Unlocking contract opportunites

BUSINESS: BUSINESS owners and managers in Oldham need to make a note of this date — Thursday, October 14.

That’s when the 12-strong Oldham Council procurement team, headed by Ian Claydon-Butler and his senior managers Karen Lowes and Helen Ramsden, will be at the Earl Mill Business Centre in Hathershaw.

They will be hosting a networking event entitled Unlocking Local Business Opportunities, between 1 and 4pm.

The council team will take visitors through the tendering process for local authority contracts — how to register, access and apply for opportunities through The Chest, an online portal.

This e-tendering system offers access to all the council’s purchasing requirements — and as a regionwide network there are opportunities posted from councils throughout the North-West.

In addition to networking hosted by members of the procurement team, there will be presentations by Councillor Howard Sykes, the council’s Executive Leader, and Due North, which uses The Chest site.

A panel will also answer questions.

This is a free event and everyone doing business in Oldham is encouraged to attend.

A website — www.oldham2oldham.co.uk — has been set up so that everyone wishing to attend can register their interest and give the procurement team an opportunity to prepare packs for each visitor.

The packs will include information on the procurement team and processes and details of The Chest portal.




On the slide



THE Government was urged today to do more to help firms recover from the recession after new research revealed that business confidence has worsened in recent months.



The Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) said a survey of 1,200 of its members showed that only 4 per cent believed prospects would improve by the end of the summer.

Two–thirds of those questioned were operating below capacity, especially those in the service sector




Safety first pays off for Westshield



CHADDERTON civil engineers Westshield Ltd is one of nearly 200 businesses and organisations from across the North-West honoured in the RoSPA Occupational Health and Safety Awards 2010.



The company, based at Waldron House, Drury Lane, Chadderton, was honoured during three days of ceremonies at the Hilton Birmingham Metropole Hotel, held alongside the Safety and Health Expo.

RoSPA’s awards are presented to organisations that have shown a commitment to protecting the health, safety and wellbeing of their employees and others and to continuous improvement in this sphere.

Sponsored by The National Examination Board in Occupational Safety and Health, the awards are mostly non-competitive and consider accident records and look at a firm’s entire health and safety management system.




Green energy powers Remploy factories



Remploy, the country’s largest specialist employer of disabled people, is now using renewable energy sources in most of its network of 54 factories, including the site at Ashton Road, Bardsley.



Energy supplies representing 80 per cent of Remploy’s total energy use, provided by energy firm EON, will come from a range of renewable sources including hydropower, solar, wind and biomass energy.

Alan Hill, director of Remploy’s Enterprise Businesses, said: “Green energy is not just about doing the right thing, it’s about working together and moving toward a more sustainable future. We know our customers agree this can only be a positive step.”

Remploy’s Heywood factory is also in the scheme.