Surge gives Due North its star status

Dec 12 2007 by Graeme King, The Journal

SALES are soaring at a Northumberland software company which helps organise companies suppliers.

Due North in Stannington, a part of York-based plc Access Intelligence, has won 29 new customers in the last year alone – a 30% increase on the 90 it had last year.

In a pre-close statement to the stock market last week, Access said Due North had been its star performer in the past year.

The business already had a strong client base in the public sector with police forces, fire brigades and local authorities, and this year has broken into the health service too, as well as picking up its first overseas contract and moving into the private sector. The company has increased staff numbers from 12 to 14 recently, and is actively looking for more to help fuel its expansion.

Access chief executive Brendan Austin said: “The company has started to move well and broken into the private sector with some large brands.

“The key words for Due North are ‘software as a service.’ We make the software available to you, on a web based system, so you don’t have to bother with putting it on your computer.

“It enables the buying side of a business to promote opportunities, to find new suppliers, quickly evaluate them, and rapidly engage in contracts.

“The system can also manager the life cycle of a contract, which can be up to 10 years.”

Mr Austin said Due North’s service was particularly popular with SMEs which had previously been wary of dealing with the public sector.

He said: “Historically, some suppliers have shied away from dealing with the public sector, but this makes things straightforward and encourages them.”