Candid Construction Scotland Limited is a multi-trade construction company which offers a range of services, from foundations and civil work to the construction of various domestic and commercial builds. Working across the Scottish central belt, the business’s leadership team – Barry Higgins, Thomas Murray, and Angela Higgins – provides public contracts, commercial fit-outs and refurbishments, large-scale home extensions, kitchen and bathroom installations, as well as soft and hard landscaping.

Focused on sustainability, the Candid team embraces the challenges associated with environmentally friendly materials and practices.

Having successfully operated Candid Construction Scotland since its launch in 2020, Barry, Thomas and Angela were on a mission to identify new commercial customers and break into the B2B marketplace, and so approached Business Gateway for help.

Barry, Thomas and Angela accessed a suite of Business Gateway’s growth business services, including one-to-one support from a dedicated business adviser, which helped to establish a strategy for future growth.

Business Gateway was able to make relevant introductions for the team, including Eliot Jordan, an economic development officer with South Lanarkshire Council. Eliot helped to identify employment and sales opportunities for Candid Construction, as well as inviting the business to participate in the Build Lanarkshire Programme, delivered in conjunction with Hub South West and North Lanarkshire Council. Through this programme, Candid Construction has been given the tools to secure new, lucrative contracts.

The trio also benefitted from a dedicated supplier development programme which helped them access a range of public sector contracting opportunities.

Barry, Thomas and Angela also benefitted from Expert Help support from Business Gateway, including one-to-one guidance on procurement and strategy, as well as digital support focused on cyber security. The team also attended online surgeries focused on digital marketing.

Mr Higgins, director, Candid Construction Scotland, said: “We were looking for ways to grow our business and improve our digital marketing capabilities, as well as our strategy and procurement knowledge. Business Gateway has been a massive support since we first approached them, and we can’t thank them enough for their ongoing support. It really has helped us grow as a busiess and break into new markets.”

Teresa Devlin, Business Gateway adviser, said: “We were able to support Barry, Thomas and Angela with a range of our growth business services, which involved one-to-one guidance and helping develop their business network. I look forward to watching the business continue to grow in the future.”

Barry, Thomas and Angela are now focused on building the profile of Candid Construction’s low carbon construction services and will continue to work with Business Gateway.