What is this programme all about?

Every year, public sector organisations – government departments, local councils and other agencies – spend more than £2 billion on a massive cross section of products and services.

Whilst many people still believe that it is only the largest businesses that can win public sector contracts, this is far from the case. Indeed, public sector buyers actively encourage small businesses to bid for contracts.

The core aim of the Selling to the Public Sector Programme is therefore to highlight how accessible public sector sales opportunities are for small businesses in Northern Ireland ….and to show participant businesses how to move from talking about targeting public sector customers to actually doing it.

What does the programme involve?

  • 3 compulsory workshops aimed at laying a foundation for your online growth
    • Understanding the public sector landscape in Northern Ireland [8 December: 10:00 – 12:00]
  • Preparing to respond to a public sector quoting / tendering opportunity [19 January: 10:00 – 12:00]
  • Keeping focused on public sector opportunities following completion of the Programme. [2 February 2021: 10:00 – 12:00]
  • Access to bespoke one-to-one mentoring from an experienced consultant who will work with you to help you to gear up to explore and target new business opportunities with public sector buyers. In total, you will be entitled to 3 days one to one mentoring through the Programme.

Due to ongoing restrictions relating to travel and social interaction, both workshops and one to one mentoring will be provided virtually using Zoom software.

If you are not familiar with this software, a member of the Full Circle team can assist you to access and begin to use this

Who is eligible?

To be considered for a place, your Business must:

  • Be based in the Derry City and Strabane District Council area;
  • Employ less than 50 people;
  • Have growth potential over the next few years.

And participation is FREE ….?

Yes – the Programme is 100% free to participants.

The Programme forms part of the DCSDC Business Innovation and Growth Programme which is part-funded by Invest NI and the European Regional Development Fund under the Investment for Growth and Jobs Northern Ireland [2014 – 2020] Programme.

How long does the Programme last for?

The Programme will start in early December and will run until late February 2021.

So how do I apply ….?

To be considered for a place on the Programme, all you have to do is:

  1. Email Patrick at Full Circle – patrick@fullcircle.eu.com – and let him know that you wish to apply for a place on the Selling to the Public Sector Programme. Alternatively, please call him on 07932 569698.
  2. Patrick will then liaise directly with you to ensure that you are eligible to apply and to assess your priority support needs in this field.
  3. Deadline for all expressions of interest in relation to this Programme is Friday 27 November @ 13:00 – we encourage you to express your interest as soon as possible because we expect demand to be extremely high for places on this Programme.