Thursday August 27th 2026
Amy Peters from SDP Scotland and Councillor Michael McCormick at the Meet the Buyer Inverclyde event in the Beacon Arts Centre, Greenock.
Written by Glasgow View Reporter, Liam Eunson
More than 200 businesses attended a successful networking event to find out more about securing contracts with Inverclyde Council.
Meet the Buyer Inverclyde was held at the Beacon Arts Centre in Greenock on Tuesday 25 August 2026 with hundreds of businesses and social enterprises in attendance.
Of the organisations that attended, 13 per cent of them said they are based in Inverclyde.
The event was held to encourage small to medium enterprises (SMEs) to create new contacts with Inverclyde Council and other organisations, while finding out more about securing valuable contracts.
In the 2024/25 financial year, Inverclyde Council’s total procurement spend was more than £105 million, of which £54m was spent with small to medium enterprises (SMEs), £21m with Inverclyde-based suppliers and service providers, and nearly £18m with third-sector organisations.
Last financial year, local businesses worked with Inverclyde Council to supply services such as transport, catering, social care, environmental, vocational training, demolition, architectural and professional services, trade supplies and many more.
Convener of environment and regeneration, Councillor Michael McCormick, said: “It was great to see so many people at this event, it can only be good news for Inverclyde Council and for local businesses.
“It is all about creating opportunities, building relationships and helping local businesses access future contracts.
“We talk about community wealth building – what that means is money spent on contracts with local businesses stays here in Inverclyde.
“I am hopeful that important connections and conversations were made which will continue and bring benefits for the council and businesses.”
Exhibitors at the Meet the Buyer event included Inverclyde Council, the Supplier Development Programme, Balfour Beatty, Business Gateway Inverclyde, Caledonian Maritime Assets Ltd (CMAL), Flexibility Works, Living Wage Scotland, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, River Clyde Homes, Scotland Excel and Strathclyde Partnership for Transport (SPT) and West College Scotland.
The event was organised by Inverclyde Council and supported by the Supplier Development Programme (SDP) Scotland, a business support organisation which is publicly funded and led by local authorities and partnered by Scottish Government.
SDP Customer Development Officer, Amy Peters said: “We’re delighted with the fantastic turnout at Meet the Buyer Inverclyde, delivered in partnership with Inverclyde Council to bring buyers and suppliers together under one roof.
“Helping Scottish SMEs find, win and keep contracts is what SDP is all about, and events like this play an important role in building these relationships.
“Inverclyde is home to some incredibly resilient and innovative businesses, and it was great to see so many of them showcasing their experience, ambition and expertise on the day. We look forward to continuing to support businesses across Inverclyde to build confidence and compete for local contract opportunities.”
The latest contracts available with Inverclyde Council and other local authorities and public sector organisations can be found on the Public Contracts Scotland website at www.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk
To find out more about the help and support available to businesses in Inverclyde and to discuss business opportunities, visit inverclyde.gov.uk/business-and-trade/business-development or bgateway.com/Inverclyde.
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