Hundreds of Ayrshire firms packed into Cumnock Town Hall for a first-of-its-kind Meet the Buyer event aimed at helping local suppliers tap into an estimated £2 billion pipeline of onshore wind investment.

Companies from hospitality, construction, plant hire and professional services met developers behind East Ayrshire's 1.5GW onshore wind pipeline to hear about forthcoming tenders, make connections and learn how to bid for work. Independent analysis by BIGGAR Economics suggests projects in the local pipeline could inject around £2 billion into the area over the next five to eight years, and £4 billion over their lifetime.

The event was delivered in partnership by OnPath Energy, Ayrshire Chamber of Commerce and East Ayrshire Council's Business Gateway Service. Among the attendees was Irvine-based Cogeo Planning and Environmental Services, which has recently opened a Glasgow office to support growth in environmental consultancy and planning.

As an Ayrshire business, we wanted to be here to meet some of the key players involved in these developments and make sure they know what we can offer.

Iain Buchanan, Principal Environmental Consultant at Cogeo, said: "The scale of the opportunity coming to East Ayrshire is a major positive for businesses like ours. We've already invested in expanding our services and securing work from these projects would allow us to keep growing.

"There's a bigger picture here too. This is an area with a long history of coal mining and now we're looking at a different future. Renewable energy can create opportunities for local businesses and give young people the chance to develop skills and build careers in an industry that will be important for years to come."

The gathering followed the creation of the East Ayrshire Developer Forum by OnPath Energy in April to strengthen collaboration among renewable developers and ensure communities and local businesses benefit from planned investment. Working with East Ayrshire Council, the Ayrshire Chamber, the Ayrshire Growth Deal and Business Gateway, the initiative aims to give local suppliers clearer sight of upcoming contracts and a fair chance to tender.

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Sessions were tailored for both seasoned tenderers and firms new to the renewables supply chain. Developers represented included Brockwell, Vattenfall, Scottish Power Renewables, Fred Olsen Renewables, Force 9 Energy Partners, Renewco and 3REnergy, alongside SP Energy Networks.

When we go into communities, people often ask why developers don't work together for the good of the community.

Aileen McCreadie, community and partnerships manager at OnPath Energy, said: "To see more than 200 businesses coming through the doors on the day was fantastic. We've had people from a range of sectors, and it shows just how many different types of local business could benefit.

"This is about putting local people and businesses first. Over the next five to eight years, there is significant investment planned for this area, and we want to make sure as much of that money as possible stays in the local economy.

"We also want smaller businesses to understand that these opportunities aren't just for the big companies. When our projects are ready to go out to tender, we want Ayrshire businesses to be among the first to know and to have a genuine chance of winning that work."

Organisers stressed that opportunities reach far beyond turbine specialists, spanning transport, accommodation, catering and a broad set of professional services. Business support teams were on hand to help firms identify and address any gaps that might hinder successful bids.

David McDowall, who heads the Ayrshire Growth Deal shared service for East Ayrshire and North Ayrshire, said events of this kind through partnership working between the Chamber of Commerce, developers and Business Gateway could help retain more of the economic benefits locally.

He said: "For a long time, we've seen people coming from across the UK to work on projects in this industry. With the scale of renewable energy development planned for Ayrshire, we want to see more local people getting local jobs and more of our businesses securing that work which aligns perfectly with our Community Wealth Building principles.

"An event like this brings local companies face to face with the businesses that will be buying services in the future. Those opportunities can range from putting in foundations and carrying out forestry work right through to supplying food to wind farm sites.

"It's also about finding out what support businesses need to be ready to tender. Some are already very capable of delivering work in the renewable energy sector but may have gaps in their skills or experience of procurement.

"We can use what we've learned from this event to help those businesses develop and grow to meet the procurement and skills challenges, working with Ayrshire College and other training providers to address skills shortages and make sure local people are in a stronger position to benefit from the investment coming into the area."

Claire Baird, CEO of Ayrshire Chamber of Commerce, said: "For the Chamber, this is about creating a stronger and more sustained connection between Ayrshire's business community and the renewable energy sector.

"We were delighted to play our part in bringing businesses and developers together, but we see this very much as the beginning. The strong response to this first event gives us something to build on, and we look forward to continuing that work with our partners so Ayrshire businesses remain closely connected to the opportunities emerging across the sector."

The Meet the Buyer initiative supports the Scottish Government's Onshore Wind Sector Deal, which aims to maximise the economic benefits of onshore wind expansion. Organisers will now use feedback from participants to shape further procurement support and training, and plan to roll out similar activity in other areas, including South Lanarkshire, to help more local firms prepare for upcoming renewable energy contracts.