"Sussex Enterprise and its partners commissioned Protégé Management to design and deliver two workshops and supporting services as part of a LEGI funded Procurement Project in East Sussex. The aim of the workshops was to help SMEs in the Hastings area understand how to win public sector business, and to motivate and enthuse them to look at the public sector as potential customers.

We were very pleased with the professional approach that Protégé took to managing this project. They successfully achieved this programme even though they were working with tight timescales. The workshops described the procurement procedures very well especially from a public sector point of view. It was great to work with Protege Management, and I know that the workshops helped a lot of the businesses to realise the benefits of public sector procurement."

Vicki Andersch, Project Manager, Sussex Enterprise

"The workshops provided us with an excellent opportunity to engage with potential providers, the level of quality of both the PQQ and tender submissions increased as a result of the training provided by Protégé Management."

Kim Medhurst, Procurement Strategy Manager, WSCC

"We found the workshops really helpful. The facilitator really understood good bid writing and passed on many helpful tips and suggestions. We also had a very amusing section on on presentation skills! We were made aware of the common mistakes people make which can prevent them from being shortlisted. We at Sussex Oakleaf found that the workshop was a great start to our sucessful bid. Of course the bonus is that we can use the learning from this on other tenders too."

Tracey Faraday-Drake Chief Executive Sussex Oakleaf Housing Association

"As a Procurement Manager for a Local Authority, I encourage all our suppliers to have good processes and procedures in place, in most cases this is backed up by the ISO 9001. It is a credit to an organisation like Protégé Management that they have achieved this accreditation. I feel that it can only aid the training they deliver to Small Businesses as they will be able to highlight the positives of undertaking such an accreditation and also explain how to deal with the issues to note along the way. Congratulations to all of you at Protégé."

Janet Barrett, Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council

"Thank you for an interesting presentation and excellent procurement master class at the recent Public Sector Food Procurement event. The procurement master class in particular worked really well and was of tremendous benefit to the food producers and suppliers who attended.

I was impressed by your knowledge of the subject, and the passion in which you delivered this information, relating to your experiences of the food sector. I look forward to working with you again on future food procurement events, to help small local producers and suppliers win public sector contracts."

Melissa Love, Public Sector Procurement Project Manager, South East Food Group Partnership

"Thanks to Protégé Management for the excellent Winning Public Sector workshops, both days were really well received by the businesses attending. The presentations were really informative and delivered with energy and enthusiasm. By including our Procurement Manager in the day made the course and the content were relevant and tailored to Eastleigh Borough Councils procurement process. The subjects covered were exactly what was needed highlighting the public sector as a huge opportunity, and encouraging local businesses to grow through winning public sector business."

Teresa Smith, Economic Development Officer

"Thank you both for an excellent workshop yesterday, I thought the day went really well, Paul's presentations were really informative and his presentation style ensured the businesses were able to take in what was a lot of information. Certainly from where I was sitting the businesses seemed to be gaining a lot from the day. Both myself and Gravesham's Procurement Manager thought the topics covered were exactly what was needed and pitched at the right level, showing the public sector is a large marketplace and illustrating how we do business which will hopefully meet our dual aims of strengthening our indigenous businesses (and opening their eyes to new opportunities) and also enhancing our own supplier base."

Martyn Saunders
Gravesham Borough Council

"Thanks to Protege Management for an excellent couple of days Winning Public Sector training. The businesses who attended learnt so much which they will be able to put into practical use straight away. Paul's down to earth approach focussed the delegates' attention on where they can make the most difference to their business, and highlighted the possibilities of trading with public sector bodies. Having our procurement manager there to answer questions was a bonus too. I look forward to receiving news about the work the delegates have gone on to do!"

Kate Crawford, Economic Development Officer
Winchester City Council

"Protégé Management Limited have been proactive for a couple of years now in getting local authorities to focus on the benefits of procuring locally and this was demonstrated when they hosted a workshop for Economic Development Officers and Procurers in Hampshire in September. A well-structured workshop enabled all parties to consider their roles in developing the local economy and everyone got to explore areas of ‘best practice’ to evaluate.

We are impressed with Protégé’s expertise and professionalism and thank them once again for taking a lead on such a key issue"

Procurement Development - Hampshire County Council

"We were delighted with the 'Winning Public Sector Business' workshop organised and delivered by Protégé Management. It has encouraged Guildford Borough Council to further consider ways that we can support businesses in the Borough and thereby continue to support economic growth. The delegates all seemed to enjoy the day and were inspired by Paul's knowledge, expertise and enthusiasm. Protégé marketed the course to local businesses and administered the bookings with efficiency, which helped me tremendously. The training was professionally delivered and tailored to the needs of local businesses and the Council. We look forward to working with Protégé in the future."

Andy Carr, Tourism & Business Partnership Manager, Guildford Borough Council"

"As a SME owner and operator my time is limited. When we found an exciting opportunity with a large University in London, there was simply no time to get all the paperwork together. Knowing of Protégé Management's expertise in preparing and submitting tenders to the Public Sector, we utilised their professional support service to guide our submission through the complex tendering process with fantastic results.
Karen, our dedicated consultant and mentor, provided us with great guidance and advice, and project managed our bid to completion. Her approach to understanding our industry sector, appreciating our business needs and time constraints was second to none. I knew that I could contact her at any time and be provided with prompt, reliable, expert advice.
Thanks to Protégé Management, our tender was well received by the university and we now face an exciting time of business expansion through contracts with the Public Sector."

Ian Bartlett, MD, Planet Duplication Limited

"We are most grateful to Paul Cooper, MD Protégé Management Limited, for his delivery of two workshops entitled "Public Sector - a Market within your grasp" at Surrey Community Action's 4th Annual Conference - "Delivering the Vision" - which was held at Epsom Downs Racecourse on 16th June 2006. The Workshop was very well received by delegates. Tendering for public sector contracts is set to become increasingly important to charities and voluntary organisations and more and more of their income stream will depend on making successful bids. Delegates attending Paul's workshops valued the wealth of practical advice and information they received and the insights he gave them, based on Protégé's experience in training small businesses in this specialist field. For some it was a real eye-opener to a brave but rather daunting new world and they certainly learnt a lot."

Peter Smith, Head of Organisations
Surrey Community Action

"Thank you for a brilliant seminar on Saturday. The seminar worked really well and was well received by the Small Businesses in attendance. I was grateful for the opportunity to take part in the seminar and interact with those businesses, as the subject matter allowed and questions were raised. I feel this was an innovation and worked better than a Council Question and Answer Session. Your knowledge of the subject and the way in which it related to Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council was fantastic. I gained a great deal of information and knowledge from the seminar personally and will be briefing the Council's Strategic Management Team, Procurement Board and the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Supplies Group on this success, and I mean success. Please accept my thanks for a job well done and I look forward to working with you again on the 23 March and in April."

Basingstoke and Deane
Borough Council

"We were very pleased with the results of the Protégé Management 'Winning Public Sector Business' workshop. It has helped the Council begin carrying its side of the Small Business Concordat and thereby supporting economic growth in Test Valley. Moreover, our delegates' feedback has been resoundingly positive. They were inspired by the Protégé's knowledge, expertise and enthusiasm, and the 'clarity and quality of the new ideas put forward'.
We consider the training was professionally delivered, engaging and tailored to the needs of local businesses and the Council and look forward to working with Protégé in the future as a bridge to supporting our local small businesses and voluntary sector organisations.

David Gleave
Economic Development Officer

"I attended the one day training session for small businesses hosted by Basingstoke and Deane Council. The workshop was well presented, lively, participative and covered the ground well. The course left participants with the message that, while selling to the public sector may not be easy it is a worthwhile market and worth the effort.

It was fantastic to see the delegates benefiting from the trainer's knowledge of both the procurement process and the practical advice on how it can help them in growing their businesses. Of particular value was how the course was specifically tailored to a local authority area, and the involvement of the council's procurement manager greatly added to the overall effectiveness "

Ian Williams, Head of Procurement Policy,
Small Business Service

"Your mix of research and training has been excellent in terms of allowing the companies to get out there and try, while changing hearts and minds through the research. Protégé Management has done an excellent job of promoting the workshops and recruiting and delivering. The success of companies in your early training speaks for itself. Following your initial success the strategy board for City Growth Portsmouth was pleased to announce an increase to allow a second phase of training. Your outputs in terms of companies trained form a major plank of the outputs delivered by City Growth to date and have been excellent value for money."

Susan Kirkwood Taylor
Project Manager, City Growth Portsmouth

Hampshire County Council supported workshops that were organised by the FSB, sponsored by City Growth Portsmouth and delivered by Protégé Management Limited; they commented...

"Hampshire County Council currently spends £200 million with businesses in Hampshire, Southampton & Portsmouth. Sustaining links with local businesses is vital to Hampshire's economy, which is why we are endeavouring to make the tendering process more accessible to potential suppliers. These workshops provide a good understanding of the procurement process. By participating in these workshops we are able to identify issues facing businesses wishing to tender for local authority contracts and be on hand to give help and advice."

Michelle Stickland, Procurement Development Officer Corporate Procurement & County Supplies Hampshire County Council

Merton Council, wishing to bring procurement to the forefront of its agenda, sought Protégé's guidance on the basis of their previous experience in the field, in running an awareness workshop to highlight our new agenda.  In this they led in communicating with the Small Businesses Sector and Voluntary Sector Organisations in the Borough. As part of the engagement we sought input from these groups into the revision of the corporate strategy, which will affect the way the Council does business with the respective sectors in the future. 

The day was well received by all who attended.  We have since received feedback from various organisations attending on how Protégé addressed the agenda of the day and the use it was to them in highlighting their need for preparation and in some areas a change to meet the new agenda. We have also received comments from some organisations that missed out on the day asking for information, as the news of its relevance spread. 

Sue Tanton, Regeneration Partnerships Manager London Borough of Merton

"Encouraging and de-mystifying. Makes the process transparent."

David Newcombe - High Profile

"Very good - learnt a great deal"

Julie Dean - LCM

"Excellent and very engaging"

Kate Waterhouse - Sussex Oakleaf

"Personable and Knowledgeable"

Richard Webb - West Kent Housing Association

"The instructor was involving and presentations were interesting"

Paul Harrop - GE Banks Builder Ltd

"The course was one of the best that I have ever attended. A tremendous amount information was covered in a short time, but with the type of presentation that Paul gives, and the patience that he shows, all subjects were made interesting and easy to follow.
I have attended similar courses in the past and found that these seemed to be aimed at demonstrating the knowledge of the presenter and not aimed at passing information on. This certainly was not the case with this workshop."

Sylvia Williams, Willclean Cleaning Services

"Both Mark and I enjoyed the course and took away lots of golden nuggets that will, undoubtedly, help us win tender business."

Ian Lockwood, Commercial Director, Taylor Made Computing Solutions

"The training was great - very informative - only downside was I wanted more!"

Kim Brown - Chief Executive
The Hampton Trust, Basingstoke

"Completely new to the public sector bidding process, I now feel confident to search, approach and submit tenders "

Marie Curry, Director, The Glass Centre

"Highly recommended to SMEs looking for business opportunities"

Annette Welfare
National Education & Training Consultant

"Very well done - lots of areas/topics covered, many tips/hints provided, relaxed and comfortable environment"

Claire Wolstencroft, Social Business Solutions

"Have definitely increased my knowledge and awareness of public sector procurement"

Toby Shaw, MD, Ascend

"Professional course for professional people"          

Neil Rossiter, MD, Blueprint Foods Ltd

"Excellent - Clear, User friendly language - well structured, delivered with Humour and Drive/Pace"

Katherine Devitt, Pharos Consultancy