New Gloucestershire initiative will support smaller businesses and keep money in the county

A group of Gloucestershire business support organisations have launched a new project to help businesses source and supply from each other more efficiently.

Together Gloucestershire is an initiative developed by Cirencester and Cheltenham Chambers of Commerce and supported by the Federation of Small Business.

Local sourcing, which increases business for local companies and drives cash into the local economy is a simple objective, but the reality is that there are far too many challenges to achieving it.

The aim of Together Gloucestershire is to increase business spend locally, by bringing willing buyers and sellers together and helping micro and small businesses improve their capability to navigate the often tortuous tender process increasingly demanded by public sector organisations or large private businesses.

While large companies can afford full time bid managers, smaller companies don’t often have the time to review tender documents properly and can waste time filling in tenders inaccurately, leading to tender failure.

The Together Gloucestershire initiative already has the support of some of the county’s biggest companies including manufacturers Spirax Sarco and Renishaw, wealth management company St James’s Place and public sector organisations including Gloucestershire Constabulary and the county council.

Together Gloucestershire is also supported by Alex Chalk MP and Sir Geoffrey Clifton Brown MP and all acknowledged the need to support the county’s circular economy.

Sam Holliday from FSB said “Small businesses in Gloucestershire are passionate about their local community and are always keen to work with the biggest local companies and the private sector. We truly believe the unique Together Gloucestershire initiative could be the gateway to help businesses of all sizes work together in a positive and collaborative way.”

Adam Vines, President at Cirencester Chamber of Commerce, one of the founding volunteers who spearhead this initiative, said: “The engagement and passion shown by some of the largest local employers to the project has been overwhelming.”