Overview of selling to government

Introduction

Selling products or services to government bodies is a significant opportunity for all businesses - each year the public sector spends around £220 billion on goods and services.

Small to medium-sized businesses can compete successfully for public sector contracts. Public sector bodies ranging from central government departments, devolved authorities and the NHS to local authorities and the armed forces all place orders with businesses, so there may be contracts of interest to you.

Public sector organisations can make good customers. They have to employ tendering processes that are transparent, provide essential information to potential suppliers and ensure a fair chance for small businesses.

They also have to be fair and honest in the way they choose suppliers and pay promptly within agreed contract terms.

The Department for Business, Innovation & Skills has recently launched an online procurement course, Winning the Contract. This course will help you gain an understanding about public procurement and how to bid for public sector contracts, and can be accessed free of charge.

This guide explains where you can find out about potential contracts, outlines the kind of procurement process you may have to undergo and tells you where to find out more.

Subjects covered in this guide

• Introduction
• What opportunities are available?
• Where to find out about contracts
• The procurement process
• Procurement regulations for public sector contracts
• The role of e-procurement
• Resolving public sector tendering problems

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