A York sports equipment supplier has won a contract worth more than £500,000 by tapping into a computer database.

It is the third deal won by Newitt & Co Ltd by using a sophisticated on-line tender monitoring service run by Business Link North Yorkshire, bringing its total of orders won in that way to more than £l million.

The 55-employee company, whose headquarters is at Claxton Hall, is linked by computer to Business Link's offices at Arabesque House in Monks Cross.

As a subscriber to Business Link's Public Sector Contract Opportunities Service, Newitt & Company regularly receives details of contracts for the supply of sports equipment and footwear to local and public authorities all over Europe.

The latest contract was for the supply of sports and games equipment to Strathclyde Regional Council, but database deals have also been won by the company with the Central Buying Consortium in Maidstone, Kent and with the Western Education Authority in Northern Ireland.

Frank Newitt, managing director, said: "It is so quick and easy. The information is flashed to my computer screen and I go over it, looking for contracts we are likely to get." The company's IT manager Ian Wilson says: "We set up an e-mail address specifically for the receipt of information about tenders from Business Link.

"Details about the tenders come through to Mr Newitt and once he has decided which of those we wish to pursue, he forwards the details to our contracts administrator Alison Samms, who progresses it from there.

"The advantage for us of having the information on-line from Business Link is that we can react quickly to opportunities and have time to prepare all the necessary tender documentation that is essential to form a successful bid."

See this week's information on contracts from Business Link North Yorkshire

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