The value of CompeteFor contracts for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games won by businesses in Suffolk is over £7.9 million and it could grow further with hundreds more contracts, worth millions, still up for tender.

The figure combines the contracts won at different stages of the Games project, with contracts ranging from film services – awarded to Bruizer based in Suffolk - to providing coaches for transport - awarded to the travel operation of Suffolk County Council.

In total, 29 contracts have been awarded to businesses in Suffolk via CompeteFor (www.competefor.com), the on-line procurement portal funded by the regional development agencies, including the East of England Development Agency (EEDA), and Devolved Authorities.

Cllr Stephen Castle, Chairman of Nations and Regions in the East of England, stated ‘it’s extremely gratifying to see the variety of businesses in the region, both in type and size, which have enabled the Games to reach this advanced point, on time and on budget. Suffolk’s input is invaluable to the games and it’s great to see the county playing an integral part in the games already.’

Will Pope, Chair of EEDA, commented ‘it’s pleasing to see that our investment in CompeteFor has provided businesses in the region with the opportunities to win contracts, even more so when nearly 70% of the awards made via the site have included SMEs.

“We’re also urging every business in East Anglia to still register for CompeteFor as there are still a large number of Olympic contracts still up for tender, many of which are worth millions of pounds.’

Will Pope added ‘and it doesn’t stop at the Olympics, the opportunities continue to grow on CompeteFor, with both the Crossrail project and the Metropolitan Police adding contract opportunities to the site. We are running a number of events with regional partners to continue to promote both the CompeteFor site and other opportunities that the Games will provide.’

The events include opportunities for businesses already registered on CompeteFor, to find out how to maximise their use of the site. David Coulson, Regional London 2012 Lead said ‘CompeteFor provides a wealth of opportunities both in terms of contracts but also information about contracts won, business competitors and potential partnerships. Businesses can access this information for free and we will be able to show them how’. Details of these events and how to book can be found at www.risingtothechallengeeast.co.uk/business