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UK – London 2012 suppliers can now shout about Olympic contracts
Maria Miller, secretary of state for culture, media and sport, and BOA Chairman Sebastian Coe announced the companies that helped build the Olympic Park venues and provided goods and services for the Games will be able to actively promote their work.
The government has committed £2m to the BOA for it to establish and operate the new supplier recognition scheme.
The move is designed to boost the country’s economy by helping companies land contracts on the back of their involvement with the Games. Until now, suppliers were forbidden to promote their London 2012 work in the media or to win new business.
Suppliers can apply to the BOA for a free licence. On receipt of the licence they will be able to promote their work at trade shows both in the UK and internationally, apply for industry awards for their London 2012 work and use their involvement in direct pitches and tender documentation when competing for international contracts.
Coe said: “Thousands of British businesses supplied goods and services that were essential to the successful staging of the Games, and I am delighted that many of these companies will now have the opportunity to highlight and officially promote their involvement in the Games. This should be a catalyst in creating new business opportunities and further growth for these companies, and that is an important economic legacy of the Games.”
Miller added: “I am delighted those companies that played such a crucial role in making London 2012 an incredible success can now be rightly recognised. By lifting these restrictions we will be able to maximise the economic benefits from the Games. Now we have removed the barrier, companies can capitalise on the role they played at home and abroad by really selling their involvement in one of the biggest and most successful projects this country has ever put on.”
The relaxation of the rules was a key recommendation of last summer’s report by John Armitt, chairman of the Olympic Delivery Authority, on how the UK could maximise business benefits from the Games.
The supplier recognition scheme licence will cover businesses that had contracts directly with Locog or the ODA. It will also cover businesses which had contracts with Locog or ODA contractors and subcontractors, or firms that can demonstrate they provided goods and services that were required for the delivery of the Games.
(eventmagazine.co.uk)