A growing civil engineering consultancy has won a major contract to help monitor the effects of flooding in the north.

The two-year contract has been won by a Bingley businessman's firm which was started three years ago and uses advanced computer modelling to assess and advise river and tidal flooding.

The company, Jeremy Benn Associates, is based in Broughton Hall Business Park in Skipton and has won the contract from the Environment Agency through Business Link North Yorkshire's Public Sector Contract Opportunities Service.

The firm, which has 30 staff in Skipton, Tadcaster and Warwickshire, serves water companies, infrastructure operators such as Railtrack and The Highways Agency as well as private sector developers of housing estates and business parks.

The company was helped to win the deal by Business Link which does a search of contract tender notices in the European Journal which advertises up to 600 tender notices a day.

Jeremy Benn, 36, who founded the firm, said: "Although we do not yet know the total financial value of this contract, it is significant because it is for two years which will bring important stability to what is still a young business.

"A problem affecting our specialist niche is that projects usually last only a few months so we must constantly be on the look-out to generate more opportunities. This makes medium and long-term planning difficult. This service and contract are, therefore, very welcome."

He said using the Business Link service had proved useful. "It is far easier than keeping in touch with organisations to enquire when contracts may be coming available because you can almost guarantee that you have just missed one," he added.

Business Link service manager Karen Marsden said: "We are delighted that Jeremy Benn Associates has won this important contract. This service is easy to use and saves businesses time and money as well as helping them to stay ahead of the competition."

Further information on the Public Sector Contract Opportunities Service is available from the Business Link information centre on 01904 686000.

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