Brussels, 07/12/2007 (Agence Europe) - An external study, carried out by consultants GHK and Technopolis, has assessed trends in the European Union regarding access for small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) to public contracts over the period from 2002 to 2005. According to the report, “Medium-sized enterprises are performing relatively well in public procurement above the EU thresholds” contained in Community legislation. “However, this is not the case of small and micro enterprises,” it goes on. Noting considerable disparities between member states, the report indicates that, in 2005, SMEs picked up 64% of contracts worth 42% of the total value of the contracts covered by European directives. These figures do not take account of sub-contracts awarded to SMEs as part of a public contract awarded by another company.
Opining that there is “scope for improvement in the performance of SMEs in public procurement”, the report makes the following recommendations: - there should be further development of “Central Registration Systems” to allow SMEs to provide information on eligibility criteria to one register and thus tender for contracts awarded by different authorities; - there should be promotion of “e-procurement” which could reduce the transaction costs of preparing and submitting tenders; - “the capacity of awarding authorities to generate high quality invitations to tender” should be enhanced so that these authorities take factors other than price into account; - clusters of public contract professionals from various member states should be set up and study visits and specific European conferences organised. However, providing specific quotas which would reserve contracts for European SMEs is not among the list of recommendations. Such an idea has been promoted by several member states, but the Commission has always been against, saying it was protectionist (see EUROPE 9549).
Better administrative procedures were the only way to increase the share of public contracts awarded to SMEs in Europe, said Gerhard Huemer on behalf of the European Association of Craft, Small and Medium sized Enterprises, in a press release. The Commission's Small Business Act, expected in 2008, will set out a raft of measures to help set up and expand SMEs in the internal market. It will contain measures directly related to the award of public contracts. (M.B.)