London 2012 – a global showcase for UK plc
A report by Sir John Armitt
July 2012

Our aim is to improve the quality of life for all      through cultural and sporting activities, support the pursuit of excellence, and champion the tourism, creative and leisure industries.

1. Biographical information
Sir John Armitt, CBE, FREng, became Chairman of the Olympic Delivery Authority on 1 September 2007. He had previously been Chief Executive of Network Rail.
During his career in construction, Sir John has been both a contractor and a client. He worked for John Laing plc for 27 years, where he became Chairman of its International and Civil Engineering divisions. In 1993, he joined Union Rail as Chief Executive, responsible for the Channel Tunnel Rail Link. Four years in charge of the construction and civil engineering group Costain was followed by his appointment as Chief Executive of Railtrack and its successor Network Rail.
A Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering and the Institution of Civil Engineers, Sir John was Chairman of the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council until the end of March 2012.

2. Foreword – Jeremy Hunt 
The Olympic Park is the story of UK plc written on an epic scale. 
It’s the story of expertise, imagination and ambition – of groundbreaking engineering, radical new approaches to sustainability, impeccable health and safety, and the highest standards of craftsmanship and professionalism. 
Six years ago, the Olympic site was neglected and tired, a place of discarded shopping trolleys, dirty canals, polluted soil and broken buildings. 
Today, it’s a fitting stage for the world’s biggest sporting event, all of it built on time and within budget, and now helping to drive one of the most ambitious regeneration projects in Europe.
Two major factors lay behind the success. The first is outstanding leadership – and I’d particularly thank Sir John Armitt for steering the project forward in conjunction with Government and the Mayor of London. 
The second is the extraordinary commitment of the companies and people working on the Park. In all, 1,600 firms – 98% registered in the UK – have helped create a magnificent stage for London’s Games.
The recommendations in this report, along with the major trade campaigns led by UKTI, will now help us to ensure London 2012 delivers for businesses across the UK.
They show how we can improve our knowledge and skills, enhance our global reputation, and boost our competitiveness in overseas markets off the back of the Games.
In this historic year for Britain, we have a golden opportunity to tell our story to the world. We need to grasp it with both hands. 
This excellent report will help us to do so.

3. Introduction 
London 2012 is the perfect shop window: not just for our sporting talent, going for gold this summer, but for another proud Team GB – our businesses.  
With billions watching on TV, the world’s media in our capital city, and political and business leaders joining the spectators in London, this is a unique opportunity to promote the best of British. 
The Olympic Park stands as a superb advertisement for UK plc. It is already enhancing the reputation of our country, and reminding everyone that we can deliver big projects - even set against a backdrop of economic downturn. The contribution of British businesses to this success has been huge. 
No-one else has this unique selling point. But it needs to be pressed home soon before the gold dust loses its shine. 
The next 12 to 18 months represent a crucial window of opportunity for UK businesses to capitalise on their involvement in the project, particularly in terms of securing work on other major sports events – a fast-growing sector that is creating many new opportunities. 
British companies now have precious experience that they can use to win business at home and abroad. They are already doing so in Sochi, host city of the next Winter Olympic Games, and Brazil, where the next football World Cup and summer Olympic Games will be staged. Further ahead, there are fresh opportunities in Korea and Qatar.
The Government asked me to produce this report to identify the benefits of hosting the Olympic and Paralympic Games to British companies and to help them maximise these in the years ahead. 
From the earliest days of the London 2012 construction project, we wanted to hear what companies had to say. Our procurement process had engagement with business built in from the outset, with participative ‘Industry Days’ producing a double dividend. Business leaders had a clearer understanding of the work they were bidding for, and the Olympic Delivery Authority gained insights that helped improve the project, and save money. Once work had begun, our use of NEC engineering and construction contracts promoted a collaborative approach. 
So it was right that when the time came to learn lessons, we wanted to hear from the businesses who had been our partners. 
We sent out a questionnaire to our Tier 1 contractors – the companies we have dealt directly with – as well as a range of firms from further down the supply chain. These companies were asked 20 questions about the impact of working on London 2012 on their companies and staff, the impact already on their finances, reputation and business networks, and future prospects.
A total of 276 replied, from Kent to County Antrim, from Fife to West Glamorgan. The largest number (89) were large companies with over 500 staff, but there were strong responses from medium-sized, small and “micro” businesses, with fewer than ten staff. Both ODA and LOCOG contractors were well represented.
These companies reported that more than 46,600 employees had been, or were, working on London 2012 contracts – and that just over 30,000 of these were new jobs. Whilst these numbers cannot obviously be extrapolated to reflect the full supply chain, it is still a reflection of the scale of additional employment.
We then staged a workshop event in London to get a deeper insight into the views of business. More than 40 attended, from construction giants to architects with a global reputation, transport operators to small businesses eager to build on what they have achieved through London 2012.
I wanted to know what they had to say – the good and the bad. I wanted to learn from their experience. You will see the comments from businesses throughout this report – both in the survey findings and in comments posted at our workshop. I am grateful for their insight which has helped shape the recommendations that I am making. 
We asked about the benefits to companies from working on London 2012 – in improved and newly-learned skills and training, new and innovative ways of working, increased capacity to take on larger projects, and how their finances and reputation had grown. But we wanted to hear too about the barriers they faced. 
We wanted to hear how – and if – working on London 2012 had strengthened the hand of UK companies, through new business, expanded supply chains, and fresh ventures. We wanted to hear their view of the innovative online CompeteFor programme, created to help businesses compete for London 2012 contracts. 
Lastly, and crucially, we wanted to hear the views of businesses about their future prospects – and what the Government and its agencies could do to help them. 
The next five years will provide a much clearer picture of the tangible benefits gained by UK industry as a result of hosting London 2012. This is being examined in a ten-year research project for the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, first findings from which will be published in 2013. In that context, this report must be regarded as a snapshot of current thinking and experience, but based on the real experiences of contractors who worked on the project.

4. Background 
Pull out facts: 
•	£6.9bn of Olympic Delivery Authority contracts 
•	Europe’s largest construction project 
•	75p in every pound for long-term legacy
Our achievement
The Olympic Delivery Authority came into existence nine months after London won the right to host the 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games. 
In 2006 we set out a challenging timetable for the delivery of the venues, facilities and infrastructure for London 2012. Our work began with clearing and preparing a contaminated, industrial, landscape. The ‘big build’ that followed was completed in less than three years.
Over 1,600 companies, 98 per cent of them registered in the United Kingdom, were our Tier 1 contractors, with contracts directly with the ODA, with thousands more down the supply chain.
There were six priority themes underlying the construction of the venues and infrastructure: Design and accessibility, Employment and skills, Equality and inclusion, Health, Safety and security, Sustainability and legacy. 
The last major venue, the Aquatics Centre, was completed in July 2011 and this January the Olympic Park and Olympic Village were handed over to the London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (LOCOG). 
Now LOCOG is completing a fully-functioning Olympic and Paralympic Park, again with the help of UK businesses, with a further £1.1bn of contracts in addition to those let by the Olympic Delivery Authority. 

What was delivered – infrastructure and legacy
A neglected and run-down part of our capital city has been transformed, with London 2012 providing the spur for a huge regeneration project that otherwise would have taken decades. 
Gone are the towering electricity pylons that dominated a landscape of polluted land and waterways, much of it a dumping ground for industrial and domestic waste. Instead London is getting a new Olympic Park that will be enjoyed for generations to come, with impressive transport links and new infrastructure.  
Ten railway lines have brought all of London’s major business and shopping districts, train stations and airports within easy reach, with 30 new bridges connecting communities and improving access.
The Olympic and Paralympic Village that will house 23,000 athletes and officials will become East Village after the Games, with 2,818 new homes for Londoners, an 1,800-pupil academy and a health centre. 
The International Broadcast Centre and Main Press Centre will be home to 21,000 journalists and technicians, providing more than 80,000 sq m of prime business space after London 2012.
Under-pinning this achievement was a determination to plan with legacy in mind – thinking through long-term use, ensuring the project was sustainable, and taking the time at the start to do this, not rushing into the building phase without a clear vision.

What was delivered - venues
We have built sports facilities that London and Britain badly needed – and which will last and be used for decades after the Olympic and Paralympic flames have been extinguished.  
There are six new permanent sports venues on the Olympic Park: the Olympic Stadium, the Aquatics Centre, the Velodrome, the adjoining BMX track, the Copper Box Handball and Goalball arena, and the Eton Manor Paralympic Tennis venue, as well as Lee Valley White Water Centre in Hertfordshire. 
Three temporary venues have been built for London 2012, but with the intention that elements from them will be re-used elsewhere.  
Outside London, two existing sports venues have been upgraded: the National Sailing Academy at Weymouth and Portland, and Eton Dorney, which will host Rowing and Canoeing competition.
The Olympic Delivery Authority has also invested £15m to upgrade existing sports facilities in London and Essex, or construct new ones. These will be used as training venues for competitors this summer, but most will then become valuable new community facilities in the long-term.

A value-for-money project 
The Olympic Delivery Authority made savings of over £1bn from its original budget of £8.1bn for the venues, infrastructure and transport for the Games, within the overall £9.3bn public funding package. 
It was able to do this thanks to intelligent and collaborative planning, strict cost controls, efficient procurement and a high level of transparency and accountability, working with contractors through the ODA’s Delivery Partner CLM. This has been achieved at a time of harsh economic conditions that resulted in the Olympic Village and the International Broadcast Centre/Main Press Centre being developed by the public sector, rather than by the private sector as originally intended.
These savings helped ensure that other cost pressures could be met without breaching the overall public sector funding package. 

A UK success story
British businesses built the Olympic Park. All but two per cent (37) of the 1,604 top-level contracts directly awarded by the ODA have gone to companies registered in the United Kingdom. Half of these contracts went to firms based outside London.
More than 46,000 people have worked on the Olympic Park and Olympic Village, of whom 10 per cent were previously unemployed. Fifteen per cent came from black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) communities. The five Host Boroughs provided nearly a quarter of the workforce throughout the project. 
Our commitment to training and skills yielded more than 450 apprenticeships and over 3,500 training opportunities. Almost 1,600 people were placed in work through the ODA’s Job Brokerage service and more than 270 women secured employment and training through the London 2012 Women into Construction project.

A fresh approach 
The ODA’s innovative procurement policy, and collaborative contractor/client approach, was designed to ensure projects were completed efficiently and on time and to minimise disputes.
Potential contractors were invited to ‘Industry Days’ to hear about the opportunities on offer and exchange views with procurement managers, informing both suppliers and the client.
Using a ‘Balanced Scorecard’, priority themes like sustainability and health and safety were built into procurement decisions, alongside the traditional criteria of cost, time and quality.
Contrary to conventional wisdom, this has proved to be a money-saver, not a money-waster. For example, the decision to treat heavily contaminated soil on site, rather than send it to landfill, saved £68m, while the re-use of gas pipes in the Olympic Stadium and the lightweight roof of the Velodrome also contributed significant cost savings.  
The use of the NEC3 family of contracts ensured that most problems were solved when they occurred, rather than ending up in the courts at the end of the process.
Companies, big and small, were encouraged to work together in a truly collaborative relationship that benefitted all sides.
More than 150,000 companies registered on the online CompeteFor procurement portal, ensuring that all businesses (particularly small and medium-sized enterprises) were able to access and compete for London 2012 supply chain opportunities. CompeteFor has also been used by other public sector clients, including Transport for London, the Metropolitan Police Service and Crossrail.

Building the reputation of UK industry
The fact that London 2012 has been delivered on time and under budget has enhanced the reputation of UK business internationally. In addition, the degree of innovation in everything from the procurement process through to the delivery of a lasting legacy has shown that UK companies can lead the way.
A key factor in achieving this has been transparency. Setting out – and being judged against - our annual milestones has helped to ensure that each objective is met. It has meant that problems are seen and reported early, and solved in the most effective way possible, through a healthy culture of collaboration.
Any business that played a part in the project will benefit from having London 2012 on its CV, but the value of our enhanced reputation will also benefit those companies that were not involved. 
London 2012 has been a real boost for UK industry at a difficult time.

A higher level of knowledge and capability
London 2012 raised the bar in terms of skills, technology, sustainability, innovation and knowledge.
For example, we set out to make this the ‘greenest’ Games ever, which meant tapping all the latest knowledge to help us construct low carbon buildings, harvest rainwater, generate renewable energy, recycle building materials, minimise waste, clean contaminated soil and waterways and ensure that everything we built integrated with its natural environment.
Two million tonnes of contaminated soil was cleaned and 98 per cent of demolition material was reclaimed for reuse and recycling on site. The Energy Centre has contributed to the ODA significantly exceeding a 50 per cent overall carbon reduction target, alongside photovoltaic cells and a retro-fit scheme in surrounding boroughs.
The Olympic Stadium was built with a third of the steel of Beijing’s ‘Bird’s Nest’. We used sustainably sourced wood, low-carbon concrete that was produced on-site and the Olympic Village comprises the UK’s largest grouping of Code 4 sustainable homes.
Environmental sustainability is just one of many areas in which valuable lessons have been learned. These are now available via the Learning Legacy website which aims to pass on our experience for the benefit of those undertaking future construction projects. This is a valuable resource that is already proving popular not just with British companies and individuals, but with a wider international audience – which is so far accounting for a quarter of hits for the site. This suggests that Learning Legacy could be a valuable tool in increasing awareness of British business and its skills. 
www.london2012.com/learninglegacy

5. Survey and workshop findings

a. Changing the way companies work
Facts 
•	63 per cent of construction companies innovated to help their work on London 2012 
•	68 per cent of large businesses said working on the Games had increased their ability to take on big projects 
Quote 
“Working as a tier 2 contractor on the Olympics, we have gained a huge amount of contractual, technical and horticultural knowledge and experience which we now use and take forward into other contracts on and off the Park.” Aidan Lane, Frosts Landscape Construction Ltd.
Business comments: 
•	20 years experience in 3 / 4 years due to pace of project 
•	Confidence of people has improved due to nature of work / scale of project 
•	Staff who can juggle and prioritise better 
•	Change in culture – standards lifted and now permanent 
•	Widened diversity of workforce and was accepted within culture 
•	Created a more collaborative workforce at all levels  

Main text: 
We asked companies whether they had trained employees specially for London 2012, in what skills, whether they had adopted new innovative practices, if working on the games had helped develop their capability (for instance, the ability to take on larger projects), and whether it had encouraged them to expand or diversify. 
Two-fifths of companies involved took the opportunity to train employees specifically for the project, with health and safety at the top of their priority list. More than half of construction companies and those providing services for this sector said they had carried out special training. London 2012 set the bar high, and companies reported that this has increased awareness. One said it had encouraged them to “up our game” to a level that can now be taken into future projects. 
Bigger companies were more likely to cite greater skills in health and safety and sustainability, smaller companies improved customer care and organisation. 
Promoting design and engineering innovation was a key ODA objective. Almost half the companies questioned said they adopted new practices, processes and technologies to help deliver their work for London 2012, including almost 70 per cent of larger businesses. 
One firm developed a new software programme, allowing it “to provide a much quicker design, technical and commercial overview of future projects”. Another said it had devised a new installation method “that will hopefully secure us work in the venue and events sector, previously not explored”. The ability to carry new skills over into other projects was often cited.
There were similar results when companies were asked if working on London 2012 had helped develop their capability – for instance, to do larger and more complex projects. But, again, it was big companies that reported more positively – 68 per cent of larger ones, against just 36 per cent of the smallest. 
One small business reported that “London 2012 has been a steep learning curve which will hopefully stand us in good stead for future projects of similar size.” Another reported that it had organised itself around its London 2012 work, with focused teams supporting design and construction work. “This method of working has been so successful that we have continued to adopt it in other projects.”
A third of respondents said working on London 2012 had encouraged them to expand or diversify – with similar results across all sizes of businesses.

b. Strengthening the hand of UK business 
Facts 
•	68 per cent of companies said working on London 2012 had enhanced their reputation
•	37 per cent of ODA contractors said they had already got new business thanks to their experience working on the Games 
Quote 
“Following the successful completion of the project, we are now seen as a national company and not just a Northern-based company. This has enhanced our reputation and will give us future opportunities to secure work on this basis. 
The project could not have come at a more critical time in the cycle of the recession.” Jim Ness, Heyrod Construction.
Business comments: 
•	Opportunity to capitalise on legacy and “stretch the moment” – especially as no other city has nailed the legacy  
•	Exclusive club or network supplying the Games: Olympic Business Card 
•	Good reputation of London 2012 “rubs off” on suppliers = win more work 
•	Without being able to promote, it is hard to create wider networks, especially smaller companies 
•	How can we shout about learning and achievements as can’t be made public as unable to promote it 
•	Having “Olympics” on client list has enhanced reputation because of the strong brand/reputation of London 2012 and the scale of the project 

Main text: 
We asked companies if working on London 2012 had enhanced their finances and reputation, if they had already secured new business as a result of working on the Games, whether their supply chain had expanded and, if so, how, whether they had developed joint ventures, and what their experience was of CompeteFor, the online London 2012 contracts portal. 
More than two-thirds of companies completing our survey said that working on London 2012 had enhanced their reputation – with this rising to over 77 per cent for larger companies. 
Almost a third of companies have already secured further work as a result of their experience with London 2012. This figure (31.6 per cent) rose to 37 per cent for larger companies and those whose contracts were solely with the ODA, rather than also with the Organising Committee – almost certainly reflecting their earlier involvement through the construction of venues and infrastructure. 
Indeed, some companies report that London 2012 had enabled them to weather the economic downturn. One said that “the Olympic work has provided a steady and reliable income through a most difficult recession”, while another reported that it had “increased turnover by around 50% during the period we have worked on the Games, this is with a backdrop of a really deep recession.” A third said its “additional turnover has been very welcome in the current financial climate.”  
More than 48 per cent of businesses said their company’s financial situation had been enhanced by working on London 2012.  
But many cited restrictions on publicising their involvement as a negative factor.  One complained: “To get any real commercial benefit, companies need to be allowed to demonstrate that they have, and are indeed working, on the London 2012 Games and this is virtually impossible in any real sense at the moment.” 
Another said that although their reputation had benefitted “this has not been a major enhancement due to the restrictions on promoting our involvement with the construction of the 2012 facilities.”
These marketing restrictions are in place to ensure that businesses working on the Games do not promote themselves in a way that undermines the rights of the official London 2012 and Olympic sponsors, which contribute very significantly to the staging of the Games through the provision of funding and goods and services. 
However, under the protocol firms can confirm their involvement if approached by media, and include information in pitches and tender documents.
A third of participating businesses had expanded their supply chain, almost all saying that these new relationships would be used in future projects. A quarter had developed joint ventures that would be taken forward. 
To date, only 12 per cent of companies have secured work through CompeteFor, reflecting the high levels of registration, far in excess of the number of contracts.
Views about CompeteFor varied from business to business. Comments ranged from, “We did not feel that the site added anything,” on the one hand, to “We won a Crossrail project with a new supplier as a direct result of CompeteFor,” on the other, and a number of respondents said they had been made aware of opportunities by CompeteFor that would otherwise have passed them by.

c. Taking the benefits forward 
Facts 
•	66 per cent of companies were more optimistic about their prospects as a result of working on London 2012 
•	74 per cent anticipated future work as a result of London 2012 at home and abroad – with only 18 per cent believing there would be none 
Quote 
“We have already attended a seminar with the lead contenders for the Brazilian build where our experience seems to be extremely valuable. It has helped us to refine our approach to such projects. Our understanding of some technical issues in such projects is further enhanced.”
Peter Ridgway, ACO Technologies 
Business comments: 
•	How to work on large projects – collaborating, leads to further opportunities such as Crossrail  
•	Knowledge of sports industry that gives competitive advantage for future opportunities  
•	Has helped with entry to competition – part of exclusive group who have supplied Olympics  
•	SMEs – do not be put off by scale of projects/contracts  
•	Success breeds confidence and raises aspirations to bid for new business  
•	Big projects – allowed full range of organisational skills/capabilities to be deployed  
Main text: 
We asked companies where they anticipate future business opportunities, as a result of working on London 2012, to come from, what its potential was, whether their ability to bid for and win contracts linked to other major sports events had been increased, and how optimistic they were about their prospects as a result of their involvement with the Games. 
The next decade offers plentiful opportunities to transfer skills and experience gained from London 2012 to similar projects overseas, and we are already seeing our contractors engaged in projects in Russia, Brazil and Qatar. The Gulf state’s success in winning the 2022 FIFA World Cup has led to contracts for Mace, Atkins and Carillion.
One company, for instance, said it had secured contracts in Qatar, “filling up our order book post September 2012”.
Almost three-quarters of companies (74.3pc) anticipated future business opportunities as a result of their involvement in London 2012, half of these believing they would secure international contracts. As our survey indicated that so far 31.6pc of businesses had seen additional business as a result of their involvement with London 2012, this showed real optimism about the future. Even among companies employing fewer than ten staff almost two-thirds believed they would gain work. Less than one in five believed there would be no additional work.
Almost two-thirds said they felt more optimistic about future prospects, with 11 per cent “much more” optimistic. 
While the majority have not yet seen their increased potential bear fruit, comments such as “We anticipate a significant amount of future major event work” were reflective of the confidence gleaned from their involvement in London 2012. 
The restrictions on companies publicising their involvement in London 2012 was again a commonly-cited reason for not having capitalised to date, and there was a widely expressed hope that, as one respondent put it, “our client and potential client base will be made aware of our involvement once the main event is over”.
More than 40 per cent said they were now in a stronger position to bid for and potentially win work on other major sports events, including almost 60 per cent of large companies and LOCOG contractors. “London 2012 provides us with exceptional credentials,” was a typical response.

6. Ingredients for future success 

a. How Government is helping UK businesses to grow
In February 2011 the Government published its White Paper on Trade and Investment for Growth. Three months later UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) published Britain Open for Business, which set out its plans to provide practical support to exporters and inward investors over the next five years. 
Those plans included:
1. Targeting services at innovative and high growth SMEs to encourage more companies to export, and help existing exporters reach more high growth and emerging markets.
2. Winning high value opportunities in overseas markets for UK businesses of all sizes.
3. Delivering high quality inward investment, with a drive to market large British infrastructure and regeneration projects to foreign investors.
4. Building strategic relationships at the highest levels with the most significant inward investors, including overseas institutions such as Sovereign Wealth Funds, and with the UK’s top exporters and major overseas buyers.
Since then UKTI has produced a range of initiatives aimed at helping UK businesses to gain access to opportunities abroad. 
These range from publications like the Springboard for Success directory of suppliers for major sporting events and two reports highlighting opportunities around the 2014 World Cup and Rio 2016 Games in Brazil, to the British Business Club, launched in September 2011, of which I am President. 
Free to join, the British Business Club aims to ensure that companies are aware of overseas opportunities and are given the best possible support by Government to bid for, and win, contracts.
A conference, Delivery of the Olympic Park, in November 2011, offered UK companies the chance to meet international buyers, including delegates from Brazil and Qatar. In February 2012 UKTI led a trade mission to Rio de Janeiro.
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has put commercial diplomacy at the heart of the Government’s foreign policy and the diplomatic network is now charged with marketing the achievements of London 2012 around the world.
Further support for businesses is provided by the Department for Business Innovation and Skills (BIS), Businesslink and the Export Credits Guarantee Department, which gives UK businesses a protective layer of financial security when operating overseas.
In the last year, the Government has helped UK businesses secure more than £800m of high-value overseas contracts and supported more than 20,000 SMEs in breaking into new high-growth markets.
https://britishbusinessclub.innovateuk.org/
b. What help do businesses want?
Business comments: 
•	UKTI – greater awareness of their work needed – and how do they ensure they are getting the right businesses to develop 
•	No marketing rights – more liberal approach, self regulation, business focus on approvals
•	Develop CompeteFor – make it global, make it benchmark, remove PQQ (Pre-Qualification Questionnaire) once qualified, develop networking area  
•	Assist UK businesses to compete on an internationally level playing field (especially legal, governance, tax) eg guidance and interpretation  
•	More confidence in UK business – our construction companies are the most collaborative in the world 
•	As a Government procurement exercise, use London 2012 as a model for future public sector programmes  
Main text:
We asked companies about ways in which the Government and its agencies had helped them to capitalise on the benefits of working on London 2012, citing the specific initiatives already identified, and what more could be done to aid further business opportunities for UK firms. 
The Springboard to Success directory of suppliers, the second online edition of which I launched in May, was the top-ranked initiative. However, even this was only mentioned in 15 responses, just 5 per cent of the total. Two-thirds of companies did not cite any of the options, including almost 80 per cent of the smallest companies. 
When asked for their ideas for the future, many companies were keen on the idea of Government acting to sell UK plc, its expertise, and, collectively, the companies involved in building the venues and infrastructure for London 2012.  
“Promote the companies that were involved and successful,” was one response.
“After the Games, pull together all the companies who worked on the events and introduce them to Glasgow and Rio,” was another, and a third company wrote: “Gather the professionals involved in delivering the project and sell their skills to others in and outside the UK.”
Removing the marketing restrictions on UK companies that have worked on London 2012 was mentioned most frequently. 
One said: “Once the Games are complete and the headline sponsors have had their moment in the sunshine, businesses involved in the 2012 Games should be able to promote that explicitly in trade magazines and marketing collateral.”
Echoing the Olympic Delivery Authority’s interaction with potential contractors early in the procurement process, one supplier called for “More Meet the Buyers type events for one-on-one opportunities to meet the main contractors involved in delivering major projects in the UK”. 
Other ideas mooted included simplifying the tendering process for public sector contracts, and continuing and expanding the CompeteFor portal, even without its Olympic focus. 
http://www.springboardtosuccess.co.uk

7. Recommendations 
This report has painted a picture of British companies anxious that their achievements in helping build the venues and infrastructure for the London Games should be recognised more widely. 
This is not just prompted by a desire for publicity for any individual company. 
There is a clear pride in what has been achieved – not just on time and on budget, but against a tight and immovable deadline, in a spirit of co-operation, with an impressive safety record, with inclusivity and diversity promoted, skills enhanced, new working practices introduced, and sustainability valued. 
There is optimism about the future and pride in being part of the exclusive club of suppliers and contractors for an Olympic and Paralympic Games, especially in one’s own country. 
There is a real sense that this is an achievement we can all share in, a success for UK plc – not just these businesses and their employees, but the whole country.
But there are issues to be addressed. The restrictions on companies marketing their own involvement in the London 2012 project are a barrier to future success and prosperity, not just for the companies themselves. There is limited awareness of the agencies and initiatives in place already to maximise the benefits. Smaller contractors have not enjoyed the same degree of success as larger businesses, and do not have the same optimism and confidence about the future. 
However this is not just a matter for Government and the public sector. Private sector commitment, enterprise and innovation was central to creating the Olympic infrastructure. These companies now have a unique window of opportunity, dramatically increased by the worldwide publicity for the Games, to make the most of a chance that may never come again in most of our lifetimes. They must rise to the challenge again and make the most of this moment. The stardust will fade, memories will dim, other countries and our commercial rivals will become a new focus of attention. It is therefore vital that next steps become quick steps, to support business in this mission. These therefore are my recommendations: 

1.	Government should adopt the principles of the procurement and programme management approach used by the ODA for all 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.
2.	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 of London 2012 contractors of all sizes, to target major overseas opportunities and work to ensure British companies can compete for, and win, contracts. 
3.	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. 
4.	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. 
5.	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. 
6.	The CompeteFor network should be retained for all public sector projects, given fresh promotion and its database expanded. 
7.	The ODA’s Learning Legacy website should be continued after the Games and broadened to include other successful projects. 
8.	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. 

Appendix 1: Business Questionnaire

Did your company train (or is it planning to train) employees specifically for London 2012?	
All respondents	
		
Yes	108
39.1%	
No	163
59.1%	
Don’t know	5
1.8%	
Total	276	

What skills? 
(Notes: Only answered by the 108 respondents who had trained employees for London 2012.
This is a multiple response question, with some respondents identifying more than one skill)	

All respondents	
		
Accessibility awareness	32
9.8%	
Construction	43
13.1%	
Customer care/service	58
17.7%	
Diversity awareness	42
12.8%	
Health and safety	68
20.8%	
Office/administration	36
11.0%	
Sustainability	45
13.8%	
No answer	3
0.9%	
Total	327	

Has your company developed or adopted new innovative practices, processes, technologies etc to help deliver the work for London 2012?	
All respondents	
		
Yes	134
48.6%	
No	133
48.2%	
Don’t know	9
3.3%	
Total	276	

Has working on London 2012 helped develop the overall capability of your business (eg the ability to deliver large, more complex or challenging projects)?	
All respondents	
		
Yes	140
50.7%	
No	127
46.0%	
Don’t know	9
3.3%	
Total	276	

Has working on London 2012 encouraged your company to expand and/or diversify?	
All respondents	
		
Yes	92
33.3%	
No	172
62.3%	
Don’t know	12
4.3%	
Total	276	

Has working on London 2012 enhanced your company’s finances?	
All respondents	
		
Yes	134
48.6%	
No	109
39.5%	
Don’t know	33
12.0%	
Total	276	

Has working on London 2012 enhanced the reputation of your company in your business sector?	
All respondents	
		
Yes	187
67.8%	
No	48
17.4%	
Don’t know	41
14.9%	
Total	276	

Has your company already secured further business in the UK or overseas from your experience of London 2012?	
All respondents	
		
UK	51
18.5%	
Overseas	9
3.3%	
UK and overseas	27
9.8%	
No additional work	160
58.0%	
Don’t know	29
10.5%	
Total	276	

As a result of London 2012, where do you anticipate future business opportunities for your company coming from?	
All respondents	
		
UK	101
36.6%	
Overseas	11
4.0%	
UK and overseas	93
33.7%	
No additional work	49
17.8%	
Don’t know	22
8.0%	
Total	276	

Has your company’s involvement in the London 2012 Games increased its ability to bid for and potentially win contracts for other major sporting events?	
All respondents	
		
Yes	118
42.8%	
No	109
39.5%	
Don’t know	49
17.8%	
Total	276	

What is the approximate potential value of further business (over the next five years) that you predict to secure as a result of your involvement in London 2012?	
All respondents	
		
< £500,000	68
24.6%	
£500,000 - £1m	15
5.4%	
> £1m	51
18.5%	
Don’t know	142
51.4%	
Total	276	

Has your supply chain developed or expanded as a result of your involvement on London 2012?	
All respondents	
		
Yes	83
30.1%	
No	180
65.2%	
Don’t know	13
4.7%	
Total	276	

How many new suppliers?
(Note: Only answered by the 83 respondents who had expanded the company’s supply chain)	
All respondents	
		
1-5	56
67.5%	
6-10	11
13.3%	
More than 10	15
18.1%	
No answer	1
1.2%	
Total	83	

Will these new supply chain contacts be used on future projects?
(Note: Only answered by the 83 respondents who had expanded the company’s supply chain)	
All respondents	
		
Yes	74
89.2%	
No	0
0.0%	
Don’t know	8
9.6%	
No answer	1
1.2%	
Total	83	

Have you developed joint ventures or partnerships on the London 2012 programme that you will take forward to future projects?	
All respondents	
		
Yes	66
23.9%	
No	192
69.6%	
Don’t know	18
6.5%	
Total	276	

Has CompeteFor led to opportunities for your company to win further business?	
All respondents	
		
Yes	33
12.0%	
No	209
75.7%	
Don’t know	34
12.3%	
Total	276	

Have you used CompeteFor as a buyer?	
All respondents	
		
Yes	32
11.6%	
No	227
82.2%	
Don’t know	17
6.2%	
Total	276	

How optimistic are you about your future business prospects as a result of your involvement in the London 2012 Games?	
All respondents	
		
Much more	31
11.2%	
More	151
54.7%	
Less	12
4.3%	
Much less	8
2.9%	
Don’t know	74
26.8%	
Total	276	

Having worked on London 2012, in what ways have Government or Government agencies helped you to capitalise on the benefits of working on the London 2012 Games?
(Note: This is a multiple response question, with respondents identifying more than one way)	

All respondents	
		
British Business Club	9
3.0%	
Delivery of the Olympic Park Conference (28-29 November 2011)	12
4.0%	
‘Game On’ Report on opportunities in Brazil (launched in June 2011)	9
3.0%	
Outward Mission to Rio (6-10 February 2012)	6
2.0%	
Springboard to Success Suppliers Directory	15
5.0%	
Don’t know	183
60.8%	
Other	67
22.3%	
Total	301	

Appendix 2: Survey respondents
Company	Location	
1st Milestone Ltd	London	
AbilityNet	Berkshire	
Access=Design	London	
ACO Technologies	Hertfordshire	
Actiform Group	West Yorkshire	
Acting Up	London	
Active Risk (formerly Strategic Thought Group)	Berkshire	
Adler and Allan Ltd	NorthYorkshire	
Adtapt Limited	Lancashire	
Aggregate Industries	Staffordshire	
Aggreko UK Ltd	London	
alkoomi Ltd	Hampshire	
Alpha Lettering Systems	West Yorkshire	
Anderson Travel Ltd	London	
APO Materials Management Limited	County Durham	
Aramark	Hampshire	
Arco Limited	North Humberside	
Arena Group	Cambridgeshire	
Arnold Laver & Co Ltd	South Yorkshire	
Arup	London	
Ashley Wilde Group	Hertfordshire	
Aspex UK limited	Leicestershire	
Atkins	London	
AWE	Berkshire	
Backhouse Jones Ltd	Lancashire	
Bakers Coaches	Staffordshire	
Balfour Beatty	London	
Balfour Beatty	Surrey	
BAM Nuttall	Hampshire	
Barhale Construction	West Midlands	
Barr Construction	Lanarkshire	
BASF plc, Construction Chemicals	Derbyshire	
BaxterStorey Ltd	Berkshire	
Belmont Press Limited	Northamptonshire	
Belmont Press Limited	Northamptonshire	
Bidwells LLP	Cambridgeshire	
Bikeworks	London	
BiP Solutions Ltd	Lanarkshire	
Blakley Electrics Limited	Kent	
Blom Aerofilms Limited	Somerset	
Bon Appetit Group	London	
Boomkwekerij Gebr. van den Berk BV	Overseas	
BP	London	
BravoSolution	London	
Bridon International Limited	South Yorkshire	
British Safety Council	London	
Broad Bridge Training	Hertfordshire	
BSRIA Ltd	Berkshire	
Bullfinch (Gas Equipment) Limited	West Midlands	
Bunnyfoot Ltd	Oxfordshire	
Call Print	London	
Carestream Dental	Hertfordshire	
Carey Group PLC	Middlesex	
Carillion Construction Ltd	West Midlands	
Carlton Publishing Group	Buckinghamshire	
Caswick Ltd	South Yorkshire	
Centaur Coaches (Centaur Overland Travel Ltd)	Kent	
Chargecrest Limited	Essex	
CLC Facilities Limited	Essex	
Clear Presentations	Lancashire	
Clinton Minicoaches	Essex	
Clipfine Limited	London	
CNet Training	Suffolk	
Colt International Limited	Hampshire	
Column Communications Ltd	London	
Connectel Ltd	London	
Consultancy for the Built Environment	London	
Creative Lynx	Lancashire	
CRedit360 Ltd	Cambridgeshire	
CRH Fencing and Security Group UK	Hertfordshire	
Crosby Electrical Services Ltd	Hertfordshire	
Custom House Hotel	London	
Cyclevox	Hampshire	
Darwins Deli	London	
Day Aggregates	Middlesex	
Delta Civil Engineering Co Ltd	Somerset	
Delta Sound Inc (UK) Ltd	Surrey	
Delta-Simons Env Consultants Ltd	Lincolnshire	
dew piling ltd	Lancashire	
DG3 Europe Limited	London	
Digital Media Services UK	Hertfordshire	
Drytech Facades Ltd	Kent	
Earthware Ltd	Hertfordshire	
Electrical Mechanical Services (UK) PLC	London	
Eley Ltd	West Midlands	
Elite Fire Protection Ltd	London	
Eminence Grise Consulting Ltd	Cambridgeshire	
Entrepreneurs in Action	Surrey	
Environmental Resources Management	London	
ERG Air Pollution Control Ltd	Surrey	
ES Global Ltd	London	
Essential secretary Ltd	Bedfordshire	
EWA Limited	Essex	
Excitech Ltd	Hertfordshire	
Experian plc	London	
Expo Management Ltd	Warwickshire	
Express reinforcements Ltd	West Glamorgan	
F M Conway LTD	Kent	
Fiel Systems Designs Ltd	Surrey	
Filing Plus Group	London	
Finnforest Merk GmbH (new: Metsä Wood Merk GmbH)	Overseas	
Firehouse	London	
First Class Partnerships	NorthYorkshire	
Fletcher Priest Architects	London	
Freshfields	London	
Frosts Landscape Construction Ltd	Buckinghamshire	
Fulcrum	South Yorkshire	
G4S plc	Surrey	
Gainsborough Community Primary School	London	
Galliford Try	Middlesex	
Gane International Ltd	West Yorkshire	
Gartner UK Limited	Middlesex	
GE	London	
Glasdon UK Limited	Lancashire	
GLH	London	
Green Issues Communiqué	London	
GSK	Middlesex	
GTECH Surveys Ltd	Warwickshire	
Gymnova	Lancashire	
H&J Martin Ltd	County Antrim	
H+K Strategies	London	
Hall & Kay Fire Engineering	Berkshire	
Hann Tucker Associates	Hampshire	
Harrod UK Ltd	Suffolk	
Hartwell House Hotel	Buckinghamshire	
Hatton Associates	Warwickshire	
Haymarket Media Group	London	
HCT Group	London	
Health Management Ltd	East Sussex	
Hewdon Consulting Ltd	London	
Heyrod Construction	Lancashire	
Highlander (Scotland) Ltd	London	
Hilson Moran	London	
Hoare Lea	Somerset	
Hopkins Architects	London	
Hornby Plc	Kent	
HSL	Derbyshire	
HTG Trading Ltd	Suffolk	
Hydrock	Northamptonshire	
Icon	Kent	
IHG	Middlesex	
Imaginations	Merseyside	
Imtech Meica Ltd	Middlesex	
Innovative Sports Limited	London	
In-Press Photography Ltd	Hertfordshire	
Intelligent Risks (IR) Limited	London	
ISG	Lancashire	
J P Lennard Ltd	Warwickshire	
Jackson Civil Engineering	Suffolk	
Jackson Civil Engineering	Suffolk	
James Fisher Nuclear	Cumbria	
Jan Constantine Limited	Cheshire	
Jane Packer Ltd	London	
John Doyle Construction	Hertfordshire	
John Sisk & Son Ltd	Hertfordshire	
Jones LangLasalle	London	
Jungheinrich UK Ltd.	Buckinghamshire	
K International	Buckinghamshire	
K2 Performance Systems	Hertfordshire	
Keltbray	Surrey	
Key Traffic Systems	Warwickshire	
Kilnbridge Construction Services Limited	London	
Knight Build Ltd	Essex	
KTD Facades Ltd	Kent	
L.G.Kimber Engineering Ltd	Buckinghamshire	
Laing O'Rourke	Kent	
Lakesmere	Hampshire	
Lakin McCarthy Entertainmnet Ltd	South Yorkshire	
Leaderflush Shapland	Nottinghamshire	
Lend Lease Developments Ltd	London	
Links of London	London	
Littlewood Fencing	Kent	
Loftus Audio Ltd	London	
Logans Executive Travel	County Antrim	
Loughborough University	Leicestershire	
LSS	Middlesex	
Malcolm Hutchinson Limited	Hampshire	
Management Pocketbooks	Hampshire	
Marshalls of Sutton on Trent Ltd	Nottinghamshire	
Martin Barnes Ltd	Oxfordshire	
Mason Land Surveys Ltd.	Fife	
McNicholas	Hertfordshire	
McStone Systems Ltd	Ireland	
Mentis MC Ltd	Hampshire	
Merrythought Ltd	Shropshire	
Met Office	Devon	
Michael J Lonsdale Ltd	Berkshire	
Mitchell Bridges	Hampshire	
Mitsubishi Electric Europe	London	
Modus Operandi	London	
Molten Corporation	Overseas	
Mondo Spa - Italy	Overseas	
MotivatEd Ltd	Cambridgeshire	
Mott MacDonald	Surrey	
Movement Strategies	London	
Multiple Learning Solutions Ltd.	Suffolk	
Neish Training	Lanarkshire	
Osborne	Buckinghamshire	
Otto Bock Healthcare PLC	Middlesex	
Owen Fabrications Ltd	Middlesex	
PA Sport	London	
Parker Dairies	London	
Patel Taylor	London	
Patrick todd Chartered Surveyors	Berkshire	
PHS Greenleaf	Mid Glamorgan	
Pinnacle PSG	London	
Pochin Concrete Pumping Ltd	West Midlands	
Portakabin Ltd	NorthYorkshire	
Quest Underwater Services Ltd	Dorset	
Qwizdom	County Antrim	
R.C.Cutting & Co. Ltd	London	
RAD Interpreting (Royal Association for Deaf people)	Essex	
Railway Tavern Hotel	London	
Rapidity	London	
Rapiscan Systems Ltd	Surrey	
Redbridge Sports & Leisure	Essex	
REEF Associates Ltd	London	
Regency IT Consulting	Gloucestershire	
Remark!	London	
Rio Tinto	London	
Rolla Ltd	West Yorkshire	
Ruddy Joinery Limited	Buckinghamshire	
Sage Blue	London	
Sainsburys Supermarkets Ltd	London	
Select Plant Hire Co Ltd	Kent	
Self	Essex	
Service Point UK	London	
Shelter Store LLP/ Hudson Garden Rooms Ltd	London	
Shobana Jeyasingh Dance	London	
Shoot Systems Ltd	Hertfordshire	
Sir Robert McAlpine Limited	Buckinghamshire	
SITA UK Ltd	Berkshire	
Site Computers Ltd (T/A Site-Eye)	West Yorkshire	
Skanska  Civil Engineering	Hertfordshire	
SKM Colin Buchanan	London	
Socia Ltd	London	
Sodexo	London	
Sotech Limited	County Durham	
Southgate & Finchley coaches ltd	London	
Spearmark	Cambridgeshire	
Sphere International	London	
Spotless	Middlesex	
Spree Engineering Ltd	Kent	
Springboard Marketing Limited	Kent	
Stagecoach UK Bus	Warwickshire	
STRI	West Yorkshire	
Synopsis Ltd	London	
Team Extreme Ltd	Dorset	
Techrete (UK) Limited	South Humberside	
The Education company Limited	Kent	
The Farm	London	
The Hellenic Centre	London	
The Royal Mint	Mid Glamorgan	
The Symmmetry Group	London	
The Whitehall & Industry Group	London	
The Big Word plc	West Yorkshire	
Thorp Precast	Staffordshire	
Toastmaster	Essex	
Tony Gee and Partners LLP	Surrey	
Total CDM Solutions Ltd	West Glamorgan	
Trade Winds Ltd	Surrey	
Unknown	Unknown	
Veolia Environmental Services	London	
Visa Europe	London	
VolkerWessels UK Ltd	Hertfordshire	
Walk England	Gloucestershire	
Wallace Whittle	London	
Warmafloor GB Ltd	Hampshire	
Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy	Dorset	
Wilson James Limited	Essex	
Wingate Electrical plc	Berkshire	
Wise Security Services Ltd	Kent	
WSP Environmental	London	
WSP Remediation	West Midlands	
WSP UK	London	
Zaun Limited	West Midlands	

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