The NEPRO team had the pleasure of attending the Department for Transport's (DfT) SME & VCSE Supplier event recently, and came away full of new ideas on how to embed SMEs and VCSEs into our NEPRO supply chains. We heard from speakers across the sector with the keynote delivered by Paul Rodgers at the DfT. The talks explored topics such as changes to commercial policy, current barriers facing SMEs and VCSEs and supply chain sustainability.
Our top three takeaways were:
- Collaboration is key: It was great to see larger business like AECOM sharing knowledge with others on how SMEs and VCSEs can get involved with local projects such as the Northumberland Line. They worked with SME SLC Rail to deliver this project for Northumberland County Council.
- You have to be in it to win it: PA23 requires contracting authorities to assess barriers to SMEs and VCSEs but Robert Vaughan at DfT reminded us that suppliers must also be registered on the Central Digital Platform to bid for opportunities - you can do this here.
- Innovation unlocks doors: Ruth Long, our NEPRO Lead, spoke about NEPRO x Innovation. This is a new solution that will grant SMEs and VCSEs access to funded transport projects at varying levels of spend with its amplified reach.
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