SMALL businesses will be able to learn about tendering for public sector contracts at a workshop in Exeter next week.

The sessions are being staged by city-based Wills2Win to demystify the process and help firms tap into this lucrative market.

Managing director Wendy Wills said: "When people learn about the amount of business to be won in the public sector they are staggered.

"Each year £175bn of public sector services are put through the procurement process with 100,000 public bodies in the UK issuing 70,000 invitations to tender annually. My job is to guide businesses in how they can take a piece of this pie.

"There is no doubt that the tendering process can be mind-boggling and bureaucratic. Too often it is just the big businesses which feel they have the time and resources to compete the process."

The introductory training courses take place on Tuesday, February 24 at the Basepoint Business Centre in Matford Park from 9.30am to 12.30pm and 1.30pm to 4.30pm.

Fifteen places are available on the course, which costs £195 plus VAT, including refreshments.

A more advanced full-day course will be held on Wednesday, March 18, at the centre. The course costs £450 plus VAT, including lunch. Details: www.wills2win.co.uk.