Getting government business

What with everything feeling a bit at sea at the moment, it’s good to hear the government is investing to try to kick start the economy. And not just by bailing out banks. Government contracts can be lucrative and importantly are generally a safe bet, being less susceptible to the market ebbs and flows that affect private business. Once recognised as a trusted supplier, this could be your route to some dependable long term business opportunities.

Supplier rosters
For central government contracts you will often need to be on an approved suppliers’ roster. The process for applying varies by department, but is generally a pretty protracted affair. The Department of Health, for example asks new suppliers to register (for free) in the first instance, with Dun and Bradstreet (database of UK businesses) which is in itself a detailed application. There then follow several more involved, procedural hurdles to take your application to its conclusion. And then if you do get approved, there’s the business of pitching, as public spenders are required by law to have several companies pitch for a contract. The application system is character building stuff; at best laborious, not surprisingly, a real turn off for many; but if you’ve the tenacity to stick with it, a single contract can pay some serious dividends. Find out more about supplier rosters by heading to the procurement section of central offices’ websites.

Pitching direct
In the interests of fair business however, central government has pledged to make the tendering process more accessible, and government contracts worth over £100,000 must be advertised via the Official Journal of the European Community (OJEC). You can apply for these without being on a roster, though the application process will be no less arduous. An organisation called Tenders Direct extract and publish all advertised contracts published by the OJEC and can keep you in the loop with regular e-updates. You will need to pay a subscription to access Tenders Direct, however. Check out their website and run some free searches to find out whether this is for you: http://www.tendersdirect.co.uk/

Local government
Unfortunately there is no such central location for smaller, local government contracts. The good news about local government though, is that they generally operate a policy to use local business. The bad news is they may advertise their business as and where they wish and like other business, existing suppliers are often favoured. Which pretty much, like other business, makes them a bit of a slog to nail down. So how to find them?

Speak to them
A bit of old fashioned cold calling should help you unearth the best way to reach your local council. Start with their website to find out if you need to target them by individual office or if they have a procurement office, which often acts on behalf of all departments. Find out what’s coming up: are there imminent renewals? Or new business opportunities? Can you join a notification list? When’s the next good juncture to call again?

Get online
Public service spenders use the web to source their suppliers. Make sure your site is what they’re looking for - can you advertise specific deals or discounts for their business? Also, make sure you have a decent search engine profile by including the key words these buyers are seeking in your tags. A quick web search shows there are lots of sites which specifically target public sector buyers. The Buyers’ Guide is a listing site for suppliers to local government. This type of listing may have a fee attached, but it may be worth the investment if it is something regularly trawled by the procurers you want to reach. http://www.buyersguide.co.uk/get-listed.php

Network
Meeting and speaking to buyers at events and exhibitions will help you understand face to face, what they’re looking for. There are heaps of opportunities to network. By registering for free with Local Gov.co.uk, you will be able to look at government events for the year ahead: http://www.localgov.co.uk/Equally this site offers a comprehensive list of public and private sector-facing exhibitions across the UK: http://www.exhibitions.co.uk/


Please share!
As always we’d like to hear from you if you’ve either comments on this blog or tips or advice of your own to share. Post your comments below or contact our team on 0845 075 1044.