Small Business: GREAT Ambition

The Government has launched Small Business: GREAT Ambition, which sets out an action plan to support small businesses. The report addresses issues where small charities face similar barriers to businesses.

Linked to a recent consultation on SME procurement processes, the report includes the following key actions that will benefit charities;

  • Pre-qualification questionnaires are to be abolished for low value contracts with standardised pre-qualification questionnaires are to be introduced for larger contracts;
  • The implementation in 2014 of plans to mandate prompt payment all the way down a public procurement supply chain;
  • Extending the mystery shopper service to spot-check public bodies to make sure that their procurement is small business, and therefore small charity, friendly;
  • New requirements for contracting authorities to report SME spend. The Government’s response to the SME procurement consultation state that this will be extended to include voluntary sector spend.

To download Small Business: GREAT Ambitions visit www.gov.uk/government/publications/small-business-commitment.

To download the Government’s response to the SME consultation visit www.gov.uk/government/consultations/making-public-sector-procurement-more-accessible-to-smes.