TENDER firm Thornton & Lowe has added another string to its bow with the launch of its own marketing and design business.

It will primarily deal with increasing demand in the procurement sector.

The new arm, called Thornton & Lowe — Marketing and Design, has been created with the aim of helping clients develop their branding, the firm said.

Services include traditional and digital marketing techniques, and proposal design.

Ryan Devlin, a public-sector marketing specialist, has taken the reins of this venture and he will work with Dave Thornton, a former Deane High School pupil who later studied at Leeds University.

Mr Devlin, a director with the firm, said he has a wealth of experience in the public arena, creating designs for a range of multi-million pound finance initiatives, and developing brands for both digital and traditional marketing platforms.

He said he was delighted with the response so far to the new business: “In this ever-changing marketing landscape, clients are looking to enhance their brands to work across a wide range of formats. We listen to the needs of all of our customers and create something that will help to take them forward.

“In the procurement arena, businesses are jostling for position to get their voice heard above everyone else when bidding for that all-important contract. We aim to inform, involve and inspire our clients at every stage of the tender process, working together to build a proposal that reflects their brand identity, corporate values and puts them one step ahead of their competitors.”

The new team is currently working with national clients such as Scottish and Southern Electric, the Northwest Aerospace Alliance, which represents air, defence and engineering manufacturers across the region, and Purdy Contracts.

The firm recently moved to bigger offices in Higher Bridge Street in Bolton town centre. It was previously based at the Evans Business Centre in Manchester Road. It now has nine staff and has expanded recently with new recruits including Georgie Dobson. They deal with clients across the north west and nationally, including in London, Milton Keynes, Coventry, Glasgow, Wales and Birmingham.

Earlier this summer Thornton & Lowet launched their own bespoke computer software to help clients with tendering.

Called Tender Library, the software was developed after the firm had searched for years to find the right kind of software to help their in-house team.

Its gives clients who rent the software the IT tools to decide whether to bid for a contract or not, check performance and feedback on previous tender submissions which are stored on the system, which will make efficiencies with both cost and time in the long run.