A bold new way for procurement in GM

Fancy a slice of the public sector pie? For years, small businesses have looked at council contracts with a mixture of longing and dread. Longing for the steady income, dreading the mountain of paperwork and the feeling that the whole thing was rigged in favour of the big boys. If you’ve been through that particular meat grinder, you know what I’m talking about.

Well, hold onto your hats, because things in Greater Manchester are about to change. A brand-new pilot scheme is being launched, and it could be a total game changer for local SMEs.

Let’s be honest, public procurement hasn’t exactly been known for its small-business friendliness. It’s often felt like trying to climb Everest in flip-flops. Complex e-tendering portals, mountains of forms, and a general sense of “computer says no” have left many smaller firms feeling like they’re not even in the race – and they’re not wrong!

But Greater Manchester is trying something different, something smart.

Enter the AI-powered ‘matchmaker’. No, not a dating app for lonely entrepreneurs (though, there’s an idea...). This clever system, being piloted by STAR Procurement, links local councils with local businesses for smaller contracts (initially under ￡50k, but potentially up to ￡213k). Think of it as Tinder for town hall tenders – but it’s an AI platform doing the swiping right on eligible businesses, ideally local to the procuring town hall.

The beauty of this pilot is its simplicity. No more wrestling with labyrinthine procurement portals, no more unecessary questions, no more inputting the same data for every application. Just register your business details once (it only takes 13 questions – less than your average pub quiz!), and the AI does the legwork, matching you with relevant opportunities. It’s like having a personal procurement assistant, minus the hefty salary.

This is what good public sector procurement looks like, and it’s something FSB has been actively campaigning for in GM since 2022 so we’re absolutely thrilled to be involved in this pilot.

This IS a massive win for local businesses, make no bones about that. It will help level the playing field, and offers smaller firms and VCSOs a genuine chance to compete for public sector work. It effectively mandates local authorities to practice what they often preach around ‘shop local’, and encourage them to make use of the businesses within their borders first and foremost to deliver goods and services they need.

And it’s a win for councils too, who can access a wider pool of local talent and keep taxpayer money circulating within the community. Good for local jobs, good for local growth, good for Greater Manchester's city region!

Given the right start, the right encouragement, and with genuine town hall buy-in, we believe it could - and should - unlock a treasure trove of opportunities for local businesses and VCSOs. This could be key to unlocking sustainable growth for countless small enterprises across GM.

So, if you're a small business or a VCSO and your based in GM, what are you waiting for? Get yourself registered on the portal. You might just find that your local council is your new best customer. And who knows, maybe one day you'll be the one supplying the town hall’s biscuits, stationary, print cartridges – you get the point! Now that’s something to swipe right for.

You can register your details on the portal HERE. Register, then share with other businesses in GM and ask them to do the same. If you have any questions please do either ping me an email on [email protected]; or come along to our virtual session this Friday, Feb 21st, where I'll be hosting a short session for businesses to come and learn more and ask a question. Book on HERE.