London: 10 June 2008

The UK Department for Business, Enterprise & Regulatory Reform (BERR) has announced a public consultation that will close on the 8 August 2008. The BERR announcement states:

“Anne Glover, Chief Executive of Amadeus Capital Partners, has been asked by the Chancellor of the Exchequer to lead a committee to inquire into the barriers small firms face in winning public sector contracts, to make recommendations on the necessary action to reduce these barriers over the next five years and to examine the practicality of setting a goal for SMEs to win 30% of all public sector business.

To ensure that the report reflects the views of businesses and public sector procurers we are interested in gaining your views, and hearing about your experiences.”

The UK Office of Government Commerce (OGC) also has announced the consultation but with a closure date of 31 July 2008. The OGC announcement provides three categories of online questionnaires

“To have your say please select whether you are:

• A supplier who has either bid for public sector work, or worked with the public sector, either as a prime or sub-contractor
• A supplier who has not engaged with the public sector
• Public procurers and those representing contracting authorities”