- What range of contracts are on offer?
You name it – it's on offer.
Over £9 billion will be spent on putting on the Games.
This is everything from land remediation and construction to professional services all the way through to the beds the athletes will sleep on.
Then there's the transport improvements in London that has to happen. £17 billion is likely to be spent on this with the body, Transport for London, doing a lot of the awarding of contracts.
On top of this will be the Cultural Festival that will run alongside the Olympic and Paralympic Games – and those opening and closing ceremonies which, when held in Melbourne led to the expenditure of $80 million Australian. All this leads to extra procurement activity.
Plus fthe London councils will have to make the effort to make sure they have the systems in place to cope with the Games – such as Newham, Tower Hamlets, Waltham Forest, Hackney and Greenwich.
- Hold on a minute – I'm a small business in the Midlands – all these millions have nothing to do with me.
Wrong!
There will be small contracts that will be profitable and advertised – via this portal – in the Midlands.
On top of that the sub contracting opportunities from the large contracts that are awarded will be enormous.
That is why this portal will tell you who got which large contracts so you can pitch for the valuable sub contracting work.
- OK – I hear what you say. So, what should I do?
First of all, please register your contact details and the main areas of work of your business in the box at the bottom of this page.
We will store this and will keep you in touch with developments.
We will also let the public agencies running the Olympics know about your interest so they can let you know what's happening.
Also – keep an eye on www.ready-for-business.co.uk
Once the big contracts are let, we will let you know who got them so – if you want – you can pitch for the sub contracting work.
Also, come to the meetings and workshops organised by our business club – which will be held across the West Midlands region – where you'll get the info you need.
Finally, please think about how your firm could benefit – and what you have to offer.
- So let me get this right – you're saying getting work out of this will be a done deal?
Not quite!
The opportunities are enormous. But as we know in business, there will be other competitors out there.
But it's worth thinking about having a go.
After all, if it doesn't happen you have your business. And if it does – well, congratulations!
- OK – you mentioned business clubs – what's that all about?
There will be a "West Midlands London 2012 Business Club", which will be holding workshops and meetings across the region.
These will have two purposes.
One is to give you the information, both electronically and in person, for you to decide what you would like to do next.
The second is that we will use the backdrop of the Olympics to get business people from some of the 204 Olympic nations to discuss potential business opportunities for you and other Midlands firms such as joint ventures – linking in to the Government agency – UK Trade and Investment – with JV and export potential for your business.
- Isn't all this a bit previous? I thought the next Olympics were to be in Beijing for 2008?
It is.
But for the London Games, a lot of the contracts will be advertised in 2007 – so if you're interested you need to prepare now.
- To be honest, I like to hear from business people, like me, whose been through these sporting tournaments?
We agree!
And already we have identified a few West Midlands firms, who have supplied previous Olympic Games, and who are happy to share their experiences.
That's why we are setting up a business champions group to talk to firms about the opportunities out there.
- Great – You've got me going now. I'll think I may even put up the Olympic rings on my building to help me bid for work.
Sorry – but you can't.
It's against the law.
The logo is protected under the Olympic Symbols etc (Protection) Act 1995 and a new law has gone through Parliament to give extra protection.
On top of that, the brand names "Olympics Games" and "Paralympic Games" are copyrighted, respectively, to the International Olympic Committee and the International Paralympic Committee.
Please visit www.london2012.org for further details.
- OK – that's the end of that idea.
You mentioned earlier the London councils who will be asking for tenders and you said something about the public agencies running the Games.
Who are they again?
There are two main bodies that are being set up.
There's the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) – responsible for setting up the basics – such as land in the right shape and getting the buildings up.
Then there's the London Organising Committee for the Olympic Games (LOCOG).
They deal with the planning of the Games.
To know more, please click onto www.london2012.org
- OK – thanks for the info.
What do I do next?
Please keep an eye on the portal – www.ready-for-business.co.uk
- and the information that will be sent through.
Please come to our workshops and listen and ask questions to our business champions.
Please register below and think through realistically how your firm can benefit.
And finally – good luck!
