The aims of these actions will be as follows:
To examine how to use the power of local authority purchasing as a driver for local sustainable SME development through the better utilisation of eProcurement. The project will work with public sector and third sector organisations as well as private sector SMEs in order that ways of facilitating sustainable development can be developed. Sustainable development is a combination of social and economic development taking into account the effects on the environment. Activities will include:

• Investigation and evaluation of how SMEs can achieve benefits through public sector eProcurement and cross-referenced to the perceived benefits for local authorities.
• Investigating how the available communications infrastructure and the types of solutions might disadvantage the rural suppliers and which solution might work best within such a situation. This will be achieved by contrasting the performance of rural SMEs with that of urban SMEs.
• Investigation of other areas of eGovernment interactions, which might generate greater benefits for SMEs e.g. invoice certification


• To develop a tool and methodology by which local authorities and other public sector institutions can eProcure from SMEs by piloting the options and solutions.


You can visit the project website here