Workshops

At Aston University, we have collaborated with large contractors and firms to deliver a package of support tailored to your business needs. This hands-on approach will prove beneficial for applying to potential tender opportunities.

The workshop series consists of a series of activities including:

Mini trade fair – meeting representatives from the supply chain
Themed workshops
Introduction to procurement
Effective product/service positioning and marketing
Raising aspirations and confidence
Promoting leadership skills & confidence
One-to-one coaching through surgery events

Our series of masterclass workshops provide bespoke business support by highly trained specialists in the business ecosystem enabling diverse SMEs to acquire new skills, resources and knowledge.

These workshops are designed to equip you with the most advanced techniques to take your business to the next level, these workshops will help you increase your tendering potential, boost your self-esteem and grant you access to mainstream business providers.

There will be three workshop programmes delivered over the course of the project (from 2020-2022), if you don’t get a place on the first workshop programme, there will be an opportunity for you to partake in future workshop programmes (dependent on whether your application form is approved).

Our workshops

The first workshop programme is now open for applications. The dates of the workshops can be viewed in the events calendar.

2020 Workshop Timeline

Themed workshops

These workshops will discuss key areas that suppliers will need to consider when bidding for work. Many of these considerations are common across different major corporations. they include, for example:

sustainability /environmental policies and practice
equality and diversity policy and practice
Health and safety
The need for specific skills of staff and qualification levels
Employment conditions of staff
Cyber security
Linking with local communities

An introduction to procurement

Businesses need to know how to work within these systems. Examples of some of the topics to be included will be:

Use of Pre Qualifying Questionnaires (PQQs) and competitive tendering
Becoming an approved supplier and use of frameworks
European procurement regulations
Where and how to find tender opportunities
Use of e-tendering
What does a good tender look like? (Plain English, answers the question, demonstrates understanding of the context and requirement, shows previous experience looks and reads as a professional document etc)
Use of professional bid writers

Promoting leadership skills and confidence

These workshops will assist business leaders to gain confidence in their ability to scale up their businesses and compete for tenders from major corporations. Key activities in these workshops will include:

Use of a motivational speaker – a business leader who has successfully won contracts from a major private or public corporation
Discussions considering the perceptions and psychological barriers that prevent business leaders from seeking to win business from major corporations
Interactive games and exercise to challenge common perceptions and negative beliefs

One-to-one surgery sessions

These sessions will be delivered at surgery workshop events. Aston University academics who already have experience of working with minority owned businesses will provide one-to-one support that will last for up to one hour.

Effective product and service positioning

These workshops will help businesses to consider how they can develop and market their brand effectively. Key areas that will be considered include:

Developing your business brand
What does good marketing material look like?
Developing an online presence
How to find, engage and network effectively with representatives from major private sector and public corporations.