Business in Windsor - South East FSB Procurement Survey

Windsor & Maidenhead Council 4th in the list of Best councils in South East in FSB Procurement Survey.

Royal Borough of Windsor & Maidenhead Council has been listed 4th in a survey by the Federation of Small Businesses. The FSB recently published the results of a study, which shows that local authorities in the South East are making good progress in improving their procurement practices and processes, to encourage small businesses to bid for public sector contracts. This study has identified Windsor & Maidenhead Council is the 4th “Most Small Business Friendly” in the field of public procurement in the whole of the South East of England.

The “Local Authority Procurement Report” published last week, is based on responses from 52 of the 74 local authorities in the South East (a response rate of 70 per cent).

The South East local authorities have combined annual non-pay spend of £4.1 billion, and is a significant potential market for small business goods and services. Helping local small businesses to compete for public contracts is one of the best ways for local authorities to invest in their local economy. Track records show that not only do they get better value for money from small businesses rather than national or international companies, but the money is spent and invested in the local economy, creating local jobs and local wealth.

The findings of the report reveal that in many cases the essential elements for successfully encouraging small businesses to bid for public sector contracts are either in place, or in development.

These include the fact that:

nearly all responding local authorities (90 per cent) had carried out a spend analysis allowing them to detail their spend by supplier and services.

56 per cent of local authorities had now signed up to the Government’s Small Business Concordat, and a further 31 per cent are presently considering signing up.

75 per cent had a procurement section within their web site with the majority offering specific guidance for small businesses on selling to the council.

81 per cent of local authorities provided feedback to small businesses that failed to win a contract.

The report reveals that in the 2 years since the first FSB Procurement Survey in the South East, local authorities have made significant progress to make it easier for small businesses to participate in public sector tenders.

This momentum needs to be sustained in order to ensure that more small businesses continue to tender for and are actually awarded public sector contracts. To do this, there needs to be further progress made in the following areas:-

More tendering training for SMEs - only 19% were planning to do so

More training for procurement managers to help them buy from small businesses - only 28% were planning to do so

More access to information on Low Value Contracts

Meet the Buyer events around specific tender opportunities

More encouragement for SMEs to respond to tenders as consortia
Introducing a simplified pre qualification questionnaire for low value contracts – 29%

Inserting clauses into large value contracts encouraging prime contractors to identify small, local businesses to sub-contract with – 40%

Colin Willman, East Berkshire Procurement Spokesman said:

“This is an exciting report, which is the culmination of a great deal of hard work across the South East. It is clear that since the last survey Windsor & Maidenhead have made excellent progress towards making the procurement process more accessible for small firms.

“We are delighted that Windsor & Maidenhead has taken the issue of small business friendly procurement practices seriously. We see this as vital investment in the local small businesses that are at the heart of our local community and economy. With sustained momentum, this activity will ensure the county continues to lead the South East in driving best practice, and also continued regional growth and regeneration. With such responsive local authorities and world leading small businesses it is no surprise that over the next five years the Thames Valley is forecast to out perform every similar regional economy in Europe”.

We would like to congratulate the Royal Borough of Windsor & Maidenhead Council for their success so far, and look forward to supporting them in their efforts to make further progress.

Copies of the report can be downloaded from http://www.fsb.org.uk/se.asp