Events

Providers often tell us that it can be really difficult to find the right opportunities in the public sector. There are lots of portals and different search engines so knowing where to start can be a challenge in its own right.

At this workshop, Lauren from Go4Growth will give an overview of who the public sector is, what they buy and importantly, how they buy goods and services.

We'll go through some of the main portals to show you which portals are used in what geographical areas or by which public sector organisations.

We will also cover how to search using Contracts Finder, the free government-hosted database of public sector opportunities as well as the Find A Tender Service. We'll also take a look forward to the new regulations and what will change in relation to advertising opportunities

In addition, we'll cover some of the other ways that the public sector engages with the provider marketplace discussing things like Meet the Buyer events and why they can be a great place for providers to build relationships with potential customers and how social media is beginning to change how the public sector advertises opportunities.

As always there will be lots of time for questions and discussion and we hope to see lots of providers from all sectors come and join us.

There is lots of information and guidance being developed for providers and buyers on the Procurement Act 2023 and this will become more prevalent as the Act comes into force in October 2024.

As this event takes place a little over a month prior to the regulations being in place (28th October) we'll cover the main changes to areas such as:

Notices - what do the public sector have to publish and when?

Frameworks & Dynamic Markets - how do they differ from current Frameworks and Dynamic Purchasing Systems?

Debarment - What does this mean and how will it work?

Supplier measurement & contract management - Understanding the expectations from public sector to suppliers

Removing barriers for SMEs - what duties are placed on public sector to support accessibility of opportunities for SMEs

Social Value - What does the procurement Act expect or encourage under social value?

This workshop should be useful for both buyers and suppliers.

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 reduction 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 answers that have scored top marks and those that have missed out.

We'll explore what the most popular social channels are within the public sector versus the channels businesses are most comfortable using. We'll take a look at some good examples of using social platforms and some top tips on what to do versus what not to do!

We'll explore what good engagement could look like, discussing examples of when businesses have really stood apart and some pitfalls to avoid when wanting to promote your organisation to public sector buyers. We'll explore what building your brand means and what buyers look for.

Drawing on feedback from businesses at previous Promoting Your Organisation events, we’ll discuss what support businesses tell us they want and need when trying to showcase their business. We'll highlight also how this can be a very different experience in the public sector from the private sector and give an important insight into how the governance environment can stipulate how public sector buyers look to receive market information both now and under the future regulations.

We often get asked about how to find other businesses to work together with to secure public sector opportunities.

We're putting on this event, dedicated to meeting other businesses who are also 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.

This highly interactive workshop will be an opportunity for businesses to meet, greet, exchange details and explore how to form new working relationships. Come along and introduce yourself and your business and hopefully you can find new contacts and connections for future work.

Being a "Responsible Business", and how you demonstrate it, can be the difference between winning and not winning work in the Public Sector. The drive for more socially and environmentally responsible business practises is on the increase and this is being reflected in public sector competitions.

But being "Responsible" is made up of different elements and providers often tell us that the requests and requirements from public sector can be confusing and complex. Help is required to understand what is being asked for and what providers can consider doing, or how to demonstrate actions already being taken .

This session will give a practical over view of what agenda items such as social value, carbon net zero and sustainability are. We know that lots of smaller providers are already doing lots of really impactful things in line with these agenda so we'll also explore how you can reflect the great work you're already doing in competitions and use those activities to help you secure growth for the future.

Hosted by Go4Growth resident experts in these fields, Sheri-Leigh Miles and Jimmy Brannigan, this workshop is designed to be interactive and take any questions you might have on these important topics.