The Glover Review explained

30 June 2009

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In its 2008 Budget, the Government asked Anne Glover to lead a committee to examine how the Government could make it easier for small and medium-sized businesses to supply to the public sector. Published in November 2008, the Glover Review proposes ways of improving participation in public procurement by small firms.

Among the key recommendations are:

Transparency

By 2010, contract opportunities above £20,000 across the whole public sector should be advertised electronically, with standard indicative contract value ranges, and should be accessible through a single, free, easy-to-search online portal.

During the advertising process, procuring bodies should flag tendering opportunities that seem especially suitable for smaller firms.

Simplicity

Qualification criteria that are not specific to a sector should be standardised and incorporated in all pre-qualification questionnaires, so that businesses do not need to repeatedly submit the same core information in different formats.

Procurers should allow businesses to provide details of all previous relevant experience when bidding for contracts, not just public sector experience. This should be taken into account when selecting successful tenderers.

Strategic procurement

Government should expect and enable prime contractors to make their subcontracting opportunities accessible through the same online portal proposed above for advertising contracts.

Through contract management, Government should ensure that smaller firms and other subcontractors obtain contract conditions, including prompt payment terms, that are no worse than those applicable to the prime contractor.

Measurement

All central government departments should report annually on the value of their contract spend with smaller firms, creating a reliable single source of quantitative data that can be used to inform future policy decisions.

This article was taken from the summer issue of our quarterly member magazine Business Insight. You can read the issue in full here, with more on positive steps you can take to help you boost your business during the downturn.

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