Together with the IT Dnipro Community, Yuliia Solovyeva, Founder of CSV Group, explored a systematic approach to expanding Ukrainian IT companies into the EU and UK markets - from public procurement and tenders to building strategic partnerships and developing long-term international sales strategies.
A key message of the workshop was that international markets reward not only strong products and services, but the systems companies build around them. Sustainable international growth starts long before the first contract by establishing partnerships, building trust, understanding the market and engaging with potential customers through a structured business development process.
During the workshop, participants explored several practical approaches to international expansion:
- Procurement starts before the tender. A significant part of procurement decisions is shaped before a tender is officially published. Prior Information Notices (PINs), Market Dialogues and Preliminary Market Consultations help companies better understand buyers' needs and, in many cases, contribute to shaping future procurement requirements before the competitive stage begins.
- Successful sales require engaging the entire buying committee. In both B2B and B2G markets, purchasing decisions are rarely made by a single person. International sales require companies to work with multiple stakeholder groups throughout the decision-making process.
- Market Intelligence is a system, not constant monitoring. With a structured approach, companies can spend as little as 20–30 minutes per week identifying new opportunities, strategic partners and early signals of upcoming procurements while maintaining a consistent pipeline of international opportunities.
The workshop highlighted that successful international expansion is built through structured processes rather than individual opportunities. Companies that invest in market understanding, partnership development and systematic engagement are better positioned to compete and grow across the EU and UK markets.
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