The Small Business Commissioner has launched a pilot program to cut red tape and make it easier for NSW small businesses to win contracts from local Councils.
Minister for Small Business, Damien Tudehope said the six-month pilot would enable small businesses to operate on a more level playing field when securing contracts with their local Council.
“NSW Councils spend significant funds on goods and services each year but many small businesses couldn’t compete with larger competitors for contracts,” Mr Tudehope said.
“A toolkit has been developed to help small businesses win Council contracts, while providing tips to local Councils on how they can become more small business friendly.”
He said the Local Government Act 1993 had been amended to increase the threshold for tenders from $150,000 to $250,000, which would provide more opportunities for Councils to engage businesses directly without a tender process.
“The Local Procurement Pilot provides tools to cut red tape and simplify the tender process for both small businesses and Councils,” Mr Tudehope said.
He said that as part of the Pilot, the ‘Doing Business with your local Council: A guide for small businesses’ provided useful tips for Councils and outlined each step of the procurement process.
“There are also some useful and easy-to-use forms for small businesses to complete to ensure they are procurement ready,” Mr Tudehope said.
The Small Business Commissioner’s new eight-page guide can be accessed at this PS News link.