Utilizing Small and Medium-sized Businesses in the Public Sector

IACCM is conducting this survey on the attitudes towards leveraging small, medium-sized, minority and woman-owned businesses as suppliers for Public Sector requirements. As with all of IACCM surveys, your input remains confidential; our results will anonymize the information from the respondents. Thank you in advance for your participation.

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* 1. Please identify whether you are in the public sector, private sector or NGO

Public Sector

Private Sector

Non-Governmental Organization (NGO)

Non-profit business

Other (please specify)

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* 2. If in the private sector, please identify the size and type of your company based upon the public sector definitions applicable to your entity:

Small Business

Small Woman-owned Business

Small Diversity-owned Business (Gender, Veteran, etc.)

Medium-sized Business

Large Business

Other (please specify)

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* 3. Region / Location in which you are based:

Africa

Asia

Australasia

Europe

India

Middle East

North America

South/Central America

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* 4. Do you believe the Public Sector should strive to improve the accessibility of public procurement for small and medium-sized enterprises?

Yes

Unsure

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* 5. Please explain your choice under question 4 above

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* 6. Do you believe the public sector assumes greater risk when contracts are awarded to small and medium-sized enterprises?

Yes

Unsure / it depends

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* 7. Please explain your choice under question 6 above

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* 8. What do you believe are / would be the benefits from the public sector making public procurement more accessible to small and medium-sized enterprises? (Select at least one, maximum of 3)

Economic Sustainability

Improve Quality

Increase Competition

Increase Value for Money

Increase Support for Innovation

Low Prices

Morally Correct

Reduced Cycle Times

None

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* 9. Select all of the public procurement practices that are implemented for Small Businesses including Woman and Diversity-owned Small Businesses in your area/region (select all that apply):

Adoption of set-aside programs that restrict competition for specified public procurements to small business suppliers

Advantages in the proposal evaluation process that benefit the small business suppliers

Application of past performance of engaging small businesses in the evaluation process for new large procurements/acquisitions

Implementation of prompt payment terms that ensure small businesses are paid within 30 days for non-disputed invoices

Removal of any pre-qualification requirements for small businesses for public procurements at determined thresholds

Requirement for large businesses to include a plan for using small businesses and assign evaluation criteria for the credibility of the plan to meet established percentage goals

Requirement for public sector acquisition teams to publish award notices for contracts and framework agreements in one place

Requirement to advertise all public sector opportunities in one place

Requirements for public sector acquisition organizations to award a set minimum of contracts (by number and currency) on an annual basis to small businesses

None

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* 10. Select all of the public procurement practices that are implemented for Medium-sized Enterprises in your area/region (select all that apply):

Adoption of set-aside programs that restrict competition for specified public procurements to medium-sized enterprises

Advantages in the proposal evaluation process that benefit the medium-sized suppliers

Application of past performance of engaging medium-sized enterprises in the evaluation process for new large procurements/acquisitions

Implementation of prompt payment terms that ensure medium-sized enterprises are paid within 30 days for non-disputed invoices

Removal of any pre-qualification requirements for medium-sized enterprises for public procurements at determined thresholds

Requirement for large businesses to include a plan for using medium-sized enterprises and assign evaluation criteria for the credibility of the plan to meet established percentage goals

Requirement for public sector acquisition teams to publish award notices for contracts and framework agreements in one place

Requirement to advertise all public sector opportunities in one place

Requirements for public sector acquisition organizations to award a set minimum of contracts (by number and currency) on an annual basis to medium-sized enterprises

None

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* 11. Please identify any other initiatives beyond those listed under the responses to questions 9 and 10 that are or will be adopted by the public sector in your area:

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* 12. Identify applicable area/nation/region for the answers in 11.

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* 13. Select the 3 procurement initiatives from the list below that would most improve the accessibility of public procurement for small and medium-sized suppliers (select 3):

Apply points in the proposal evaluation process that benefit the small and medium-sized enterprises suppliers

Create set-aside programs that restrict competition for specified public procurements to certain business entities

Implement a requirement to advertise all public sector opportunities in one place

Implement prompt payment terms that ensure suppliers throughout the public procurement supply chain are paid within 30 days for non-disputed invoices

Leverage past performance of engaging small and medium-sized enterprises in the evaluation process for new large procurements

Remove pre-qualification requirements for public procurements at determined thresholds

Require large businesses to include a plan for using small and medium-sized enterprises and assign evaluation criteria for the credibility of the plan to meet established percentage goals

Require public sector acquisition organizations to award a set minimum of contracts (by number and currency) on an annual basis to small and medium-sized enterprises

Require public sector acquisition teams to publish award notices for contracts and framework agreements in one place

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* 14. Do you believe the public sector should identify requirements for which only certain sized companies (e.g., small businesses or medium-sized businesses) may compete? An example is a set-aside program where competition is restricted to small businesses.

Yes

Unsure

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* 15. Please explain your choice under question 14 above

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* 16. Do you have any other ideas or suggestions for how the public sector can make public procurement more accessible to small and medium-sized enterprises?

Yes

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* 17. Please explain your choice under question 16 above

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* 18. If you are a small or medium-sized business do you reinvest in your company

Yes

Not Applicable

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* 19. If you answered yes under question 18, please identify the percentage of investment and areas of focus (e.g., 10% of revenues invested in company technology development and staff increases, etc.):

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* 20. May we contact you to further discuss the responses to this survey?

No, Thank You

Yes, you may contact me further discuss the responses to this survey

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* 21. If Yes, the Phone Number you wish to be contacted at

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* 22. If Yes, the Email address that you wish to be contacted at

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* 23. If you would like to receive a copy of the results of this survey, please enter your e-mail address here (you will not be quoted and your input will not be shared with any third party)