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The construction of the Olympic Park is “a superb advertisement for UK plc” and British companies “now have precious experience that they can use to win business at home and abroad”, according to a report by Sir John Armitt, chairman of the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA), published today by the Government.

Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport Secretary Jeremy Hunt, who commissioned the report to look at how UK businesses can maximise the benefits of the construction of the Games, warmly welcomed the report.

Mr Hunt said:

“I am very grateful to John for his report. The Olympic Park is a world-class advert for the British construction industry. I am delighted that we will now be able to help even more companies go for gold.”

Sir John Armitt said:

“Businesses from all over the UK shared with me their experiences working on London 2012. Their story was one of achievement, new and better ways of working, innovation and optimism about the future. They reported real successes in winning fresh work thanks to being involved in our Olympic and Paralympic Games – and confidence that there is plenty more is to come.

“My report is designed to help Government and businesses take the crucial next steps to ensure that working on London 2012 is the start, not the end, of this success story. We need the right support and ideas in place to take this forward, with a determination to overcome barriers that do exist – to ensure that nothing stops British business winning gold time and time again.”

The report, commissioned by the Government, was compiled after consulting with over 250 businesses who worked on the Olympic Park. They were asked 20 questions about the impact of working on London 2012, including impact on their companies, staff, finances, reputation and future prospects.

The report’s findings include:

• More than two thirds of businesses said working on London 2012 had enhanced their reputation.
• More than a third of 2012 suppliers surveyed said they had already won new business due to the Games.
• Nearly half said their company’s financial situation had been enhanced by working on London 2012.
• Around three quarters anticipated future work at home and abroad as a result of London 2012.
• More than two thirds of large businesses said it increased their ability to take on big projects.
• More than 40 per cent said they were in a stronger position to win work on other sports projects.

The report’s recommendations include:

• Government should adopt the principles of the procurement and programme management approach used by the ODA.
• UKTI should maximise the promotion of British business achievements in delivering major sporting events.
• The Government should take urgent action to ensure that marketing restrictions applying to London 2012 suppliers are relaxed as soon as possible after the Games.
• The CompeteFor network should be retained for all public sector projects.
• The ODA’s Learning Legacy website should be continued after the Games and broadened to include other successful projects.
• Small and medium-sized businesses need more help to access existing support in working overseas.

The Government’s detailed response to all the report’s recommendations is attached at annex A.

Notes to editors

1. Read the Armitt report and the Government’s response: http://www.culture.gov.uk/publications/9184.aspx
2. See press photos, key facts and briefing along with the latest Olympic news from the UK Government on our website: http://goc2012.culture.gov.uk/
3. View and embed our Olympic park fly-through video: http://youtu.be/RmUCrsuKuWU
4. View and re-use our infographics giving facts and figures about the Olympic legacy: http://www.flickr.com/photos/thedcms/sets/72157630404877650/ 
5. Find case studies highlighting the legacy of the Games on our ‘Beyond 2012′ Tumblr: http://beyond2012.tumblr.com/
6. View and embed our Tripline map following the torch relay around the UK: http://bit.ly/KvSTv0
7. For media enquiries please call our news desk on +44 (0)20 7271 1700.

Annex A: Government Response to Recommendations. Made by John Armitt

1. Public procurement

Recommendation

Government should adopt the principles of the procurement and programme management approach used by the ODA for public sector projects valued at over £10m – including recognising the benefits of a ‘balanced scorecard’ approach to procurement, incorporating other criteria like sustainability and health and safety, in addition to time, cost and quality.

Response

Government agrees that the Olympic build project has been a major success and that procurements should be evaluated using a range of relevant criteria in addition to time, cost and quality. Government will be seeking to apply ODA best practice to other major public sector projects where possible, and is working with the ODA to develop and share the key principles that have underpinned their success, making them available to departments undertaking major projects.

2. Promoting British Business

Recommendation

UKTI should build on its existing and past work promoting British business achievements in delivering major sporting events – for instance by creating a small task force, drawing in the expertise including representatives of London 2012 contractors of all sizes, to target major overseas opportunities and work to ensure British companies can compete for, and win, contracts.

Response

UKTI, in conjunction with industry, has developed a comprehensive strategy to maximise future opportunities on the back of the Games. UKTI will focus on markets in Russia, Brazil, Qatar and South Korea as part of its prioritisation of high value opportunities and projects. As a first step, the Global Sports Projects Team will host a major conference in the autumn for UK suppliers to London 2012 and other sports events to explore the opportunities, methods of undertaking business in priority markets and support that UKTI can provide.

3. Support for SMEs

Recommendation

Government and business organisations should explore new ways to ensure that small and medium-sized enterprises are fully aware of the support available when working overseas, through better promotion of existing sources of information about international assistance, and investigation of new channels to reach a wider audience.

Response

UKTI offers British business of all sizes and from all parts of the UK access to its global network and expertise to help businesses win more of these high value opportunities that will help to deliver stronger economic recovery and long-term sustainable growth for the UK.

As part of this, UKTI will hold over 50 regional events in the course of 2012, in conjunction with the British Business Club, to provide business support and market information for UK businesses wishing to access major project opportunities in overseas markets. UKTI’s regional teams across the UK offer bespoke advice and networking opportunities for SMEs.

Details of regional events across the UK are available on the British Business Club website at http://www.ukti.gov.uk/export/eventssearch.html. Details of regional UKTI teams are available at http://www.ukti.gov.uk/export/unitedkingdom.html .

Furthermore, the FCO’s free Overseas Business Risk service is a valuable resource especially for small companies who value reliable advance information about possible pitfalls of dealing with new markets.

4. Comprehensive Marketing Tool

Recommendation

A comprehensive marketing tool should be created to promote the success of UK plc, Government and its agencies, and individual companies, in building the venues and infrastructure for the London 2012 Games.

Response

UKTI has recently launched version 2 of Springboard to Success – a Suppliers Directory which showcases over 700 UK companies who have won contracts to supply major global projects including London 2012. Using the platform of the Olympic and Paralympic Games, the GREAT campaign is designed to showcase the capabilities of UK plc and promote the UK as a destination for business, investment and tourism. It has now been adopted as a common identity by all international facing parts of HMG – FCO, UKTI, Visit Britain and the British Council – and is increasingly being used by Government departments and their agencies domestically.

Furthermore, UKTI’s Global Sports Projects Team is currently exploring the feasibility of developing a multimedia interactive toolkit incorporating film, imagery, case studies and testimonials to tell the story of the delivery of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Utilising the best examples of creativity, innovation, sustainability and highlighting the achievements of the UK companies involved, this creative showcase will help to position the UK as a world leader in supplying and delivering global sporting events. The toolkit would be available to UKTI’s commercial teams around the world as part of their wider promotion of the UK.

5. Marketing restrictions

Recommendation

Government should take urgent action to ensure that marketing restrictions applying to London 2012 suppliers are relaxed as soon as possible after the conclusion of the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Response

The building of the Olympic Park and other Games venues for London 2012 has been a great success story for the UK. We understand and support the reasons why restrictions have been in place to protect the marketing exclusivity of London 2012 sponsors.

Government, however, is committed to working with relevant partners, most notably the BOA and through them the IOC, to find a way to ensure that contractors and sub-contractors can seek a form of recognition of their superb contribution to the Games to support them in competing for new contract opportunities. DCMS is in discussion with the BOA and hopes to have a workable solution in place through which supplier companies can make reference to the work they have undertaken by the end of 2012. The discussions will run into the autumn given the immediate focus of both the

Government and the BOA/BPA on delivering a successful Olympic and Paralympic Games.

6. Competefor

Recommendation

The CompeteFor network should be retained for all public sector projects, given fresh promotion and its database expanded.

Response

The Government has engaged with the ODA to review possibilities of leveraging the CompeteFor product, following its successful use supporting procurement for the London 2012 supply chain. The Government Chief Procurement Officer’s view is that CompeteFor is a very useful product for any Department engaged in significant amounts of procurement where transparency in the supply chain is beneficial. The Government’s own recently-sourced solutions for Contracts Finder and the Government E-Market Place, which are being used across all central Departments, offer much of the functionality that CompeteFor provides.

Nevertheless, CompeteFor will be promoted where appropriate. Work is currently underway within the GLA Group’s Responsible Procurement team (based in TfL) to create a sustainable business model for CompeteFor that will enable it to continue after the Games. In addition, future host nations are looking at the CompeteFor model as a vehicle for their own procurement opportunities.

7. ODA Learning Legacy

Recommendation

The ODA’s Learning Legacy website should be continued after the Games and broadened to include other successful projects.

Response

Responsibility for the Learning Legacy will transfer to the Major Projects Authority (MPA) in the Cabinet Office from 1 January 2013. The Cabinet Office will take over ownership of the Learning Legacy website and supplementary materials, as part of the MPA’s work to refresh the operating environment for public sector project delivery. Government will continue to support industry’s work to raise awareness of the Learning Legacy through dissemination events and workshops throughout 2012.

8. Promoting learning of UK major project success

Recommendation

The Department for Education and examination bodies should encourage learning about successful British delivery of major projects like London 2012 in business, built environment, geography, and related courses.

Response

The Government believes that schools and colleges are best placed to decide what curriculum best suits their pupils’ needs. Within that broad context it welcomes the report’s recommendation and recognises the role that examination bodies, schools and colleges can play in promoting education in this area. It is important that children and young people know about the wide range of career options available to them in these dynamic sectors.

Following the passage of the Education Act 2011, schools will be subject to a new duty to secure independent and impartial careers guidance for their pupils, which covers the full range of options, including apprenticeships. The duty will come into effect in September and will apply to pupils in years 9-11. We are also consulting on an extension of the duty to apply to pupils in year 8 and students up to the age of 18 who are studying in schools and colleges.