Govt announces new procurement system

Suppliers should be able to access a range of government and public sector contracts with a single registration thanks to a new system which has been unveiled by the government. Francis Maude, minister for the Cabinet Office, announced that the Government Procurement Service was awarding a fresh contract to NQC Limited to help develop a Single Supplier Registration platform. The new system will be available to use from April this year for the health sector, with other areas of industry being rolled out over the coming months. At the moment, suppliers to the government and public sector need to register on a number of different systems in order to tender for business opportunities and view contracts. For small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs), it means that the task is very time consuming and onerous, potentially having a negative impact on their chances of securing the deal. However, the new system will replace the existing one with over 80,000 registered suppliers and 80,000 customers making use of it. "We’ve always said we want to simplify the procurement process, and it won’t make it easier for new suppliers to bid for government business if we’re asking them to register on several systems in order to access these opportunities," said Mr Maude. He added that GPS has now brought together the current myriad systems and tools into a single place of registration, which will hold up-to-date information on suppliers. The benefits will include simplicity and innovation, reducing the time spent and cost tendering for government business. "And in awarding the contract to NQC Limited, a SME based in Manchester, we’re showing exactly how government is actively providing more opportunities for SMEs to do business with us," Mr Maude went on to say. Earlier this week, Rics called for the government to simplify the procurement system for building contracts. It said that Whitehall has the power to unlock construction pipelines and improve the access and visibility of finance.