Bike Dock Solutions
Bike Dock Solutions was awarded a major contract with Transport for London (TfL) through CompeteFor. They have subsequently used the procurement tool to source several suppliers of their own.
Bike Dock Solutions is an East London business that supplies various bike shelters, racks and enclosures. They recently expanded their offering to include other forms of street furniture under the brand of Shelter Store.
Bike Dock Solutions was introduced to CompeteFor by the East London Small Business Centre. Sales Director, James Nash, attended an event coordinated by the local business support organisation in partnership with the London Business Network, where London 2012 business opportunities were discussed and the procurement tool was explained in detail.
James revealed that after the event, registering on CompeteFor was straight forward. His team monitored CompeteFor regularly and received an email alert about an opportunity with TfL to provide workplace cycle parking equipment. They followed the CompeteFor process to apply for the opportunity and were invited to submit further tender documents through TfL’s own procurement system. After giving a short presentation on our products, Bike Dock Solutions was named a preferred supplier for TfL’s Cycle Superhighway Workplace Scheme.
“Being able to use CompeteFor as a buyer is particularly useful as our business expands and we extend our product offering...We found the quality of suppliers on CompeteFor to be very high and have been pleased with the competitive nature of the responses we’ve received”
James says, ‘CompeteFor has been a really good tool for us. The contract with TfL was a great boost for our business. We’ve not only been able to re-tender for the original contract, it’s also allowed us to find out about future contracts coming out with TfL. Working with Transport for London has given our products and services credibility. This is particularly important as a young, growing company.’
After winning the contract, Bike Dock Solutions began using CompeteFor to source suppliers of their own, including for their new business venture, Shelter Store. James explains ‘Being able to use CompeteFor as a buyer is particularly useful as our business expands and we extend our product offering. Again the system was very easy to use, with plenty of support from the CompeteFor team when needed. We found the quality of suppliers on CompeteFor to be very high and have been pleased with the competitive nature of the responses we’ve received so far. ‘
