FEDF helps South Cumbria businesses stand out

FEDF coordinates delivery of the Furness/SW Cumbria area’s economic development priorities through its Delivery Plan focus on infrastructure, business growth, employment/skills and quality of life. It is strong on business engagement and lobbying through its links with trade unions UNITE GMB and Cumbria Chamber of Commerce’s Furness Strategic Employers Group. It works with numerous private sector partners, Cumbria Growth Hub, Federation of Small Businesses and the Furness College which delivers FEDF’s apprenticeship bursaries scheme for sme sized companies.

FEDF’s objective is to support the economic growth of the Furness area and beyond to Millom and Grange over Sands

There is a huge amount of investment underway and starting in 2017 there is an estimated £20-40bn of work in manufacturing delivering national strategic defence and energy investments and construction taking place. The se range from the Uk three classes of submarine build which is anticipated to bring £4.2bn of wealth to Barrow alone between 2017 and 2037, and much more in supply chain work generated through the submarine programme.

GSK Ulverston is committed to delivering a biopharma facility worth a third of a billion pounds and is continuing investment in its cephalosporin manufacture facility.

Complementing these are energy projects by Centica energy building a new Battery storage power generation facility at Roosecote for which a contract may start in Q1 2017 and Dong Energy’s new construction base will act as a hub for Walney Extension windfarm over the next three years .Vattenfall have brought in house management of much of its Ormonde wind farm which may also create new scope for local suppliers.

To ensure there are adequate resources available locally for for housing the huge influx of workers FEDF has developed an Accommodation hub service, see www.fedf.co.uk/accommodation-hub/welcome/ . This encourages suppliers to offer new accommodation options such as flats chalets houses to rent and apartments or new hotel developments.

Infrastructure priorities are currently Marina Village at Barrow, Waterfront Business Park and east Ulverston accessibility improvements.

Early 2017 will see Ulverston’s Lightburn Road Business Park start to be created and there will be more new housing schemes in Barrow and Ulverston to add to work underway at Thorncliffe Barrow and Stonecross Ulverston.

Looking ahead we are urging National Grid to commit to leaving legacy benefits from its 400kv power line and are urging its tunnel scheme involves significant commitment to use of local suppliers labour and new rail road interchange facilities as well as housing skilled people in refurbished and existing hotels houses and flats.The energy resource will also mean Barrow and Furness can attract a wider range of large energy using industries.

FEDF can help you pinpoint for your business and support your expansion with our partners such as Furness College (apprenticeship bursaries) and The Cumbia Growth Hub (supplier support). *Cumbria Growth Hub is part of The Chamber of Commerce. Welcoming new business into the area will also help to focus on the area's unemployment rate of 1 in 4.

FEDF’s flagship scheme to strengthen supply chains and transform skills is funded by Coastal Communities Fund via direct grant from DCLG to Barrow Borough Council. Through the Fund businesses and individuals are offered support to companies to access

CONTRACT PIPELINE INFORMATION enabling your businesses to easily access information on active and upcoming pipeline of contracts, the packages of work involved and minimum requirements for pre-qualification to tender for work.

FEDF has a unique guide to “opening doors to major projects” introduces you to planned and current investments in SW Cumbria in new life sciences, defence, subsea electronics, energy, road power, transport and rail developments, new manufacturing activity or public sector schools, healthcare and business park development that offer supplier opportunities.It informs company owners, procurement and marketing teams of the huge amount of new investment and to facilitate access to key contacts within the organisations proposing developments, their main contractors or suppliers.

FEDF can also help companies access local and national supplier opportunities on projects such as Hinkley C power station(HS2) and other schemes in either the private sector, local authority Utilities, NHS capital programmes or the National Infrastructure Programme. This information is offered on a 1-to-1 basis and through targeted events, web or app services.

FEDF also offers INTENSIVE ONE-TO-ONE SUPPORT to help firms with assistance which can include for example identification of who to contact in large companies, understanding and developing accreditations or pre-qualification registrations, access to finance grants, finding sites for suppliers or skills or developing systems and processes to become fit to bid for and win contracts. Expert advisers can be provided to help businesses develop responses to contracts’ requirements and understand accreditation needs, pre-qualification requirements and put in place processes, procedures, capacity and capability to then go on to bid for contracts. Where required training and advice can be offered through the scheme to address these factors;

Other forms of help include

BESPOKE ANALYSIS OF LOCAL COMPANY CAPABILITIES /GAP ANALYSIS OF SUPPLY CHAIN CAPABILITY identifies opportunities for companies to exploit gaps with new market offerings. It also helps to attract inward investment whereby incoming firms can work with local suppliers or foster growth of new businesses locally which seek to fill identified gaps.

FURNESS ENERGY FORUM SUPPLIER GROUP which meets quarterly enabling groups of firms to address supply chain barriers, develop ways to provide innovative supply chain offers, or facilitate networking access to best practice. By enabling firms to network, form new connections and know who to talk with they can pave the way for bidding for and winning contracts;

BROKERING LINKS BETWEEN SUPPLIERS AND BUYERS so that meaningful relationships can be forged and businesses can be encouraged to develop supply chain partnerships. Also to enable project contract needs and innovation requirements to be better understood. We will provide this help on a 1-to-1 basis or through events seminars, workshops or small groups. Specific meet the specifier or meet the buyer opportunities also emerge from this work-stream;

DELIVERY OF SUPPLY CHAIN GROWTH BEST PRACTICE ASSISTANCE through conferences, workshops, seminars to help build capacity, these to include;

– bespoke workshops and events to de-mystify the tender process and brief firms on prequalifying requirements;

– supplier to supplier networking and help to build collaborative ventures were SMEs can pool their resources;

– facilitating access to finance such as Cumbria Chamber of Commerce’s Growth Hub, Cumbria Growth Fund grants, innovation, export and other help including University expertise;

CAREER PATH AND NEW JOBS AWARENESS RAISING alerting residents to the opportunities these developments present for individuals to take up new career paths, jobs or apprenticeships; provision of information on skills demand and supply and access to resources of Furness College, Universities, private sector providers and bodies such as National Skills Academy Nuclear, Choose South Cumbria @_southcumbria.

APPRENTICESHIP BURSARIES – SUBSIDIES discretionary bursaries are available to assist sme owners (provided their firms are operating in supply chains) to take on new apprentices that become the supply chain workforce of the future. The offers range from £1,000 to £2,500 per apprentice and are available through an application process led by Furness College;

These services help companies to both address the most challenging barriers facing their organisations in developing a supply chain presence and deliver help to enable the businesses to position themselves to bid for and win new contract opportunities. Neil Mathers of Furness College delivers these services.