As featured in the May 2018 print issue of Professional Security magazine, the Crown Commercial Service (CCS) gave a presentation at the NSI Summit in March as the CCS looks to make it easier for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to tend for the Management Consultancy Framework. Mark Walker, Group Chairman, at the services contractor Ashridge Group, considers what needs to be done to make the procurement process more accessible. He says:
For more SMEs to benefit from the proposed revisions to the CCS facilities management framework, the overriding emphasis on the need to deliver more and better for less needs to change. Along with the negative impact it has on quality and performance, the onus on price is also having a negative effect on the lower paid worker. With overheads rising and buyers continuing to drive prices down, it’s now becoming even more challenging to increase workers’ wages.
Despite advances to the framework, the public procurement process still needs some attention. It’s encouraging to see how it is evolving, however, matters such as buyer awareness and procurement management must be given higher priority for SMEs to really start making ground in a sector which is still dominated by larger organisations.
While we would encourage big companies to review their payment terms and conditions when subcontracting SMEs, it would also be beneficial for the government to involve SMEs more when looking at what needs to be done to make the process more accessible to them.
With fewer resources, the majority of small businesses cannot afford the average four to eight days of work required from a full senior management team to complete tenders unless they have their own bid department or outsource this at a significant cost. At present, it’s a risk that many are not in a position to take in return for little profit.
