A number of reasons have been put forward for why this is the case, including: the bidding process is bureaucratic, long winded and skewed towards those companies with the necessary staff and experience; it's difficult to find out what tendering opportunities are available; and that 'nobody gets sacked for buying IBM'.
More access to Government business, the thinking goes, will help the UK's SMEs to prosper. And there is movement; in 2013/14, 26% of procurement business was placed with SMEs, meeting the previous coalition government's target of 25% by the end of its mandate in May this year.
Perhaps the most obvious demonstration yet of this desire to be inclusive came last week, with the announcement by the Ministry of Defence of Project MORPHEUS – the main procurement vehicle for the UK Armed Forces' tactical communications capability for the next 30 years.
Project MORPHEUS is looking for input on new technological approaches from anyone involved in areas such as electronics, telecommunications, wireless, IT, networks and security.
The door is certainly ajar; if you're a small company and involved in these areas, why not give it a push?
