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A HAPPY BIRTHDAY FOR Supply2.gov.uk
Source: BiP,
27 June 2007
50,000 suppliers register in the first year of national
lower-value contract portal
Thousands of businesses have taken the opportunity to access
and potentially win lower-value government contracts in the
year since the portal Supply2.gov.uk was launched.
More than 45,000 public sector contract opportunities –
many of which have a value of less than £100,000 - have
been advertised on the portal since its launch in June 2006.
The site helps to reduce some of the barriers faced by small
businesses accessing public sector contract opportunities.
Around 50,000 suppliers have already registered with the service,
with hundreds more joining every week.
The portal allows UK public sector organisations to publicise
their lower-value contracts free of charge, and, for the first
time, lets businesses view such contracts in a single location.
Margaret Hodge, Minister of State for Industry and the Regions
at the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), has congratulated
Supply2.gov.uk on its success and recognised its role as a
resource for both government departments and business: “Supply2.gov.uk
is an excellent example of good engagement between the public
and private sectors, and increasing access to government businesses
for all sizes of companies. I am pleased that this anniversary
marks a year of success for the portal.
“Improving access to government business and ensuring
that contracts are awarded fairly has been and remains a top
priority for the DTI and the UK Government. Supply2.gov.uk
is a useful resource and I am pleased that it has acted as
a framework to allow smaller businesses to embrace these important
opportunities.”
Since its launch, Supply2.gov.uk has also entered into interoperability
partnerships with a number of government departments and procurement
authorities, including the Ministry of Defence, and Constructionline,
the Department of Trade and Industry’s national register
of pre-qualified construction and construction-related contractors.
The portal is now recognised by both business and government
as a useful and effective tool – it was recently cited
by both HM Treasury and the European Commission as a best
practice means of advertising lower-value contracts.
The portal was originally developed as a result of a report
authored by the Better Regulation Task Force and the Small
Business Council. The Small Business Service (SBS), with the
support of the Office of Government Commerce (OGC), procured
BiP Solutions Ltd as a service provider to build, maintain
and develop Supply2.gov.uk.
Martin Bennett, SBS Contract Manager for Supply2.gov.uk,
said:
“Considering our portal started from scratch, Supply2.gov.uk
has been quite a success. We received positive feedback during
last year’s roadshows, which has been borne out by the
number of public sector buyers and business suppliers who
have registered. The aim of next year is to build on that
success.”
Fiona Campbell, Brand Manager for Supply2.gov.uk, said:
"It is fantastic to be involved in such an important
development, helping businesses across the country source
lower-value public sector contracts.
“Supply2.gov.uk has had a successful year and we aim
to improve on that success, by constantly improving the service
Supply2.gov.uk offers and increasing the visibility of opportunities
to businesses.”
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