We have been so busy dealing with enquiries regarding the PCO events that we have only just realised that it is over a week since the last posting. Eleven events have been completed with one to go in Birmingham on 1st July. This final event is fully booked with a waiting list of eight. Those who have attended the events have clearly found them helpful with a high proportion of Very Satisfied delegates amongst the feedback forms.

The demand for these events is clearly growing. We are therefore considering offering a further small number of events. As the PCO sessions to date have been highly subsidised by the DWP any future events would be more expensive, unless we are able to find a sponsor to help to reduce the price.

If your organisation is interested in sending one or more delegates to an event which we might organise in the near future please let us know by email and we will add you to our mailing list.

There is a "contact us" section on this website, or email to pco@tenderingforcare.com

The registration forms which have arrived this morning mean that all of the places at the final event in the PCO series to be held in Birmingham on 1st July (PCO/14R) have now been taken. Some places are still available on the events at Guildford (PCO/10) on 20th June; Edinburgh (PCO/11) on 25th June; and Cardiff (PCO/12) on 26th June.

There are a very limited number of places available at the final event in the series - PCO/14R in Birmingham on 1st July. This series of training events is being heavily subsidised by the DWP. Some places remain on the events at Guildford on 20th June; Edinburgh on 25th June and Cardiff on 26th June. It is essential that registration forms are sent to us by fax prior to posting. Please note that we are unable to accept registrations by telephone or email and that we operate on a very strict "first come" basis. We will inform applicants if a place or places are not available at their preferred event.

It has become necessary to set a cut off time for the registration for places at the following events:

PCO/06 London on 12/06/08; and PCO/07 Cambridge on 13/06/08.

We will not be able to accept registrations for these two events unless they have been confirmed to us by fax by 4 pm on 10/06/08.

The following events are fully booked:

PCO/08 Manchester on 16/06/08; and PCO/09 Birmingham on 17/06/09.

Places are available at the following events:

PCO/10 Guildford on 20/06/08; PCO/11 Edinburgh on 25/06/08; PCO/12 Cardiff on 26/06/08; and PCO/14R Birmingham on 01/07/08

Demand for places at the event to be held at the Birmingham venue on 17th June (PCO/09) is such that this course is now full. The DWP have therefore kindly agreed that TfC can offer an additional event in Birmingham on 1st July (PCO/14R). The revised Registration Guidance and Form which sets out the remaining available dates can be found by clicking the documents for download button to the right of this entry

These events provide excellent value at just £35.25 per person. In addition they offer important opportunities to find out about the future approaches to procurement being introduced by both government departments and other public purchasers. The events concentrate on tendering as a consortium, and place an emphasis on the new "Supply Chain" model of purchasing. This approach will provide excellent opportunities for small and very small organisations to apply to larger organisations for contracts, rather than tendering directly to the provider. However, as with all business opportunities, it is the first into the market who is most likely to get the work. These events are therefore suitable for umbrella organisations and others to find out about the new approach, but also to their members who might wish to be directly involved in a supply chain.

The PCO Programme of Events is making considerable progress. Thursday sees the event in Newcastle where we are delighted that delegates will be joined by Rob Wormwald who is the Head of Commercial Employment Provision at the DWP. This provides an opportunity to gain information about DWP programmes directly from the official responsible for the delivery of major programmes such as FND.

Bookings for coming events continue to flow in. The Birmingham event is now definitely fully booked. The situation at the Manchester event is similar. This event is now also fully booked.

As always we are grateful to NAVCA for their support in publicising the PCO events. This is an enormous help. We should make it clear that this programme is designed for the very small organisations as well as the larger providers. The new approach being adopted by the DWP and increasingly by Local Authorities is called the "Supply Chain". This offers opportunities for very small as well as medium sized organisations to tender for contracts to larger companies and charities further up the chain. But, as with all business, the main message is that the first ones into the market usually get the work! The PCO programme is an incredible learning opportunity at £35.25 per person, also for organisations to establish possibilities for future business at an early stage in the process.

We regret that no further bookings can be taken for the Birmingham Event, Ref. PCO/09 on 17th June which is now full.

Registrations for places at events across the whole PCO programme are now arriving. The event to be held in Birmingham on 17th June is proving to be the most popular. The decision has now been taken to open up the events to charities which are NOT also incorporated as companies limited by guarantee, IPS, CIC, etc. This means that exempt charities such as colleges of FE, Institutes of Higher Education and Universities may also send delegates.

The Public Contract opportunities Programme is now open to accept Registrations for the events to be held during June 2008. To find the documentation please click on the Documents for Download link to the right of this page. Please ensure that all questions on the form are answered. These are necessary to confirm the eligibility of your organisation to take part in this programme. Please note that a condition of eligibility is that your organisation has limited its liability in some way. This may be through incoporation as a Company Limited by Share, Company Limited by Guarantee, an Industrial and Provident Society, a Community Interest Company, or other body of this kind. We do not recommend that organisations which are registered with the Charity Commission only, with no limited liability status tender for public sector contracts. Local Authority or PCT employees are not eligible, however separate training courses are available for commisioners if required. Please contact us to discuss details of these particular events.

The content and details for each of the Workshops is now available from the documents for download section of this website.