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Supplier Development Programme launches series of free procurement training webinars

Small to medium sized enterprises (SME's) and third sector businesses are now able to enjoy procurement training from the comfort of their home or office following the launch of a free webinar series from the Supplier Development Programme (SDP), launched today, 17^th March.

Following a successful pilot scheme the series of live tender-training webinars is being rolled out across Scotland this spring, covering a range of procurement-related topics. Led by industry experts, initial webinars will cover policies which can be essential when tendering including Environmental Policies and Equality and Diversity and will be expanded in the coming months. The training has been made possible due to funding support from Scottish Government's Digital Scotland Business Excellence Partnership (DSBEP) announced last year in line with the Digital Scotland agenda.

SDP is a local authority partnership programme which supports SME's and third sector organisations to compete for the £9b of Scottish public sector spend.  The Programme runs a yearly calendar of tender training events and activities to help SME's and the third sector improve their knowledge and competency when tendering for public sector contracts.

Graeme Rennison, Business Programme Manager for DSBEP said "E-Procurement is a fundamental part of the digital economy, allowing companies to become more competitive and benefit from greater operational efficiency. The Digital Scotland Business Excellence Partnership are delighted to support SDP's work in this area, helping to improve the overall digital capability of Scotland's SME's.

"Allowing SDP services to be delivered via digital channels such as webinars is particularly welcomed as it helps ensure more SMEs can benefit from SDP advice and training, and supports Scotland's ambition to become a world-leading digital nation."

For more information on SDP and to book a webinar visit www.sdpscotland.co.uk

Notes to editors:
The Supplier Development Programme was established by a number of Scotland's local authorities to provide public sector procurement training for SME's and the Third Sector.

A £360,000 funding boost from the Scottish Government's Digital Scotland Business Excellence Partnership was announced in June 2014, which will help an additional 2,200 businesses of all sizes, across all sectors, develop their digital capability and be more efficient in bidding and fulfilling public contracts. SME's will receive advice on attracting online trade and guidance on transacting electronically with the public sector through dozens of events, training opportunities and a new SDP website.

SDP works in partnership with other business support organisations including Business Gateway, Scottish Enterprise, and Ready for Business.

Contact information:
Marketing & Press: sarah.maxwell@southlanarkshire.gov.uk
General: info@sdpscotland.co.uk