Supplier opportunities, guidance and support

A national Dynamic Purchasing reserved for Supported Businesses has been established to provide products and services to the Scottish public sector. 

The Online Supplier Journey makes it easier for Scottish companies to bid for work in the public sector.

• The website guides firms, large and small, through each step in the process – setting out what to expect from buyers and what is expected of them, simplifying guidance, making it easier to understand.  It is particularly useful for small businesses. 

• The journey guides businesses through the process of applying for contracts, making the system more streamlined and easier to understand and has been developed with the help of Scottish companies who have already gone through the process. 

The Single Point of Enquiry is an independent, impartial and confidential service for suppliers to the public sector in Scotland.  The service offers advice on the procurement rules which must be followed by public bodies in Scotland and information on how contracts are advertised and awarded.   If you have concerns about a specific tender exercise, they can work with you and the buying organisation to try and resolve your concerns.  They do not have formal powers to investigate suppliers’ concerns or change decisions made by buying organisations. Feedback from suppliers contributes to improvements in public procurement practices in Scotland.

Scottish Enterprise Net Zero Accelerator Tool – this is designed to help businesses work towards a net zero future using practical, inclusive and data-led solutions.

The Supplier Development Programme (SDP)

Scotland’s free tender training service for SME’s is a programme of tender training events.

The programme has been designed to ensure that SME’s can easily progress through the various different course levels with free events in or near their business location, plus many of the courses can be accessed online via webinar, reducing the time burden on small businesses being out of the office.

The programme includes a wealth of courses, including “hot topics” such as Community Benefits and Sustainable Procurement, as well as core issues such as finding contracts and completing ESPDs. So whether you are just starting out and wish to find out about how to work with the public sector or need to improve your tender skills, SDP will have a course for you. Please click on the following link to browse and book a course and get tender ready: https://www.sdpscotland.co.uk/events-training/

Supplier Cyber Security

Cyber-attacks (such as phishing, ransomware, hacking, etc.) are becoming an increasing threat to our economy and society. No internet-connected organisation, however large or small, is immune.

Cyber-attacks may be targeted at specific organisations or individuals, or untargeted, where attackers indiscriminately attack as many vulnerable machines or users connected to the internet as possible. These attacks are as real a risk to the small business that relies on a database of customers to distribute its goods as they are to multinational banking organisations.

 As part of the Scottish Public Sector Action Plan on Cyber Resilience Scotland’s public sector organisations are encouraged to adopt a common approach to supplier cyber security. Links to authoritative sources of advice and support can be found at the Scottish Government Cyber Resilience website.  

The NCSC’s small business and charities guides can be found at National Cyber Security Centre - NCSC.GOV.UK

You can get a free digital health check and 1:1 support at Business Gateway's Digital Boost