THE value of contracts for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games won by businesses in the East of England has topped �1billion.

The value combines the contracts won at every stage of the games project, with contracts ranging from providing concrete for the construction of the Aquatics Centre to providing coaches for transport.

More than 400 contracts have been awarded to businesses in the region via CompeteFor (www.competefor.com), the on-line procurement portal funded by the regional development agencies, including the East of England Development Agency (EEDA) and the devolved authorities.

Will Pope, chair of EEDA, said: “It’s pleasing to see that our investment in CompeteFor has provided businesses in the region with the opportunities to win contracts – even more so when nearly 70% of the awards made via the site have included SMEs.

“This is certainly true in our region where SMEs such as Touch of Ginger in Cambridgeshire and Bruizer in Suffolk have won contracts via the site.”

He added: “Even with just under a year to go, the opportunities continue to grow, with both the Crossrail project and the Metropolitan Police adding contract opportunities to the site. We will be running a number of events with regional partners to continue to promote both the CompeteFor site and other opportunities that the games will provide.”

The events include opportunities for businesses already registered on CompeteFor, to find out how to maximise their use of the site.

Details of these events and how to book can be found at www.risingtothechallengeeast.co.uk/business .