VET trainer Improve International has fought off national competition to win a major Government contract which will generate new jobs and visitors for Swindon.

The Wroughton-based firm is one of the UK’s fastest-growing veterinary training companies, and went up against much larger rivals during a competitive tender process put out by Animal Health and Veterinary Labora-tories Agency (AHVLA).

The contract was handed down by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), which wanted a private sector organisation to train its Official Veterinarians, who work for the Government.

Much of the training administered by Improve as a result of the contract will be carried out online, but new jobs have already materialised, with more on the way.

David Babington, founder, said: “We have got 12 full-time staff in the offices and there are a number of them involved in the project.

“We have recruited a new full-time person from the Swindon area specifically on the project and we anticipate the need for more people as the project develops.”

John Douglass, project manager for the new contract, said: “Our business has always been bringing people to Swindon, to stay in the hotels around town, as well as spend money in the town. We bring in a lot of delegates through our work.

“Future changes will very much depend on how the numbers develop over the next six months.

“A lot of the work done with this contract will be done online but the positive spin off is it puts our name out to more people for future business.”

Improve was aware the contract was going to be put out to tender towards the end of last year, when it began planning its bid.

It was in early March that David and his team discovered the bid, their first-ever for a Government contract, had been successful.

The contract was signed in May and the first components of the training programme for the OVs were rolled out in August.

The decision to move the contract out of house by Defra, to a private sector firm, is an effort to speed processes up in the department and employ specialists to focus on what they are good at.

John said: “A lot of Govern-ment tenders are going this way now. They are looking for specialists rather than do it themselves, and then simply manage the specialists.”

David said: “We were successful because we were able to hit the ground running. We have already recruited two individuals for the contract.

“There’s another vet to help us deliver the contract and also a full-time person on the administration side. Those numbers will increase.

“We have a smaller team which is able to adapt to meet specific circumstances. Bigger organisations take longer to put things in place for contracts like this.”

Robert Buckland, MP for South Swindon, said: “Improve is a great example of a highly entrepreneurial business, which has found a niche market and grown rapidly through providing high quality continuous professional development to hundreds of veterinary professionals in the UK and, increasingly in Europe and beyond.

“It’s particularly satisfying to see a small, regional business fighting off tough competition to win a big Government contract.

“I’d like to say a big well done to David Babington and his team.”