UK SBS PS16177 STFC Daresbury Business Support Pilot Programme

Introduction

The Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) is one of seven UK Research Councils funded by UK Government. We collaborate extensively with industry and our long-term R&D underpins sectors which contribute billions of pounds annually to the UK economy in sectors including: space, pharmaceuticals, digital animation and communication, microelectronics and physics based manufacturing.

STFC manages a number of Business Incubation Centres (BICs) to support entrepreneurial businesses to negotiate the challenges that can be faced in market entry. Our unique spectrum of incubation facilities, including the Innovation Technology Access Centre (I-TAC) facility, the ESA and STFC CERN BICs, are set within our dynamic multi-sector campus environment. A presence on Campus gives firms greater opportunity to interact with companies working on related technology, and raises their profile with prospective investors.

We wish to develop our business support offering at STFC’s Sci-Tech Daresbury campus, near Warrington in Cheshire, where businesses co-locate with STFC in the right environment for start-up companies to develop new products and gain investment, leading to growth and the creation of new jobs.

The business incubation offering is also expanding with the recent opening of the Campus Technology Hub in late 2015 and more recently the new UK Space Agency Incubator.

Additional information: As part of the strategic alliance between UK Shared Business Services Ltd (UK SBS) and Crown Commercial Service (CCS), UK SBS can use the CCS eSourcing Suite for future procurements. If you have not yet registered on the eSourcing Suite, this can be done online at https://gpsesourcing.cabinetoffice.gov.uk by following the link ‘Register for CCS eSourcing’. Please note that, to register, you must have a valid DUNS number (as provided by Dun and Bradstreet) for the organisation which you are registering, who will be entering into a contract if invited to do so. Once you have registered on the eSourcing Suite, a registered user can express an interest for a specific procurement. This is done by emailing ExpressionOfInterest@crowncommercial.gov.uk Your email must clearly state: the name and reference for the procurement you wish to register for; the name of the registered Bidder; and the name and contact details for the registered individual sending the email. Crown Commercial Service will process the email and then enable the Bidder to access the procurement online via the e-Sourcing Suite. The registered user will receive a notification email to alert them once this has been done. The Sourcing documents can then be accessed on the eSourcing Suite at: https://gpsesourcing.cabinetoffice.gov.uk using the instructions detailed in the Specification documents within Contracts Finder. As a user of the e-Sourcing Suite you will have access to Emptoris email messaging service which facilitates all messages sent to you and from you in relation to any specific RFX event. Please note it is your responsibility to access these emails on a regular basis to ensure you have sight of all relevant information. For technical assistance on use of the e-Sourcing Suite please contact Crown Commercial Service Helpdesk : Telephone: 0345 010 3503 Training documents to support Bidders utilise Emptoris CCS eSourcing are available in the Contracts Finder Tender documents section.