The Department for International Development (DFID) launched a Supplier Portal at the beginning of April 2011. The Portal provides an electronic platform of easy single point access to allow all our suppliers, including Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) to have the opportunity to compete equally for DFID contracts. There is no charge to the supplier for this service, which includes automated alerts for new opportunities.DFID actively engages with suppliers through participation at events like the British Expertise seminars. These forums are an opportunity for suppliers to gain a greater understanding of DFID business, engage directly with senior Procurement Officials and openly discuss DFID procurement policies to identify further opportunities to improve.All competitions for procurements with a value of £100,000 or above are carried out in line with the European Union (EU) Directives and are advertised in the Official Journal of the European Union (OJEU). The EU principles of fair and open competition are also applied to lower value procurements. All OJEU adverts are automatically shown on the DFID Supplier Portal.