Despite the economy being almost absolutely dominated by small and medium-sized enterprises, their ability to access large public contracts is often limited. The magnitude of the calls, the complexity of the procedures that must be met to access them, or the non-adaptation of the requirements to their characteristics end up making it impossible for them to participate in tenders in the same way as large companies.
Thus, 99.8% of the companies in Catalonia, which represent 70% of employment and 65% of GDP, according to Pimec data, are excluded from public tenders, an issue that harms their growth, since the Administration is the entity with the greatest contracting capacity. The employers' association adds that, in the city of Barcelona alone, these tenders involve an expenditure of more than 1,100 million euros annually and generate more than 50,000 contracts.
All this is magnified when public tenders have an international scope. For this reason, Acció will lead a European project that will have to facilitate the participation of SMEs from all over Europe in these calls. This initiative joins its comprehensive service window to identify public contracts worldwide and advise Catalan companies to successfully bid.
Within the framework of this European project, which will last three years, work will be done jointly with clusters and other business associations to offer on-site support, advice, and training to more than 600 SMEs. Named Goose, the initiative has a budget of more than half a million euros and is co-financed by the European Union. In addition to Acció, which coordinates the consortium, the Estonian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ECCI), Flanders Investment & Trade (FIT), and the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Slovenia (CCIS) also participate. Specifically, public tenders will be worked on in Chile, Colombia, Norway, Serbia, Japan, and Vietnam. The program is specially designed for SMEs in the green economy, ICT, smart cities, and smart health sectors.
Phases of the European program
In a first phase, which will last one year, the internationalization strategy will be designed. In the second, training sessions, joint missions abroad, networking days, and a mentoring service will be organized so that local consultants from each country advise European companies. In addition, a virtual platform will be created to share concrete opportunities in these countries and encourage companies from Catalonia, Flanders, Estonia, and Slovenia to jointly bid for public tenders.