The European Commission has suggested a raft of voluntary measures to member states to encourage participation by SMEs and sub-suppliers in public procurement in the defence sector.
“Innovativeness is the main asset that SMEs could bring to the defence industry”, the Commission states in the recommendation put to the member states on Monday 23 April.
A number of initiatives are highlighted: - better information, and as early as possible, on national long-term armament plans; - increased transparency in public procurement procedure, for example, providing a mechanism for economic operators interested in future calls to subscribe to mailings about published notices and organising targeted events; - granting a longer response time in calls for offers than the minimum time required; - dividing the contract into lots; - setting only necessary requirements, for example, the minimum yearly turnover required should not exceed twice the estimated contract value; - accepting self-declarations at the time of the submission of bids on the tenderer’s economic and financial standing and technical and professional ability, and seeking further information, if necessary, at a later date; - considering other kinds of financial support, such as use of structural funds and state guarantees.
The recommendation can be found at: https://bit.ly/2qSuDuM. (Original version in French by Mathieu Bion)