#256 BedX – Supporting Businesses Looking To Tender For Universal Bedfordshire and Beyond

There has been a lot of buzz around the upcoming Universal Project currently in development in Bedfordshire. It's estimated to generate around £50 billion in economic benefit, along with the creation of 20,000 jobs during its construction, and a further 8,000 jobs once it's operational.

It's undoubtedly brought a lot of eyes towards the smallest county in the UK, and with it a lot of opportunity for local businesses to get involved with not only the main theme park itself, but the surrounding projects that aim to make Bedford and beyond a thriving tourist destination.

For those wondering how to get involved, there is a dedicated group looking to share knowledge and tools to get you tender ready.

In this episode, we are joined by Lorna Leonard, Managing Director of LBS, and Kirsty Maynard, Commercial Director of THSP, who are instrumental in running BedX, a group dedicated to sharing knowledge and tools to help businesses get tender ready for Universal and beyond.

Listen to our roundtable discussion as we dive into why BedX was created, its main drivers, how it can support local businesses and how you can get involved.

You'll learn

· Who are Kirsty and Lorna?

· What is BedX?

· What were the main drivers behind the creation of BedX?

· What are the group's main aims?

· What are Kirsty and Lorna's roles within the group?

· How can businesses get involved with and benefit from BedX?

· What can businesses be doing now to get tender ready for Universal?

Resources

· Bedfordshire Chamber of Commerce - BedX

· BedX Webinars

· Tender Diagnostic

· Kirsty Maynard LinkedIn

· Lorna Leonard LinkedIn

In this episode, we talk about:

[02:25] Episode Summary – Stephanie Churchman and Carly Mowbray are joined by Lorna Leonard (LBSv) and Kirsty Maynard (THSP) to discuss the creation of BedX, and how it aims to support businesses with tender preparation ahead of the Universal and related projects currently underway in Bedfordshire.

[01:25] Who are Kirsty and Lorna?: Kirsty is the commercial director at THSP. THSP work with businesses across health and safety, HR and compliance, helping organizations make sure they've got the right systems, processes and people in place to operate safely, professionally and compliantly. THSP have been in operation since 1992 and support any type of organisation, from construction to food brands, global luxury retailers, major transport organizations, and complex international businesses operating in highly controlled environments.

Lorna is the managing director of LBS. LBS is a business solutions company supporting sophisticated start-ups and growing corporations with outsourced finance department services, direction and solutions. She set-up the business 14 years ago, and has worked with organisations of all sizes, from blue chip companies to micro businesses of only 1 or 2 people.

Regular listeners may recall Lorna from a previous episode, she also shares many insightful posts on LinkedIn and is certainly worth a follow!

[07:05] What is BedX? It's A business-led working group powered by the Bedfordshire Chamber of Commerce. It was created to help Bedfordshire businesses understand, prepare for and win work from the major investments coming into the region, in particular, the universal destinations and experiences, the Luton Airport expansion and other on-going linked projects.

BedX's role is to connect, inform and prepare, but they don't lobby, they don't represent the developers and they don't do politics. They are simply there to help local businesses get ready.

[07:45] What were the main drivers behind the creation of BedX? The Universal park is certainly the banner piece for the group. It's what all the big numbers are attached to, including 5 billion pounds worth of inward economic investment, 20,000 jobs created and the five years' worth of construction.

However, that is just one part of the upcoming development going on in Bedfordshire. The big project is seeing more funding going into the area to support transport networks and other venues as investors seek to make Bedfordshire a place worth staying for more than just the Universal Park.

Other projects include the expansion of the Wixams Train Station, construction at the Luton Hoo, the new Luton Town Football Club and a new Data Centre at Quest Pit.

BedX was created in response to all of these projects, not just Universal. It's to help local businesses navigate these opportunities, as this small county has rarely seen such a seismic shift in the amount of investment going into the area.

Even though the deadline for Universal Park is 5 years away, supply chains are looking for support now, which is why it's better to start preparing sooner rather than later.

[10:20] Making Bedfordshire a play to stay: It's also not just about the venues, to prepare for the influx of tourists there will be more investment in housing and transport and related routes such as the work currently going on at the Black Cat roundabout.

Kirsty states that the Bedford County Council have a scrutiny committee, which is currently labelled as the Universal Scrutiny Committee, and are in discussion about a viable tourist strategy for Bedfordshire. So, there is no doubt that there will be many more small projects going ahead within a very short timeframe to get the area ready.

[12:00] How LBS's expertise is instrumental within BedX: Businesses that want to get involved may not know how to get working capital or access potential available funding, which is where Lorna's and LBS's expertise comes in to support BedX's aims.

With tenders as highly valued as this, it can throw businesses through a loop if they're not prepared. Lorna shares a story where she explains that she used to work for a company that made point of purchase display equipment, this company had a US subsidiary called Anshauser-Busch, who own Budweiser.

That subsidiary put through an order directly through to their factory, requesting a huge order be manufactured and delivered within 180 days. The cost of which was upwards of $2.7 million, which was due to suppliers 150 days prior to Lorna's company at the time being paid.

It was their first time working with that subsidiary, so there was no guarantee on payment. The lessons they learned ended up shaping how the company operated going forward.

All this to say, if you're bidding for high value contracts, you need to think about the opportunity from every perspective.

[14:40] Be realistic about what you bid for: Kirsty states she is really passionate about ensuring businesses are trying to grow responsibly, so that they understand those terms in the bid and that they're realistic about the size of contract that they should be bidding for.

If you're looking for more guidance in this area, Katie from Bids and Tender Support provided a webinar on this topic for BedX. It's available to view on-demand on BedX's website.

[16:25] Lorna's role within BedX: Lorna reminds us that a lot of the Tier 1 contractors started out as 1 or 2 person businesses. She states that, honestly, 90% of the companies that BedX help will not be in direct contact with one of those Tier 1 contractors. However, supply chains are just that, a chain, there are many opportunities to get involved further down the line.

Lorna feels as if that's a large part of her role, keeping businesses focused on the opportunities they can access within that supply chain. She is also keen to help all the local businesses understand how this is going to affect them, because whether they get involved in the various projects being built or not, the whole area is going to be affected regardless.

She points out an example where they needed to source a large number of electricians, and it turns out that Bedfordshire simply doesn't have enough! So BedX is helping to make the wider community aware of training opportunities like this that can open doors for local businesses.

[18:45] Other considerations for businesses operating in Bedfordshire: Lorna points out a few other concerns that people had about the on-going development in the area, including the possibility of local contractors putting prices up due to all the other projects. Timeframes may also be affected by both on-going work and the fact that more businesses will be getting involved in the area's development.

[19:15] What are the group's main aims?: BedX's main aim is to be an opportunity exchange, they sit in the middle as a conduit between the opportunities and the Bedfordshire businesses and help to inform, educate and prepare to be a part of it.

They are there to support preparation local businesses are able to access emerging supply chains as that waterfall flows down into tier 2 and 3 and even into 4 and 5 over the course of the project.

If you're not sure which of those tiers you'd likely sit in, BedX have a helpful household checklist to find out.

[20:20] Getting ISO Ready for Universal: Kirsty mentions that she's seen a lot of recent Pre-Qualification Questionnaires (PQQ's) request that bidding companies are certified to ISO 27001 Information Security.

Many will be familiar with the requests for ISO 9001 (Quality Management), ISO 14001 (Environmental Management) and ISO 45001 (Occupational Health & Safety), but ISO 27001 seems to be a more recent pre-requisite.

This is particularly the case for any Government contracts, with them stating either Cyber Essentials or ISO 27001 must be in place for any bidding businesses.

Carly points out that ISO 27001 in many cases is just the first step, as you can strengthen this with supporting Standards such as ISO 27701 (Privacy Information Management) and ISO 27017 & ISO 27018 (Cloud Security), which can give you an advantage over your competitors.

If you've not got any Standards in place, or are just starting out on your implementation journey, you can get in contact with Blackmores as we'd be happy to guide you towards successful certification.

[25:00] Kirsty's role within BedX: Kirsty's role is focused on coordination, though all BedX organisers are volunteers, they still want to ensure that actions are followed up and completed.

Kirsty has a project planning background and brings those skills to the group. She also plays a key part in tender and procurement readiness, as she has years of experience with PQQ's from her work within the construction industry. She knows what good looks like when bidding for work, and ensures that knowledge is being passed on to those looking to bid for Universal and other Bedfordshire development projects.

A trait that many of the BedX team hold, Kirsty and Lorna especially, is the motivation to help people, and this group allows them to do so at scale.

[27:45] How can businesses get involved with BedX?: You don't need to be a member of the Bedfordshire Chamber of Commerce to get involved. Currently BedX's main focus is on knowledge sharing, so their main output in webinars.

They also have a tender diagnostic tool available, this is an online tool which takes just a few minutes to complete and will give you an idea of where you're already compliant and where there's work to be done.

They have also had 1 in-person event, that being their official launch in April of 2026, which was attended by members from the Bedfordshire business community and representatives from Universal, Sizewell C and Luton Rising. They expect to run more in-person events in future, so keep an eye on their LinkedIn for news on these! Lorna hints at an upcoming event planned for September 2026 😉

You can also sign up to the Bedfordshire Chambers Newsletter for more updates.

An 'Easy Guide To Social Reporting' is due out imminently. Those wanting to bid for Tier 1 contracts, social value is a legal responsibility, so if you're not sure on how to report on that, this is one for you to keep an eye out for.

For information you can access right now, they have:

· Contractor Tier Checklist

· Tender Diagnostic

· Working with Tier 1 contractors webinar (hosted by Henry from Kia)

· How to be tender or procurement ready webinar (Hosted by Kirsty)

· How to write a good bid webinar (Hosted by Katie Beryl from Tender and Bid Writing Services)

[31:10] What can businesses be doing now to get tender ready for Universal? One thing Lorna stresses is being visible. If you don't have a social presence or good SEO, then you may be missed as an option for those looking for specific services within these developing supply chains.

She also shares a story about the supply of the chocolate frogs that are sold at Universal Floria, which were all provided by a 2 person company. This highlights that it is possible for smaller local businesses to win big through these opportunities, but you need to be prepared. This is why Kirsty and Lorna both highly recommend making use of their Tender Diagnostic tool.

Being tender ready may seem like a daunting process, and it can quite difficult, but they are worth putting time into.

Also anything you can do to think about what you may need to change within the next few years. Think about how these developments are going to affect the traffic to the area, you might need to reconsider who your target market is depending on the whims of upcoming tourists. This can affect what services / products you offer and how you advertise going forward. The sooner you think about it, the better prepared you can be.

Lorna also recommends networking with local businesses. Bedfordshire is going to become a thriving hub, and the more connections you can make now, the better. Some of these tenders may require the collaboration of multiple businesses, which would be an all round win for everyone involved.

Networking also allows your name and brand to spread through word of mouth. If you're not in the room, it helps to have people who can vouch for you if your specific services are being sought out.

Lastly, Lorna and Kirsty just say to dream big. Just because you may be a small business does not mean you are automatically locked out of those big tenders, they are worth a try.

An important note, being local to Bedfordshire won't make up for gaps in the eyes of Universal and related projects, however, if you share equal capabilities as other companies outside of the county, then being local will tip you over.

[40:10] Evidence is key: Ultimately being tender ready is in your best interest. Contractors will be looking for evidence that you do what you say you do, so ensure you have Case Studies and the required certifications to back-up your claims.

Social Value is another big factor, which can account for up to 20% of a bid score, so this is another area where you need a clear trail of evidence.

Having a clear library of evidence to back up your claims, that align with how you operate will make you stand apart from the competition. So, start gathering this now if you haven't already.

If you'd like to get involved with BedX, check out their website.

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