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Bristol’s digital and creative firms are to get a greater chance of bidding for a share of the city council’s £25m annual ICT (Information Communications Technology) budget.
The council is changing its strategy on the way it delivers ICT services with smaller packages of work ordered for shorter periods of time.
The aim is to get SMEs (small and medium-sized enterprises) to supply more than a quarter of the work required by the council.
Deputy leader and cabinet member for resources Cllr Jon Rogers said: “Bristol has a thriving digital sector with many small and medium-sized companies. But traditionally the SME sector has faced too many obstacles to winning work from the public sector. The Government has recognised the need to change this policy and we support this move wholeheartedly.
“Our aim is that within a few years, more than a quarter of our annual spend on ICT is directed towards SMEs and I hope Bristol firms will be in a position to gain from this.”
Companies interested in winning a proportion of this work can find out more at an event on September 4 at the Colston Hall which will cover the following opportunities:
- The Government’s G-Cloud framework for public sector IT services – how local suppliers can make their services accessible without large procurement costs;
- The city council’s Workplace programme to shrink the number of its council offices from 35 to just nine or 10 over the next 3 to 4 years, improving services to the public and modernising the way staff work, including much greater use of technology;
- Natural England will be present to talk about their procurement and opportunities available to SMEs.
