Doors open for small business

Online tendering resources will allow small businesses to operate on a level playing field with larger enterprises for the first time, delivering on the Newman Government’s election promise to cut red tape and regulation by 20 per cent by 2018.

Minister for Tourism, Major Events, Small Business and the Commonwealth Games Jann Stuckey said the new technology was designed to help small and medium sized businesses tender to supply goods or services to the Queensland Government.

“Small businesses play a vital role in generating economic activity and employment across the state,” Ms Stuckey said.

“After suffocating under Labor for many years, the Newman Government is opening doors to give them more opportunities and make doing business easier.”

The online tendering resources include:
• guides for developing competitive tender responses and the process of supplying to government
• a “fit to supply” diagnostic tool to help businesses determine their supplier capability and a list of key resources to help enhance supplier capabilities
• a specialised search function for the “Q-Tender” database of government open tender opportunities

“This initiative is another example of the Newman Government bringing together agencies to reduce red tape and bureaucracy for business and let the industry get on with the job,” she said.

Ms Stuckey said this online suite of tendering resources means better growth opportunities for companies as well as cost savings to government.

“By opening up the processes of government procurement to more businesses at the small to medium sized end of the market, we can tap into the innovation, agility and efficiencies of smaller companies in producing and delivering goods and services,” she said.

“Receiving a greater number of complying tenders and securing greater value for money responses ensure lower costs for everyone involved.”

The tendering resources were developed by the Department of Tourism, Major Events, Small Business and the Commonwealth Games (DTESB), in collaboration across Government, making use of the experience of those involved in equipping small and medium sized businesses to tender for commercial contracts from the London 2012 Olympic Games and the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games. 
 
Businesses can access the online tendering resources at www.business.qld.gov.au.

[ENDS] 6 March 2014

Media contact: Natalie Wynne 0439 291 268