TenderLink

In 2004 after undertaking some consulting work for TenderLink, I was asked to join the company and was sold 25% of the shares.

Although barely out of start-up mode (and with only 1600 subscribers) I could see the potential for the business. We struck up an arrangement with the CEO of Local Government Online (the amazing Jim Higgins – a true gentleman) and on the basis of a handshake and a revenue splitting deal, launched LG Tenders.

The New Plymouth District Council kindly offered to trial our new service (essentially a SaaS model with Councils able to post and manage their own tenders) for three months, but after six weeks rang to tell us that the trial was over and they were keeping the electronic tendering site. I must mention Anthony Wilson, The General Manager of Community Assets – a true visionary (I am not sure New Plymouth ever truly appreciated how good he was), who was prepared to give us a go and then champion us to his colleagues in other Councils.

All this was made possible by the best software programmer I have ever encountered Stephen Pearson (aka Sippy). Essentially I would meet with a Council, find out what functionality they wanted, and Sippy would have it built two days later.

Within a year we had doubled our subscriber numbers and had 20 Councils using the software. Within 3 years we had 30,000 subscribers and 80% of the Councils in NZ and had launched in Australia. Four years after that we sold to Fairfax we had 120,000 subscribers.

Attached is a press clipping from the early days in 2004.