Welcome to the March edition of Test Valley Business Matters.
The Test Valley Business Awards for 2025 are being launched this week. There are still opportunities to sponsor award categories - please contact the committee via the website link above if you are interested. TVBC will once again sponsor the sustainability award.
In the light of the new Procurement Act, this newsletter highlights links to public procurement sites, should your company wish to bid for public sector contracts. We also flag cybersecurity resources, best practice guidance for allergen labelling, and the new Made Smarter manufacturing programme for the South East. The dates are also advertised for the public engagement sessions on the new riverside park at Western Avenue.
 Public procurement
The Procurement Act came into force on 24 February. It is intended to create a simpler system which opens up public procurement to new entrants, including small businesses. Information for potential suppliers can be found here: The Procurement Act 2023: A short guide for suppliers. The following page provides a number of links for exploring public sector contract opportunities: Sell goods or services to the public sector. Test Valley Borough Council will always advertise its opportunities to tender here: eTendering system.
 Andover regeneration
As part of the regeneration plans for Andover, there will be a new park adjacent to the River Anton accompanied by changes to the Western Avenue road network. Public engagement sessions will be held at the former O2 unit at the entrance to the Chantry Centre at which the emerging designs will be on display and there will be the opportunity to speak to the project team. The sessions will be on Thursday 27 March from 2pm to 7pm and Saturday 29 March from 10am to 1pm. Similar engagement sessions on the new Lights theatre last month attracted over 500 members of the public.
 Cybersecurity
The police-led South East Cyber Resilience Centre is recommending that all businesses check their email systems to confirm that they are DMARC protected. DMARC protects your business against email spoofing, in which criminals dupe recipients into believing that an email comes from your company domain name. More information on DMARC is here: DMARC: Why It’s a Must-Have for Email Security and you can instantly check your domain name here to see if it is protected: Start now | Check your email security - NCSC.GOV.UK
The South East Cyber Resilience Centre offers other free resources including security policy templates, guidance for remote working and cyber incident action plans at Resources for Businesses | South East CRC. They offer some paid-for services too such as vulnerability assessments.
Businesses can also sign up for free to Police CyberAlarm. This is a tool provided by the Police and Home Office which detects and provides regular reports to businesses about suspicious cyber activity. More information can be found here: Police CyberAlarm.
Improve your digital and marketing strategy
There are a couple of notable sessions next week. Luke Williams, who has run some really helpful AI sessions for Test Valley businesses, is hosting a free lunchtime webinar on 19 March - AI for sales and marketing. This will showcase practical applications and use cases. Register here: AI sales and marketing webinar. There are also a few days left to register for The Local Marketing Masterclass in Andover which will take place on the afternoon of 20 March and features speakers from local businesses.
If you prefer to access online resources, the FSB offers a free Knowledge Hub to members and non-members. Their resources include a downloadable guide How to easily improve your digital strategy on a budget.
 Made Smarter
The Made Smarter programme is for small and medium sized UK based manufacturing companies that aspire to increase the amount of digital technology used in their businesses. It will open on 1 April 2025 in the South East. Successful companies will be visited by a technical adviser for a one-day meeting. The adviser would consider with your leadership team what tech is likely to enhance your operations. They would then work with you to produce a company-specific digital workplan.
You could then be eligible to receive up to 12 hours of 1-1 mentoring with a tech adviser, the opportunity to apply for grant funding of up to £20k towards tech implementation (matched 1:1 by you), leadership and management support, and the chance to recruit a university student for around 10 weeks (paid for by the programme).
You can preregister your interest in the programme here: Start your digital manufacturing journey | Made Smarter. There is more information on the programme here: UK Digital Manufacturing advice & innovation | Made Smarter
 English Tourism Week
English Tourism Week runs from 14-23 March. The theme this year’s is ‘Supporting people and places to drive growth.’ If you are a tourism business, you can download posters and social media assets from English Tourism Week | VisitBritain.org
 Pilot farming demonstrators
In 2024, TVBC awarded grants to two farms to undertake trials which aimed to improve nutrient usage efficiency by looking at alternatives to conventional fertilisers. The grants were funded by the UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.
The results were shared with farmers at Gambledown Farm on 5 March. One trial at Michelmersh Manor Farm investigated the effect of spraying a foliar fertiliser (Humi Cert) on rye grass. The second applied an organic water and nutrient-retaining granule (MAD Moisture) at seed depth in maize plots at Goddards Farm in Nether Wallop.
Crops and yields were analysed by Daleoak and SOYL. The results suggested a significant reduction in applied nitrogen using the foliar fertiliser, and long-term benefits from applying MAD Moisture. More information and the report can be found here: Nutrient usage efficiency trials
A film about the trials can be accessed here: Farming demonstrator film
 Funded employee energy advice in the workplace
The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero is offering to run free sessions or workshops in the workplace to help your employees with energy saving at home and in the workplace. These sessions should contribute to employee wellbeing. For more information, please see: Fully Funded Employee Energy Advice
 Guidance on allergen information
The Food Standards Agency has published best practice industry guidance for retailers and caterers about providing allergen information to consumers for non-prepacked foods. It applies to businesses of all sizes including restaurants, cafes, delis, butchers, bakeries, market stalls and takeaways. Food businesses must inform consumers if they have used any of 14 mandated allergens as an ingredient in their food, and the guidance gives advice on the approaches to take.
National Minimum Wage
The National Minimum Wage rates increase in April. Links are provided to:
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