Doing it the ARD WAY
There have been no European handouts for Manchester. EN finds out how else the city...
Bespoke tailoring
Tinker, tailor, soldier, sailor. You'd think that might give you a clue about the profits...
Join the club
Clouds are gathering over the economy, but, other than join the Freemasons, what is a...
Venue Finder
Looking for somewhere to host your event? EN's Venue Finder lets you search by location, capacity and event style, across the best venues in the North of England.
Andy Makeham reveals...
He's an acquisition- hungry former programmer who's looking for tired technology firms with customers ready to upgrade to his "sexy" software packages. Elizabeth Donevan shovels down the oysters and tries her best to get turned on as K3 boss Andy Makeham reveals...
| SMEs get free access to public contracts |
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A free trial starts today to provide small and medium sized businesses with access to thousands of public sector contract opportunities. From 1 May until 31 July 2008, the http://www.supply2.gov.uk website allow new registrants to gain free access to public sector contracts valued under £100,000 for the UK and Northern Ireland. The free trial is part of the Department for Business' Enterprise Strategy which was released in March, which outlined new measures to increase the amount of government business that is won by small firms. Business Minister Shriti Vadera said: "Small and medium sized businesses need our support to expand. Many smaller businesses are more innovative, have lower costs and present better value for taxpayers than larger firms. "Introducing Britain's small firms to Government procurement contracts online will provide opportunities to grow that they would not have otherwise found. "Encouraging more small businesses to register for opportunities will mean buyers benefit from increased competition and access to a wider range of suppliers."       |
Analysis
Columnists |
SME Toolkit
Marketing
Building a brand
Creating a "brand" is the holy grail of the business world, but what is a brand and how do you build one? The latest in our SME toolkit series.
Finance
Attracting investment in a downturn
The economic clouds are gathering thick and fast. Is it still possible to attract an investor to fund your growth?
Finance
Managing Cashflow
Cash is king, as the cliché goes. Join the revolution and help make it more democratic
Finance
Twenty ways to tough out the crunch
Worried about the current climate? Don’t be. Read this advice instead.
