The government’s Small Business Procurement Programme is set to be implemented by the Ministry of Business come January 01, 2019.
During his post-Cabinet press briefing today, Minister of State, Joseph Harmon explained that this programme will ensure that small businesses have fair access to government procurement activities through a transparent and efficient process.
He noted that Section 11:1 of the Small Business Act of 2004 states that at least 20 percent of the procurement of goods and services required annually by the government be obtained from small businesses and that the Small Business Council which oversees the Small Business Bureau (SBB) must facilitate this by preparing a Small Business Procurement Programme.
Minister Harmon said, too, that there will also be a set of projects for sub-contracting. He said that these projects would be between $30M and $200M and that all ministries, agencies and regional authorities will participate in the implementation of the programme.
Specifically, the State Minister said, “The ministries, agencies and regional authorities will be required to provide annual projections of the value of small business procurement by sectors, based on their annual procurement plans to the SBB. They will also be required to implement the measures approved and provide a quarterly report on procurement payments to the SBB.”
Minister Harmon pointed out that the programme will also enhance the economic impact of public spending.
