Throughout July 2012 The Hope Foundation is offering the Online

Winning the Contract course free of charge.

Winning the Contract provides an introduction to the public sector, explains the procurement process and offers practical advice to help you identify new business opportunities. As well as details on the newly launched, free, online procurement portal “Contracts Finder”, this course has information on apprenticeships, forming a social enterprise and useful resources with helpful hints and tips on drafting and submitting bids.

Course objectives

The course has three key objectives:

•             To demystify and explain the way the public sector buys supplies and services

•             To help small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) find opportunities and understand how to respond to them effectively

•             To facilitate high quality bids for public sector work from a broad range of small- and medium-sized suppliers

What will you get from this course?

When you have completed this course, you will be able to:

•             identify the advantages and disadvantages of dealing with public bodies

•             understand how different types of contract are defined, advertised and dealt with

•             understand approved supplier lists, frameworks, and consider alternatives when bidding for large contracts

•             identify the key stages in the tendering process

•             search for and find public sector opportunities

Course features

You can start the course straight away and use it at any time, as long as you have access to a computer with an internet connection. The course is available for six months from the date of purchase.

Winning the Contract contains a wealth of useful information, divided into modules and presented in an interactive and engaging format. There is an optional audio track to aid learning, as well as additional resources such as case studies, a glossary and website links.

Course Modules:

•             Introduction

•             The Public Sector

•             Types of Contract

•             Tender Process – Bidding for a Contract

•             Challenges and Barriers

•             Finding Opportunities

Reasons to Choose eCourses

•             You get value for money. Competitively priced, eCourses take place on-site so there’s no need to waste valuable time and money travelling to a course.

•             You can start straight away. Online eCourses are just a few clicks away and DVD and CD ROM eCourses can be with you in a matter of days. There’s no paperwork and no fuss.

•             Flexibility is built in. Learn when it suits your business and your colleagues, with training designed to fit in around your work patterns and personal life.

•             You learn at your own level and at your own pace. Individuals remain in control of their learning and can fill in knowledge gaps rather than cover ground they’re already familiar with.

•             Team Managers or course buyers can track their employees’ progress. Our online eCourses have an inbuilt tracking system ensuring that employees remain on schedule.