved in Public Sector Bids: Understand the procurement process and discover how to find relevant opportunities.

• Answering Quality Questions: Learn how to craft responses that resonate with evaluators and can help optimise scores.

• Social Value and Carbon Net Zero: Explore how these important factors are increasingly influencing public sector contracts.

• New Procurement Regulations: Stay ahead of the curve with an overview of the Procurement Act 2023 coming into force on February 24th 2025, and what it means for your business.

Why Attend?

The public sector wants to work with local providers and is committed to removing barriers to entry and growth for small to medium enterprises. It’s a stable and valuable market, offering significant opportunities for local businesses and voluntary organisations. This workshop is an opportunity to gain the knowledge and confidence needed to find and secure contracts in the public sector and grow your business and impact.

A deeper dive into public sector procurement processes for general goods and services, with practical examples of a typical public sector procurement. We'll look at how to work through the stages of a public procurement, including the standard selection questionnaire and draft responses on quality questions, social value, carbon redcuction and maximise chances of success.

In this interactive workshop we'll draft answers to some sample quality and social value questions and score them according to the answers we write. We'll discuss our scores based on the specification and evaluation criteria and discuss any improvements we could make.

We'll go through some live examples of asnwers that have scored top marks and those that have missed out. As the new regulations will be in force we'll also take a look at how this has changed things for bidders and how to increase your knowledge of the new regulations ahead of bids and tenders.

We'll be talking about Supplier Diversity. It's such an important topic and we want to get everyone not just talking about it but taking action. This event can be attended by both buyers and suppliers keen to chat about supplier diversity, about both the challenges and the opportunities.

We'll discuss what Supplier Diversity is and why it’s important, what are the benefits of having a diverse supply base. We’ll explore some helpful tips as to how procurers in both private and public sectors can consider supplier diversity as an outcome and how to get started. We’ll discuss accessibility for suppliers and inclusivity for the whole market and how early market research and market engagement can support successful supplier diversity. We’ll also look at how having a diverse supply base supports long-term growth.

We'll be looking at some case studdies of organisations who are embracing supplier diversity and what we can learn from their journeys.