Shropshire Chamber of Commerce supported a ‘Meet The Buyer’ event, helping local businesses to improve their chances of winning lucrative contracts in the construction industry.

The event, held at Telford College, was hosted by Shropshire Constructing Excellence and attracted a gathering of more than 100 people.

Ruth Ross, Shropshire Chamber’s chief executive, said: “We were delighted to back this event, giving supply-chain businesses the opportunity to meet leading contractors and public sector procurement teams involved in some major projects.

“The importance of the construction industry to the Shropshire economy was emphasised with statistics revealing that it now supports some 9,000 jobs and generates over £1 billion a year to the county.

“If you take into account that every £1 spent on construction-related work is multiplied nearly three-fold in terms of economic benefit, the potential economic impact for our county between now and 2032 will be over £16 billion.

“There are hundreds of businesses in Shropshire with connections to the construction sector, and we want to make sure they have the best possible chances of gaining a share of these significant upcoming projects.”

The event showcased projects in the pipeline for Shropshire, including the regeneration of Shrewsbury’s Riverside and the Station Quarter development in Telford, and the opportunities available for sub-contractors to get involved.

It also included support for subcontractors and supply-chain businesses on the process for procurement and offered key networking opportunities for the sector.

Mark Barrow, chair of Constructing Excellence Midlands Shropshire Club (SCE), said the event at Telford College had given the sector a huge boost.

“This event was a resounding success, and it was clear from the sheer volume of attendees that local businesses have a real interest in wanting to help deliver on the multi-billion-pound pipeline of projects planned for Shropshire. They clearly want to play their role in helping to shape the future landscape of the region.

“Bringing together sub-contractors and supply chain businesses with leading contractors and public sector procurement teams in this way is a fantastic way to ensure we continue to strengthen the sector, the local economy and forge new relationships which bring jobs and training opportunities for local people.

“The expo-style Meet the Buyer event gave attendees the chance to talk to contractors and gain a better understanding of timescales for projects, scale of opportunity and the process for bidding for work and it is clear from early feedback from the sector found this hugely beneficial.”

Shropshire Council, Telford & Wrekin Council, Lovell, McPhillips, Pave Aways, SWG Group, IHP, JN Bentley and Shropshire Homes were among the list of contractors in attendance.

As well as meeting buyers, those attending also learned from Lovell Partnerships how they can increase their chances of winning work by improving the social value they contribute to construction schemes.

Delegates also received an update on the Building Safety Act from Shropshire-based Safety For.

Amanda Carpenter, from the Construction Industry Training Board which was among the exhibitors, said: “We spoke with some fantastic sub-contractors and supply-chain businesses who are involved in some of Shropshire’s and Telford & Wrekin’s biggest construction projects, and shared information about CITB apprenticeship and training grants.”