Press release: Construction industry backing ‘Build East Sussex'

Build East Sussex (BES), which is lead by East Sussex County Council and Brighton & Hove City Council, was launched earlier this year and aims to help small and medium sized firms in the construction industry to win contracts with major companies.

The Build East Sussex website showcases the talents of local firms and network buyers have posted over 120 work and tender opportunities so far. However, BES organisers will not be sitting back on their success and will looking into ways of finding even more work opportunities for member firms in the future.

Already the network buyers are contacting new suppliers and awarding work to them through the BES network.

Ray Walker, Managing Director of Walker Construction, said: "We are working on the conversion of the old Woolworths in Rye to a new library for the town. East Sussex County Council is the client and the project value is £550,000. The works are diverse and include a complete strip out and refurbishment, a new lift and external improvements plus full electrical and mechanical works. Through the network events we attended in Uckfield and Brighton we asked several Sussex-based contractors to price elements of the work and we have awarded contracts to three of them."

Flat Roofing Membranes of Selmeston are one of the firms awarded the work and Managing Director Julian Rodgers said that joining the network has proved to be a good move. "We've won the Rye Library job and another contract at Willingdon School for Walker Construction.

“We're also following up a number of other leads we got through BES and we'll have to wait and see if they come to anything but we're hopeful we'll get the work. As a local firm it's good to see that there is a renewed interest in using us and joining BES was free so we had nothing to lose and plenty to gain by becoming members."

The next BES networking event will be on 19 October in Eastbourne. Any firms interested in joining BES can get more details by visiting the Build East Sussex website.

Contact the press team