South Ayrshire Council News

South Ayrshire Council is hosting a FREE Supplier Development Programme (SDP) half day seminar at the Horizon Hotel in Ayr on Wednesday 3 September 2008, between 10 am and 1 pm, to explain in detail how simple it is to submit a tender to supply products and services to the public sector.

Increasingly, contracts to provide product and services to public sector organisations are being awarded through rigorous tendering procedures. These contracts can be extremely valuable to companies, yet the tender process can sometimes seem daunting. The seminar in Ayr is being hosted by South Ayrshire Council and run in conjunction with North and East Ayrshire Councils.

South Ayrshire council has recently joined the Supplier Development Programme that is jointly funded by various local councils throughout Scotland but pre-dominantly those in the west coast including North and East Ayrshire Council.

For businesses that have not already registered with SDP you can do it FREE at www.sdpscotland.co.uk where you can get access to public sector buying information; links to procurement portals; 'B-link' a quarterly newsletter delivered to all eligible registered companies and the opportunity to attend workshops and events organised by SDP and public sector procurement departments.

To help dispel the myths surrounding public procurement and tendering, and to assist businesses in Ayrshire, East, North and South Ayrshire Councils are encouraging businesses to attend a FREE seminar where a range of speakers will:

• Provide a practical guide to the legal framework surrounding Public Sector Procurement.
• An insight into the pitfalls facing people who decide to tender.
• Demonstrate how to use 'Intellectual Assets' to add real value to a tender.
• Highlight case studies that show what works and what does not when tendering.
• Explain how to access free Scottish contract opportunities.
• Question and answer session.

The seminar will be followed by a lunch which will provide a valuable networking opportunity.

To book a place on the seminar simply e-mail marion.young@south-ayrshire.gov.uk fax 01292 616211 all you will have to do is fill in a simple registration form prior to the event to secure your place.