Tees Valley is aiming for Olympic gold

Sep 25 2009 by Sue Scott, Evening Gazette

THE Olympics could be the springboard for Tees Valley companies to win a share in £100 billion of other major projects due to roll out in the south of England rolling over the next three years.

Speaking at a Golden Opportunities event organised by Lloyds TSB, Deloitte and Business Link at Teesside University yesterday, Paul Taylor, from Compete North East, said: “The Olympics isn’t the only game in town. It’s the starting point to £100 billion worth of projects from Crossrail, London’s major new rail infrastructure, to the Thames 2000 initiative, the M25 extension and Heathrow airport.”

Around 50,000 supply chain opportunities will arise from the London games, covering everything from promotional pens to multi-million pound builds.

Already, steel rolled by Corus on Teesside is going up at the Docklands ground as part of the fabric of the International Broadcast Centre (IBC), while Mammoet has worked on the Docklands Light Railway to bring millions of visitors to the sports spectacle.

Closer to home, the Tees Barrage’s whitewater course is high on the list for several team training grounds, including Team GB, prompting more direct spend locally.

Delegates keen to bring some Olympic prosperity to Teesside gathered at the seminar yesterday to find out more about CompeteFor - an online ‘dating agency’ for suppliers and buyers ahead of the games.

Mike Mullaney, regional director and head of large corporate markets for Lloyds Banking Group, said the Olympics was not just about sport.

“There are cultural opportunities, regionalised health campaigns and tourism - it’s difficult to find a sector that doesn’t have an opportunity for 2012. We have to make sure this isn’t just a games for the South-east.

“It’s all about legacy - the business and procurement expertise to be gained will go well beyond 2012.

“There is a diverse entrepreneurial culture in the North-east, we’ve got the can-do attitude that is needed and are market leaders in many areas.”

Compete North East, the organisation tasked with promoting 2012 opportunities to regional companies, Deloitte and Lloyds are helping businesses with the procurement process.

Paul Williamson, a partner at Deloitte, said: “This is the single largest series of UK contracts likely to be placed for years. You don’t have to be a national business to compete - SMEs are ideally placed.”

The official CompeteFor portal, supported the Olympic Delivery Authority, is the principle means of publishing Games-related contract opportunities.

Go to www.competefor.com to register.