‘Go online to win public contracts’ FPB

The Forum of Private Business (FPB) is advising businesses to go online to maximise their chances of winning public contracts, following the government’s decision to scrap its policy of charging a maximum of £180 per year to use its supply2.gov.uk portal.
 
The move follows recommendations made in the Glover review of public procurement, which was published in November 2008. The review found that public sector buyers are missing out on innovation and savings because too few small businesses are able to access contracts.
 
In response to the problems experienced by its members in bidding for a share of the annual £175 billion worth of public business, the FPB is urging the government to fast-track measures outlined in the review, most of which are not scheduled for implementation until 2010.
 
One of the Glover review’s key recommendations was creating greater transparency in public sector tendering via better advertising and more information accessible through a single, free-to-use and easy-to-search online portal. Last year, the government announced that the supply2.gov.uk service for lower-value public sector contracts would be available free of charge on a trial basis of just three months. At the time, the FPB said it should be free indefinitely.
 
"It's important that the measures put forward in the Glover review move in the right direction as quickly and as effectively as possible. These measures will help save more small firms from closure and provide a catalyst for economic recovery." said the FPB's policy representative, Matt Goodman. “Removing the cost barrier to accessing the supply2.gov.uk portal is a significant step towards improving access to public contracts and small businesses should register on the site without delay.”
 
www.smallbusinesschannel.co.uk