London 2012 today announced a new initiative for businesses seeking information about working with the 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games. This includes a new business section on the London 2012 website on www.london2012.com/business. The website also offers a free registration service which will allow businesses to register their interest in finding out about new Games opportunities.
“The 2012 Games are a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.” said Paul Deighton, Chief Executive of the London 2012 Organising Committee. “We will need a huge range of goods and services from businesses of all sizes, right across the UK. Through methods such as e-mail alerts, we will maintain ongoing communication with businesses to ensure they can take full advantage of all the opportunities available. I want to see as many businesses as possible benefit from being involved in the Games.”
David Higgins, Chief Executive of the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) said: “I want to reassure businesses that they have not missed the boat when it comes to contracts for 2012. The vast majority have yet to be tendered as the construction work begins in earnest in 2008. The ODA Procurement Policy we published last month made clear how businesses can get in shape for the opportunities ahead and this initiative is an important way for businesses to receive information as we move forward.”
Companies who register their interest will receive an automatic update from London 2012 with key announcements, including tender opportunities and also get updates on other key areas of progress.
The updated business section on the website has various features including:
– Regular articles on issues of interest to the business community
– Publication of tender opportunities
– Progress updates on contracts let and key appointments made
– Links to local assistance for businesses wishing to prepare for Games contracts
– Lists of all third party events with London 2012 speakers
– Resources from the DCMS business summits such as videos and transcripts of keynote speeches
The Olympic Games is the world’s biggest peacetime project and a huge logistical operation which will create many business opportunities. There will be 10,500 athletes competing at 31 venues across the UK in 26 different sports, 20,000 media attending, 500,000 visitors a day to Olympic venues, and nine million tickets sold. The Paralympic Games will have 20 sports, 21 competition venues, 4,000 athletes, and 2,300 officials.
The two main organisations that are delivering the Games are the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games, who will make all the arrangements to stage the Games, and the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA), who will build the new infrastructure required for the Games.
The ODA recently announced the Delivery Programme for the Olympic Park, and will be letting contracts for the delivery of the venues, transport and other infrastructure between now and 2008, with many more subcontracting opportunities also becoming available. The London Organising Committee will procure the enormous range of goods and services required for the Games, including sports equipment, uniforms, food and drink, furnishings for venues, cars and hotel accommodation. Most of these contracts will begin in 2009 and go through to 2012 itself.
There will be opportunities for thousands of companies, either directly or indirectly, to be involved in and benefit from delivering and staging the Games, from one person home-based operations to small-to-medium enterprises and big corporations.
For further information, contact the London 2012 Organising Committee Press Office on +44 (0)203 2012 100 or the ODA Press Office on +44 (0)203 2012 700 or visit www.london2012.com/business