Top tips on how to quickly find public sector contract opportunities in the UK and form partnership with main contractors

Growing your business through bidding for contracts can be a minefield for small businesses who do not know how to do so successfully and when they eventually get trained, do not know where to find information of the main contractors. The typical syndrome of attending meet the buyers event can be repeated until many small businesses become sick to death with the process and give up. True, some businesses have come to meet with opportunities at these events, but they are very few and far between.
If you are a small business who want to become part of the supply chain in the UK, it does not matter whether you are in the UK or outside the UK, this article will introduce you to some of the main sites you can get the information you need free of charge. Moreover, if you are outside the UK, you can easily set up a company in the UK to take advantage of some of the opportunities as part of your growth strategies.
There are many portals you can use to gain first hand access to all the public sector tenders without incurring any fee through subscriptions. I am going to link you up with some of the sites as well as show you how you can get your business introduced to the main contractors for partnership opportunities. Here are some of the links:

• http://www.businessportal.southeastiep.gov.uk- has contracts opportunities of 72 local authorities in south east England

• http://www.supplychain.nhs.uk - lots of National Health Services Contract Opportunities for those selling health care products

• http://www.my.supplychain.nhs.uk/catalogue - another site for National Health Services Contract Opportunities for those selling health care products
• http://www.ogc.gov.uk/contractdatabase - here you will find contracts of different public sector organisations, as well as their suppliers in framework arrangement. This website contains contractors for all UK wide contracts and so you have many to select from.

Now that you have the main portals to find these opportunities you want to know how to use the information. In many cases, you probably want to forge a partnership relationship and so you are going to be looking at becoming a subcontractor. Bidding for public sector contracts successfully require you to have a track record and using this strategy of sub-contracting opportunities will get you through the doors easily.
Here are the steps you must follow.
Step One- Identify the main suppliers of contracts your business can deliver as a sub-contractors; Ensure you put together all the evidence to support your suitability to deliver as a subcontractor because if you fail to prepare well you are unlikely to win a contract with these big suppliers.
Step Two- Before you approach the suppliers, do a bit of mystery shopping. Phone them up and find out about the company and what they expect from subcontractors. Get as much information upfront from them as possible so that you will be better prepared when you eventually contact them in the name of your business and, offer them the opportunity to use your business as a subcontractor.

Step Three- Where the contract has just been awarded, it is important to act fast. Even if the contract has been running for sometime there is still the possibility to using subcontractors. Therefore close no doors. If you are told that there is no need for a subcontractor at this point, then ask them when they will be considering new subcontractors in the future. Take note of the months or year and make sure you contact them again. Persistence is the name of the game.

Step Four- If you are asked to send in details about your business, remember to send a letter that looks professional and with necessary documentation as requested. Please do not send excessive information. It is important you send just enough information at this stage to excite them to set a date to meet up with you. If English is not your first language, get your document proof read by a professional editor before forwarding it to them. Remember, first impression goes a long way.
Step Five- Keep in touch with the suppliers you have contacted. Call them up at least once a month. In some cases you will get instant request for a meeting. This is a real possibility particularly for new contracts that have just been awarded. In other cases, you may have to wait for another six months and some even longer. However, you need to keep in touch with each of these suppliers until they get to know you over the phone and at some point they are bound to request a meeting with you or even invite you to register with them for future opportunities. You will be amazed how many businesses have got into the public sector chain simply by using this strategy.

Step Six- Take nothing for granted. When invited to meet with the first tier supplier, remember they are a prospect and it is up to you to present your business in the best possible light. You are to prepare for the meeting as if your life depends on it and so approach it with a disposition of eage
ess. After the meeting, remember to send a thank you letter and stay in touch.
Step Seven- Another strategy you can employ with these websites is identification of contracts coming to an end with the intention of partnering with the existing suppliers or first tier supplier. You can simply contact the contract manager and ask for information on where the opportunity will be published. If the opportunity is beyond your business’ capacity to bid successfully after your initial assessment, you can contact the existing first tier supplier or those in the framework arrangement for partnership opportunity. You can tell them about the value your business will add on to the overall contract deliverables and make it plain to them you wish to be consider as one of their subcontractors. Here again is a strategy that many smart businesses have used to get their business through the doors of public sector organisations without completing any formal documentation which can be very time consuming and with no guarantee that you will win a contract.