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Olympics 'will benefit SMEs'

May 16 2008

The 2012 Olympic Games will have a huge impact on businesses from all over the UK, not just London, it has been claimed.

Minister of the Olympics Tessa Jowell has promised that businesses will be helped to get involved in the games, saying that the Olympics's success depends on the cooperation of business.

She adds: 'The government is absolutely determined to ensure that UK businesses, particularly SMEs, have the support they need, to successfully compete for, and win, contracts.'

Jowell promises that there will be £6 billion of contracts open to businesses of all sizes.

Representatives from the Olympics organisational committee will be attending the 2008 Confederation of British Industry Business Summit on 11 June to explain more about the opportunities available.

The government recently opened up the supply2 website for small business to make access to public contracts easier.

Comments [1]

Comment by Ciaran Nagle

Wednesday 21st May 2008

Ms Jowell unfortunately has no idea of the obstacles that her bureaucrats have put in the way of SMEs. Last week I registered my limited company with the Supply2 website and answered the questions honestly. After registering, the site told me that I was barred from becoming a supplier. The reason? We do not have a written equal opportunities policy. Of course the fact that we have one full-time and one part-time employeee and that we will not be employing anyone new for the foreseeable future is irrelevant to the civil servants who drew up these politically correct requirements. Of course Ms Jowell, I will have a written equal opportunities policy - when I need one. In the meantime Supply 2 says I must wait until Business Link gets in touch with me to guide me through the red tape. Needless to say, I haven't heard from them and I'm not holding my breath. If Ms Jowell thinks SMEs are excited about being selected as suppliers to the Olympics committee she should find out what it's really like to be a small business dealing with a juggernaut like that.

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