Published: Friday, 26th April 2024
Opportunities for local contractors and suppliers to get involved in multi-million pound developments which are being delivered in King’s Lynn over the next few years were showcased at a special event
Hosted by the Borough Council, the Meet the Buyer event was held on 19th April and offered the chance for attendees to learn about Town Deal projects including the new Multi User Community Hub, Active Travel Hubs, St George’s Guildhall, and the Riverfront Regeneration.
In addition, the Lovell Major Housing partnership with the borough council, which is creating up to 1,000 new homes, as well as the West Winch Housing Access Road, and the Southgates and Gyratory highway schemes were also highlighted.
The event allowed attendees to find out about potential opportunities to be part of principal contractors’ supply chains, learn about the council’s procurement process, and register interest for contracts.
Also in attendance on the day were representatives from Norfolk County Council as well as the main contractors Mace Group, Morgan Sindall Group plc, and Lovell Partnership Ltd.
And, delegates were also able to access advice and support from projects and organisations including New Anglia Growth Hub, College of West Anglia, Norfolk Chamber of Commerce, and the Federation of Small Business.
In addition, the team from Boost was on hand to share how it can support 16-30 year olds in West Norfolk to access employment support, advice, and training, working alongside the West Norfolk Training Grants scheme. The project, run by Norfolk County Council, was previously a King’s Lynn Town Deal project but thanks to UK Shared Prosperity Funding has recently extended its services across the whole borough.
The event saw attendance from representatives of some 34 different companies from diverse sectors and specialisms.
Councillor Alistair Beales, Cabinet Member for Business said: “It was fantastic to welcome so many people to the Meet the Buyer event and see such high levels of interest in the transformational development that is set to benefit the area.
“King’s Lynn and West Norfolk is benefitting from multi-million pound investment and we are keen to ensure that the significant regeneration that is planned has a positive impact on the local economy, including by highlighting opportunities to be part of supply chains.
“Thank you to everyone who joined us at the event, and we look forward to continuing to share updates about the exciting regeneration projects as they progress,”
Councillor Chris Morley, Cabinet Member for Finance added: “Our Meet the Buyer event really outlined the scale of the investment that is coming into King’s Lynn and West Norfolk, and the huge potential it offers for our area.
“The event allowed us to not only highlight the projects and how to engage with main contractors already appointed, but to also provide a comprehensive overview of our procurement process for anyone who may be interested in taking part in our competitive tender process for future work.
“We hope that attendees found the event useful, and we are also grateful to the organisations and projects which took part in the day.”
Anyone interested in finding out more about the borough council’s current tender opportunities can do so here: Current tender opportunities | Current tender opportunities | Borough Council of King's Lynn & West Norfolk (west-norfolk.gov.uk)