Short Notice: Managing Innovation

Very, very short notice (apologies) but we are re-running the Managing and Developing Innovation course at Junction 25 conference centre in Brighouse starting tomorrow 9th September and finishing on Thursday.  If you are based in Calderdale this course will be free to you.  Anyone else will have to pay (don't ask me how much - not a lot)

If you are interested then we would be delighted to see you.  Run for University of Bradford School of Management Knowledge Transfer Network on behalf of Business Growth Calderdale.

Pricing Workshop postponed from 14th July 2014

The Pricing Workshop scheduled for the 16th July for the University of Bradford has been postponed or cancelled.  The reason is that there was so much interest in the Public Procurement evening that it is being  built on with another event on Monday

I shall be helping out on that rather than running a lead in to the Pricing workshop, which we hope to reschedule for later in the year (but no promises).

Here are details about the Knowledge Transfer event.

Knowledge Transfer Networks

Business solutions and executive development opportunities from a Globally recognised Business School here in the heart of Yorkshire.

 

 

FREE Knowledge Transfer Network Evenings

 

In partnership with

 

Bradford Metropolitan District Council

Calderdale Metropolitan Borough Council

Kirklees Metropolitan Borough Council

Wakefield Metropolitan District Council

 

  

‘Working with council procurement.’

  

14^th July 2014

Arthur Francis Lecture Theatre, Bradford University School of Management,

5.30 - 6.00pm registration - 6.00pm Evening speakers - 7.30pm Food - Networking.

After coffee on arrival, the evening offers you direct access to insights on this management theme through our speakers. Later, you can network with people over a nibble (or two) and share experiences. For us it’s not about the networking it’s about the knowledge and the insight we can all develop.

 

Speaker topics:

 

Procurement Myth Busters

 

And

 Breakout sessions on

 

Tips for successful tendering

European Union Directives

Social Value

YORtender

 

This evening is about finding out what is on the horizon in procurement from your local councils but also about finding out more about how they work, what drives them and correcting some of the myths about process and actions you need to engage in to work with them. The will be plenty of chances to air views and to ask…well the daft questions about what to do and how to do it. There will be some break-out sessions to look at different topic areas too.

 

For more information or to book on the event please contact ktnetwork@bradford.ac.uk

Bidding and Tender Writing Course 17/18 February 2014

I am running the 2 day Bidding and Tender Writing course again on Monday/Tuesday 17/18 February 2014 in Bradford.
This event has been very well received in the past, and I have added some more practical exercises to make it even more helpful in writing your own bids.

This event is already full (sorry), but if you are interested then let me know and it will increase the chances of us running another event later in the year.  The event is run by Bradford University School of Management Knowledge Transfer Network, and there is a fee for attending.  However if you are in Bradford or Calderdale the University does try hard to find alternative funding to cover the costs - no promises though.

If there are enough people interested in your organisation we can run the event in-house (wherever you are) as a cost effective way of improving your bid writing skills.

Repeat of Connecting Manufacturing 2013

The first event was a big success, so we are repeating it on Wednesday 20th November 2013.
Venue will again be The Shay, in Halifax, and it is again part of Business Growth Calderdale.  Participation is free.
More details to follow.

Bid Writing in Calderdale

The Third of our 2 day tenders and bid writing courses is starting at the Shay in Halifax on Monday.
This one is full, in fact it is oversubscribed, but there is one more free event being supported by the Business Growth Calderdale project - 21/22 November 2013.
Those 2 days are straight after our second Connecting Manufacturing event at the Shay on 20th November, and will be free to Calderdale companies thanks to support from Calderdale Council.

If you miss those dates, then we shall be running the event again in 2014 - 17/18 February.  But your are going to have to pay for those, which are being run on a commercial basis by the University of Bradford School of Management.  The good news is that they are open to any business

I am also doing a 1 day course on Pricing for UoB on Thursday 17th July 2014.  Don't ask me about the prices, because I don't know yet.

Business Matters - The Public Procurement Scandal

Interesting article here.  My response is in the comments, and below.

The situation is both better and worse than you describe. The government has changed its 25% SME target from an aim, to an ambition and currently an aspiration. Presumably next year it will be a vague hope. It includes in its definition of SMEs the PPI companies established to run very large projects, which are not the sort of SMEs we all think of.
On the positive side, Francis Maude of the Cabinet Office (and David Cameron) do not appear to have forgotten the aim, despite Eric Pickles drive to consolidate spends (usually with larger suppliers).
Also many of the councils are recognising the benefits of using small (local) contractors, and some such as Leeds City Council have done away with the financial constraints on turnover and insurance for small contracts.
What you have to remember though is that Public procurement is NOT the same as private procurement - the priorities always have to be legal compliance, avoidance of corruption, and a fair, open and defendable process. Value for money inevitably comes further down the list than it does in business. We all contribute to that - when public procurement goes wrong we immediately ask questions about how and why people spent our money, rather than recognising it was a commercial decision that had some risk and didn't pay off (as we might in our own businesses). That contributes to a "backside covering first" approach in public procurement.
Public rules (apart from turnover and insurance) don't need to be shifted in favour of SMES so much as they need to know how to win business, and the contracts/tenders themselves need to be developed in such a way that SMEs can compete. That is process not legislation.
I'm a big believer in SMEs being involved in Public Sector work, and the government can do more to support it, by for example doing more to explain how it works - it is NOT the  same as B2B.

Incidentally, yesterday was the second of our 2 day Bid Writing and Tendering courses run on behalf of Business Growth Calderdale, for University of Bradford School of Management Knowledge Transfer Network.  A free council supported event to give SMEs the information to help them win tenders (including for the public sector). Two more are planned - September and November 2013 - free to Calderdale SMEs.

Further dates for tendering course

The dates 3/4 June are now full but there will be a further course 29/30th July, and again in September/ October.  All free to Calderdale companies

Free Bidding and Tendering workshop 3/4 June 2013 - University of Bradford

Winning business is essential at any time, but particularly in the current economic situation.  Many valuable contracts are awarded through tendering, in both the private and public sector.  However the tender process can be complicated and off-putting, and many businesses do not bid for winnable contracts because of the paperwork.  Many other businesses do not win the contracts they should because they lose out to less competent firms with better bid writing skills.

This course aims to help companies win lucrative business through tendering, and to improve their success rate at both the approval and contract award stages. 

The course is run by Dr. Paul Wright MCIPS, co-author of Excellence in Public Sector Procurement, who has experience of both writing and scoring bids.  This practical 2 day event, to help you to improve your tendering success rate.  The course will cover principles of both private and public sector processes, and draw on real examples and case studies. 

Delegates are invited to bring along their own examples of both bids and tenders for group discussion, and will form personal action plans for improving bidding success rate.

To book on the workshop contact ktnetwork@bradford.ac.uk

These workshops are delivered by the Knowledge Transfer Network@Calderdale and are part of the Business Growth Calderdale programme, part financed by the European Union. The project has attracted £1.1 million from the Yorkshire and Humber European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) Programme 2007-2013.

Digital and Marketing Mixer 21st March 2013

The Connecting Manufacturing event at the Shay in Halifax was a big success, and we are following it up with a Digital and Marketing industries mixer at the same venue on Thursday 21st March 2013.  See the flier below.

Knowledge Transfer Networks

Bradford University School of Management

These workshops are free and are delivered by the Knowledge Transfer Network@Calderdale and are part of the Business Growth Calderdale programme, part financed by the European Union. The project has attracted £1.1 million from the Yorkshire and Humber European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) Programme 2007-2013.

The Digital and Marketing Mixer

21^st March at the Shay stadium in Halifax.

Registration for delegates will start at about 8.45am and the event will run through to 12.30pm

If you are having difficulty with strategy and marketing; sales or brand; if web and e-commerce are hanging like a weight around your neck. This is your chance to ask the daft questions, get some guidance and search for some solutions all in one neat bundle.

The ‘Digital and Marketing Mixer’ event on the 21^st March at the Shay stadium in Halifax. It will run 9.00 a.m. though until 12.30. Registration for delegates will start at about 8.45am.

It will be pretty fluid on the day but it would be helpful if you could indicate what your interest at the event might be:

·        Look for collaborations (some indication of specialist areas or skills you might be looking to link with)

·        Question an expert panel about a digital or marketing related topics (half an hour)

·        Air a problem in an advice clinic and get some concise advice (15minutes or so)!

·        Look for suppliers and customers

·        Listen to some development presentations (presentations will focus on sales, social media and PR).

There are no costs or fees for attendees as it’s fully supported by the European Regional Development Fund and by Calderdale Council under the Business Growth Calderdale initiative. It doesn’t matter if you come from outside Calderdale you can still attend.

The idea is to bring together lots of marketing, e-commerce, applications, software, PR and design businesses in one place to show the strength of the region and to create some opportunities to build partnerships and strategic alliances and get some business done.

If you want to register for the event please reply to ktnetwork@bradford.ac.uk in the first instance by email and we will get someone to contact you.

Thanks and hopefully see you soon.

Update on Connecting Manufacturing 28th Feb 2013

We shall have 10 Buyers, about 30 exhibitors, more than 100 delegates, and 4 presentations.

I am giving 2 of them, which may or may not increase the attractiveness of the event to you.  But they are both short.

The presentations are;

o           Presentation 1: Making the Most of your 10 minutes, Paul Wright MD of PAWA Consulting

o           Presentation 2: Dragons for Breakfast, Chris Hopkins MD of Ploughcroft Ltd.

o           Presentation 3: Cost to Serve, Simon Hopkins, MD Hatmill Ltd.

o           Presentation 4: Innovation, Paul Wright, PAWA Consulting Ltd.

Further information below;
http://www.businessgrowthcalderdale.co.uk/announcements/118/Connecting-Manufacturing

To book send an e-mail to

ktnetwork@bradford.ac.uk

Digital and Marketing Mixer 21st Feb 2013

After we have finished with the Connecting Manufacturing event at the Shay in Halifax on 28th March 2013 (still taking bookings if you are interested), we shall be running a Marketing and Digital Industries mixer event at the same venue on 21st March.

Contact me for details, or wait until I can put them on this site.

Connecting Manufacturing 28 Feb 2013

Here are the flier and the booking form for the event

Calderdale Guide to Public Sector Procurement

Calderdale Council Business Growth programme has issued a new guide to public sector procurement for SMES.

This can be found on the web at http://www.businessgrowthcalderdale.co.uk/Toolkit/Topics

Although it is designed for companies in the Calderdale Council region, it is accessible from anywhere and the information is relevant for any UK company.