Compete North East, is helping businesses in the region tender for and win major emerging national and international contracts.

The service identifies new business opportunities for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games and other national and international events and projects through the dedicated e-procurement website www.competefor.com. The Compete North East team also liaises directly with buyers from major companies in the Olympic supply chain on behalf of the region’s businesses.

When the service was launched in 2009, it was able to escort leading North East business on a successful visit to view the Olympic Park in East London, providing opportunities for companies to meet key Olympic decision makers.

The service also organises and features in major events across the region where North East businesses can meet directly with buyers and decision makers and benefit from a range of workshops to help get them ‘tender ready’.

The Compete North East service also extends beyond the Olympics to identify opportunities within other major emerging projects such as Cross Rail - the £15.9bn scheme to construct a new railway Link across London by 2017- the ongoing expansion of the M25, the Building Schools for the Future programme and a number of major sporting events taking place over the coming years such as the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games. The Compete North East team operates closely with Business Link and other key business support organisations, providing a coordinated and focused range of services.

Paul Taylor, head of Compete North East, said: “Compete North East brings the region’s supplier network and national buyer community together using the CompeteFor website. We are working nationally and regionally to identify project opportunities and to provide high quality market intelligence, advice and support to help North East businesses win more contracts from the London 2012 Games. This opportunity is very real and is not a London-centric phenomenon.

“North East companies are winning a range of major contracts and we have the opportunity to secure even more over the next two years. Compete North East and the other Business Link services will do everything possible to maximise the benefit the Games and other large scale procurement projects can bring to the region’s economy.” For more information on the Compete North East service or the support Business Link can provide, visit www.competenortheast.co.uk or call 0845 600 9 006.

For more information on 2012 London Olympics opportunities, access the official website at www.london2012.com.