When the public and private sectors come together, both parties can benefit.
The UK government wants businesses to grow and succeed, and in recent years has made several promises to open the public sector procurement market to new suppliers and those from SME backgrounds.
With the public sector always looking to improve its service delivery and identify new, innovative suppliers, it may be worthwhile to start looking for new opportunities within this thriving marketplace.
Is government contracting right for your business?
There is a high chance your business could find work with the public sector as it procures a diverse range of goods, works and services. The public sector needs everything from pencils to buildings, all of which need to be purchased via the public procurement process.
The UK Government spends around £284 billion on goods, works and services each year and thousands of suppliers are getting a piece of the action.
That said, your business should weigh up the pros and cons of entering this market before it gets started. We weigh up the pros and cons of government contracting below.
Pros
- Government contracts can guarantee a small business ongoing revenue and stable cash flow which in turn will support their businesses development.
- The public sector marketplace is a fair playing field. Transparency in the public sector is a must, so government bodies have to be honest and professional in the way they choose suppliers.
- Unlike private sector contracts, the public sector is never a bad debt risk. The public sector must pay promptly. Accounts must be paid within 30 days of receiving a valid bill or invoice.
- Even if your business fails to win a contract, you are entitled to ask for a debrief. This feedback will help your business to grow and understand where you went wrong this time. If you do decide to go back to the drawing board and bid for another tender, make sure you use this information to your advantage and learn from your mistakes.
- Having a public sector client on your books will look great to other potential clients and will help you to build references for future procurements.
Cons
- If you think that your business will get rich quick through government contracting, then think again. The procurement process is intricate and lengthy. Your business will invest a lot of time bidding for contracts – some that it may not win.
- It can be difficult for beginners to get their head around the public sector procurement process. If you are new to the process, there are lots of great resources you can use to help you get started. Supply2Gov customers are given top tendering tips when they join which give users the knowledge necessary to tackle procurement in the right way to succeed.
- If you are bidding for work with the public sector, your business will need to afford the short-term costs of fulfilling the contract. Even if your business is successful, there may be costs as you may have to travel after winning the contract or pay additional staff to fulfil the specification.
We take the hard part out of government tendering
The benefits of government contracting outweigh the cons and we are here to help get you through the process.
At Supply2Gov we help new and existing suppliers find contracts that are right for their business, to help them grow in this lucrative market.
We help our customers get started with our Supply2Gov guides so that they can make the most of the opportunities that are available to then and learn more about public sector procurement.
When it comes to finding opportunities, our team can also help. We put all our contract information in one simple to use place for you. This tender database is the UK and Republic of Ireland’s largest and is researched from over 3,000 sources (we publish more opportunities than even the Government’s own national contract services).
Registration is free and easy, and we can help you to find opportunities relevant to your business right away.