A range of business opportunities with Sunderland Council

Businesses of all sizes eager to grasp opportunities and secure lucrative contracts with Sunderland City Council can now do so thanks to a new online service – www.business-select.com.

Sponsored by the North East Centre for Excellence (NECE), the online Procurement Engagement Gateway publishes a wide range of business opportunities – from design and construction, catering and highway works to catering, e-consultation and network infrastructure support.

Interested businesses simply register their details at www.business-select.com along with an outline of their areas of expertise. These organisations can then be searched by buyers and matched against the Council’s vast array of requirements, most of which tend to be sought-after contracts that are below the EC limit.

Duncan Olive, programme manager at the North East Centre for Excellence, said: “One of the challenges for small businesses is getting details of all the different contracts available through the Council without having to trawl through endless public sector and trade publications.”

“The new Procurement Engagement Gateway allows businesses identify opportunities and trade online with Sunderland City Council.

“What’s more, most of the opportunities are smaller-value contracts that many businesses are keen to undertake. The Council is continuously improving the way in which it notifies regional businesses about opportunities and the Procurement Engagement Gateway will ensure that buyers know about the Council’s capability and interest.”

Pascal Fintoni, head of e-business at the North East Regional Portal (TNERP) was part of the team that developed the Procurement Engagement Gateway. He said: “This is a fantastic

opportunity for businesses and I urge local organisations to register for the free service; it is very simple and there is a lot to be gained from it.”

The Procurement Engagement Gateway is powered by TenderTap technology provided by Sunderland-based company Nimis. Managing Director Nick Mapletoft said: “All North East companies are invited to register or update their details for free on the Procurement Engagement Gateway regional company database.”

Duncan Olive concluded: “The Procurement Engagement Gateway is an excellent way for the Council to keep in touch with firms across the region and for local businesses to efficiently find out about opportunities from the Council.”

To access the Procurement Engagement Gateway go to www.business-select.com.