BOSSES at a support services firm in Bolton are celebrating 10 years of excelling in procurement.

Staff at Thornton and Lowe arranged a party to mark the decade as a surprise for founder Dave Thornton.

Twenty-two professionals are now employed by the Higher Bridge Street company across three divisions, bid writing, bid resource and bid training.

Chris Turner, bid designer, who led the celebrations, said "We all agreed we couldn't let 10 years pass by without celebrating so we decided to jump on it quickly, before Dave had time to think about it.

"We wanted to say thank-you to Dave and the senior team for their passion and employee-centric attitude that empowers us."

Their 10 years in business has seen the venture assist on a string of public sector procurement deals worth billions.

One recent innovation has been the launch of their software solution Tender Pipeline, a search tool for specific contracts and tenders.

Mr Thornton added: "We have always had a single focus with our vision and values firmly rooted in everything we do. It's with the team's hard work and commitment that we continue to strive towards our mission."