5th February 2012
Preferred bidder in talks for £45 million Business Link contract
14th Jun 2006
The move towards a regional Business Link service gained momentum today as East of England IDB Ltd (EEIDB Ltd) was chosen as the preferred bidder to begin contract negotiations with the East of England Development Agency (EEDA) to run the new service, which could be worth in excess of £45 million over three years.
Following a thorough and rigorous tendering process, EEIDB Ltd has been selected as the preferred bidder to run the service from 1 April 2007, on the basis that their proposals offer to deliver the greatest improvements to the quality, consistency and accessibility of Business Link services for small businesses in the region.
Steve Cox, EEDA director general of development, said: “It’s great news that we have been able to select a preferred bidder at this stage of the process. The proposed regional model will greatly improve services to small businesses by increasing the number of locally-based business advisers and offering regionally-consistent high quality support under the Business Link brand.”
EEIDB Ltd is a new organisation set up specifically to deliver business support in the region by providing information services, diagnosis of the support needs of individual businesses and brokerage to private and public sector organisations under the Business Link brand. The new company has been formed by the parent companies of Hertfordshire Business Link and Business Link for Essex, which already work together to provide other region-wide business support services, and between them offer support to around 50 per cent of the small businesses in the region.
During the tendering process, EEIDB Ltd stood out for its strong vision for the future of the Business Link service which was backed up by detailed regional knowledge, a strategy for maximising the number of locally-based advisers and an experienced private-sector-led team.
Steve Cox added: “The next nine months will be challenging, but EEDA is investing as much time as necessary to negotiate the contract and set up the regional model to ensure that a seamless service to small businesses in all parts of the region continues through the transition period.
“We will of course be working closely with partners during this time to ensure the objectives for the new Business Link model are aligned to regional and sub-regional priorities for business support. Meanwhile, your nearest Business Link is open as normal, offering a wide range of support to small businesses and anyone thinking of starting a business.”
Pat Smith, Chief Executive designate of EEIDB Ltd, said: “This is excellent news. We look forward to working with EEDA over the coming weeks to gain approval for our proposal, and we are very excited by the prospect of becoming EEDA’s strategic partner for business support through Business Link. We also relish the opportunity of working with a wide range of partners to turn our vision of supporting the economic growth of the region into a reality.”
