HC Deb 19 December 1995 vol 268 cc1083-4W
Mrs. Roche

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what progress his Department has made regarding establishing a contact point with responsibility for liaison with relevant business support organisations and taking forward small and medium enterprise related public procurement initiatives. [6722]

Mr. Page

The small firms and business link division of my Department is the contact point for general small business issues relating to public procurement. However, departmental procurement contacts for specific goods and services have also been established in DTI headquarters. Contacts for general departmental procurement queries exist in headquarters and the Department's executive agencies. Details are published in "Tendering for Government Contracts".

Mrs. Roche

To ask the President of the Board of Trade how many and what percentage of small and medium enterprises(a) have been informed of and (b) have used the regional supply network; and what has been its cost to public funds. [6518]

Mr. Page

Information about how many small and medium enterprises have been informed of, or have used, the regional supply network could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. DTI expenditure was £1.3 million in 1994–95 and expenditure to end of November in 1995–96 is £1.4 million. The budget for each of the years 1995–96, 1996–97 and 1997–98 is £2.8 million.

Mrs. Roche

To ask the President of the Board of Trade (1) what advice has been given to procurement staff on the implications of purchasing from small and medium enterprises; [6612]

(2) what work his Department has done to develop best practice in the publication of departmental procurement guidance material relevant to small and medium enterprises, needs.[6610]

Mr. Page

A copy of the chapter from the Department's procurement manual providing guidance on purchasing from small and medium enterprises has been placed in the Library of the House.

My Department has published a guide for small firms on "Tendering for Government Contracts", which contains advice on and details of the procurement requirements for each Government Department and its agencies, and a guide for Government procurement officers on purchasing from small firms called "Think Big, Buy Small". These publications are currently being updated and will be placed in the Library of the House in due course.

Mrs. Roche

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what meetings his Department has had since May 1995 with organisations representing small firms to review tendering procedures.[6611]

Mr. Page

My Department was represented at a meeting held by Her Majesty's Treasury officials between departmental purchasing officers and representatives of the CBI small firms council, the Association of British Chambers of Commerce and the Forum of Private Business on 27 September 1995 to review tendering procedures.