§ Mrs. RocheTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence 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. [6711]
§ Mr. Arbuthnot[holding answer 19 December 1995]The Ministry of Defence has had an organisation of this kind, now known as the Defence Suppliers Service, in place since 1986.
§ Mrs. RocheTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what advice has been given to procurement staff on the implications of purchasing from small and medium enterprises. [6642]
§ Mr. Arbuthnot[holding answer 19 December 1995]The advice given to procurement staff is that they should ensure that they achieve value for money for the Department. That objective is best served through broadly based competition. The Ministry of Defence promotes competition by regularly publishing details of its contract opportunities and by explaining to companies of all sizes, but particularly small and medium enterprises, how they should set about exploiting those opportunities.