Building capacity and resilience in the small and medium enterpises (SME) market will aid the development of a business structure that will effectively support economic growth.

It is essential we have a clear understanding of those contracts which may be particularly suited to smaller suppliers and that we ensure these opportunities are specifically highlighted to SMEs.

In addition to this we need to raise awareness and build capacity by:

• ensuring organisations understand how to do business with the council,
• promoting and using ProContract, the council's electronic tendering portal
• ensuring our processes are simple and proportionate to the requirements,
• simplifying our tender documentation to make it easier for businesses to understand,
• effectively engaging with the market to understand its make-up and maturity,
• putting mechanisms in place to provide advice and guidance on completing tenders, both contract specific and generic,
• ensuring post tender feedback is constructive and can be used by suppliers to inform future bids.

SME Engagement Plan

We have drawn up an SME Engagement Plan in partnership with the Torbay Federation of Small Businesses. The aim of this plan is to identify what the council can do to improve the public procurement experience for small businesses.

The plan has been based upon the Making the most of small businesses report Opens in a new window drawn up by the Federation of Small Businesses which sets out a model approach for councils when it comes to procurement.