An Architect's Guide to Public Procurement

05.Qualification barriers

Data from FreshMinds has suggested that approximately 70% of all SMEs do not really engage with public tenders. Of these, 41% have never entered and 29% rarely enter into a public tender.¹ It is also interesting to note that local authorities are the most successful of contracting authorities for contracting with SMEs. As their focus is predominantly on local economic development, this may go some way towards explaining the suitability of SMEs in meeting these needs. There is much evidence to suggest that contracting authorities are focused on finding reasons to exclude rather than include², and it has been shown in the many industry reports discussed in Chapter 1 that there is a wide variability in professionalism. ...