14/02/11

By Andrew Holt

A package of measures to open up the way that Government does business and to make sure that charities and voluntary organisations are in the best possible position to compete for billions of pounds worth of contracts has been outlined by the Prime Minister.

The Government has take action to ensure that charities, which it considers to be vital to the economy and promoting growth, are no longer shut out of procurement processes because of excessive bureaucracy and petty regulation.

The announcements also goes one step further and ensures that procurement opportunities will be available for everyone to see, free of charge, meaning Government deals are more transparent than ever before.

Key measures announced today include:

The launch of a Contracts Finder website

The new online facility, which is available from today, will become the place to find public sector contracting opportunities over £10,000 and will make the Government’s procurement process totally transparent. From now on, all organisations need to do is to specify which contracts they are interested in and details will be emailed free of charge.

Seeking to eliminate PQQs (Pre-Qualification Questionnaires) for all central government procurements under £100,000. This represents a radical change in the way pre-qualification is carried out and means that from now on procurers will be free to choose the best route to market for their individual circumstances.

Allowing organisations to submit their prequalification data once for all procurements in common commodities. This will put an end to companies having to submit the same data time and time again, saving time and money for the suppliers and for government.

Publication of the findings of the Cabinet Office’s LEAN Review into procurement processes. This will show the Government is doing all it can to reduce waste, tackle bureaucracy and lower the cost of doing business with government.

Prime Minister, David Cameron, said: “Today we are announcing big changes to the way government does business. It will provide billions of pounds worth of new business opportunities for small and medium-sized enterprises, charities and social enterprises.

“We need to make the system more open to new providers, more competitive between suppliers and more transparent for the taxpayer. This is vital as we get to grip with our deficit – helping us tackle waste, control public spending and boost enterprise and growth.

“It will also help modernise our public services, opening them up to the forces of competition and innovation and give our great charities and social enterprises the opportunity to deliver services too.

“I call on all those who think they can provide a great service for government, to take advantage of these opportunities, to go online and start searching for contracts now.”

Minister for the Cabinet Office, Francis Maude, said: “Today marks the end of what I call the procurement oligopoly – where innovative small businesses and organisations are too often shut out of contract processes early on because of ridiculous rules and unnecessary bureaucracy. This is not only bad for those affected, it’s also bad for Government as it stifles competition.

“Today’s changes will help create a system which is transparent and allows small businesses and voluntary sector organisations to compete more fairly for Government contracts – helping to drive economic growth at national and regional level, while delivering better deals for the taxpayer.”

Additional measures announced today include:

Local Government Support: Baroness Eaton, chair of the Local Government Group has also announced her support for the new measures and the intention that Local Government will also make their opportunities available on Contracts Finder and use a simplified pre-qualification questionnaire.

An extended Supplier Feedback Service so businesses can continue to tell government where there are still issues.

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