Free trial gives opportunity to small firms

May 12 2008 by Karen Dent, The Journal

THE region’s small firms are being encouraged to consider bidding for lower value public sector contracts via a free trial of the Government’s procurement website.

Small and medium-sized businesses can register and use the www.supply2.gov.uk website without being charged until the end of July. The website advertises contracts offered by local and national Government that are typically worth less than £100,000.

Business Minister Shriti Vadera said: “Encouraging more small businesses to register for opportunities will mean buyers benefit from increased competition and access to a wider range of suppliers.

“Many small businesses are more innovative, have lower costs and present better value for contracts than larger firms.” The free trial was welcomed by the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB), which has been working to increase smaller firms’ access to public sector contracts.

North East regional chairman Colin Stratton said: “We are lobbying local authorities for better access for small businesses. At the moment, they aggregate contracts which makes them far too big for small businesses. Local authorities join together to buy in bulk and this puts them out of reach of small businesses.

“We have spent many years battling on procurement. This is another step in the right direction.”

However, Mr Stratton said the Government must ensure the registration and research facilities were easy to follow if it wanted more businesses to take advantage of the opportunities offered in the website.

“It can be daunting online. Small businesses don’t have a lot of time to delve through things,” he said.