Janet Finch-Saunders

Whilst we broadly support the SQuID procurement process it is fair to say that probably one of the reasons that only seven out of 22 local authorities are using it—the point that my colleague Mike Hedges made—was the fact that there is still a lot of bureaucracy and red tape involved with very small companies trying to actually tender for lots of works taking place within a local authority. How do you intend to work with our local authorities over this next term to ensure that we do keep the pound going around in our own localities and that we allow some of those small businesses who haven’t got the time or the resources to spend finding their way and navigating their way through this bureaucracy and red tape, so that they can actually have a piece of the action and some of the money for local jobs?

Mark Drakeford

Can I thank Janet Finch-Saunders for that question? I think it’s important to say that the Electrical Contractors’ Association’s own research said that only seven of 22 councils use the system in full—far more of them use it for parts of what they do. So, it’s a matter of building up from what they do already to use it in even greater dimensions of their work. I understand the point she makes about trying to keep bureaucracy to a minimum. The SQuID approach is deliberately designed to try and make it easier for small indigenous firms to compete for business by making access to procurement and potential contracts easier for them. I’m very happy to say that we will continue to work with local authorities and others involved in this field to bear down on unnecessary bureaucracy wherever that can be identified.