London 2012 - is there enough support for local businesses?
Speaking at the the 24th Quartlery Forum in the Ferens Art Gallery,Mitch Upfold, Hull's 2012 Development Manager, raised the issue of the London 2012 Olympic Games and the potential for local businesses to win substantial contracts from the events.
London 2012 is expected to bring 14,250 competitors, 20,000 media personnel and 9 million visitors to the UK at cost of nearly £10 billion. It is estimated that this will cost £155 per UK head, around £38m from the people of Hull.
Mitch spoke about 2 websites which enable local businesses find out about contracts from the Olmpics. The first is Yorkshire Gold which was 'established to ensure the people, communities and businesses of Yorkshire and Humber benefit commercially, culturally and in every other possible way from the London 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games.'
The other website is CompeteFor, 'a brokerage service between buyers throughout the London 2012 supply chain and potential suppliers of all sizes’.
Hull businesses and taxpayers will have to contribute financially to the cost of the Games and there are businesses in Hull who have already secured work from the Olympics – so why not register online and see what opportunities you could take advantage of?
Tell us what you think
There are billions of pounds worth of contracts associated with the London Olympics, many available to local businesses. If you have registered online and are engaging with the Olympic procurement process let us know how you found it. Did you find business opportunities relevant to your sector? Was the registration process clear and easy to understand? Would you recommend the service? How could it be improved?
Send us your comments via the form below and we will use your views to help improve local buisness engagement with the London 2012 Olympic Games.
