Suppliers & Contractors Invited To 'Meet The Buyer' Event

Belfast City Council and property specialist, Heron Bros have invited suppliers and contractors to share in a £43 million contract to transform leisure in Belfast.

They are invited to a 'Meet the Buyer' event, taking place at Olympia Leisure Centre on Thursday, 10 August to explore opportunities around how they might benefit from one of the largest capital contracts ever awarded by the city council.

The contract is part of an overall 10 year £105 million investment by Belfast City Council into improving its leisure centres, programmes and services. The investment involves the transformation of leisure sites across the city, including Andersonstown Leisure Centre, the Robinson Centre and Brook Activity Centre – and it is this phase of work that Heron Bros are currently involved with.

Councillor Deirdre Hargey, Chair of the Strategic Policy and Resources Committee, said: "We are aiming to ensure that as many people as possible benefit from our investment in leisure transformation not just those who will be using these new, state-of-the-art and exciting facilities when they are completed.

"We want to offer business and employment opportunities and are working with Heron Bros and InterTradeIreland to make these opportunities available to as wide an audience as possible.

"We would encourage as many companies as possible to come along to the event to find out how they might get involved. Individual appointments are available with staff from Heron Bros."

A Business Support Zone will also operate on the day with information on the support available from the council's Economic Development Unit; InterTradeIreland's tender zone; Construction Employers' Federation; Construction Industry Training Board (CITB); Federation of Master Builders and the Considerate Contractors Scheme.

Shauna Young, Community Engagement Manager, Heron Bros, added: "Heron Bros is committed to developing long-lasting and collaborative relationships with our supply chain partners and we recognise the value this adds to our business. We are eager to meet with you and build on our existing supply chain. We want to talk to likeminded contractors that share our ethos and have the relevant experience, accreditations and customer-focused approach that continually delivers added value through innovation, quality and sustainability.

"Our procurement staff will be on hand to discuss the projects in detail and give advice on how you can register to be on our supply chain list and how our tendering process works. We are particularly keen to meet SMEs specialising in trades such as painting, bricklaying, cladding, plastering, joinery, metalwork, partitions, and external windows and doors."

Anyone interested in attending the 'Meet the Buyer' event must first complete the pre-registration form here to ensure the advice available is best tailored to their needs. Pre-registration is available until 5pm on Monday, 7 August.