WEST Fife businesses will have the chance to find out how they can get bid for contracts on a range of projects including the £200m Dunfermline Learning Campus next week.

A Meet the Buyer event is being held as part of Fife Business Week which will give firms a unique opportunity to learn about a huge range of opportunities in the area.

Fife Council has partnered with the Supplier Development Programme (SDP), hub East Central Scotland, Fife College, Network Rail and main contractors BAM, Balfour Beatty and BAM Nuttall to deliver the session on Thursday, November 4.

Businesses will be able to talk to all the organisations involved to find out what contract work is available on the projects and the requirements needed to be eligible to bid for them.

They will also and receive expert advice and guidance on how to prepare tenders for upcoming work packages through the Supplier Development Programme.

Gillian Cameron, SPD Programme Manager, said businesses of all sizes are being encouraged to take part.

“Alongside headline partners Fife Council and hub East Central Scotland, the Supplier Development Programme is proud to help small businesses in Fife and Tayside to learn how to be part of the supply chain and access our full suite of free tender training and support," she said.

"No business is too small to get a share of public sector spending; even one-person operations can have something to offer.

"We hope to help small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) put their name out there so that public sector bodies and large contractors offering these contracts know what they have to offer, and they can find out how to engage in an open and transparent supply chain.

"The quickest way to do that is to attend this free, virtual Meet the Buyer event on 4 November 2021 as part of Fife Business Week.”

Amanda Wright, Community Benefits and Social Value Manager at hub East Central Scotland, added: "It is our priority that wherever possible our projects are delivered by local businesses that employ local people.

"There is a wide range of opportunity available on these projects for every size of business and we look forward to supporting them at the event with advice and information to help them succeed.”

Martin Cooper, Construction Director, BAM Construction, said they were pleased to be supporting the event.

"Dunfermline Learning Campus is an important project, and we want to engage and support the local business community as much as possible," he added.

"At BAM, over 80 per cent of our supply chain are SMEs and we take our commitment to working with local SMEs and Third Sector Organisations very seriously.

"We look forward to speaking to local businesses at the event.”

Businesses can book their place for the event at the Supplier Development Programme website at https://www.sdpscotland.co.uk/events-fife2021-mtb.

The full calendar of events to mark the twelfth Fife Business Week – which kicks off on Monday – can be found at www.fifebusinessweek.co.uk.