Public sector procurement open to SMEs

The Government has announced that it is opening up public sector procurement contracts to small and medium-sized enterprises and a survey has found that over 50 per cent of SMEs intend to bid for such contracts.

The survey was carried out by online business marketplace PeoplePerHour.com and found that
SMEs voiced some concern that bigger players will win the most lucrative contracts.

SMEs are sometimes seen to have a lack of experience in tendering for large contracts, especially in the public sector. There is also concern about the level of bureaucracy involved in public sector tendering - some three quarters of SME respondents were concerned about this.

PeoplePerHour.com founder Xenios Thrasyvoulou commented, “Over the next 12 months, we'll see a revolution in the way government goes about its business. But as we make the move from Whitehall to high street, the government has to make sure there’s a level playing field for small businesses."

Mr Thrasyvoulou added that the government should make sure all aspects of dealing with the public sector are as user-friendly as possible. He said, “Ensuring the tendering process is uncomplicated and transparent would be a good starting point.”