Vol. 450 No. 7
10 Mr. E. Byrne asked the Minister for Enterprise and Employment if his attention has been drawn to concerns that small businesses are finding it difficult to obtain public procurement contracts; the proposals, if any, he has to increase the competitiveness of small indigenous firms in view of the job creation potential of such firms; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5490/95]
I am aware that the very process of tendering and the operating realities of small businesses do not sit comfortably together. Typically, small firms find the process of accessing timely information on public contracts, whether on domestic or on export markets, to be difficult. There is also a reluctance on the part of many small businesses to involve themselves in public contracting as this tends to be a time consuming process and often one failure to secure a contract can be enough to create an impression that it is not worth the effort and-or that the process is de facto stacked against the small firm.
