Would your business benefit from being a supplier to Government?

They are certainly a customer worth considering, spending over £284 billion a year (2018 report) on buying goods and services from external suppliers. The money is spent on everything from goods such as stationery and medicine, through to the construction of schools and roads, the daily delivery of back-office functions such as information technology and human resources, and front-line services such as probation and social care'

Historically much of this spending has been with 'strategic' suppliers, companies making  100m a year in government contracts. There has long been talk of reform, escalating as pandemic-related procurement came under fire for alleged cronyism. But could all this be set to change? There are plenty of positive signs.

This Government's manifesto states:

'We will support start-ups and small businesses via government procurement and commit to paying them on time. We will also clamp down on late payment and ...support small businesses that are exploited by their larger partners".

Reforms are already underway. There are big new opportunities in public procurement across all sectors for small businesses in our community. It's important that we learn to navigate the processes involved.

In order to increase the amount of business carried out with small businesses like ours, the Government has appointed a Crown Representative to SMEs, Martin Traynor.

Martin's message is that all government departments are open for business with SMEs.

He will be speaking directly to local businesses at the SiGNAL Bizhub on May 7^th to explain how your business can apply for lucrative public contracts.  All small businesses are welcome.

All BizHub events are currently on Zoom.  They are fun, welcoming, and free to first-time visitors.

To learn more please visit www.signalbordon.org/events