The plan is that the new technology will reduce the amount of
time and paperwork needed to put forward and assess tenders for
public sector work.
E-sourcing technology company BravoSolution SpA will supply the
web-based service to participating public sector organisations in a
four-year agreement signed yesterday with OGCbuying.solutions, the
trading arm of the Office of Government Commerce.
This will allow public sector procurement professionals and
their suppliers access to innovative e-sourcing technology and
related services via the internet. Comprising four main service
areas – e-tendering, e-evaluation, e-contract management and
e-collaboration – the e-sourcing service will encompass the
'full-life cycle' of the tender and request for quotation
process.
"It is a fantastic sourcing tool, very simple to use and it will
deliver value for money by saving time and money in the day to day
procurement activities of government employees and help companies,
including SMEs, to do business with government," said Hugh Barrett,
Chief Executive of OGCbuying.solutions.
The move comes shortly after the Federation of Small Businesses
published figures showing that the ability of a business to win
contracts from the public sector is directly related to its
size.
Of the 18,000 FSB members surveyed, just 38% of firms with a
turnover under £25,000 sell goods and services to local
authorities, compared to 65% of firms with a turnover of more than
£1 million.
Only one business in five with a turnover below £25,000 sells
anything to central government compared to two in five businesses
with turnovers above £5m.
The FSB has asked the Office of Fair Trading to launch a market
study, arguing that current practices distort the public sector
market and are in conflict with the Competition Act.
