| Enterprise Plants Limited |
 Enterprise Plants recently used the CompeteFor website to secure a three year contract to provide interior horticulture services to the Greater London Authority (GLA). The Havering based SME is now responsible for watering, pruning and the pest control of plants at City Hall. Enterprise Plants has over 26 years experience providing corporate planting services and has recently expanded into sustainable food waste management under the name Juniper. They pride themselves on providing flexible, tailor-made solutions which help clients reduce environmental impact and carbon footprints. When Enterprise Plants heard that London would be hosting the Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2012, they were curious to see what new opportunities might arise. Sales Director, Matt Monckton’s first port of call was the London 2012 website. He soon discovered that procurement opportunities, including supply chain contracts, would be advertised and awarded through CompeteFor. Free to register and specifically designed to help SMEs get involved in the Games, Matt signed up to CompeteFor immediately. ‘Registration was easy,’ Matt says, ‘No problem at all, and by completing a business profile I was able to set up email alerts which notified me of suitable contracts. As a niche business with a diverse range of services, I also regularly log in to CompeteFor to manually search for opportunities. It would be a shame to miss out on anything interesting.’ Matt soon found an interior horticulture maintenance contract posted by the Greater London Authority. The GLA, along with several other government agencies and local authorities, had recently adopted CompeteFor to procure goods and services of their own. Not only does this increase the variety of contracts available but it ensures that opportunities will continue to appear on CompeteFor long after the Games in 2012. The tendering process worked exactly as Matt expected. After applying online, Enterprise Plants was shortlisted along with nine other businesses. The GLA invited them to attend a site meeting and give a presentation outlining their proposal for care of the hydroponic plantings. After beating the competition, Enterprise Plants now makes regular visits to City Hall to make sure the plants are always looking their best. Matt is positive about the future, ‘I think the concept of CompeteFor is very good. As an environmentally conscious company we’re always considering ways to cut down on travel time. It is good to see London 2012, the GLA and other government agencies providing a way for local companies to bid for projects. It has definitely proved useful for us, as every new contract is important in the current economic climate. Because of this, I regularly check CompeteFor for new opportunities.’ |