Today, Jo Davidson, our Director of Policy, represented the Scottish Chambers of Commerce network at a Post Legislative Scrutiny of the Procurement Reform (Scotland) Act 2014 held by the Economy & Fair Work Committee at the Scottish Parliament.  Joining a panel which included the FSB and the Scottish Wholesale Association, Jo presented evidence gathered from members and the network on the efficacy of the 2014 Act now that it is almost 10 years old, with a particular focus on its impact in ensuring small and micro-businesses can access public sector opportunities, what barriers they still face, and how the Act might be improved.

The session covered a range of issues, from the administrative burden prospective bidders face in meeting procurement requirements, to supply chain issues, and the very real challenge of late payments.  Thanks to the feedback received from members, Jo was able to put forward examples of actual experiences in bidding to bring to life some of the challenges businesses face, and suggest improvements which could be made to increase access to opportunities.

The Committee will continue to take evidence from various sources until March, at which point a report will be issued on findings.  We hope they will take on board some of the issues raised today, and we can work together to ensure that the Act does what it was intended to by simplifying and encouraging businesses to access the significant commercial opportunities the public sector has to offer.

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You can view the session on the Committee website which is here.