UKTI Creative Sector Taskforce set to land £500m of business

The Taskforce will be made up of companies including Zaha Hadid Architects, the British Museum, ES Global, Landor Associates, Factorydesign, Populous and V&A, and UKTI expects that it will achieve contract wins totaling £500 million over the next three years.

It is hoped that through the Taskforce international buyers, procurers and prime contractors will be able to access and identify suitable businesses in the sector.

The Creative Sector Taskforce will dovetail with the UKTIs High Value Opportunities programme, which has identified 100 projects globally which UK businesses can benefit from. Each of these is worth over £500m.

Christine Losecaat, creative industries advisor to UK Trade & Investment says, ‘If you are an overseas procurement director sometimes it can be hard to find your way through to the right company.’

‘We’ve created the Taskforce so teams working on the High Value Opportunities programme have access to a bank of consultancies which know how to write tenders, work in consortia and have clear experience in industries including transport, retail, healthcare, global sports projects and major cultural developments.’

Many of the consultancies involved are ‘quite small’ says Losecaat, who believes the Taskforce can ‘build confidence’ among these groups.

There are 98 consultancies on the Taskforce and there is space for more according to Losecaat. For further information contact http://www.greatbusiness.gov.uk/ukti/

Each member of the Taskforce will be partnered with an international trade advisor who will bring them up to speed with key information including procurement processes and give warning on who the prime contractors are in particular regions and when a tender is about to be released.  

Individual members on the Taskforce will have their own international expansion plan and participate in a minimum of two overseas visits each year to target high value projects. They will also receive training, support and networking opportunities directly related to these high value opportunities form UKTI.

While UK product design, fashion and architecture consultancies work with clients across the globe, the UKTI identifies that many in the branding, advertising and digital design industries have only had access to non-western markets when international clients are involved.

 The UKTI says, ‘Now though, as new markets mature and global trading channels widen, the demand for British creative expertise is escalating. The interest, particularly from emerging nations in Asia and the Middle East and countries like Russia and Brazil, is based on Britain’s reputation and experience of dealing with massive projects or collaborating with other players to handle a particular aspect of the work.’

Business secretary Vince Cable says, ‘The growing appetite for British design offers many opportunities for innovative firms of all sizes to boost their overseas trade and attract new investment. Collectively the creative industries already generate more than £36 billion a year for the UK economy – £70,000 every minute – and employ 1.5 million people.

‘From airport interiors to ground-breaking medical devices and design exhibitions, the creative industries account for around £1 in every £10 of the UK’s exports and are crucial to building a stronger economy. With new support from UK Trade & Investment, we want to help creative SMEs access more high value supply chain opportunities across the globe.’