There's still time for Olympic effort, firms told

John Armitt, the chairman of the Olympic Delivery Authority, visited the region yesterday to meet with companies which have already secured contracts to provide goods, services and skills to the Games.

These include Marshalls, the Huddersfield-based manufacturer, which is supplying paving, drainage and street furniture products to projects including the athletes village, Olympic Stadium and the Olympic Park and concourse.

Mr Armitt addressed an audience of 200 company representatives at Leeds Town Hall in the morning to tell them how to bid for the contracts still available.

In an interview with the Yorkshire Post, he said: "Our message was 'don't think it's all over'. Yorkshire companies have already done very well, but there are more opportunities to come.

"Don't think it's all about London because it's not. There's still a lot to play for."

He urged Yorkshire companies to register with the CompeteFor website, which has been set up for small- and medium-sized businesses to compete for contracts in the 11.5bn Olympics.

Mr Armitt said the ODA has 700m of supply chain contracts, from an initial construction budget of 8bn, while the London Organising Committee for the Olympic Games still has 800m of contracts to let.

The main contracts have already been awarded to firms including Robert McAlpine, Carillion, Balfour Beatty, Skanska, Bovis Lend Lease, ISG and Bam Nuttall.

But many smaller contracts remain, said Mr Armitt. "If you take something like McAlpine and the Olympic Stadium, there are 110 subcontractors, which will let to another tier below that," he added.

"It is not just about big construction jobs."

Other Yorkshire companies to win contracts include Lytag, from Escrick, which is providing 700 tonnes of lightweight aggregate for the aquatics centre, and a firm from Sheffield which has worked on the drainage system for the basketball arena.

Asked if the project will be completed on time, Mr Armitt, the former chief executive of Network Rail, said: "Oh yes. We will finish the main buildings starting from about spring 2011 through to summer 2011. The first trial events are scheduled for August 2011."