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Carry on and keep tendering: a blog by Gillian Cameron, SDP Programme Manager

Gillian Cameron, SDP Manager

Once the initial questions are answered: “What business support is available? How am I going to pay my staff? How am I going to pay myself?” and others of high importance, you may be able to turn to one of the next great unknowns: “What is the next step for my business?”

In this strange COVID-19 world, it’s not “business as usual” except in the public sector: here, the procurement rules ensure that as much as possible, the public sector can continue to tender vital contracts for goods, services and works.

During these days, weeks, or maybe even months of containment, working remotely can have its benefits in providing capacity to spend time on learning or brushing up on your bidding skills.

“Why would I want to do that?” you might ask.

Along with the fact that the public sector won’t go bust, if you’re a small or medium sized business, you will also have to be paid within 30 days in Scotland. If you’re able to find and win public sector contracts with improved bidding skills, you’ll have access to a source of stability for your business’s future, which is particularly illusive in the current economic climate.

“It’s bureaucratic, labour intensive and tricky,” you might retort.

In addition to the fact that many things these days can be described as such, what if there was a free resource that helped you to get “tender ready,” showed you how to complete that dreaded European Single Procurement Document (ESPD) and the other documentation you may need?

Bidding is a process: learn how to do it once, and you can refine and shape your responses and key documents for almost every tender. The Supplier Development Programme (SDP) is a proven, free service that is here to help you by offering free tender training courses via webinar, as well as by working with public sector buyers and arranging bespoke webinar sessions that are aligned to specific upcoming contracts.

If you have not already, I encourage you to register with SDP. It is free to all Scottish SMEs, third sector and supported businesses.

SDP has produced a guide to webinars to help you understand what is involved in this training format. You can view upcoming courses by visiting www.sdpscotland.co.uk. Once registered, you can login and book the upcoming webinar training at your convenience.

If you still think tendering is not for you, why not hear more and read about some businesses that with SDP’s support, have grown their companies by winning tenders?

Stay safe, stay well. Carry on and keep tendering.

 

 

Gillian Cameron is the Supplier Development Programme Manager. You can follow her on Twitter. If you would like to contact the SDP Scotland Team, please email info@sdpscotland.co.uk.

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