Article taken from http://www.cnplus.co.uk - click here to view articlePublic sector procurement in London is set to be overhauled, adopting an Olympic 2012 style 'dating agency' type service.
The London Development Agency has said it will roll out CompeteFor, which is currently used to match companies to contracts for the 2012 Olympics, for its work and for London boroughs and other public sector organisations.
The move will help SMEs win public sector work. The LDA suggested it was bringing plans forward given the current economic climate, with the new system set to be put in place over the first six months of 2009. Figures from Emap Glenigan suggest that the move would see more than £2 billion of work across London's public sector in healthcare, education and infrastructure procured through CompeteFor.
Speaking at the LDA's Annual Public Meeting, the organisation's group director for strategy, resources and procurement Andrew Travers said: "We always had the intention of making CompeteFor relevant to contracts other than the Olympics.
"With the current economic climate we see the urgent need for such a service and we will be putting plans in place."
The LDA is speaking to London's 32 local boroughs, primary care trusts, individual hospitals and other non-departmental public sector agencies such as the Environment Agency about the system.
A spokesman for the LDA added: "The country's eight regional development agencies have already signed up to CompeteFor, and we're seeing more than 1,000 registrations a week from businesses. Now we're selling these benefits on."
The LDA itself will put up to £170 million of work, which is not already being awarded by an existing panel, through CompeteFor annually.
CompeteFor's implementation is part of a wider move by the LDA to help SMEs in London. This week the Mayor of London Boris Johnson announced a £23 million package to support SMEs, including £2 million for the upgrading of the Docklands Light Railway to Beckton. London SMEs will also be helped to make better use of design by working together with the capital's higher education sector and by protecting intellectual property rights.
Mr Johnson said: "The economic downturn makes it all the more clear that the refocusing of the LDA's investment programme towards promoting jobs, skills and economic growth is the right approach."CompeteFor was developed by the LDA on behalf of the Government for the Olympic Delivery Authority and the London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games.
The 'business dating agency' allows companies to register as potential suppliers online. CompeteFor then notifies them of 2012 contracts as they are put out to tender. So far more than 42,000 companies have signed up for the service, which will provide 75,000 contracts until 2012 amounting to £6 billion worth of work.
An ODA spokeswoman said: "More than 29,000 of these are small companies with fewer than 50 staff and 89 per cent have fewer than 200."
CompeteFor also matches companies with local Business Link support services to help boost the long-term competitiveness of business across the UK.