Small and Medium Firms (Hansard, 19 December 1995)

§ Mrs. Roche
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what meetings his Department has had since May 1995 with organisations representing small firms to review tendering procedures.[6623]

§ Mr. Horam
Meetings are normally held with suppliers to give them information about their tendering performance, once a competitive tendering exercise has been completed. This procedure is particularly valued by companies, no matter what their size. Feedback from these meetings suggests that suppliers are generally content with the tendering procedures used by the Department.

§ Mrs. Roche
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what work his Department has done to develop best practice in the publication of departmental procurement 1143W guidance material relevant to small and medium enterprises' needs. [6622]

§ Mr. Horam
The Department's guidance on procurement procedures is used by all staff engaged in buying goods and services. It ensures that ail legal requirements are complied with and sets out good practice relating to the whole tendering process. This material guides staff to deploy an objective and fair competitive tendering process that will achieve best value for money for the Department and does not, therefore, distinguish between small and large firms.

§ Mrs. Roche
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what advice has been given to procurement staff on the implications of purchasing from small and medium enterprises. [6624]

§ Mr. Horam
The Department's purchasing manual and guidance on the use of management consultants includes advice on the selection of companies. This guidance has been circulated not only to procurement staff but to those involved occasionally in purchasing goods and services.

§ Mrs. Roche
To ask the Secretary of State for Health 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-sized enterprise related public procurement initiatives. [6717]

§ Mr. Horam
The head of purchasing in my Department is the single point for contact for companies of all sizes, on all procurement issues. He is actively engaged in improving the value for money we obtain by assisting all interested suppliers improve their competitiveness.