Publication - Progress report

Procurement: SME and third sector action plan - updates

Shows progress against commitments in our action plan to make it easier for small businesses and third sector organisations to win public contracts.

Oversight and communication

We will provide a variety of opportunities for engagement with Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) and the third sector by:

committing to holding annual roundtable events with SME and third sector stakeholders
reviewing the Procurement Supply Group to ensure sectors are represented proportionally

We:

held a round table event with the Business Services Association (BSA) in September 2024, where the approach to collaborative working was warmly received and positively acknowledged
welcomed two new members to the Procurement Supply Group (PSG) from the food and drink and construction sectors as part of a recent review, ensuring the group represents Scotland's public procurement spend
received over 90% of Scotland Innovates submissions from SMEs, with over 80% being "market ready"

We will improve the accessibility of the guidance available by:

reviewing the accessibility and practicality of existing guidance and tools
promoting the one-stop-shop Guidance on Public Procurement for SMEs and Third Sector Suppliers which is an essential resource for organisations engaging with public procurement

We:

developed a dedicated supplier engagement guide for suppliers of any size in response to stakeholder feedback, now available on the Supplier Journey website alongside the bespoke guidance for SMEs and third sector
completed a programme of work to review Scottish Government policy and guidance
enhanced the accessibility and usability of existing guidance by incorporating meaningful hyperlinks and clear signposting
created QR codes and displayed them at external events to signpost stakeholders to the one-stop-shop guidance, which we continue to promote through a variety of channels
expanded the innovation guidance on Public Contracts Scotland (PCS) and hosted workshops through the Supplier Development Programme (SDP) to support raising awareness of the PCS Innovation functionality
enabled stakeholders to sign up to receive a Scotland Innovates newsletter

We will support organisations who provide practical public procurement support for SMEs and the third sector through a variety of channels by:

committing to supporting and funding the Supplier Development Programme as well as actively supporting Meet the Buyer Events
continuing to support the Just Enterprise Business Support Programme, a core element of which is supporting third sector organisations with procurement and tender writing
promoting other sources of support for businesses via the Scottish Enterprise Business Support Portal

We:

strengthened understanding of the Supplier Development Programme through a review that improved data sharing, communication, and presence at events like Meet the Buyer
meet regularly with Just Enterprise and Scottish Enterprise, signposting stakeholders to their support services

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