This free workshop is being provided by Cheshire East Council's, The Skills & Growth Company to help smaller businesses in Cheshire East learn how to win public sector contracts.

The public sector is a massive market opportunity. By 2020 government hopes to award 33% of their procurement budget to smaller businesses, out of a total UK public sector spend of around £200 billion a year.

Cheshire East Council alone spends around £260 million annually on contracts, supplies and services with third parties. Winning a public sector contract can help your business to grow.

The workshop is taking place on 26th September, 9.30am-5.00pm at Macclesfield College.

The workshop will show small and medium-size enterprises (SMEs) from Cheshire East how public sector procurement works, the different frameworks in public sector contracts, how to identify the best opportunities and how to write a winning bid. The workshop is suitable for businesses new to the tendering process or looking to improve how they tender.

The one-day workshop aims to cover the whole process from start to finish, focusing on three key areas:

•FIND – Looking for tendering opportunities
•BID – Practical bid management skills
•WIN – Ways to ensure the bid submission is a winning one

The interactive session will help SMEs to:

•Understand public sector procurement processes
•Represent their financial position
•Identify their strengths, weaknesses and selling points
•Utilise techniques that make the  bid process efficient and effective
•Quickly build up a knowledge base of procurement processes
•‘Punch above your weight’ when participating in procurement processes.

 Breakfast, lunch and refreshments will be provided. Breakfast and registration  is at 9.30am for a prompt 10.00am start. The session finishes at  5.00pm.

Please register your interest by registering here