LOCAL businesses found out how to win public sector contracts worth a staggering £550 billion per year at a seminar in Bury on Thursday (March 8).

Gareth Jones, former Head of Procurement at DETR (Department of Environment, Transport and Regions) advised local businesses how to win lucrative contracts within the European and UK public sector.

Mr Jones' purchasing career spans 25 years, involving many years within the National Health Service.

He chairs the Government's Forum for Procurement Coding and is a member of the managing committee of the International Purchasing and Supply Education Research Association.

The seminar was being staged by Bolton and Bury Chamber's Business Link, which in partnership with Manchester European Information Centre, runs the TED (Tenders Electronic Daily) service.

TED offers the latest information on public sector contracts and is supported locally by the Single Regeneration Budget.

Albert Thompson, TED co-ordinator for Business Link, said: "You don't have to be a multi-million pound business to win public sector contracts.

"Many billions of pounds worth of contracts are awarded to companies with fewer than ten staff."