SME needs analysis in public procurement : final report.
Date: 2021-07-06
Institutions: Directorate-General for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs
Subjects: EU Member State, competition, digital technology, economic recovery, innovation, invitation to tender, performance measurement, public procurement, risk management, size of business, small and medium-sized enterprises

SME NEEDS ANALYSIS IN PUBLIC 
PROCUREMENT 

Final Report 

Written by t33 Srl 
February 2021 

Internal Market, 
Industry, 
Entrepreneurship 
and SMEs 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
EUROPEAN COMMISSION 

Directorate-General for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs 
Directorate C — Investment 
Unit C.2 — Public Procurement 

Contact: Katharina Knapton-Vierlich 

E-mail:  GROW-C2@ec.europa.eu  

European Commission 
B-1049 Brussels 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
SME NEEDS ANALYSIS IN PUBLIC PROCUREMENT 

SME NEEDS ANALYSIS IN PUBLIC 
PROCUREMENT  

Final Report 

Directorate-General for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs  

2021 

EN 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Manuscript completed in February 2021 

Written  by  Pietro  Celotti,  Michele  Alessandrini,  Alessandro  Valenza,  Clarissa  Amichetti  (t33)  and  Javier  Fábregas,  with 
contributions from Cristina Stronati  and Paola Le Moglie (t33, public procurement practitioners), Alessandro Lucchetti (legal 
expert), Lorenzo Palego (t33, national expert for Italy), Jacqueline Brouwer (Reeleaf, national expert for the Netherlands), 
Jacek Kotrasinski and Tomasz Sokół (EPSEC, national experts for Poland), Liliana Lucaciu and Alexandra Baciu (LIDEEA, 
national  experts  for  Romania),  and  Ulf  Johansson  (AdASTRA,  national  expert  for  Sweden).  Language  review  by  Timothy 
Wills. 

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SME NEEDS ANALYSIS IN PUBLIC PROCUREMENT 

Table of Contents 

ABBREVIATIONS ................................................................................ ……………7 

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ........................................................................................ 8 

INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................. 12 

1.  THE METHODOLOGY .................................................................................. 13 

1.1. Overview .................................................................................................................. 13 

1.2. Information collection ............................................................................................... 15 

1.2.1. Quiz ............................................................................................................................. 15 
1.2.2. Webinars rationale and structure ................................................................................. 16 
1.2.3. Story selection and development ................................................................................. 18 

1.3. Information analysis and formulation of actions ....................................................... 19 

2.  EXPLORING SMEs: ‘QUIZ’ RESULTS ........................................................ 22 

2.1. Enterprise experience with PP ................................................................................. 22 

2.2. Knowledge of PP ..................................................................................................... 23 

2.2.1. Knowledge of PP principles ......................................................................................... 23 
2.2.2. Knowledge of PP opportunities .................................................................................... 25 

2.3. Summary of findings ................................................................................................ 28 

3.  MEETING  SMEs,  ASSOCIATIONS  AND  PUBLIC  PROCURERS:  RESULTS  FROM 
THE WEBINARS .................................................................................................. 35 

3.1. General SME barriers with PP ................................................................................. 35 

3.2. Screening opportunities: TED ................................................................................. 38 

3.2.1. Barriers........................................................................................................................ 39 
3.2.2. Proposals for improvement .......................................................................................... 42 

3.3. Selection criteria: dealing with requirements ........................................................... 44 

3.3.1. Barriers........................................................................................................................ 44 
3.3.2. Proposals for improvement .......................................................................................... 46 

3.4. SMEs in PP: competitors or partners? .................................................................... 48 

3.4.1. Barriers........................................................................................................................ 49 
3.4.2. Proposals for improvement .......................................................................................... 50 

4.  TELLING SME EXPERIENCES: STORIES AND KEY MESSAGES ............ 52 

4.1. Overview of SME characteristics ............................................................................. 52 

4.2. Barriers and solutions .............................................................................................. 54 

4.2.1. Barriers........................................................................................................................ 54 
4.2.2. Proposals for improvement .......................................................................................... 57 

4.3. The stories .............................................................................................................. 60 

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SME NEEDS ANALYSIS IN PUBLIC PROCUREMENT 

4.3.1. Italy ............................................................................................................................. 60 
4.3.2. The Netherlands .......................................................................................................... 70 
4.3.3. Poland ......................................................................................................................... 78 
4.3.4. Romania ...................................................................................................................... 90 
4.3.5. Sweden ....................................................................................................................... 97 

5. 

IMPROVING SME ACCESS TO PP ............................................................ 115 

5.1. Alignment with EC action ....................................................................................... 117 

5.2. Key messages and narratives ............................................................................... 117 

5.3. Actions to improve SME access to PP .................................................................. 129 

5.3.1. Digital tools and communication ................................................................................ 132 
5.3.2. Guidance and support for SMEs and public procurers ............................................... 136 
5.3.3. Better implementation of PP directives principles ...................................................... 141 

6.  CONCLUSIONS AND SUBSEQUENT RESEARCH ................................... 143 

6.1. Conclusions ........................................................................................................... 143 

6.2. Subsequent research ............................................................................................ 144 

Annex A - Quiz figures by enterprise categories ........................................... 145 

Annex B - The ‘quiz’.......................................................................................... 150 

Annex C – Questionnaires used in the training sessions ............................. 155 

Annex  D  –  Public  procurers  and  SME  associations  involved  in  the  interactive 
sessions and in the study circles .................................................................... 158 

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SME NEEDS ANALYSIS IN PUBLIC PROCUREMENT 

ABBREVIATIONS 

Abbreviation 

Full name 

CPV 

DIH 

EEN 

EC 

ESPD 

GDPR 

ICT 

IoT 

KPIs 

NACE 

PP 

SEDIA 

SME 

TED 

ToR 

Common Procurement Vocabulary 

Digital Innovation Hubs 

European Enterprise Network 

European Commission 

European Single Procurement Document 

General Data Protection Regulation 

Information and communication technology 

Internet of Things 

Key Performance Indicators 

Nomenclature  statistique  des  activités  économiques  dans 
Communauté européenne 

la 

(Statistical Classification of Economic Activities in the European 
Community) 

Public Procurement 

Single Electronic Data Interchange Area website 

Micro, Small and Medium-Sized Enterprise 

Tenders Electronic Daily platform 

Terms of Reference 

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SME NEEDS ANALYSIS IN PUBLIC PROCUREMENT 

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 

Background 

Public procurement (PP) accounts for around 14 % of the EU’s GDP, but despite new SME-friendly 
provisions  introduced  by  the  2014  Directives,  SME  participation  in PP  is  still  limited compared to 
their  role  in  Member  State  national  economies.  Several  barriers  pose  difficulties  to  SMEs 
participating and winning tenders. 

Easier access to PP markets can help SMEs unlock their potential with a positive impact on growth 
and, especially in a time of crisis, on economic recovery. Being a public sector supplier with long-
term contract commitments may be a shield against recession. Moreover, as subcontractors of larger 
firms  in  PP,  SMEs  could  increase  business  opportunities,  while  the  certainty  of  being  paid  may 
reduce  cash  flow  volatility  and  other  risks.  Finally,  a  strong  involvement  of  SMEs  in  PP  allows 
contracting authorities to considerably broaden their potential supplier base and benefit from more 
competition for public contracts.  

The  objective  of  the  project  is  to  identify  support  actions  reducing  barriers  for  SMEs  and 
communicate the opportunities offered by PP, to ultimately improve their participation in PP. 
The  results  can  contribute  to  policy  making  and  offer  additional  tools  and  channels  to  better 
communicate  market  opportunities  and  measures  already  facilitating  SME  participation  in  PP. 
Furthermore, this project can serve as a pilot for more extensive work around the issue.  

Methodological approach 

Barriers  limiting  SME  participation  in  PP  have  been  widely  analysed  in  the  literature,  both 
quantitatively and qualitatively, though two aspects remain less covered.  

The first  is  a more  specific  understanding  of  how  particular  types  of  SMEs  are  discouraged from 
participating  in  PP.  It  appears  necessary  to  investigate  factors  such  as  size  (especially 
microenterprises),  age  (especially  recently  established  enterprises),  sector  (distinguishing 
manufacturing, services and construction) and performance (positive vs low or negative growth), 
as different types of SME could face different barriers. 

The second aspect concerns information and communication mechanisms. Inefficient access to 
information  can  result  in  limited  access  to  PP.  Unclear  communication  of  opportunities  to  ‘do 
business’  with  the  public  sector  can  strengthen  this  result.  Some  barriers  that  hinder  SME 
involvement in public tendering could be lowered by improving specific forms of communication.  

To answer these two gaps, it was necessary to design and apply three innovative methodological 
tools to extract information through ‘disguised observation’ of enterprises that are not necessarily 
aware  of  their  difficulties  in  accessing  PP.  The  three  methodological  tools  were  a  quiz,  training 
sessions complemented with both interactive sessions and study circles, and stories. 

This also ensured a qualitative review of SME access to PP from several points of view, including 
the  most  fragile  actors  (microenterprises,  recently  established  enterprises,  traditional  sector 
enterprises and enterprises with negative growth).  

The focus was on five EU Member States: Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Romania and Sweden. 
This  ensured  a  balance  of  geography,  EU  accession,  population  and  economic  size,  as  well  as 
diverse national approaches to PP. 

For a broad picture of difficulties in accessing PP, a quiz was directly sent to a broad selection of 
SMEs.  Far  from  being  a  self-assessment  tool,  the  quiz  invited  enterprises  to  measure  their 
knowledge of PP from a ‘game perspective’. Reviewing the answers to ‘theoretical’ questions on PP, 
the researchers obtained information on SMEs’ level of PP knowledge. Based on 371 responses, 

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PP experiences and approaches were analysed by enterprise size, age, sector, performance and 
Member State to highlight potential barriers affecting particular types of enterprise. 

In  order  to observe  enterprises  while  dealing  with  PP  aspects,  a  second  innovative  solution  was 
successfully  used.  PP  training  sessions  for  SMEs  included  practical  exercises  that  gave  the 
opportunity to observe their use of Tender Electronic Daily database (TED) and their approach to 
selection criteria  in a  tender  document. This  was  used to  investigate  how  barriers  hamper  SMEs 
when they face PP issues. There was also direct interaction between SMEs and public procurers 
in a series of interactive sessions in the five Member States with structured dialogue between the 
parties,  especially  at  local  and  regional  level.  In  addition,  SME  associations  and  selected  public 
procurers  discussed  the  findings  at  national  level  in  dedicated  study  circles.  There  was  strong 
interaction between 55 SMEs, 19 public procurers and 15 SME associations despite restrictions on 
face-to-face  meetings  due  the  Covid-19  emergency.  As  foreseen  when  the  data  collection 
methodology had to be revised (Spring 2020), the online modality enabled more powerful ways to 
observe  SMEs  doing  exercises  on  PP  as  well  as  interacting  with  public  procurers  and  SME 
associations. This resulted in more detailed information on barriers and potential solutions. 

Finally,  16  stories  were  selected  to  demonstrate  successful  and  unsuccessful  SME  experiences 
with PP across the five Member States. Developed through interviews with SME representatives, 
they highlight key challenges to exploit PP opportunities and detail how enterprises deal with PP. 
The  stories  also  helped  generate  key  messages  to  assist  potential  communication  activities 
encouraging SME participation in PP. 

Triangulation  of  the  information  from  the  different  sources  (quiz,  training  sessions,  interactive 
sessions, study circles, stories) enabled the project team to understand barriers to access PP and 
identify  what  SMEs  need,  while  taking  into  account  public  procurer  and  SME  association 
requirements.  

Key findings  

Thanks to this innovative approach, the project provides  granular information on difficulties in 
accessing PP met by particular types of SME: 

  There is strong evidence that smaller enterprises, in particular micro enterprises, face more 
constraints  to  accessing  PP  than  medium  enterprises.  They  also  show  a  greater  lack  of 
knowledge of PP principles and opportunities (for instance, knowledge of TED among micro 
enterprises is very limited). Micro companies are less interested than larger enterprises in 
participating in future procedures. 

  Start-ups  and  young  companies  have  the  lowest  participation  rate  of  the  enterprise 
categories and know TED less, which is not surprising. However, they also have one of the 
highest  success  rates,  indicating  good  potential.  Compared  to  mature  companies,  their 
knowledge  of  PP  principles  is  slightly  lower.  Start-ups  and  young  companies  still  fail  to 
perceive PP as a key opportunity to grow and expand their business.  

  Enterprises with negative growth have substantial problems in accessing PP. These have 
the lowest success rate, the least interest to participate in future and the most evident lack 
of knowledge of PP principles. They seem much less attracted by PP and do not perceive it 
as an opportunity to react to their difficulties.  

  Sectors play an important role. For instance, manufacturing enterprises participated less in 
PP but show much more interest in participating in the future. Services and manufacturing 
companies  display  a  similar  knowledge  of  PP  principles.  Construction  companies,  which 
have  the  highest  participation  rate,  know  TED  less,  since  they  tend  to  use  local  authority 
websites and Google. Low knowledge-intensive service enterprises face more difficulties in 
accessing PP. These have a very low participation rate and less success. More surprisingly, 
high knowledge-intensive service sector enterprises often perceive PP as complicated. 

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The project also provides a picture of barriers for SMEs to access PP. Four barriers appear to 
hamper SMEs in all phases, i.e. screening opportunities, verifying selection criteria, formulating the 
offer and being awarded the contract: 

  Low trust in PP and public procurers, who are perceived as far from market reality for SMEs 

and who may pay late. 

  High administrative burden, as PP is a long-term commitment and a learning process that 

requires significant resources not always available to SMEs. 

  Cultural  obstacles  hamper  collaboration  between  companies,  implying  that  entrepreneurs 

need to gain mutual trust before doing business, including creating consortia. 

  Linguistic barriers and tender documentation differences prevent SMEs from accessing PP 

in other Member States.  

  More  specifically,  the  use  of  digital  platforms  appears  fundamental  for  screening 
opportunities.  SMEs  find  TED  hard to  use,  limiting  its  potential,  especially  for  ‘beginners’.  
Poor  user-friendliness  of  PP  digital  platforms  in  general,  including  at  national  level,  is  a 
significant barrier for enterprises with lower digital literacy.  

More specific barriers, such as those related to PP criteria, are analysed in detail based on feedback 
from  SMEs  and  their  associations.  Selection  criteria  are  often  difficult  or  impossible  to  meet  for 
SMEs.  For  them,  these  are  not  always  reasonably  linked  with  the  necessity  to  select  a  suitable 
provider. Award criteria often appear to be poorly formulated. For SMEs, they do not always capture 
information  on  the  best  proposed  solution  or  prepare  the  ground  for  key  performance  indicators 
covering contract implementation. Furthermore, price still appears to play a dominant role which is 
a disadvantage for SMEs, especially micro enterprises, lacking economies of scale.  

Proposed policy actions 

The project reveals that SMEs expect more efficient tools to improve their capacity to screen PP 
opportunities,  for  both  EU  and  national  digital  platforms.  Therefore,  digital  tools  should  be 
improved starting with TED, which is under the direct responsibility of the European Commission. 
This includes a more user-centred approach to navigate the platform. Better quality information and 
interoperability  with national  PP  platforms  would  also  increase the  visibility  and  use  of TED. This 
would encourage SMEs to screen opportunities in non-national public markets. Furthermore, new 
communication  actions  could  encourage  more  SME  access  to  PP.  At  the  same time  stronger 
support  for  digitalisation  and  upskilling  is  needed  by  SMEs  in traditional  sectors,  as they  risk 
being excluded by the technological shift. 

Another finding of the project is that more dialogue between SMEs and public procurers could 
increase SME trust in PP. SMEs could gain better knowledge of PP principles while public procurers 
could benefit by collecting information to design more balanced  criteria and reduce administrative 
burden. Furthermore, SMEs are aware that  lower national barriers would enable them to better 
exploit the EU single market.  

More guidance and support for SMEs is also needed. This implies strong partnerships between 
national  agencies  responsible  for  PP,  public  services for  SMEs  and  business  associations  within 
Member States. For instance, SMEs need support to identify partners, reach sufficient mutual trust, 
and create consortia that can compete in PP. More specifically, enterprises with low digital literacy 
should be trained and enabled to use online PP platforms. Enterprises with good PP potential should 
be supported to explore other Member State markets. Possible financial problems reducing access 
to PP could be addressed by involving financial intermediaries.  

In addition, a more regular and systematic approach to capacity building would enable public 
procurers – especially those at local and regional level - to improve their practices. They should be 
empowered to formulate and use selection criteria that are more consistent with procurement needs. 
This  should  be  based  on  better  market  knowledge,  which  includes  consideration  of  smaller  local 

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enterprises. Price only criterion should be used by public procurers only in exceptional cases. For 
instance,  more  quality-oriented  PP,  with  more  balanced  and  result-oriented  award  criteria,  could 
create  more  opportunities  for  start-ups  and  young  companies  which  have  high  potential  but  lack 
requirements  such  as  a  track  record  of  contracts.    Finally,  more  flexible  payment  schemes  and 
defined  payment  schedules  would  reduce  cash  flow  volatility,  which  is  a  persistent  problem  for 
SMEs. 

The  project  revealed  that  simplification  and  standardisation  of  PP  practices  is  still  needed. 
Standard  models  to  enable  shorter  and  more  consistent  tender  documents  could  reduce 
administrative burden for both SMEs and public procurers. These could help public procurers focus 
on consistency with procurement needs and define more appropriate selection and award criteria.  

The project has formulated 10 possible policy interventions. These answer needs expressed by 
SMEs  and require  the  mobilisation  of  several  actors  following  a multilevel  governance  approach. 
This would involve different levels of government (EU, national, regional/ local) and different types 
of  stakeholders  (public  sector,  business  associations,  private  players).  The  national  level  is 
fundamental  when  a  policy  intervention  concerns  improvements  in  implementation  of  the  PP 
directives principles. The regional/ local level is key to ensure increased capacity for smaller public 
procurers.  Business  associations  and  private  players  should  play  a  prominent  role  in  policy 
interventions aimed at increasing SME capacities (i.e. access to digital platforms) or changing SME 
attitudes  (i.e.  willingness  to  create  consortia).  The  European  Commission  is  involved  in  all 
interventions. In some cases (i.e. improvement of TED) the European Commission has full capacity 
to take action, in others (i.e. communication) success depends on coordination with other levels of 
government.   

Subsequent research 

As this project is a pilot, further steps for future research or extension of the analysis beyond the five 
Member States may include: 

  Covering all EU Member States with a qualitative approach. The pandemic prompted a 
more efficient and innovative methodology for the study. This could be used to extend 
data collection to cover the remaining 22 Member States, consolidating the results of the 
project; 

  Adopting a quantitative approach, such as a recurrent survey of SME access to PP and 

analysis of procedures awarded, based on information in TED and national databases; 

  An EU level capacity-building platform, following the example of fi-compass. Based on 
interventions for  ‘Guidance  and support for  SMEs  and public  procurers’, the  EC  could 
look at creating a platform for PP advisory services. 

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INTRODUCTION 
This document is the final report for the project on ‘SME needs analysis in public procurement’ and 
is structured as follows: 

Chapter 1 presents the methodology for collecting and analysing information and describes the data 
collection  process.  This  includes  methods  such  as  an  online  ‘quiz’,  training  sessions  with  SMEs, 
interactive  webinars  with  SMEs  and  public  procurers,  study  circle  webinars  with  SMEs,  public 
procurers and SME associations as well as stories. 

Chapter 2 collects and analyses the results from the online ‘quiz’ of selected SMEs in the five EU 
Member States covered by the project - Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Romania and Sweden. There 
were  371  replies  to  the  11  questions.  Categorising  SMEs  by  their  size,  turnover  growth,  year  of 
creation  and  sectors,  the  chapter  outlines  SME  experiences  with  public  procurement  (PP),  their 
intention to participate in future procurement procedures, as well as their knowledge of PP principles 
and opportunities.  

Chapter  3  shows  the  results  of  the  15  SME  training  sessions,  five  interactive  sessions,  and  five 
study circles. These involved 55 SMEs, 19 public procurers and 15 SME associations across the 
five  Member  States.  Results  are  grouped  by  barriers  SMEs  have  in  accessing  PP  and  potential 
solutions to these. 

Chapter 4 is dedicated to stories and key messages based on the experiences of 16 SMEs. As in 
the previous chapter, these SME experiences are displayed in terms of barriers and solutions. 

Chapter  5  starts  by  summarising  barriers  identified  in  the  previous  three  chapters.  These  are 
translated into ways to improve SME access to PP (i.e. what SMEs need). Narratives and messages 
for  potential  communication  activities  are  proposed,  together  with  target  groups  and  channels  of 
communication  linked  to  the  EU  strategic  framework.  The  chapter  concludes  by  offering  policy 
actions to improve SME access to PP.  

Chapter 6 presents conclusions and proposes next steps. 

The report also includes: 

  Annex A: quiz analysis tables by enterprise category; 

  Annex B: quiz questions; 

  Annex C: training sessions questionnaires; 

  Annex D: public procurers and SME associations involved in the interactive sessions and 

study circles in the five Member States. 

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1. THE METHODOLOGY 

The  methodology  for  the  present  report  was  developed  by  the  project  team  and  adapted  in 
agreement  with  the  European  Commission  given  changed  circumstances  from  the  Covid19 
emergency.  National  experts  organised  and  coordinated  activities  in  their  country  and  SMEs 
associations supported the team in selecting and contacting enterprises. 

An overview of the methodological approach is followed by details of the tools used to collect the 
information (a quiz, plus training, interactive sessions and study circles conducted as webinars and 
the  stories).  It  also  details  the  criteria  used  to  analyse  SME  barriers  in  accessing  PP  and  form 
potential remedial actions. 

1.1. Overview 

This report was developed in three phases (Figure 1 Methodology overviewFigure 1): 

 

information collection; 

  analysis (i.e. triangulation); 

 

formulation of actions. 

Figure 1 Methodology overview 

Information  collection  involved  a  quiz,  webinars  and  stories,  which  all  capture  information  at 
increasing levels of detail: 

  The  quiz  allowed  an  initial  exploration  into  SME  barriers  in  accessing  PP,  discerning 
respondent knowledge about PP opportunities and key principles. The quiz also offered a 

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glance into potential solutions. Sent to selected SMEs across five EU Member States (see 
Box 1.1 for details), it included a section about enterprise size, year of creation, sector, and 
turnover growth. Assessing answers by enterprise categories also facilitated a preliminary 
analysis of the problems. 

  The webinars involved SMEs, even if through the web, to further investigate their barriers in 
accessing PP and exploiting market opportunities. A dialogue among SMEs with pre-agreed 
exercises on TED and selection criteria enabled participants to explain their barriers more 
accurately  and  share  potential  solutions.  In  all  five  Member  States  training  sessions  with 
SMEs  were  integrated  with  additional  interactive  web  sessions  that  also  involved  public 
procurers.  In  addition,  study  circles  with  SMEs,  public  procurers  and  SME  associations 
elicited  further  information  on  barriers  and  solutions  and  considered  the  points  of  view  of 
different stakeholders. 

  The  stories  tell  successful  and  unsuccessful  SME  experiences  with  PP  across  the  five 
Member States. Developed through interviews with SME representatives, they highlight key 
challenges in exploiting PP opportunities and detail how enterprises deal with PP. The stories 
helped  generate  key  messages  to  assist  potential  communication  activities  encouraging 
SMEs to participate in PP. 

The outcome of each tool is a list of barriers and potential solutions. 

Box 1: Sample selection 

This project is based on five EU Member States: Italy, 
the Netherlands, Poland, Romania, and Sweden. The 
SME  sample  ensured  a  balance 
terms  of 
geography,  EU  accession,  population,  economic 
size, as well as performance in their approach to PP 
(see Figure 2). 

in 

require 

Selecting  SMEs  for  the  quiz  first  considered  the 
sector  of  activity,  as  specialisation  can  influence 
participation  in  public  tenders.  SMEs  in  traditional 
sectors may be more reluctant to actively search for 
PP opportunities compared to SMEs in sectors with 
more  technological  developments  and  innovation 
investment,  new  markets  and 
which 
innovative  tools  to  compete.  Sector  affiliation  may 
influence  a  firm’s  strategic  orientation  to  analysing 
and  responding  to  market  information1.  A  strong 
market  orientation  can  positively  influence  SME 
capacity to compete with larger firms and to select the 
most productive resource combinations. This implies 
more  interest  in  finding  new  opportunities  and 
markets  as  well  as  acquiring  information  on  public 
sector tenders and submitting bids for these. 

Figure 2 PP in EU Member States, 
overall performance 

reproduced 

Source: 
European 
Commission (2019), Single Market Scoreboard 
- PP, reporting period 01/2018-12/2018, p.3. 

from 

1 Tammi T., Saastamoinen J. and H. Reijonen (2014), Market orientation and SMEs’ activity in public sector procurement 
participation, Journal of Public Procurement, Vol.14(14), pp.304-327. 

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To guarantee a sectoral balance, opentender.eu2 was used to identify, by country, the top ten 
Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV) sectors by number of tenders in 2017-20193. This 
ensures choosing SMEs in sectors with more PP opportunities. CPV sectors were converted 
into NACE manufacturing, construction and service codes4. Service sectors were then further 
categorised in terms of knowledge-intensity5.  

The sectors were then used to select SMEs in each country to potentially respond to the quiz. 
SME associations across the five Member States were involved by national experts to provide 
contact details. The associations were also asked to identify SMEs based on their size and 
year  of  creation  and  to  promote  the  quiz  on  their  communication  channels.  The  size  of 
enterprises  is  important  since  problems  can  differ  for  micro,  small  or  medium-sized 
enterprises within the SME group. 

1.2. Information collection 

1.2.1. Quiz 

The aim of the ‘quiz’ was to collect information on SME knowledge of PP. 371 enterprises completed 
the quiz across five Member States, Italy (65), the Netherlands (73), Poland (100), Romania (101) 
and Sweden (32). 

There were 11 questions about PP and a section on the enterprise size, year of creation, average 
turnover growth in the  last three  years  and sector  of  activity  (see  Annex B for  additional  details). 
Excluding question 1, about past participation and/or intention to participate in PP in the future, each 
correct answer had a score of up to 3 points, for a potential total score of 30 points. Some questions 
had more than one correct answer with scores between 1 and 3. 

The questions are grouped into three categories: past experience with PP and intention to participate 
in future, knowledge of key PP principles and knowledge of PP opportunities.  

There is a balance in the size of enterprises that completed the quiz (Table 1). The largest share 
(58.5%)  was  micro  enterprises  (between  1  and  9  employees6),  23.5%  were  small  and  15.1% 
medium. This mirrors the ratios in the European economy. More than one fifth of the respondents 
are  start-ups  and  young  companies,  i.e.  created  after  20167.  Moreover,  nearly  22%  experienced 
negative turnover growth in the previous three years, 37.5% moderate growth (of less than 10%), 
26.7% medium growth (i.e. between 10% and 20%), and 13.5% saw sustained growth of over 20%.  

15.6%  of  respondents  operate  in  manufacturing,  14.3%  in  construction,  and  67.4%  in  services8. 
Under  the  Eurostat  classification  of  sectors  based  on  technological  content  and/or  knowledge 

2 This website provides information on tenders in the last ten years both above and below EU thresholds (through TED 
and national statistics respectively), by country and sector, according to the CPV. The database offers data by volume and 
by number of tenders. 
3 By 2017 all five Member States had transposed the 2014 EU Directive on PP into national laws. Sweden was the last in 
the group, in December 2016. 
4 Based on the correspondence table between the revised CPV and NACE in Valoris (2004), ‘Interoperability of CPV coding 
system in Electronic Public Procurement’. 
5 Based on Eurostat indicators on High-tech industry and Knowledge–intensive services. 
6 European Commission (2016), User guide to the SME definition. 
7 According to the European Start-up Network ‘A start-up is an independent organisation, which is younger than five years 
and is aimed at creating, improving and expanding a scalable, innovative, technology-enabled product with high and rapid 
growth’. See https://europeanstartupnetwork.eu/vision   
8 Eurostat (2008), NACE Rev.2 - Statistical classification of economic activities in the European Community. 

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intensity9, 43.2% of the service enterprises belong to a low knowledge-intensive sector10, 43% to a 
medium knowledge-intensive sector11, and 16% to a high knowledge-intensive sector12.  

These categories are matched with the quiz answers to assess differences across the categories in 
PP experience and knowledge, as displayed in Chapter 2. 

Table 1 Sample overview 

Size (number of 
employees)  

Respondent Categories 

Micro (1-9) 

Small (10-49) 

Medium (50-249) 

n/a 

Year of creation 

After 2016 (i.e. start-ups and young companies) 

Average turnover growth 
in the last three yeas 

Before 2016 

n/a 

Negative 

Moderate (less than 10%) 

Medium (10% to 20%) 

Sustained (more than 20%) 

n/a 

Sector (Technological 
content and knowledge 
intensity) 

Manufacturing  

Services, of which*: 

Number of 
respondents 

217 

87 

56 

11 

79 

286 

6 

81 

139 

99 

50 

2 

58 

250 

% 

58.5 

23.5 

15.1 

2.9 

21.3 

77.1 

1.6 

21.8 

37.5 

26.7 

13.5 

0.5 

15.6 

67.4 

Low knowledge-intensive  

Medium knowledge-intensive  

High knowledge-intensive  

n/a 

74 

108 

40 

28 

29.6 

43.2 

16.0 

11.2 

53 

10 

14.3 

2.7 

Construction 

n/a 

*Classification based on Eurostat indicators on High-tech industry and Knowledge – intensive services according to NACE Rev.2. 

1.2.2. Webinars rationale and structure 

The Covid19 health emergency and consequent lockdown measures across all EU Member States 
from March 2020 led the core project team to revise and redefine the approach and tools for the 
SME training sessions.  

The former methodology envisaged in-presence seminars of 15 to 20 SMEs, to capture the barriers 
and problems of looking for PP opportunities, particularly in TED. As face-to-face seminars were not 

9 Eurostat indicators on High-tech industry and Knowledge–intensive services, Annex 3 – High-tech aggregation by NACE 
Rev.2: https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/cache/metadata/en/htec_esms.htm  
10 According to NACE rev.2: E - Water supply, sewerage, waste management and remediation activities, G - Wholesale 
and retail trade, H -Transportation and storage, L -Real estate activities. 
11 According to NACE rev.2: K - Financial and insurance activities, M - Professional, scientific and technical activities, N - 
Administrative and support service activities, O - Public administration and defence, P – Education, Q - Human health and 
social work activities, R - Arts, entertainment and recreation. 
12 According to NACE rev.2: J - Information and communication. 

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feasible, at the beginning of April the core team, supported by the national experts, elaborated an 
online approach among other solutions proposed, opting for an online platform (Kaltura)13.  

The core project team envisaged an average of three training sessions (webinars) in each country, 
with  four  SMEs  in  each.  This  allowed  national  experts  to  smoothly  manage  participants  and  to 
deepen the debate on specific aspects when needed. Supported by SME associations, the national 
experts identified and invited SMEs whose sectors of activity were determined as described in Box 
1.1. The goal was to organise each training session including SMEs in similar fields. This was also 
foreseen for the second exercise on selection criteria, where team experts gave the companies a 
Call  for Tender  and Terms  of  Reference (ToR)  tailored to  the companies’ features and  interests. 
However,  for  organisational  reasons  that  emerged  during  the  training  sessions,  sectors  are  not 
consistent across all Member States. 

Moreover, national experts looked to form heterogeneous groups of companies. This included mixing 
local and regional focused enterprises with more national and international companies, and those 
with  extensive PP  experience mixing  with  limited  experience companies. The  aim  was to assess 
different perceptions on key PP-related topics and see how more and less experienced SMEs handle 
new business opportunities in the public market. 

The training session structure included:  

1.  How SMEs look for and screen opportunities in TED; 

2.  How they deal with the application process and requirements. 

During  the  session,  national  experts  used  structured  grids  to  collect  answers,  opinions  and 
comments. 

Each  session  started  with  participants  presenting  their  past  and/or  current  experience  in  PP. 
Afterwards, the participants split into (virtual) breakout rooms for the exercises. In the first exercise, 
SMEs were asked to explore the TED platform. The national experts recorded14 their screens and 
audio to better analyse how they used TED. For this, data protection agreements were signed with 
each company. In the second exercise, national experts gave participants tender documents and a 
partially prefilled grid to identify and assess the tender selection criteria. SMEs were asked to identify 
the requirements (legal/regulatory, economic/financial, and technical/professional) in the tender and 
assess the documentation required to prove that the company complied with them. They were then 
asked to complete the partially prefilled grid. 

After each exercise, the SMEs were asked to answer an online questionnaire to collect immediate 
and neutral feedback (see Annex C). After each questionnaire, a round table debate with national 
experts asked SMEs to comment and formulate opinions on positive and negative aspects of the 
TED  database  as  well  as  potential  improvements.  Participants  also  indicated  challenges  in 
identifying tender documentation requirements and whether there was room for improvement. In a 
final round table SMEs debated establishing partnerships with other companies to facilitate access 
to PP. 

The training sessions were integrated in each country with an interactive session between SMEs 
and public procurers and a study circle involving SMEs, SME associations and public procurers (see 
Annex D for the participants). These sessions helped deepen understanding of selection and award 
criteria, and screening of PP opportunities with a focus on national tender databases. For SMEs and 
SME  associations  this  was  an  occasion  to  directly  debate  and  question  public  procurers  and  for 
these to answer from the public administration point of view.  

13 Participants gather in a single ‘room’, to replicate a face-to-face seminar, where they can introduce themselves and 
moderators can conduct the debate. This platform allows national experts to divide participants into separate (breakout) 
rooms for the exercises and to record their screens while performing the first exercise. 
14 Previously agreed with each SME. 

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Table 2 Participants in training sessions, interactive sessions and study circles 

Member 
State 

Type of event 

Participants 

Italy  

4 Training sessions with SMEs 

15 SMEs 

The 
Netherlands 

1 Interactive session 

4 SMEs, 2 public procurers 

1 Study circle 

3 SME associations, 3 public procurers 

2 Training sessions with SMEs 

6 SMEs 

1 Interactive session 

4 SMEs, 1 independent procurement expert, 2 public 
procurers 

1 Study circle 

4 SME associations, 4 public procurers 

Poland 

3 Training sessions with SMEs 

12 SMEs 

1 Interactive session 

4 SMEs, 2 public procurers 

1 Study circle 

3 SME associations, 3 public procurers 

Romania 

3 Training sessions with SMEs 

11 SMEs 

1 Interactive session 

4 SMEs, 2 public procurers 

1 Study circle 

4 SMEs associations, 2 public procurers 

Sweden 

3 Training sessions with SMEs 

11 SMEs 

1 Interactive session 

1 Study circle 

3 SMEs, 3 SME associations, 3 public procurers (interactive 
session and study circle in the same day) 

Total 

• 15 Training sessions with SMEs 
• 5 Interactive sessions 
• 5 Study circles 

• 55 (single) SMEs; 
• 19 (single) public procurers (see Annex D for detail); 
• 15 (single) SME associations (see Annex D for detail). 

1.2.3. Story selection and development 

The purpose of the stories is to: 

  detail  direct  SME  experiences  -  successful  or  not  -  with  PP,  highlighting  difficulties, 

barriers, solutions and expectations; 

 

formulate  key  messages  for  possible  communication  actions  to  increase  SME 
participation in PP. 

There are 16 stories from SMEs in the five Member States. SMEs ‘telling their story’ were selected 
from  those  who  participated  in  the  quiz,  attended  the  webinars  or  were  suggested  by  the  SME 
associations. The team conducted direct interviews and collected material from the SMEs to ensure 
a factual base. 

The team developed stories driven by people rather than a neutral third-party narrative. SMEs are 
less  likely  to  engage  with  messages  and  stories  based  purely  on  documented  evidence.  The 
messages were drafted to be close to day-to-day reality. To achieve this, the team adopted a ‘first-
hand’  testimonial  editorial  line,  where  the  interviewee  leads  the  narrative,  and  statements  are 
expressed using quotes. 

By giving the floor and leading role to SMEs, the team ensure the stories bring valuable testimonials 
and individual contributions. Beyond any key message and more often between the lines, the stories 
could help SMEs facing similar difficulties when participating in PP. To get even closer to the target 
audience, the team adopted an open-mind creative process - also capturing emotional aspects - for 
the story development and key message drafting.  

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1.3. Information analysis and formulation of actions 

The analysis is based on triangulating the information collected through the different activities of the 
project.  Triangulation  does  not  necessarily  cross-validate  qualitative  data  but  rather  captures 
different  dimensions  of  the  same  phenomenon.  These  dimensions,  applied  to  SME  barriers  in 
accessing PP, are: 

  what category of companies sees a particular barrier; 

  when,  i.e.  at  what  phase  of  the  PP  process  (Screening  opportunities;  Verifying  selection 

criteria; Offer formulation; Awarding); 

  why there is a barrier, i.e. internal (e.g. SMEs lack dedicated PP staff) or external (e.g. public 

procurers lack knowledge of market realities). 

The quiz, webinars and stories captured these dimensions to a different extent (

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SME NEEDS ANALYSIS IN PUBLIC PROCUREMENT 

Figure 3) and provided information on potential solutions feeding the formulation of actions to ease 
SME access to PP.  

The  methodological  tools  are  designed  to  help  determine  the  dimensions  of  each  barrier  (and 
potential solutions): 

  The  quiz  collected  information  on  respondent  size,  sector,  year  of  creation  and  turnover 
growth.  This  enables  analysis  of  answers  -  and  therefore  barriers  -  by  SME  category.  In 
addition, answers on knowledge of PP opportunities and selection criteria highlighted internal 
and external factors determining the barriers. 

  The SME training sessions were followed by online questionnaires and a structured dialogue 
with  the  national  expert  to  extract  additional  information.  Additional  sessions  with  public 
procurers  and  SME  associations  provided  complementary  information  on  internal  and 
external factors. 

  The stories take into account the size and sector of SMEs. They were based on interviews 

to investigate SME experiences with PP including challenges and whether these depend on 
internal factors or not. 

20 

 
SME NEEDS ANALYSIS IN PUBLIC PROCUREMENT 

Figure 3 Triangulation of information for the analysis of barriers 

Barriers  highlighted  by  the  quiz  were  further  reviewed  during  the  interactive  sessions  enabling 
SMEs and public procurers to identify potential solutions. At this stage the team started to define 
what can increase SME participation in PP (i.e. what SMEs need). Such elements were further 
consolidated  in  the  study  circles  involving  also  SME  associations.  Finally,  the  team  formulated 
actions that mirror the needs analysis. The actions are articulated in 10 interventions based on: 

  Digital tools and communication; 

  Guidance and support to SMEs and public procurers; 

  Better implementation of PP directive principles. 

21 

 
 
 
SME NEEDS ANALYSIS IN PUBLIC PROCUREMENT 

Figure 4 Actions to improve SME access to PP 

22 

 
 
 
 
 
SME NEEDS ANALYSIS IN PUBLIC PROCUREMENT 

2. EXPLORING SMEs: ‘QUIZ’ RESULTS 

This  chapter  presents  results  from  the  ‘quiz’.  The  first  section  illustrates  results  according  to 
respondents’ experience with PP and intention to participate in future procedures (section 2.1). The 
second section presents the results in terms of knowledge of PP, divided into PP principles (sub-
section 2.2.1) and opportunities (sub-section 2.2.2). 

2.1. Enterprise experience with PP 

The  first  quiz  question  concerns  the  experience  of  respondents  with  PP  and  their  intention  to 
participate in the future (Figure 5). 51.5% of respondents (i.e. 191 enterprises) had participated in 
PP, of these 16.8% (32) had no success. So nearly half the respondents had not participated in 
PP.  More  than  one  third  of  respondents  (nearly  70%  with  no  experience)  are  interested  in 
participating in the future. Among those who express no intention to participate in the future, most 
see PP as too complicated. 

Micro enterprises have the lowest rate of participation, with 44.7% against 57.5% for small and 
69.6% for medium-sized companies. However, micro enterprises had a slightly higher success rate 
with 82.5% of 97 that participated with respect to small (80%, while for medium is at 89.7%). Two-
thirds of small and medium enterprises do not intend to participate in the future because it is seen 
as too complicated, while for micro enterprises this percentage is lower (57.5%). Micro enterprises 
also have the lowest rate of those interested in participating in the future (66.4% or 79 of the 119 
enterprises not participating in the past, versus 75.7% of small and 82.4% for medium-sized SMEs). 

There are interesting results from comparing start-ups and young companies (created after 2016) 
and mature enterprises. Nearly 60% of mature enterprises participated in PP (166 of 286), of which 
81.9% were successful. This significantly decreases with start-ups and young companies, where 
only 29.1% had experience of PP (23 of 79), but 91.3% with success. For the majority of start-
ups and young companies (69%) with no participation in the past and no interest to participate in the 
future (11 of 16), PP is not needed for their business, while the majority of mature companies see 
PP as too complicated (27 of 38). However, start-ups and young companies are slightly more 
interested in participating in PP in future (71.4% versus 68.1%). 

Enterprises with sustained growth (i.e. more than 20% on average in the past three years) had 
the highest participation in PP (32 of 50 respondents, i.e. 64%) with the highest success rate 
at 90.6%. Interestingly, of those with no experience, the majority (6 out of 7) see PP as complex, 
which is the main reason for not participating in the future. Those with negative growth had the 
lowest success rate (23.3% of the 43 that participated). Moreover, this category also has the least 
interest to participate in the future (16 of 37 that did not participate in the past).  

PP participation is lower for manufacturing enterprises compared to construction and service 
companies (43.1% or 25 of 58 respondents, against 60.4% - 129 of 250 - and 51.6% - 32 of 53 - 
respectively). Manufacturing companies also think that PP is too complicated. The success rate is 
higher among construction companies. Moreover, participation is higher among high knowledge-
intensive enterprises, 60% (24 of 40) against 39.2% for low knowledge-intensive sectors (29 of 
74).  Those  in  low  knowledge-intensive  sectors  are  also  less  successful  (nearly  28%)  but  those 
without past experience are also more inclined to participate in future.  

23 

 
 
 
 
SME NEEDS ANALYSIS IN PUBLIC PROCUREMENT 

Figure 5 Have you ever participated/are you participating in PP procedures? 

Yes, with success

No, but I’m interested in participating in the future

No, and I am not interested in participating in the future as it
seems too complicated to us

Yes, without success

No, and I am not interested in participating in the future since 
I don’t need it

8.6%

8.6%

6.2%

42.9%

33.4%

0%

5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35% 40% 45%

Based on question 1 of the quiz. NA: 0.3%. 

2.2. Knowledge of PP 

This section summarises enterprise knowledge of PP in relation to questions 2 to 11 in the quiz. Five 
questions  relate  to  PP  principles  (sub-section  2.2.1)  and the  other  five  concern  PP  opportunities 
(section 2.2.2). 

2.2.1. Knowledge of PP principles 

The  large  majority  of  respondents  (298 or  80%)  indicated the  correct  answer  ‘b’  to  question 2 
(Figure  6)  showing  they  understand  the  difference  between  a  call  for  tender  and  a  call  for 
proposal. This share is higher for medium than for small and micro enterprises. It is slightly lower 
for start-ups and young companies than for mature enterprises, lower for enterprises with negative 
growth and for service-related enterprises, especially those operating in high knowledge-intensive 
sectors. 

Figure 6 Is there any difference between a call for tender and a call for proposal? 

b) Different from a call for proposal, a call for tender is a
procedure that a public authority uses to procure goods,…

c) Different from a call for tender, in the call for proposals
made by public authorities, the procedure to procure…

10.8%

a) There is no difference, they are the same

8.6%

80.3%

Based on question 2 of the quiz. NA: 0.3%. 

0%

10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90%

Respondents also show good knowledge of the definition of an open procedure, with 93.3% 
(346) indicating the correct answer ‘c’ (Figure 7). The percentage is lower for micro enterprises than 
other  SMEs, for mature enterprises,  enterprises with negative growth,  as  well  as for  construction 
enterprises and those in low knowledge-intensive sectors. 

For the definition of a restricted procedure (Figure 8) though, most respondents (227) gave a 
wrong answer (‘a’ or ‘c’). This was more by small enterprises than other SMEs, start-ups and young 

24 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
SME NEEDS ANALYSIS IN PUBLIC PROCUREMENT 

companies,  enterprises  with  medium  growth,  service  enterprises  and  in  particular  those  in  low 
knowledge-intensive service sectors. 

Figure 7 What is an open procedure? 

c) Anyone may submit a full tender

93.3%

a) This procedure is used to obtain an idea for a design

4.0%

b) Used when only preselected companies can apply

1.9%

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%

Based on question 6 of the quiz. NA: 0.8%. 

Figure 8 What is a restricted procedure? 

b) Anyone may ask to participate in a restricted procedure,
but only those who are pre-selected may submit tenders

c) Anyone may ask to participate, but only those who are
pre-selected will be invited to submit initial tenders and to
negotiate.

a) Procuring authorities can only use this procedure when
negotiations are necessary due to the specific or complicated
nature of the purchase

Based on question 7 of the quiz. NA: 1.6%. 

46.6%

37.2%

14.6%

0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35% 40% 45% 50%

The last two questions concern the award phase. For a contract always being awarded on the 
lowest price (Figure 9), most respondents gave a correct answer (‘c’ scoring 3, or ‘b’ scoring 2). 
8.4% (31 respondents) selected the wrong answer ‘a’, and this was higher for micro enterprises and 
start-ups and young companies, and especially for enterprises with negative growth, construction 
enterprises, and service companies in low knowledge-intensive sectors. 

For  exclusion  criteria  (Figure  10),  respondents  seem  to  be  less  informed,  with  14.3%  (53 
respondents)  indicating the  wrong  answer  ‘c’.  This  was  higher  for  small  enterprises compared  to 
other SMEs, mature companies and enterprises with medium growth, manufacturing enterprises and 
service companies in high knowledge-intensive sectors. 

Figure 9 The contract is always awarded on the basis of the lowest price 

c) Not always, the public authority can also award using other
criteria

71.7%

b) Yes, but the tenderer must fulfil the minimum
requirements set in the procedure

19.7%

a) Yes, the cheapest offer always wins

8.4%

Based on question 10 of the quiz. NA: 0.3%. 

0%

10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60%

70% 80%

25 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
SME NEEDS ANALYSIS IN PUBLIC PROCUREMENT 

Figure 10 When can you be excluded in a tender procedure? 

a) When you participate in corruption or have links to a
criminal organisation

51.5%

b) If you did not pay taxes or social security contributions.

33.4%

c) For discretional reasons decided from time to time by the
tendering authority

14.3%

Based on question 11 of the quiz. NA: 0.8%. 

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

Comparing  SMEs  with  experience  in  PP  to  those  without  in  replying  to  particular 
questions: 

  The share of enterprises understanding the difference between a call for tender and a 
call for proposal is 87% for SMEs with experience in PP compared to 73% for SMEs 
without. 

  For the open procedure the results are very similar, 92% for SMEs with experience in 

PP and 95% for SMEs without. 

  For  the restricted  procedure,  the  share  is  50% for  SMEs  with experience in PP  and 

44% for SMEs without. 

  The share of enterprises answering that a contract is always awarded on the basis of 
the  lowest  price  is  3% for  SMEs  with  experience  in PP  compared  to  14% for  SMEs 
without. 

Therefore, SMEs that have participated in PP show a better knowledge of PP principles. 

2.2.2. Knowledge of PP opportunities 

The second group of questions assesses how aware enterprises are of PP opportunities and which 
communication channels they use to acquire information.  

Most respondents (53.1%) consult their local authority website to check for information concerning 
tenders over the EU thresholds (Figure 11). TED is known by 28.3% of respondents (105), nearly 
10% of enterprises use Google and nearly 9% prefer to not take part in tenders. The use of TED 
among  micro  enterprises  decreases to  24%  of  respondents  (52  of  217),  the  lowest  compared  to 
small and medium enterprises, 31% (27 of 87) and 39.3% (22 of 56) respectively. Micro enterprises 
consult local authority websites more (59.4%). There are also differences across enterprise ages. 
While more than 31% of mature enterprises know TED (89 of 286), this decreases to 19% for start-
ups and young companies (15 of 79) which prefer to consult local authority websites (67.1%). TED 
is  known  less  by  enterprises  with  negative  growth  and  more  by  manufacturing  enterprises  than 
service  enterprises  and,  in  particular,  construction  companies  (34.5%  against  29.2%  and  17% 
respectively). Construction companies prefer to use local authority websites (64.2%). TED is also 
mainly  known  by  medium  knowledge-intensity  enterprises  (34.3%),  especially  compared  to  low 
knowledge-intensity  enterprises  (21.6%)  which  use  Google  (13.5%)  or  local  authority  websites 
(58.1%) more. 

26 

 
 
 
 
SME NEEDS ANALYSIS IN PUBLIC PROCUREMENT 

Figure 11 You become aware of a tender of more than 250 000 EUR to provide public services 
awarded by your local public authority. You don’t have all the information and specification 
of the tender. What can you do? 

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

a) I will consult the website of my local authority

53.1%

b) I will consult the TED (Tenders Electronic Daily) website

28.3%

c) I will google “tender in….”

d) I’m lost, I will not take part to the tender

9.7%

8.6%

Based on question 3 of the quiz. NA: 0.3%. 

The  fourth  question  refers  to  opportunities  in  tenders  managed  by  the  EC.  This  tested  whether 
respondents are aware of a specific EC website (i.e. the Single Electronic Data Interchange Area 
website, SEDIA). Most enterprises were aware of this (Figure 12) but more than one fourth prefer to 
check  on  Google  and  15.1%  think  that  SMEs  do  not  have  the  requirements  to  participate.  The 
website is less known by small enterprises, mature companies, enterprises with negative growth, 
construction  enterprises  and  among  service  enterprises  by  those  in  high  knowledge-intensive 
sectors. High knowledge-intensive enterprises have a high percentage (30% or 12 of 40) thinking 
that SMEs do not have the requirements to participate.  

For opportunities in tenders in another EU country, the majority of respondents (211) are aware 
they can apply and that they need to check the specific technical requirements (Figure 13). However, 
13.2% think they cannot exploit such opportunities and another 29.6% prefer to check with 
an  expert if they  can bid in  the  EU. The  share  of respondents  aware they  can  bid  in  other  EU 
countries is higher among medium-sized companies. Nearly one third of the 217 micro enterprises 
require support from an expert. There is little difference between start-ups/ young companies and 
mature enterprises in thinking that bidding in other EU countries is not possible, 12.7% and 13.6% 
respectively.  Nearly  one  third  of  the  79  start-ups/  young  companies  need  expert  support.  More 
respondents  who  think  this  opportunity  cannot  be  exploited  were  from  enterprises  with  negative 
growth (14.8% of the 81 respondents). Less construction than service and manufacturing enterprises 
know they can bid in other EU countries. 27.5% (i.e. 11 of 40) of high knowledge-intensive service 
enterprises think they cannot bid in another EU country. 

Figure 12 You become aware that the European Commission purchases services connected 
directly to your business. What do you do to find opportunities for your business? 

c) There is a specific web portal supporting enterprises in 
finding the European Commission’s tender opportunities

55.8%

b) I will google “European Commission tender….”

28.6%

a) Surely I will not search anything since SMEs have not the
requirements to compete

15.1%

Based on question 4 of the quiz. NA: 0.5%. 

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

27 

 
 
 
 
 
 
SME NEEDS ANALYSIS IN PUBLIC PROCUREMENT 

Figure 13 There is a tender in another EU country and the subject of the tender is related to 
a  sector  where  you  have  a  strong  comparative  advantage.  Moreover,  the  price  is  very 
attractive. How do you approach it? 

c) I know I can bid in other EU countries, but I need to verify
the specific technical requirements

56.9%

b) I need to check with an expert if I can bid in this country

29.6%

a) I give up, I can never tender outside my country in the EU

13.2%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

Based on question 5 of the quiz. NA: 0.5%. 

For the workload required to submit an offer, the large majority of respondents know it mainly 
depends on the specific tender procedure or the size of the contract with a simplified procedure 
(Figure  14).  However,  15.4%  (57  respondents)  think  that  all  tenders  are  very  complicated.  This 
percentage is lower for micro enterprises than for other SMEs and mature companies but particularly 
high for enterprises with negative growth (23.5%, 19 of 81), manufacturing enterprises (20.7%, 12 
of 58) and high knowledge-intensive service enterprises (20%, 8 of 40). 

When applicants need clarification on the tender procedure, most respondents (80.6%) know how 
to submit questions and that the answers are published (Figure 15). Nearly 15% of respondents 
prefer to write an email to the local authority if the contact is available on its website. This increases 
to 17.2% for small enterprises, 21.5% for start-ups/ young companies, 23.5% for enterprises with 
negative  growth,  and,  among  service  enterprises,  to  24.3%  of  those  in  low  knowledge-intensity 
sectors (18 of 74). 

Figure 14 Do all tenders involve the same workload to submit an offer? 

b) No, it mainly depends on the specific tender procedure

48.8%

a) No, it depends on the size of the contract. The tender
procedure is simplified under a specific threshold

34.8%

c) Yes, they are all very complicated

15.4%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

Based on question 8 of the quiz. NA: 1.1%. 

Figure 15 During the tender procedure, what you can do if you need clarification? 

c) The tender documentation includes how to ask questions.
The answers are then published

b) If I can find a contact on the website of the tendering
authority, I can write an email

14.8%

a) Questions on the tender are not allowed when the
procedure is open

3.8%

80.6%

Based on question 9 of the quiz. NA: 0.8%. 

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90%

28 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
SME NEEDS ANALYSIS IN PUBLIC PROCUREMENT 

Comparing SMEs with experience in PP to those without  

  TED is known by 37% of SMEs with experience of PP, compared to 19% of SMEs without 

it. 

  10%  of  SMEs  with  experience  in  PP  think  they  cannot  bid  in  another  Member  State 
compared to 16% of SMEs without experience; 13% and 17% respectively think that SMEs 
do not have the requirements to participate in tenders managed by the EC. 

  For 7% of SMEs with experience in PP all tenders are very complicated and this percentage 

increases to 24% of SMEs without experience. 

SMEs that have participated in PP show a better knowledge of how to find PP opportunities 
in  other  Member  States.  Those  with  no  experience  have  a  significant  perception  that  PP 
implies a high burden. 

2.3. Summary of findings 

To summarise, the analysis of the quiz answers reveals the following: 

  PP experience: 

o  nearly half of respondents did not participate in PP in the past (48.5%); 

o  among those that participated, the success rate is high (83.2%); 

o  most enterprises with no experience intend to participate in the future (69.3%); 

o  58.2% of those not interested in participating in the future see PP as too complicated. 

 

 PP principles: 

o 

respondents have less knowledge of restricted procedure (51.8%), and know less the 
difference between call for tenders/call for proposals (19.4%); 

o  14.3% of respondents do not know which exclusion criteria can be applied; 

o  SMEs with experience show a better knowledge of PP principles. 

  PP opportunities: 

o  knowledge of TED is limited (28.3%) but increases for SMEs with experience in PP 

(37%); 

o  most  respondents  prefer  to  use  the  local  authority  website  to  find  opportunities 

(53.1%); 

o  Google is widely used to research opportunities (28,6% find a tender managed by the 

EC); 

o  a significant share of respondents (29.6%) need support from an expert to tender in 
another  EU  country  and  13.1%  think  it  is  not  possible  to  participate  in  PP  abroad 
(higher among SMEs with no experience of PP). 

By enterprise category15, the following results can be summarised: 

  Size of enterprises: 

Smaller enterprises, in particular micro enterprises, seem to face more constraints 
in  accessing  PP  than  medium-sized  enterprises.  Other  than  having  a  much  higher 

15 See also Table 14, Table 15, Table 17  Table 18 in Annex A. 

29 

 
 
                                                 
SME NEEDS ANALYSIS IN PUBLIC PROCUREMENT 

participation  rate  (69.6%  against  44.7%  for  micro  and  57.5%  for  small),  medium-sized 
enterprises are also more successful (89.7% against 82.5% for micro and 82% for small). 
Micro  companies  had  also  the  lowest  participation  in  the  past  (44.7%)  and  the  least 
interest  to  participate  in  the  future  (66.4%  against  75.7%  of  small  and  82.4%  of 
medium). 

Such problems for smaller companies can be linked to a lack of knowledge of PP 
principles,  particularly  of  exclusion  criteria  and  the  distinction  between  a  call  for 
tender/call for proposal. 

Problems may also arise due to a lack of knowledge of PP opportunities. Knowledge of 
TED among micro enterprises is very low (24%) compared to medium (31%) and small 
enterprises  (39.3%).  Micro  enterprises  prefer  to  use  local  authorities’  websites  to 
search for tenders above EU thresholds and require more support from an expert to 
understand  if  it  is  possible  to  bid  in  another  EU  country.  Small  companies  use  Google 
more than micro and medium companies do. 

Food for thought 

The quiz highlights that micro enterprises face more obstacles in participating in PP and exploiting 
opportunities  offered  by  the  EU  market.  They  are  also  less  interested  in  participating  in  future 
procedures compared to larger enterprises, which indicates that more effort would be needed to 
encourage  them.  Focusing  on  sectors  and  segments  of  growing  micro  enterprises  would 
concentrate  the  policy  action.  However,  a  more  advanced  and  intense  use  of  the  current 
legislative framework to facilitate access of smaller enterprises to PP would positively affect micro 
enterprises. 

Table 3 Results of the quiz by enterprise size 

Which category of SMEs has… 

…the lowest participation in the past? 

Micro enterprises 

…the lowest successful rate? 

Small enterprises 

Experience 

…the highest perception that PP is too complicated? 

Small enterprises 

…the lowest interest in participating in the future?  

Micro enterprises 

PP principles 

…the lowest knowledge of PP principles? 

Small enterprises 

PP opportunities 

…the lowest knowledge of TED? 

Micro enterprises 

…the highest use of Google? 

Small enterprises 

…the highest use of local authority website? 

Micro enterprises 

…the highest need for expert support 

Micro enterprises 

30 

 
 
 
SME NEEDS ANALYSIS IN PUBLIC PROCUREMENT 

…the highest perception that SMEs cannot compete 
in an EC tender? 

Small enterprises 

…the highest perception that SMEs cannot compete 
abroad?  

Small enterprises 

…the highest perception that all tenders are 
complicated? 

Medium enterprises 

Source: based on Table 14 in Annex A. 

 

 Year of creation: 

Start-ups and young companies have the lowest participation among all enterprise 
categories  (29.1%),  which  is  not  surprising.  However,  they  also  have  one  of  the 
highest success rates (91.3%). Moreover, start-ups and young companies more 
often declared that PP is not needed for their business (68.8%).  

Compared  to  mature  companies,  their  knowledge  of  PP  principles  is  slightly 
lower and many of them think that the cheapest offer always wins. 

Knowledge of TED is particularly low among start-ups and young companies 
(19%). They largely prefer to use local authority websites. Moreover, with respect to 
mature companies, they need more support from an expert for tenders abroad. 

Food for thought 

Start-ups  and young  companies appear  not  to perceive  PP  as a key  opportunity  to grow  and 
expand their business. They know TED to a lesser extent. Moreover, it can be hard for them to 
identify  procedures  where  the  selection  criteria  do  not  pose  a  barrier  to  recently  founded 
enterprises.  However,  start-ups  and  young  companies  also  have  a  higher  success  rate  when 
they participate in PP, indicating good potential. Since recently founded enterprises often have a 
higher aptitude for innovation, promoting their participation in PP can be strategic. 

Table 4 Results of the quiz by enterprise year of creation 

Which category of SMEs has… 

…the lowest participation in the past? 

Start-ups and young companies 

…the lowest successful rate? 

Mature SMEs 

Experience 

…the highest perception that PP is too complicated? 

Mature SMEs 

…the lowest interest in participating in the future?  

Mature SMEs 

PP principles 

…the lowest knowledge of PP principles? 

Start-ups and young companies 

…the lowest knowledge of TED? 

Start-ups and young companies 

31 

 
 
 
 
SME NEEDS ANALYSIS IN PUBLIC PROCUREMENT 

…the highest use of Google? 

Mature SMEs 

…the highest use of local authority website? 

Start-ups and young companies 

…the highest need for expert support 

Start-ups and young companies 

PP 
opportunities 

…the highest perception that SMEs cannot compete in an 
EC tender? 

…the highest perception that SMEs cannot compete 
abroad?  

Mature SMEs 

Mature SMEs 

…the highest perception that all tenders are complicated? 

Start-ups and young companies 

Source: based on Table 15  in Annex A. 

  Growth: 

Enterprises with negative growth have substantial problems in accessing PP. 
More  specifically,  although  they  do  not  have  the  lowest  rate  of  participation,  they 
have the lowest success rate (76.7%). Furthermore, they show the least interest 
to participate in future (56.8%). Enterprises with sustained growth have been most 
successful in the past (90.6%).  

The difficulties of enterprises with negative growth are also mirrored in their 
lack of knowledge of PP principles. For instance, this category shows the highest 
share of those that think the cheapest price always wins (17.3%). 

More  of  these  enterprises  think  that  SMEs  cannot  participate  outside  their 
respective countries. They tend to use Google more and their knowledge of TED is 
more  limited.  A  significant  number  of  them  also  think  that  all  tenders  are 
complicated (23.5%). 

Food for thought 

SMEs  facing  growth  difficulties  seem  to  be  much  less  attracted  by  PP,  some  because  of 
unsuccessful experiences, others because they do not fully know PP principles and opportunities. 
It seems they do not perceive PP as an opportunity. This category of enterprises is expanding due 
to the economic effects of the pandemic, so SMEs facing growth difficulties may show less (and 
decreasing) interest in PP due to a demanding administrative and technical bidding process. On 
the other hand, they may consider PP as a more secure business opportunity (and recovery) to 
be pursued with more energy. Trust in PP will play a key role in determining this choice, together 
with a progressive reduction of administrative burden. 

32 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
SME NEEDS ANALYSIS IN PUBLIC PROCUREMENT 

Table 5 Results of the quiz by enterprise growth 

Which category of SMEs has… 

…the lowest participation in the past? 

SMEs with medium growth 

…the lowest successful rate? 

SMEs with negative growth 

Experience 

…the highest perception that PP is too complicated? 

SMEs with high growth 

…the lowest interest in participating in the future?  

SMEs with negative growth 

PP principles 

…the lowest knowledge of PP principles? 

SMEs with negative growth 

…the lowest knowledge of TED? 

SMEs with negative growth 

…the highest use of Google? 

SMEs with negative growth 

…the highest use of local authority website? 

SMEs with moderate growth 

PP opportunities 

…the highest need for expert support 

SMEs with moderate growth 

…the highest perception that SMEs cannot compete in an 
EC tender? 

SMEs with high growth 

…the highest perception that SMEs cannot compete 
abroad?  

SMEs with negative growth 

…the highest perception that all tenders are complicated? 

SMEs with negative growth 

Source: based on Table 17 in Annex A. 

  Sector: 

Manufacturing enterprises participated less in PP (43.1%), compared to service 
(51.6%) and construction companies (60.4%), but have a much higher interest in 
participating in the future.  

Manufacturing enterprises participated less in PP (43.1%), compared to service 
(51.6%) and construction companies (60Construction companies are those that 
know TED less (17%), since they tend to use local authority websites and Google 
more.  Manufacturing  enterprises  need  the  support  of  an  expert  to  tender  in 
another  EU  country  more  than  other  enterprises  (34.5%).  A  larger  share  of 
construction enterprises considers participating in PP in another EU Member State 
as not possible (17%).  

However, a closer look into the service sector reveals that low knowledge-intensive 
enterprises  face  more  problems  in  accessing  PP.  They  have  a  very  low 
participation  rate  (39.2%)  and  lower  success  rate  (72.4%).  These  are  however 
more inclined to participate in PP in the future. Moreover, low knowledge-intensive 
enterprises  know 
less  about  TED  (21.6%)  and  use  more  traditional 
communication  channels  (Google  and  local  authority  website).  They  also  need 
more the support from an expert. 

There  are  also  interesting  results  concerning  enterprises  operating  in  high 
knowledge-intensive sectors. Many of them perceive PP as complicated (20%). 

33 

 
SME NEEDS ANALYSIS IN PUBLIC PROCUREMENT 

Moreover, they have the highest rate of respondents giving a wrong definition of call 
for tender/call for proposal (30%) and of exclusion criteria (22.5) and many of them 
think  that  SMEs  cannot  compete  in  an  EC  tender  (30%)  or  in  another  EU  country 
(27.5%). 

Food for thought 

Enterprises operating in high knowledge-intensive sectors (i.e. mainly ICT) have good potential for 
serving  public  administration  and  therefore  citizens.  Special  efforts  to  establish  a  dialogue  with 
them  should  promote  their  participation  in  PP  despite  administrative  difficulties  that  can  be 
overcome by companies with high levels of competence. 

Table 6 Results of the quiz by enterprise sector 

Which category of SMEs has… 

…the lowest participation in the past? 

SMEs in manufacturing 

…the lowest successful rate? 

SMEs in services 

Experience 

…the highest perception that PP is too 
complicated? 

SMEs in manufacturing 

…the lowest interest in participating in 
the future?  

SMEs in services 

SMEs in low 
knowledge-intensive 
services 

SMEs in low 
knowledge-intensive 
services 

SMEs in high 
knowledge-intensive 
services 

SMEs in high 
knowledge-intensive 
services 

PP principles 

…the lowest knowledge of PP 
principles? 

SMEs in manufacturing 
and 
services 

SMEs in high 
knowledge-intensive 
services 

…the lowest knowledge of TED? 

SMEs in construction 

PP 
opportunities 

…the highest use of Google? 

SMEs in construction 

…the highest use of local authority 
website? 

SMEs in construction 

…the highest need for expert support? 

SMEs in manufacturing 

SMEs in low 
knowledge-intensive 
services 

SMEs in low 
knowledge-intensive 
services 

SMEs in low 
knowledge-intensive 
services 

SMEs in low 
knowledge-intensive 
services 

34 

 
 
 
SME NEEDS ANALYSIS IN PUBLIC PROCUREMENT 

…the highest perception that SMEs 
cannot compete in an EC tender? 

SMEs in manufacturing 

…the highest perception that SMEs 
cannot compete abroad?  

SMEs in construction 

…the highest perception that all 
tenders are complicated? 

SMEs in manufacturing 

SMEs in high 
knowledge-intensive 
services 

SMEs in high 
knowledge-intensive 
services 

SMEs in low 
knowledge-intensive 
services 

Source: based on Table 17 and Table 18 in Annex A. 

35 

 
 
 
SME NEEDS ANALYSIS IN PUBLIC PROCUREMENT 

3. MEETING  SMEs,  ASSOCIATIONS  AND  PUBLIC 

PROCURERS: RESULTS FROM THE WEBINARS 

Chapter  3  is  dedicated  to  the  results  of  interactions  with  SMEs,  public  procurers  and  SME 
associations in the five Member States covered by the project. These involved: 

  15 webinar training sessions where national experts could observe 55 SMEs doing exercises 
on PP, register navigation on TED, collect questionnaires and have structured dialogues; 

  Five interactive sessions (a webinar per Member State) where SMEs and public procurers 

discussed PP; 

  Five study circles (a webinar per Member State) where evidence from the previous sessions 

were validated and proposals for specific actions made. 

As displayed in Table 2, 55 SMEs participated in the training sessions, 19 public procurers and 15 
SME associations also contributed to the project. 

The  first  section  summarises  barriers  SMEs  have  faced  with  PP.  These  were  collected  at  the 
beginning of each training session when participants were asked to introduce themselves and their 
experiences  with  PP.  The  following  two  sections  of  this  chapter  illustrate  barriers  and  proposed 
solutions  collected  during  the  exercises  on  TED  (screening  opportunities)  and  selection  criteria 
(dealing with requirements). The chapter concludes with the results of the round tables at the end of 
each  training  session  where  participants  discussed  barriers  and  potential  solutions  to  enhance 
collaboration among SMEs for PP.  

3.1. General SME barriers with PP 

SMEs have different levels of experience. Several SMEs had never participated in PP before. Some 
of those with experience focused on local/regional/national tenders and a few had participated at EU 
or international level. Some SMEs have mainly public clients, so PP is part of their daily business. 
Other SMEs participated in PP mainly as sub-contractors. Finally, some participants know PP from 
experience in another company. 

The main barriers discussed briefly during participant presentations are: 

  Low trust in PP and public procurers 

o  Key points from SME training sessions 

Low trust was discussed especially in Italy (by participants in the construction sector and 
in health and social services) and Romania. In Italy, SMEs are mainly concerned by the 
awarding  phase,  as  price  appears  to  be  the  main  criterion,  which  does  not  enable 
smaller  enterprises to  express  their  strengths.  In  Romania there  are  serious  concerns 
about implementation. The course of public contracts is considered hard to predict and 
delays in payments are expected. Frequent delays in payments mean PP is seen as a 
threat for the financial health of SMEs. 

o  Key points from the interactive sessions and study circles 

During  the  study  circles  in  Romania  and  in  Italy,  SME  associations  stated  that  many 
SMEs,  especially  in  construction,  can  access  public  business  opportunities  but  have 
little  interest.  They  consider  their  portfolio  of  (private)  clients  as  sufficient  and  are 
confident that they have enough business opportunities. For PP, they consider that the 
entire  process  of  application  and  implementation  of  a  public  contract  is  not 
efficient. Therefore, the benefits of working with public clients are less attractive than the 

36 

 
 
 
SME NEEDS ANALYSIS IN PUBLIC PROCUREMENT 

private market. Moreover, during the interactive session in  Romania it was underlined 
that  the  limited  professional  capabilities  of  public  procurers  negatively  affect  the 
quality  of  tender  documentation  and  the  evaluation  process.  One  public  procurer 
explained that PP staff sometimes do not have enough, or any, professional competence 
in the activity. Therefore, specific training programmes are necessary, depending on the 
needs of each institution. Training in PP, financed by non-reimbursable funds would be 
considered  very  useful  for  public  authorities,  but  in  Romania  these  have  been 
substantially reduced since the previous programming period (2007-2013). 

  Unreachable criteria 

o  Key points from SME training sessions 

Selection  criteria  were  indicated  as  an  obstacle  by  several  SMEs  in  most  of  the 
Member States. Smaller companies, especially in the private sector, tend to have many 
low value contracts, which are not considered as a reference in the tender procedures. 
Furthermore, Italian companies dealing with environmental services agreed that the 
specificity  required  to  show  technical  and  professional  capacity  sometimes  appears 
excessive.  This  often  excludes  smaller  companies  that  have  the  technical  capacity, 
without a perfect portfolio of contracts. In Sweden, framework contracts are seen as an 
obstacle  to  SME  participation.  For  recently  founded  companies  (start-ups/  young 
companies),  access  to  PP  was  seen  as  impossible,  especially  for  tenders  above  a 
threshold and published on TED.  

Opportunities  on  TED  appear  more  suitable  for  bigger  players  than  SMEs.  The 
difficulty  of  accessing  ‘international’  procedures  was  mentioned  in  Romania,  in 
association with the idea that SMEs can participate only as subcontractors. In Poland it 
was  stressed  that  a  company  wanting  to  participate  in  TED  tenders  needs  significant 
human and financial resources. More specifically, it often seems impossible to tender in 
other Member States without a local partner.  

o  Key points from the interactive sessions and study circles 

During the study circle in Italy, the association of cooperative enterprises noted there is 
no added value on TED for their associates. Participation in large tenders, especially if 
outside the region, is unfeasible for companies offering health and social work services 
whose quality strongly depends on their local knowledge. Furthermore, it is believed 
that  only  big  and  well-structured  companies  can  participate  in  PP  in  another  Member 
State.  In the  construction sector,  an  SME  association expressed doubts that  selection 
criteria capture the appropriate information for technical and professional capacity. Larger 
companies  tend  to  be  ‘empty  boxes’,  whereas  smaller  companies  offer  better  labour 
contracts and have better workplace safety conditions. These elements, in their view, are 
not considered when selection criteria are set. 

The Polish interactive session confirmed significant difficulties for smaller companies to 
compete outside the national market, not only to meet selection criteria, but also because 
they  lack  internal  capacity.  According  to  a  survey  by  an  SME  association,  only  2%  of 
SMEs  declared  they  have  PP  departments.  The  conclusion  was  that  only  larger  and 
well-structured enterprises can compete in international PP markets. 

A  technical  remark  emerged  in  the  study  circle  in  the  Netherlands,  where  an  SME 
association  underlined  that  there  is  a  big  difference  in  national  criteria  -  and  related 
problems  -  with  respect  to  international  ones.  The  first  put  much  more  emphasis  on 
certificates which are difficult to get for smaller companies, while in international PP the 
quality requirements are often too restrictive. 

37 

 
 
 
 
SME NEEDS ANALYSIS IN PUBLIC PROCUREMENT 

  Price over quality/ Unbalanced criteria 

o  Key points from SME training sessions 

Several SMEs underlined that it is difficult for smaller companies to be competitive 
when price is the only criterion. SMEs have limited cost advantages and can better 
express their strengths when interpreting local needs and developing targeted solutions 
is key. These aspects were emphasised in the webinars in Italy. In Sweden it was noted 
that  contract  periods  should  be  extended  because  it  is  more  difficult  for  a  smaller 
company to concentrate the effort needed into a short time.  

o  Key points from the interactive sessions and study circles 

In Italy, during the interactive session, a public procurer noted the necessity to speed up 
the  public  spending  process  (particularly  in  2020  and  probably  in  2021  due  to  the 
significant  public  resources  to  be  spent  due  to  the  Covid19  crisis).  This  risks  wider 
adoption of price-only criterion to award contracts. The public administration is managing 
significant  public  financial  resources  to  respond  to  the  Covid19  crisis  and  support  the 
recovery of local economies. The public procurer mentioned that price-only criterion could 
significantly  accelerate  public  procurers  in  evaluating  technical  and  economic  offers, 
hastening the awarding process. On the other hand, price only criterion would reduce 
the  capacity  of  public  administration  to  buy  in  a  sound  way.  Such  a  risk  is  also 
perceived  in  Romania  by  local  public  procurers.  Finally,  it  was  recognised  that  the 
capacity to assess quality is still an issue for several public procurers. In Poland a public 
procurer observed that price is the main bottleneck for SMEs but, at the same time, the 
decisive factor to win a tender. Therefore, SMEs perceive that the chances to win a tender 
are very low.  

 

 High administrative burden 

o  Key points from SME training sessions 

SMEs from all Member States found difficulties with PP technicalities. Participation 
in PP requires a lot of time and employees, not only to search for business opportunities 
but also for administration in the following phases. Romanian SMEs appear especially 
burdened by PP procedures. The multiple procedures in national legislation require more 
effort  for  SMEs  to  understand  them.  Moreover,  appeals  lead  to  blockages  in  the 
procedure, generating delays and additional burden. With PP in other Member States, 
Romanian SMEs express the concern that further barriers could arise because of specific 
national legislation. SMEs from the five countries noticed that participation in tenders in 
other  Member  States  adds  significant  linguistic  difficulties  that  require  adequate 
resources. 

o  Key points from the interactive sessions and study circles 

Consistent  with  the  emphasis  of  Romanian  SMEs  on  high  administrative  burden,  the 
study circle in Romania provided several examples. An SME association stressed that 
young entrepreneurs find PP procedures in the national system to be difficult, as there 
are various blocks to accessing them, including electronic signature. For SMEs without 
experience of PP procedures, documentation tends to be very difficult at first sight. 
Some  are  open  to  external  help,  but  some  cannot  afford  this  and  they  lose  time 
understanding  how  to  meet  the  criteria  and  provide  documentation.  Another  SME 
association  stressed  that  requests  for  clarification  from  contracting  authorities  (with 
submitted offers) are sometimes exaggerated and the response time is very short. Time 
is  also  problematic  in  the  evaluation  process  and  the  period  from  submitting  offers  to 
awarding contracts is too long. It is understandable that some blockages are caused by 
external factors, such as appeals, but sometimes SMEs find it hard to understand why 
contracting authorities prolong the award phase.  

38 

 
 
SME NEEDS ANALYSIS IN PUBLIC PROCUREMENT 

In  the  study  circle  in  the  Netherlands,  SME  associations  underlined  that  applying  for 
tenders is a complex and time-consuming process. The European Single Procurement 
Document (ESPD)  is too  technical  and discourages participation.  Furthermore, criteria 
may not clearly match the scope of the contract. Some Dutch public procurers pointed 
out that their administrative burden is high. For instance, multiple ‘Question and Answer’ 
rounds are very time consuming. In Italy, an SME association observed that companies 
often need to ‘hire’ a new employee to make regular use of TED, which demonstrates 
how participation in PP can be burdensome.  

3.2. Screening opportunities: TED 

For most participants it was the first time they had used TED. Even though some already had 
experience of PP and some with national PP databases, few had used TED before.  

After  completing  the  exercise,  42%  of  the  SMEs  had  found  an  appropriate  number  of  business 
opportunities, showing the database’s potential (Figure 16). 26% of participants, however, were not 
able to find interesting opportunities, whereas 21% found an excessive number. 

Figure  16    Were  you  able  to  find  business  opportunities  thanks  to  the  selected  search 
criteria? 

11%

26%

42%

21%

a. Yes, and the number of business
opportunities I found was appropriate

b. Yes, but the number of business
opportunities I found was too large

c. No, I could not identify any business
opportunity

Cannot reply/NA

Source: based on question 3, Questionnaire post TED exercise, Annex C. 

Analysis of responses (see Annex C) and especially interaction with companies during the training 
sessions and following exchanges with public procurers and SME associations highlighted that: 

  PP opportunities published on TED (above the threshold) are rarely interesting for smaller 

companies and are more suitable for medium-sized companies;  

  SMEs  appear  focused  on  their  national  markets  which  implies  a  focus  on  national  PP 

databases; 

  The  added  value  of  a  (free)  tool  to  search  opportunities  across  the  EU  and  beyond  is 
recognised but SMEs are aware that exploring foreign markets is an ambitious step (mainly 
because of language barriers, need to establish partnerships, etc.); 

  The  opportunity  to  access  historical  information  on  awarded  contracts,  competitors  and 

potential partners is understood as an advantage of public transparency; 

39 

 
 
 
 
SME NEEDS ANALYSIS IN PUBLIC PROCUREMENT 

  There is a generic interest in using TED in the future (58%, Figure 17), but SMEs did not 
show interest in creating or improving their own profile on TED. This confirms that such a 
tool,  even  if  appreciated,  is  not  considered  immediately  useful  to  identify  business 
opportunities. 

Figure  17  Are  you  considering  using  this  database  to  find  business  opportunities  in  the 
future? 

32%

11%

58%

Yes

No

Cannot reply/NA

Source: based on question 6, Questionnaire post TED exercise, Annex C. 

Barriers and some proposals for improvement are analysed in the following paragraphs. 

3.2.1. Barriers 

Most of the SMEs faced barriers in using the platform during the exercise. More specifically: 

  Poor usability of TED: too many filters/redundancies at first glance 

o  Almost all SMEs observed that there are many filters. Some recognised redundancies, 
others found filters too restrictive or even misleading. Several users saw TED as a tool 
more for public procurers than SMEs, with significant room for improvement in usability. 
62% of the SMEs searched for information by text, while 54% used the CPV filter (see 
box below). Place of performance appears to be another important filter, used by 42% of 
the SMEs. In short, the basic search criteria appear to be ‘what is bought’ and ‘where it 
is bought’, plus the possibility to search by text. The search per business opportunity had 
just been reorganised when the training sessions started, with aggregation of ‘Planning’, 
‘Competition’ and ‘Result’. However, few SMEs made use of this key filter.  

The use of TED was registered during the training sessions and detailed elements are 
illustrated in the box below. 

40 

 
 
 
 
 
 
SME NEEDS ANALYSIS IN PUBLIC PROCUREMENT 

Insights from observing SMEs using TED 

  During the 15 to 30 minute exercises, participants made an average of 4 searches.   

  Most (47 of 55) used the ‘advanced search’. 

  Four fifths of participants looked for opportunities in the active tender notices, while one fifth 

used the ‘all notices’ or ‘current OJ S issue’ options.  

 

In Italy and Poland, just two participants – one per country - used English, four in Romania, 
six  in  Sweden  and  four  in  the  Netherlands.  Other  participants  preferred  searching  and 
reading in their national language.  

  11 SMEs selected the tender documentation language. Seven were Italian companies, out 
of which six selected only their mother tongue, while one also selected English. Of the two 
Romanian  companies  that  chose  the  language,  one  picked  up  English  and  the  other 
Romanian. The other two SMEs – one from Sweden and the other from the Netherlands - 
selected only English to look for business opportunities. 

  The ‘text’ filter was a primary tool used by 34 of 55 (62%). For ‘business opportunities’, 12 
of  the  55  used  the  ‘competition’  filter,  even  though  it  was  not  so  clear  to  them,  as  they 
generally clicked the ‘?’ underneath to better understand the meaning.   

  20  participants  used  the  ‘?’  button  near  each  filter,  on  average  3  times  to  verify  filter 

descriptions.  

  The CPV codes filter was also used a lot (54% of participants), with the exception of Sweden 
and  the  Netherlands,  where  SMEs  used  the  text  filter  instead.  23  chose  the  place  of 
performance filter to select where they would like to find business opportunities. Just nine 
participants chose the currency filter, even though Sweden, Poland and Romania do not 
have the Euro as their national currency.   

  The  filter  ‘type  of  procedure’  was  selected  mainly  by  Italian  (nine)  and  Romanian  (six) 

SMEs, and one Swedish company, but it was not of primary importance for them.  

  For timing, i.e. deadline for submission and requests for documents, a tiny number of SMEs 
picked  up  the  timing  filters  (between  one  and  five  users  for  each  option).  No  participant 
selected the filter on publication of the tender in the Supplement of the Official Journal.   

  15 SMEs selected the buyer country (only one in Sweden), while the other ‘buyer’ filters 
were  used  by  few  participants.  Eight  SMEs  –  of  which  six  were  Italian  –  selected  the 
‘General opportunities’ filter in the legal basis section.  

  Participants from all five countries concluded the first search in 10-15 minutes, with some 
exceptions. One SME in Romania took about 25 minutes to reach the results page for the 
first time, and two in Italy took about 30 minutes.  From the second search on they took 
more  time.  They  read  the  filter  descriptions  more  carefully  and  selected  filters  more 
attentively. Furthermore, they refined the search by modifying key words or choosing more 
selective CPV codes.   

  41  participants  reached  the  final  page  with  a  list  of  tenders,  normally  having  refined  the 

search several times. 

  Finally, 12 – half of them from Italy - directed the search to public procurer websites, to look 
for more information on opportunities identified through TED.  A highlight box. Add important 
information here 

41 

 
 
 
SME NEEDS ANALYSIS IN PUBLIC PROCUREMENT 

  Poor usability of TED: unclear terminology/ use of text filter  

o  Key points from SME training sessions 

The challenge of many filters is mirrored by the difficulties in understanding terminology 
for  several  SMEs.  Filters  are  specific  because  they  correspond  to  technical  concepts 
such  as  tender  procedures  (Competitive  dialogue,  Competitive  procedure  with 
negotiation, Concession award procedure, etc.). Several SMEs considered such filters 
too restrictive because they did not understand the terms, even in their own language. 
There  were  specific  problems  in  identifying  CPV  codes.  SMEs  do  not  know  this 
categorisation and sometimes fail to identify their own sector. 

One problem with CPV codes may be related to CPV digit numbering following NACE Rev.1 . For 
instance,  Construction  starts from  45  in  both  nomenclatures.  But the  current  version  of  NACE  is 
Rev.2, where Construction is covered by division 41-43 . Another example is IT services, CPV code 
72 in NACE Rev.1 but 62 in NACE Rev.2. 

Other difficulties arose in using the text search tool. Writing a two-word phrase brings 
separate results for the two words. The system does not recognise the words as just one 
expression. Finally, contract values are sometimes displayed in the official currency of 
the bidder country. Since interest in a tender depends on the contract value, non-Euro 
currencies are not easily noticeable with a first search. 

o  Key points from the interactive sessions and study circles 

The study circles confirmed the difficulties using CPV categories, which are not known 
by companies and raised the issue of the relationship with NACE codes. Some procurers 
also noted this burden, as uploading tenders in TED and complying with the terminology 
can be complex. 

  Linguistic barriers/ document accessibility 

o  Key points from SME training sessions 

The recognised added value of TED, i.e. the possibility to identify business opportunities 
in other Member States, corresponds with a major barrier for SME participation in the EU 
public  market.  In  all  countries  covered  by  the  project  SMEs  came  across  ‘interesting’ 
opportunities abroad and immediately realised they did not have the capacity required. 
For instance, in Poland participants found open tender procedures in Croatia, Greece 
and  Slovakia  related  to  their  business  but  declared  it  impossible  to  access  translated 
documents,  at  least  in  English.  Other  Polish  participants  did  not  find  the  direct  link 
between  TED  and  the  public  procurer  website  where  the  tender  documents  were 
expected  to  be  available.  Specific  points  on  the  linguistic  issue  emerged  in  Romania, 
where SMEs showed more interest in accessing foreign markets than in countries such 
as  Sweden  and  the  Netherlands.  Most  Romanian  participants  considered  that  only 
procedures in an ‘international’ language, such as English, should be published on TED. 
The reason for such a radical point is that, in the absence of native experts, the interest 
in PP opportunities in other Member States is low. They explained that it is a waste of 
time to look for a procedure in another language if a company does not have the capacity 
to perform the service or to execute the work. They revealed the tendency to participate 
only  in  procedures  that  involve  documents  in  Romanian  and  English.  It  was  also 
underlined  that  the  database  is  very  useful  for  identifying  opportunities,  but  once  the 
contract  is  won,  other  barriers  arise  with  legislation  in  each  country  and  the  different 
stages of contract implementation. Similar problems were identified in Italy, where even 
English  appeared  not  to  be  a  common  working  language  for  SMEs,  and  also  in  the 

42 

 
 
 
 
SME NEEDS ANALYSIS IN PUBLIC PROCUREMENT 

Netherlands.  Finally,  in  Sweden  it  was  observed  that,  even  when  TED  helps  identify 
opportunities, it appears ‘impossible’ to compete with companies in their own domestic 
market. 

The SME training sessions confirmed that using national languages in tender procedures 
limits  SME  access  to  PP  across  the  single  market.  Without  reliable  networks  making 
native experts available, SMEs tend to consider the language barrier as impossible to be 
overcome. 

o  Key points from the interactive sessions and study circles 

The  study  circles  confirmed  the  SME  difficulties.  The  Polish  interactive  session 
highlighted that a lack of notice description translation is an obstacle to SME participation. 
The difficulty of finding full tender documentation on a procurer's website was stressed in 
the  interactive  session  and  in  the  study  circle.  In  Romania  it  was  commented  that 
publication  of  information  only  in  English  would  not  be  an  optimal  solution.  In  the 
Netherlands  it  was  observed  that  tender  documents  in  national  languages  create  a 
barrier not only because all official languages cannot be known, but also because legal 
terminology  is  not  consistent  across  the  EU.  This  poses  a  major  problem  for  EU 
integration in this field. In the Italian study circle this point was not discussed, because 
generally  only  medium-sized  or  large  companies  with  a  well  organised  bidding 
department  and  a  reliable  network  of  partners  were  thought  able  to  access  tenders 
outside the country. 

3.2.2. Proposals for improvement 

From the round table after the TED exercise, participants proposed solutions to improve the use of 
TED including: 

  TED clarity 

o  Key points from SME training sessions 

- 

Italy. To make TED more user-friendly, improve filter clarity and reduce the number.  

-  The Netherlands. TED is perceived as not user-friendly. Add an explanation of how 
filters work, since the more these filters are used, the less results TED provides. 

-  Poland. Clarify how to use CPV codes and choose the proper one. Introduce filters to 

look for tenders by smaller territorial units.  

-  Romania.  A  classification  of  opportunities  by  NACE  code  would  be  helpful.  After 
selecting the activity field, with consulting services for example, customise the search 
by displaying specific filters (for each activity field).  

-  Sweden. The search process should be refined, as the database seems designed to 
fulfil legal requirements rather than be user friendly. A general improvement of the 
interface  (i.e.  the  search  button  is  too  small)  would  encourage  use.  However, 
competent  users  find  information  on  TED  and  improvement  would  facilitate 
inexperienced users more.  A version of TED ‘for beginners’ was proposed. It could 
start with sector (the current CPV filter) then propose filters in sequence. 

  Guide to TED16 

16  The  training  sessions  with  SMEs  were  conducted  before  publication  of  the  new  ‘Help’  page  on  the  TED  platform 
(https://ted.europa.eu/TED/misc/helpPage.do?helpPageId=search). When the observations were formulated by the SMEs, 
the Help page was different and not available in all EU official languages. 

43 

 
 
 
                                                 
SME NEEDS ANALYSIS IN PUBLIC PROCUREMENT 

o  Key points from SME training sessions 

- 

Italy. Provide a guide for using TED. Being only in English, the ‘Help’ page was not 
usable by SMEs in the training session. 

-  The Netherlands. Publish a TED tutorial on YouTube in all official languages17. 

-  Poland. Although the system is good, it is too complex and a guide on how to use it 

and apply the filters could be very useful. 

-  Romania. For new platform users an automatic guide with search tips would be useful. 

-  Sweden. Guiding the user through the search process is fundamental as the multiple-

choice options lead to a ‘chaos of information’. 

o  Key points from the interactive sessions and study circles 

The necessity of a guide in all languages was stressed in the Netherlands and Romania, 
with special regard to inexperienced SMEs using search criteria. 

  New functionalities in the platform 

o 

 Key points from SME training sessions 

- 

Italy.  Given  that  start-ups  and  young  companies  rarely  find  opportunities  on  TED, 
create a path allowing companies with a limited portfolio of contracts to fulfil selection 
criteria. 

-  The Netherlands. Introduce a ‘solicited / offered’ section for small businesses or those 
missing certain expertise to meet and team up for a tender. Also a ‘partner-search’ to 
look for specific partners/expertise. 

-  Romania.  Introducing  a Euro  conversion  function  would  be  helpful  when  contracts 
are in non-Euro currencies. Highlight PP procedures depending on their location. 

o  Key points from the interactive sessions and study circles 

During  the  interactive  session  in  Poland,  the  idea  to  add  a  functionality  allowing 
enterprises to find  partners  i.e.  potential  consortium members  in other  Member  States 
emerged. One public procurer during the study circle proposed introducing a geolocation 
search  option  so,  for  instance,  entrepreneurs  near  the  border  can  easily  identify 
opportunities in neighbouring territories. In the Netherlands the same idea to create a 
tool for  SMEs from  different  Member  States to  interact  and  possibly form  partnerships 
was  suggested.  Also  TED  could  host  a  profile-based  cooperation  platform  for 
government/SME exchange and one public procurer also suggested creating a calendar 
for SMEs to see upcoming contracts. In Sweden it was proposed to add a filter to select 
procedures divided into lots, as these may be more accessible for SMEs18. 

  Better presentation of documentation 

o  Key points from SME training sessions 

- 

Italy.  Improve  the  presentation  of  tender  documentation  by  introducing  an  English 
translation of all tender contract notices with links to tender documentation, bypassing 
the public procurer home page. 

17  A  tutorial  was  published  in  July  2020  on  YouTube  by  the  Publication  Office  of  the  European  Union 
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dCQnAp8Xzu0&t=6s). It is available only in English and could not be accessed directly 
from the TED website in November 2020. 
18 The training sessions with SMEs were conducted after delivery of the new TED ‘Advanced search’ page in summer 
2020, where the function ‘Division into lots’ was eliminated. 

44 

 
 
 
                                                 
SME NEEDS ANALYSIS IN PUBLIC PROCUREMENT 

-  Poland. Translate the documentation into English at least. Moreover, a direct link from 

TED to public procurer web pages with published tender documents. 

-  Romania. Make all tender documents available in English, not only the titles of the 
sections  but  also  the  full  information.  One  suggested  a  button  which  immediately 
translates  each  procedure  (like  Google  Translate),  where  searchers  encounter 
linguistic problems. It would be helpful if published procedures contain only one type 
of contract (such as goods, services or works), so different filter categories within the 
same contract are not needed.  

-  Sweden. Lessen the linguistic barriers, as SMEs have very limited knowledge of other 

EU national languages. 

o  Key points from the interactive sessions and study circles 

The  sessions  generally  confirmed  the  necessity  for  full  translation  of  notices  into  all  EU  national 
languages,  or  at  least  into  English.  In  Italy,  direct  access  to  public  procurer  web  pages  with  full 
tender  documentation  was  suggested.  In  Sweden,  where  expectations  of  easy  navigation  are 
higher, ‘making sure that TED fulfils all regulations’ should change to ‘making sure that TED is user 
friendly’. This would entail a total makeover of the interface along with innovative solutions to deal 
with language issues. 

 

Improve TED visibility 

o  Key points from SME training sessions 

-  The  Netherlands.  Better  advertise  TED  services,  for  instance  advertisements  in 
LinkedIn  or  other  social  media,  so  businesses  are  more  likely  to  find  TED 
opportunities. 

-  Romania. Develop advertising campaigns to make TED better known by SMEs.  

o  Key points from the interactive sessions and study circles 

During the study circle in Romania, an SME association highlighted that measures are 
needed to promote existing tools to facilitate SME access to public business as well as 
specific training on their use, for example easily understood tutorials. Possibly promote 
and conduct courses and webinars on using TED. One public procurer added that it would 
be  useful  to  increase  the  visibility  of  TED  benefits  for  SMEs  through  various 
communication  channels.  In  the  Netherlands  and  Poland,  increasing  the  interplay 
between national PP platforms and TED would be extremely beneficial for TED visibility, 
as SMEs primarily use national tools. Incorporate national platform functions into TED to 
make it a priority tool for SMEs, rather than an additional, rarely accessed database.  

3.3. Selection criteria: dealing with requirements 

The second exercise in the SME training sessions aimed at generating discussion on complying with 
selection criteria, the difficulties and constraints of requirements for SMEs, and potential solutions 
for such barriers. 

3.3.1. Barriers 

During the exercise, participants underlined the following:  

  Assessing selection criteria 

o  Key points from SME training sessions 

45 

 
 
 
 
SME NEEDS ANALYSIS IN PUBLIC PROCUREMENT 

Participants showed a very good capacity (72%) to understand if their company had the 
requirements  necessary  to  tender  according  to  the  exercise  procedures.  However, 
several participants needed to dedicate energy and time to do this task. 

Figure  18  Did  you  have  problems  to  understand  whether  your  company  has  got  the 
requirements that would allow it to apply for the tender? 

12%

16%

72%

Yes
No
NA

Source: based on question 3, Questionnaire post Selection Criteria exercise, Annex C. 

o  Key points from the interactive sessions and study circles 

In almost all sessions the tender documentation length and use of legal terminology was 
emphasised as an obstacle to participation at all levels. The SME associations see room 
for simplification.  

For  the  selection  criteria,  specific  points  were  raised.  During  the  interactive  session  in 
Poland  requirements  mean  that  tenders  better  suit  bigger  companies.  It  is  difficult  for 
small enterprises to compete. In the study circle, one public procurer added that in smaller 
tenders, requirements should be kept to a minimum. The study circle in the Netherlands 
noted that certifications make it hard for SMEs to participate, whereas selection criteria 
in ‘international’ tenders are often disproportionate and difficult to understand with respect 
to the scope of the tender. 

In some sessions the robustness and consistency of selection criteria was questioned. 
For instance, during the study circle in  Romania one SME association underlined that 
requirements are not always clear, especially when they relate to experience of the team. 
This  was  confirmed  in  Sweden,  where  it  was  underlined  that  selection  (and  award) 
criteria  are  often  outdated  and/or  contain  irrelevant  criteria  (for  the  tender).  Such 
extensive and/or irrelevant criteria are an effective barrier to participation for many SMEs. 

In the Italy interactive session one SME noted that public procurers sometimes require a 
minimum turnover of the company for a specific work requested, but the SME may not 
have  that  turnover  in  that  niche(and  for  the  indicated  period  of  time).  This  is  a  clear 
advantage for larger companies with a wider portfolio of contracts. However, during the 
session it was agreed that lacking such requirements does not necessarily imply a poor 
technical capacity for the SME. For public procurers it seems easier to adopt restrictive 
technical criteria which favour larger companies. It was underlined that criteria requiring 
previous  large  contracts  are  an  obstacle  for  smaller  companies,  especially  those  with 
experience in the private sector where contracts tend to be smaller. 

  Difficulties in providing evidence of requirements  

46 

 
 
 
 
 
SME NEEDS ANALYSIS IN PUBLIC PROCUREMENT 

o  Key points from SME training sessions 

Participants showed a good capacity (60%) to understand if their company could provide 
evidence of the requirements. Some companies in Italy and Poland declared problems 
in  understanding  which  documentation  to  provide  to  prove  that  they  fulfil  the  tender 
requirements.  This  mainly  concerned  technical  and  professional  criteria.  In  Italy,  the 
necessity  to  own  a certificate to tender for  works  above certain thresholds (the  ‘SOA’) 
does  not  pose  problems  of  understanding  but  is  criticised  by  small  construction 
companies as a burden. 

Figure 19 Have you met difficulties to understand how your company can provide evidence 
of the requirements?   

18%

23%

60%

Yes

No

NA

Source: based on question 6, Questionnaire post Selection Criteria exercise, Annex C. 

o  Key points from the interactive sessions and study circles 

The  problems  to  prove  technical  and  professional  requirements  were  intensively 
discussed  in  the  interactive  session  in  Italy.  A  medium-sized  enterprise  offering 
environmental services and solutions underlined the problems of providing certificates of 
concluded  contracts,  especially  in  foreign  countries.  Foreign  clients  cannot  always 
translate  those  documents  in  a  short  period  of  time.  Another  SME  highlighted  that 
participating in PP in another EU country means translating all the documentation, with 
an  additional  administrative  burden  (and  cost)  for  SMEs.  Public  procurers  in  the 
interactive  session  noted  that  the  rationale  behind  strict  technical  and  professional 
requirements  is  to  decrease  the  number  of  companies  participating  in  the  tender. 
However, they also agreed that decreasing the number of tenderers does not necessarily 
mean increasing the quality of the proposals.  

In the  Netherlands  there  was  a focus  on  the  ESPD.  During  the  study  circle,  an  SME 
association  pointed  out  that  the  ESPD  is  too  open  to  interpretation  (e.g.  concerning 
subcontractors/third  parties)  and  the  conditions  for  providing  certificates,  declarations, 
etc. are often unclear because of complicated legal terms. ESPD wording appears too 
technical and discourages participation. A public procurer stated that procurers are not 
satisfied with the ESPD since it is not user-friendly.  

3.3.2. Proposals for improvement 

  Tender standardisation/simplification 

o  Key points from SME training sessions 

47 

 
 
 
 
 
SME NEEDS ANALYSIS IN PUBLIC PROCUREMENT 

In  some  countries  SMEs  were  very  proactive.  Participants  in  the  training  sessions  in 
Poland  commented  that  public  procurers  should  use  one  template  for  the  tender 
specifications.  There  are  too  many  criteria,  so  simplification  and  unification  of  tender 
documentation is needed. For instance, public procurers should ask for company self-
declarations  instead  of  certificates.  In  Romania,  where  administrative  burden  is  a 
concern, better organisation of information in the tender documents is very important. The 
standardisation and simplification of documentation could help identify selection criteria 
more  simply.  Imposing  a  standard  model  for  tender  documentation,  complying  with 
contracting  authority  needs,  was  proposed  to  facilitate  access  to  public  procedures. 
Interestingly, standardising national PP documents with EU level ones was proposed in 
Sweden. 

o  Key points from the interactive sessions and study circles 

In  Poland  the  interactive  session  confirmed  proposals  from  the  training  sessions,  for 
simplification  and  unification  of  tender  documentation,  such  as  using  a  template  for 
common tenders. The study circle in Romania dedicated a lot of attention to this. An SME 
association  underlined  that  not  all  information  should  be  repeated  in  all  procedure 
documents. This would help SMEs to identify the selection criteria. Public procurers noted 
that a national PP database would help both contracting authorities and tenderers. In the 
interactive  session  in  the  Netherlands  it  was  proposed  to  include  more  targeted 
information in the tender documents, providing answers to ‘standard’ questions that are 
repeatedly asked in certain sectors. In addition, since filling ESPD is burdensome, one 
SME association proposed creating an EU-wide register for SMEs to be filled only the 
first  time  they  participate  in  a  tendering  process.  After  that,  the  SME  should  be 
responsible for updating the register. 

  Upskilling of SMEs 

o  Key points from SME training sessions 

SMEs in the five Member States declared that more internal capacity would be necessary 
to  deal  effectively  with  PP  complexity,  starting  from  screening  potential  opportunities. 
However, given their limited capacity to invest they almost all expressed the impossibility 
of  hiring  new  administrative  employees  and  in  several  cases  the  difficulty  to  provide 
structured and comprehensive training paths for their personnel. Smaller enterprises with 
a lot of private sector business have difficulty in making such investments. For expansion 
into  other  public  markets  accessible  through  TED,  it  is  clear  to  SMEs  that  significant 
investment in human resources would be needed. Support from external consultants was 
considered by only a few. This depends not only on a reluctance to disburse resources, 
but  also  because  an  external  professional  lacking  full  information  on  the  company  is 
unlikely  to  effectively  contribute  to  the  commercial  process.  Support  from  SME 
associations was thought a good solution in Sweden, where one association was also 
crucial during this project. In Sweden SME associations are also expected to lobby for 
legislation and procedures in line with the local context. This shows that the role of SME 
associations is well understood by the companies. In the Netherlands some participants 
considered support from SME associations useful to analyse tender documents and to 
organise networking events. There were lower expectations in Poland and especially in 
Romania and Italy, where none of the participants would use SME association support. 
As  the  low  investment  capacity  of  individual  SMEs  requires  joint  efforts  to  improve 
capacities for PP, increasing SME association services appears necessary, especially in 
countries where the weaknesses are more evident. In parallel, it seems that not all SME 
associations have the potential to develop such innovative services. 

  Better dialogue between SMEs and public procurers  

48 

 
 
 
SME NEEDS ANALYSIS IN PUBLIC PROCUREMENT 

o  Key points from SME training sessions 

In general, interaction between SMEs and public procurers was seen as only happening 
during the tender procedure, i.e. written requests to public procurers on doubts, mainly 
related to selection criteria. In Sweden, SMEs would like more open dialogue between 
SME  associations and public  procurers to  support  SMEs  in dealing  with selection and 
awarding  criteria.  Some  SMEs  also  highlighted  the  need  to  increase  public  procurer 
competence through training. Once  trained,  they  are  expected  to  be  able to  buy more 
innovative and cheaper solutions, benefitting citizens. 

o  Key points from the interactive sessions and study circles 

During the interactive session in Italy it was stressed that the public procurer evaluation 
committee is key to the evaluation and award process. Staff in these committees should 
therefore have a good knowledge of regional/local public administration needs, if relevant. 
The territorial, economic and social context should be known by bidders as well as public 
procurers.  Such  a  match  would  highlight  SME  strong  points,  making  them  more 
competitive. 

During the interactive session in the Netherlands an SME association suggested offering 
prior  information,  for  instance  by  putting  a  procurement  calendar  on  public  procurer 
websites  to  help  SMEs  prepare.  All  participants  proposed  a  mandatory,  sufficient 
timespan  between  the  last  questions  and  answers  and  the  deadline  for  tenders.  One 
public  procurer  revealed  that  they  actively  facilitate  tenderers  by  having  consultation 
rounds  for  big  construction  contracts  to collect  input  as  well  as  improve transparency. 
Criteria  might  be  adjusted  afterwards.  This  was  presented  as  a  good  practice,  as  all 
parties  seem  to  benefit  and  this  practice  could  be  applied  to  other  contracts.  Another 
public procurer highlighted that setting the right criteria, without burdening SMEs anymore 
but attracting the right quality and level of innovation, is currently important for the national 
government.  Innovative  procurement  with  early  dialogue  or  draft  procurement  to  get 
feedback from potential tenderers is seen as a good way to enhance procurement quality 
and set better criteria.  

Finally,  in  Sweden  the  SME  suggestion  of  providing  training  to  public  procurers  was 
confirmed  by  the  stakeholders.  Most  participants  in  the  interactive  session  and  study 
circle underlined that public procurers often lack specific knowledge and are not updated 
on  developments.  Many  do  not  know  the  opportunities  provided  by  legislation  and 
therefore fail to take advantage of these, including holding pre-procurement information 
meetings  for  upcoming  tenders,  or  open  dialogue  with  providers  without  a  specific 
procurement coming up. The opportunity to hold pre-procurement information meetings 
was  encouraged.  However,  when  some  public  procurers  started  an  open  dialogue  in 
accordance with legislation, they were criticised by local media for corruptive behaviour. 
This happened in Sweden where such sensitivity is lower than in other Member States 
and  reveals  that  open  dialogue  between  SMEs  and  public  procurers  is  still  not  fully 
understood across the EU. 

3.4. SMEs in PP: competitors or partners? 

The  final  section  of  each  training  session  with  SMEs  concluded  in  a  round  table  about  creating 
potential partnerships with other companies to facilitate access to PP.  

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SME NEEDS ANALYSIS IN PUBLIC PROCUREMENT 

3.4.1. Barriers 

The first part of the round table concentrated on barriers hampering the creation of consortia.  

o  Key points from SME training sessions 

The idea of teaming up with other SMEs differed between Member States. More than half 
the participants would contact a company to complement a tender. However, one third of 
participants  could  not  reply,  showing  that  this  option  is  unusual  for  many  participants. 
Support from associations in identifying suitable business partners for PP is expected to 
be very limited. 

Figure  20  In  case  you  know  that  another  company  disposes  of  some  of  the  necessary 
requirements  needed  to  apply  for  the  tender  that  your  company  misses,  how  would  you 
react? 

32%

4%

5%

4%

2%

54%

a. I call the company, explain the
business opportunity

b. I do not call the other
company

c. I ask to my SME association

d. I ask for further information to
my consultant

e. It is not possible to participate
with other companies

Source: based on question 8, Questionnaire post Selection Criteria exercise, Annex C. 

Specificities in Member States are illustrated below. 

- 

Italy. Most participants had experience of tendering in partnership with other SMEs. 
Some  however,  especially  in  the  construction  sector,  underlined  that  the  ability  to 
team up is declining and differs from region to region. Most SMEs agreed that it is 
not  easy  to  create  a  consortium  and  that  personal  relationships  between 
company  owners  are  of  fundamental  importance.  Since  human  relationship  is 
pivotal for people to collaborate in a friendly climate, SMEs prefer working with well-
known enterprises. Word-of-mouth, personal contacts and relationships appear to be 
the most appropriate channels to look for new partners. This approach was expected 
given the modest size of the enterprises involved in the training sessions. 

-  The Netherlands. Only one participant had participated in a consortium. SMEs would 
team up but confidentiality is a barrier. Moreover, the risk of losing reputation if 
the partnership does not work was highlighted. 

-  Romania. Most participants had cooperation experience, but it was also stressed that 

reluctance towards partnerships in all areas must be changed. 

-  Poland. Willingness to cooperate appeared particularly low. No participant was 
willing to team up with other companies, except one SME which could establish a 
collaboration for tenders outside Poland. Two participants did not know they could 
bid with other companies. 

50 

 
 
 
 
SME NEEDS ANALYSIS IN PUBLIC PROCUREMENT 

-  Sweden. One company had established a consortium with a larger member to fulfil 
selection criteria and another SME sometimes teams up with a company in China to 
exploit foreign markets. It was mentioned that personal trust and confidentiality 
are crucial for successful collaboration. 

o  Key points from the interactive sessions and study circles 

SME associations highlighted several difficulties for SMEs in cooperating for PP. In Italy 
a stable consortium of medium-sized building installation companies was established to 
ensure regular participation in national PP. Direct technical support from the association 
enabled the consortium to initially provide a bid manager. Despite some - even important 
- contracts, the consortium is going to expire as there is decreasing interest in PP from 
the  consortium  members.  However,  this  shows  that  associations  can  facilitate 
cooperative practices among their affiliates. 

In the Netherlands interactive session it was reported that new consortia members must 
sometimes show a track record of successful cooperation, which is an additional 
burden.  Similar  requests  are  even  made  with  sub-contracting,  so  involving  sub-
contractors  is  unduly  complicated.  An  SME  association  underlined  that  cooperation  is 
discouraged since the legal status of partnership is sometimes impossible for SMEs to 
define. 

During the study circle in Poland it was highlighted that there is a lack of knowledge 
and experience on how to create partnerships. Moreover, for new SMEs without PP 
experience, identifying potential partners seems difficult without a prior professional 
relationship. One SME association underlined the fear of partner reliability, including the 
risk of competition or takeover by the partner. 

During  the  study  circle  in  Romania  it  was  stated  that  openness  to  partnership  is 
sometimes a necessity among SMEs as they do not have the capacity to participate 
individually, especially for high-value contracts and international procedures. This seems 
to confirm that SMEs do not recognise the added value of joining forces. 

In Sweden it was highlighted that it is hard for SMEs to find partners since they often see 
other companies as competitors. Moreover, SMEs often lack PP knowledge including 
the possibility to establish consortia. 

3.4.2. Proposals for improvement 

Collaboration is a key factor to improve SME participation in PP. However, SME associations and 
public  procurers  were  limited  in  their  ability  to  improve  interaction  between  SMEs.  When  a 
professional and personal network is not sufficient – including for a partner in another Member State 
– it seems that SMEs are not in a good position to identify potential partners.  

SME expectations of support from associations is extremely low, and they tend to see the public 
sector  more  as  a  counterpart  imposing  burdens  than  providing  solutions  to  their  most  difficult 
problem. Such a market failure begs an answer through public policy. 

Elements  from  the  stakeholders  were  organised  into  the  following  points,  which  are  expanded  in 
chapter 5 to include actions to improve SME access to PP. 

 

 More collaboration with other SMEs 

o  Key points from the interactive sessions and study circles 

The  study  circle  in  the  Netherlands  raised  a  fundamental  point.  The  earlier  a  tender 
publication,  the  better  for  forming  consortia,  as  companies  have  more  chance  to 
establish,  or  refresh  contacts  and  exchange  information.  Once  again,  making  use  of 

51 

 
 
 
SME NEEDS ANALYSIS IN PUBLIC PROCUREMENT 

existing  legislative  provisions  creates  the  best  conditions  for  SMEs  to  participate  and 
compete. 

In the study circle in Romania emphasis was put on possible policy actions. Contacts 
between SMEs interested in PP - in a region or sector - could be facilitated, so parties 
can  meet,  gain  trust  and  develop  professional  relationships,  leading  to  partnerships. 
Moreover, exchanges of PP experience in SME associations can enhance SME capacity 
and willingness to team-up.  

In  Sweden  it  was  highlighted  that  support  from  SME  associations  and  a  joint, 
comprehensive portal would help to identify new business partners. One public procurer 
underlined  that  SMEs  lack  knowledge  of  the  opportunities  under  the  legislation.  It  is 
currently planning a national conference to better inform Swedish SMEs of possibilities 
under  the  legislation.  During  the  interactive  session  in  Italy  a  local  public  procurer 
expressed  the  importance  of  encouraging  smaller  enterprises  to  rely  on  other  entities 
when  they  do  not  satisfy  the  selection  criteria,  making  the  best  use  of  existing 
relationships with larger players, if possible. 

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SME NEEDS ANALYSIS IN PUBLIC PROCUREMENT 

4. TELLING  SME  EXPERIENCES:  STORIES  AND  KEY 

MESSAGES 

Chapter 4 illustrates 16 stories. The first section details key SME characteristics, the second covers 
barriers and solutions adopted by SMEs in dealing with PP. The full stories are in the third section. 

4.1. Overview of SME characteristics 

The SMEs telling their stories are of different sizes and come from different sectors. There are six 
micro, six small, and four medium-sized enterprises. Three were founded in the last five years. A 
fourth recently established company results from the merger of three small enterprises. 

The six micro enterprises are:  

  Save Plastics, a 30-year-old, Dutch micro family business transforming low-grade plastic 
waste into urban and civil engineering solutions, giving new life to refuse that otherwise 
has to be burned with a bad impact on the environment. 

  From Poland, Tomcat.Arch.Design is an architecture and design company, founded in 
2008  and  employing  five  people.  It  also  works  with  more  than  25  independent  civil, 
structural,  electrical  and  sanitary  engineers,  architects,  designers,  visual  artists,  and 
consultants. The company has participated in PP from its creation, being a subcontractor 
then partner in consortia and finally leading bids. 

  Three service-related micro enterprises are from Romania. Smart Consulting is a civil 
engineering  company  created  in  2004  offering  construction  design,  architecture  and 
building work, energy audit and certification for buildings, site and technical management 
and technical consulting for public and private projects. 90% of their activity is linked to 
PP  and  contract  services  for  public  authorities,  mainly  municipalities.  Another  micro 
enterprise is Addwise, a Romanian consulting company founded in 2013 offering training 
and  capacity  building  services  to  public  administrations.  It  also  provides  advice  to 
companies  willing  to  participate  in  PP  or  receive  funding  from  national  and  European 
funding programmes.  

  From Sweden, Base10 is a micro enterprise created in 2017 that provides co-working 
space and community services to tech start-ups in Uppsala. Upplands Hiss is a young 
Swedish SME created in 2016 that installs and maintains elevators. 

The six small enterprises are:  

  Tech4Care,  an  innovative  Italian  SME  founded  in  2015  that  uses  highly  advanced 
scientific knowledge in new healthcare products, services and good practices based on 
mobile health, artificial intelligence, virtual reality and the Internet-of-Things (IoT). From 
Italy there is also Dinets, a cutting-edge ICT SME created in 2000, providing IT solutions 
and  service  system  integration.  The  company  focuses  on  communication  and 
collaboration,  data  centres,  cloud  computing,  networking,  security,  and  mobile 
computing.  It  also  implements  IoT,  Mobile  Computing,  Big  Data  &  Analytics  solutions 
with fully exploitable process automation and resource streamlining. 

  Uchacz  land  and  road  works  is  a  Polish  company  providing  tree  felling,  land 
preparation, excavation and related services, including machinery and equipment rental. 
Nowadays the group is active in national transport, petrol supply and stations, concrete 
production, construction, building, land preparation and road works. For land and road 
works,  80%  of  their  contracts  are  through  PP.  Max  Produkcja-Dystrybucja  is  a 
distribution and sweet production firm in Poland. The founders, a married couple, started 
to work in food distribution and sales in 1990. 

53 

 
 
SME NEEDS ANALYSIS IN PUBLIC PROCUREMENT 

  ChromoGenics is a small Swedish company offering electrochromic solar-control glass 
solutions, established in 2003 by top researchers at Uppsala University. Jobbet, created 
in 2003, is a web-based recruitment platform based in Uppsala and was the first on-line 
platform for recruitment in Sweden. It offers services for private companies and public 
authorities, including ministries, regional governments, and municipalities. 

The four medium-sized enterprises are:  

  Polo9,  an  Italian  medium-sized  enterprise,  created  in  2018  by  merging  three  small 
companies. It has experience of the social economy and social working, offering services 
in re-education, addiction recovery, ex-convict reinsertion, support for female victims of 
violence and social integration through work services.  

  Groenendijk  Bedrijfskleding  is  a  workwear  SME  in  the  Netherlands  set  up  in  1997, 
adopting  best  quality  standards  in  the  whole  production  lifecycle.  This  covers  from 
selecting  fabrics  to  the  end  of  product  life,  including  social  aspects,  fair  trade  and 
employment  dignity  as  well  as  environmental  aspects  such  as  fabric  recycling  and 
avoiding harmful chemicals.  

  Biomed Lublin was established in Poland in 1999 after a split of the former state-owned 
Biomed, originally created in 1944. Nowadays it employs 230 people and produces an 
extensive range of high demand medical products including prescription drugs, products 
and reagents. 

  Svensk  Dos  is  a  Swedish  SME  founded  in  2011  by  four  pharmacists  when  the  state 
monopoly was lifted, packaging medicine doses in special disposable bags primarily for 
the elderly.  

Table 7 SMEs key features 

MEMBER 
STATE 

NAME 

SIZE 

YEAR 

SECTOR OF 
ACTIVITY 

RELATED CPV 
SECTOR 

Tech4Care 

Small 

2015 

High knowledge- 
intensive service 

33.  Medical  equipment, 
pharmaceuticals 
and 
personal care products 

Italy 

Polo9 

Medium 

2018 

Medium knowledge- 
intensive service 

85. Health and social work 
services 

Dinets 

Small 

2000 

Save Plastics 

Micro 

1990 

Netherlands 

High knowledge-
intensive service 

72. IT services: consulting, 
software development, 
internet and support 

Medium knowledge- 
intensive service 

90. Sewage, refuse, 
cleaning, and 
environmental services 

Groenendijk 
Bedrijfskleding 

Medium 

1997 

Manufacturing 

19. Leather and textile 
fabrics, plastic and rubber 
materials 

Uchacz 

Small 

1970 

Construction 

45. Construction  

Poland 

Max Produkcja-
Dystrybucja 

Small 

1990 

Manufacturing/ Low 
knowledge-intensive 
service 

15. Food, beverages, 
tobacco, and related 
products 

54 

 
 
SME NEEDS ANALYSIS IN PUBLIC PROCUREMENT 

Tomcat.Arch.Design 

Micro 

2008 

Medium knowledge-
intensive service 

71. Architectural, 
construction, engineering, 
and inspection services 

Biomed Lublin 

Medium 

1999 

Manufacturing 

33. Medical equipment, 
pharmaceuticals, and 
personal care products 

Smart Consulting 

Micro 

2004 

Medium knowledge- 
intensive service 

71. Architectural, 
construction, engineering, 
and inspection services 

Romania 

Addwise 

Micro 

2013 

Medium knowledge- 
intensive service 

79. Business services: law, 
marketing, consulting, 
recruitment, printing, and 
security 

ChromoGenics 

Small 

2003 

Upplands Hiss 

Micro 

2016 

Construction/High 
knowledge-intensive 
service 

44.  Construction  structures 
and materials  

45. Construction 

Construction/Low 
knowledge-intensive 
service 

50. 
maintenance services 

Repair 

and 

Svensk Dos  

Medium 

2011 

Sweden 

Low knowledge- 
intensive service 

33.  Medical  equipment, 
pharmaceuticals, 
and 
personal care products 

Base10 

Micro 

2017  

Medium knowledge- 
intensive service 

Jobbet 

Small 

2003 

Medium knowledge- 
intensive service 

79. Business services: law, 
marketing, 
consulting, 
recruitment,  printing,  and 
security 

79. Business services: law, 
marketing, 
consulting, 
recruitment,  printing,  and 
security 

4.2. Barriers and solutions 

4.2.1. Barriers 

As emerged from the interviews, SMEs in the stories experienced different problems in approaching 
PP. These have been identified in the previous chapter and can be categorised as follows: 

  Low trust in PP and public procurers 

In Italy Dinets considers the regional PP markets very hard and thinks that officials are reluctant to 
work with regional companies, preferring to work with companies from big cities like Milan or Rome. 
Moreover, according to the company, some  public authorities tend not to pay on time, which 
can be problematic for SMEs that need healthy cashflow and income. Dinets targets only public 
operators which ensure payment on time, only applying as leading contractor in tenders issued by 

55 

 
 
 
SME NEEDS ANALYSIS IN PUBLIC PROCUREMENT 

those procurers. When the company finds an interesting call published by less trusted authority, it 
contacts bigger companies proposing itself as a subcontractor, even when the tender is divided into 
lots. 

For Groenendijk Bedrijfskleding in the Netherlands, the lack of experience of public operators in 
preparing PP in line with the SME niche evolution can limit market opportunities.  

For Addwise, Romanian authorities do not pay on time which is an added difficulty. This leads 
to economic uncertainty, since SMEs sometimes must provide services for nine months or even a 
year, with no payment in return. For Smart Consulting in Romania there is a lack of transparency on 
public  contracts  since  municipalities  often  propose  restricted  formulas  based  on  direct 
contacts. SMEs can be systematically left out when they have no contacts inside the system. This 
is partially due to the financial threshold (part of the legal procedure for public institutions to publish 
a  tender  on  the  public  online  system)  which  appears  too  high  for  the  company.  In  these 
circumstances, municipalities prefer to keep under this threshold so they can deal directly with their 
local contacts, limiting opportunities for potential competitors. 

For the Swedish company Upplands Hiss, procurers lack understanding of the required services, 
since  they  do  not  seem to  understand  the  market  and the real  needs.  Similarly, for  Svensk  Dos, 
procurers and public authorities often lack full insight into complex and diversified business. 
For Jobbet, PP buyers are supposed to listen to the market, so service suppliers should know what 
to expect in a call for tenders. But the company believes that listening by public authorities is rare. 
Most of the time procurement officers just take elements from previous calls to prepare new 
calls.  Moreover,  the  SME  underlines  that,  for  framework  contract  models,  national  public 
authorities are generally more competent in dealing with tender preparation and contract follow-up 
applying  these  models.  Municipalities  and  small  administrations  struggle to  deal with  these 
models, because they need capacity for preparation and follow-up.  

  Unreachable criteria 

In Italy, for Tech4Care, as stated before, a lack of opportunities is related to  the absence of PP 
specifically for start-ups. For the company, Italy is implementing policy measures that mainstream 
innovation  procurement  and  despite  some  good practices  at  regional  level  there  is  no  structured 
national policy for innovation procurement. PP in Italy therefore is not so attractive for a start-up in 
the health sector which needs to invest a lot of resources just in screening the national market. Also, 
publication of these opportunities seems to be dispersed and unclear in the MEPA (the electronic 
platform for Italian Public Authority tendering). For Polo9, the local market tends to adopt tailor-
made opportunities in favour of bigger players. The problem is that contracts for social working 
and social  inclusion  are  like any  other  contract, economically  driven.  Other formulas such as co-
planning or convention frameworks that can offer more opportunities to local competitors are rarely 
adopted by public procurers.  

For Dinets one problem is the lack of inclination to collaborate with companies from the same region, 
reducing  opportunities for  SMEs,  and  the  capacity  to compete at  EU  and  international  level.  The 
Italian  market  is  made  up  of  SMEs  and  SMEs  can  compete with  bigger  companies  in  public 
markets and exploit opportunities only when joining forces.  

In  the  Netherlands  Groenendijk  Bedrijfskleding  grew  quickly  and  tried  to  bid  for  PP  in  other  EU 
countries.  The  public  sector,  however,  seemed  to  only  use  national  providers,  especially  for 
security and defence. This limits the opportunities for SMEs to explore market opportunities abroad. 
For Biomed Lublin in Poland the key issue is that national laws can be overprotective, since they 
request pharma products be registered for sale in the country. SMEs are systematically excluded 
from PP offers when they try to bid abroad. Moreover, in countries where the authorities allow non-
registered companies to participate in PP, as in Hungary, public operators are reluctant to award 
contracts to companies from  abroad.  Depending on  the  product,  SMEs face tough  competition 
from much bigger producers who can reach both practitioners and procurers to push for their own 
products.  

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SME NEEDS ANALYSIS IN PUBLIC PROCUREMENT 

For  Uchacz  in  Poland,  big  competitors  usually  target  big  construction  and  road  works  tenders, 
because  they  can  supply  large  quantities.  But  with  the  Covid19  crisis,  most  works  have  been 
suspended, and there are much less opportunities in the public sector. Because they need to 
place their products, big firms now compete in local markets as well, and this could be dangerous 
for SMEs such as Uchacz. For Tomcat.Arch.Design in Poland participating in large projects for major 
procurers  such  as  national  and  regional  authorities  or  big  cities  would  be  a  great  opportunity  to 
expand. But it thinks that a young SME can acquire experience in PP by participating in small 
calls,  issued  by  local  authorities  to  create  a  portfolio  of  projects.  Local  procurers  often  act  on 
behalf of their communities, they are much closer to the daily work during project implementation 
and are usually responsive to new ideas and SME creativity. Moreover, calls for tenders for small 
projects are usually less dependent on the selection criteria, and most of the time big companies are 
not interested in bidding, so SMEs have some chances and less competition. 

ChromoGenics in Sweden started to find new opportunities when officials working on tenders began 
to introduce other criteria, including sustainability and environmental impact. The company changed 
its strategy towards PP, giving intensive pre-procurement presentations, thinking that sooner or later 
public officials would change their mind. It presented long-term economic scenarios, highlighting 
energy savings, durability and costs that were not considered when officials were preparing 
public  tenders.  Similarly,  Base10  started  to  find  new  opportunities  when  tenders  included  key 
performance  indicators  to  be  reported  every  year.  The  company  believes  that  more  innovative 
tenders  could  bring  more  opportunities  for  SMEs,  but  they  are  normally  very  classical  and 
bureaucratic,  with a lot of  reporting  and  administration.  Also  Svensk  Dos  strongly  believes in the 
benefits of more result-oriented innovative tenders. 

  Price over quality/ Unbalanced criteria 

Award criteria are perceived as problematic by several companies, especially when they favour price 
over quality. For example, companies working in social services such as Polo9 in Italy feel award 
criteria  based  on  price  tend  to  favour  large  national  cooperatives  because  of  economies  of 
scale. This decreases the opportunities for smaller local cooperatives, which lose competitiveness. 
For Dinets the main problem relates to different PP requirements in Italian regions that could be 
better coordinated or standardised.  

For  Groenendijk  Bedrijfskleding  in the  Netherlands,  increasing  diversification  and  new  quality 
standards  in  specific  market  segments  are  not  taken  into  account  by  procurers,  so 
opportunities decrease for the company. 

Similarly, when Max Produkcja-Dystrybucja in Poland participated in its first tenders there were few 
competitors and none were manufacturing their products, just assembling. Competitors started to 
offer lower  quality  products  or  lower  quantities  to  propose  better  prices  and  the  company 
started to  lose  contracts. The  situation  reversed only  when  public  procurers  were convinced to 
consider the importance of quality. 

Smart Consulting thinks that the contract value in calls is often too low, far from the real cost 
of the work and the services they demand. Public authorities have tight budgets for contracts, 
and they try to spend this well. But, in the company’s view, this is not an excuse to propose prices 
that cannot cover costs, so companies propose unrealistic offers. Similarly, for Addwise one problem 
with PP in the consulting sector is that tender requests are far from reflecting real needs. For 
example, in the tender specifications, public procurers often request training on very general aspects 
of project and programme implementation, monitoring and evaluation. Then when a company wins 
the contract, the request is much more demanding than initially planned. This can mean more people 
to be trained or a wider range of topics to be covered. Moreover, Romanian tenders on training for 
public  administration  appear  inspired  by  EU  technical  assistance  tenders,  which  are  based  on 
expertise  and  specific  knowledge  recruitment.  But  most  of  the  time  tenders  related  to  training 
services request extremely specific profiles so the services can be expensive and not affordable. 
For the company, the problem is that procurers and tender writers are not really connected to the 
services or departments requesting the training. 

57 

 
 
SME NEEDS ANALYSIS IN PUBLIC PROCUREMENT 

For Tomcat.Arch.Design in Poland the market for architecture and design services is wide but, at 
the same time, highly specific. Start-ups and young SMEs often face serious barriers to access PP 
opportunities.  These  mainly  relate  to  selection  criteria.  Public  authorities  request  previous 
experience and a track record of service delivery. These criteria concern the company, not its 
people  and their  achievements  or  professional  record  before  being  part  of  the  company,  so  they 
hinder growth for many talented professionals and their new businesses. Moreover, it is stressed 
that  unsuitable  award  criteria  can  encourage  unreliable  or  short-sighted  tenderers  offering 
unrealistically low prices. 

For  the  Swedish  company  Upplands  Hiss,  public  procurers  are  not  willing  to  change  their 
methods of tender writing (overemphasis on price and turnover that excludes SMEs). They are 
missing service improvement since they do not promote innovative solutions and they discourage 
entrepreneurship. Similarly, for Svensk Dos, tenders do not focus on results, but more on the 
legal,  bureaucratic  suitability  of  companies.  For  them,  result-oriented  tenders  would  be  more 
beneficial.  For  ChromoGenics,  the  PP  market  is  less  attractive  when  public  authorities  do  not 
consider  the  long-term  benefits  of  local  economic  development  more  seriously,  including 
advantageous criteria instead of only the best price.  

  High administrative burden 

In Italy Tech4Care finds that administrative requirements for PP contracts sometimes create 
too much burden and discourage start-up participation. PP seems to be, according to the SME, 
a non-fit for start-ups since Italian public authorities do not always grant the flexibility that a research 
start-up needs to survive. Start-ups need to grow quickly with a quick return on investment and this 
looks impossible with public authorities, which sometimes are not very responsive on payments. The 
complexity  of  tender requirements prevents  innovative SMEs from participating in PP.  For 
Dinets  tender  assignment  is  too  long  for  an  SME  and  procurers  often  request  more 
documentation between announcing the award and contract signature. The company has three 
people fully involved in looking for tenders and preparing technical documentation, so participating 
in PP requires a lot of work and administrative effort. For the SME the workload is even higher since 
each region in Italy asks for different documents and references, which is time consuming. A lack 
of common rules for application and selection criteria significantly increases administrative 
burden. Moreover, the company believes that  language is a major barrier to accessing PP in 
other Member States. 

For Save Plastics in the Netherlands it is clear that PP is not a one-shot adventure, it is a much 
longer commitment and a learning process that requires capacity, means, time and the right 
allies.  

For  Smart  Consulting  in  Romania,  local,  regional  and  national  authority  databases  are  not 
integrated. Sometimes a company needs to go to many different places to get a document, which 
is time consuming. Working with the public sector in Romania can be extremely hard as there is a 
lot of bureaucracy and companies do not want to spend their time on paperwork. 

Similarly, for Upplands Hiss in Sweden, preparing a tender is time consuming and the company 
does not have the resources to work on it full time, unlike big companies. A specific problem 
is mentioned by Jobbet, as public authorities in Sweden seem not fully aware of GDPR constraints. 
Since the company offers recruitment services, it adapts to every new regulation, including personal 
data  protection.  But  in  every  call  for  tenders  in  which  it  participates,  it  seems  that  burdens  on 
companies managing personal data are just not considered.  GDPR compliance is a must, but 
implies internal costs that are obviously affect the final price. 

4.2.2. Proposals for improvement 

The enterprises in the stories have adopted different solutions to overcome the above-mentioned 
problems, which can be grouped as follows: 

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  Upskilling of SMEs  

To comply with problems in accessing PP, Tech4Care in Italy has developed a bid team of up to 
six people (out of 15 employees) to share responsibilities internally from the screening phase. Since 
PP is strategic for the company, all managers are involved in this process. Similarly, Biomed Lublin 
in Poland has a dedicated team for tender preparation including a legal department, using different 
platforms covering the  Polish market.  It  also  scans for  opportunities  in EU  countries  via the TED 
platform. Since the general description is in English but specifications are in the national language, 
the  company  employs  people  speaking  different  languages,  especially  where  it  has  a market 
share or has delivered products. 

Groenendijk Bedrijfskleding in the Netherlands, lacked experience and had few contacts, preventing 
expansion, so it hired a new employee dedicated full time to PP. 

In Poland, Uchacz diversified using PP to complement its main business activity. The company 
thinks  that  the  public  sector  is  a  secure  business  and  authorities  pay  promptly,  but  the  Covid19 
situation means procurers are facing more competition and propose lower prices. Even though the 
SME is one of the few companies providing specific services, in recent calls for tenders the number 
of competitors has increased from 2 or 3 to 10 or 12. But land and road works is just one branch of 
the company, bringing 10% to 15% of revenue and is the only branch working almost 100% on PP 
opportunities.  Max  Produkcja-Dystrybucja,  in  addition  to  a  quality  strategy,  fined-tuned  its 
corporate social responsibility policies to those of big, state-owned companies, adding quality 
products for free to create value added in their offers.  

ChromoGenics changed its strategy towards PP by aligning it to the political vision of Sweden, for 
a  fully  circular,  green  economy.  So,  it  started  presenting  solutions  in  line  with  national  policy  on 
environmental and economic sustainability to compete in the PP market. 

  Better dialogue between SMEs and public procurers 

In Italy, Polo9 believes that co-planning or convention frameworks are the best fit for social 
working  and  social inclusion, since services  offered by  a cooperative are strictly  related to  the 
territorial workforce and social impact needs. So, a long-term territorial strategic approach and PP 
in line with the strategy can increase opportunities for local SMEs with more knowledge of territorial 
needs. Moreover, in co-planning the budget is fixed, so price is not the most important aspect and 
this opens a door for smaller operators to bring better results.  

Smart  Consulting  believes  that  PP  in  Romania  has  slowly  improved  in  the  last  two  years.  The 
company  tried  ‘to  get  the  contracting  authority  closer  to  reality’  when  they  won  a  contract.  In 
particular, they informed the client about the real costs of on-site management, technical equipment 
requirements and many other things that are becoming more and more expensive. Addwise, which 
offers training and capacity building services also to public administrations, stresses the importance 
of methodology and quality beyond price, to be consistent with project implementation. For the 
company,  procurers  need  to  connect  internally,  to  understand  the  needs  of  departments 
requesting  the  training,  to  write  calls  that  make  sense.  This  can  only  be  done  if  the  public 
authorities have a long-term vision and programme their training needs accordingly. 

Max Produkcja-Dystrybucja in Poland emphasises the importance of quality, quantity, presentation 
and the variety of products. When competitors started to present lower quality products or quantities 
to offer  better  prices, the company  made additional  efforts.  It  prepared the  best quality  products, 
making huge efforts on presentation, variety, quantity and most importantly, it proposed the same 
price as competitors, making exceptionally low profits. Since this strategy worked, the SME insisted 
on talking to procurers to improve tendering by including quality aspects. This improved the 
award criteria by requesting higher quality products in subsequent tenders. Now that procurers are 
more demanding, the SME is less afraid of competitors with dumping strategies. 

Swensk  Dos  in  Sweden  thinks  that  before  launching  a  tender,  public  procurers  could  contact 
companies to gain a better understanding of the market. The company contacted procurers who 

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then  improved  their  tender  quality.  The  SME  strongly  believes  that  when  preparing  tenders, 
procurement officers consulting with entrepreneurs from the other side of the process would produce 
much smarter tenders. It is a win-win when entrepreneurs interact with procurers in the early 
stages of tender preparation. 

  More collaboration with other SMEs 

Dinets in Italy had a first experience in PP linked to EU funding and participated as a subcontractor 
in three projects funded by the European Regional Development Fund in the Apulia region. It won 
because  the  company  joined  forces with  other  SMEs,  sharing the  administrative  burden. The 
company  also  thinks  that  SME  associations  could  support  SMEs  to  participate  in  PP  more  by 
organising training on tender preparation or finding business opportunities. They could encourage 
SMEs to build consortia and join forces to reduce costs and increase technical capacity. In 
the Netherlands, SavePlastics won two local tenders together with two consultancy companies. 
In the second it also involved a university to present an innovative solution for a circular economy 
project. Collaboration was key also for Groenendijk Bedrijfskleding in international projects on 
research for cleaner production and the circular economy. 

Uchacz  in  Poland  started  to  participate  in  PP  by  working  with  construction  and  transport 
partners  and clients  who  were  active in the  public  sector. In the  beginning,  the  strategy  was to 
provide services as a subcontractor. Having done this, it gained experience as well as reputation. 
Similarly,  Tomcat.Arch.Design  thinks  that  cooperating  with  well-established  companies  in 
consortia is a great experience and allows SMEs to participate in larger projects. Participating in 
calls for tenders, start-ups and young companies can build a reputation in the market, getting 
credibility and a track record of successful deliveries. In the beginning, the company was not 
eligible, so it needed to propose services as subcontractors to other companies with PP experience.  

For Addwise in Romania strategic alliances with companies that can provide services for other 
lots in the tender are very important. 

  Exploring the EU market and beyond 

Since the Italian context did not provide ad-hoc solutions to support innovative start-up expansion, 
Tech4Care  decided  to  directly  explore  the  EU  market.  By  using  TED  the  company  found 
opportunities  in  Spain,  France  and  Sweden.  Today  95%  of  its  market  activity  is  outside  Italy  in 
seven Member States and abroad. All these opportunities have been created through PP with the 
support  of  the  EU,  following  the  same  process  of  publication,  selection  and  awarding.  Also  for 
Biomed Lublin in Poland, TED, although it takes time to get used to it, provided the company with a 
clear picture of opportunities across the EU. 

Save Plastics in the Netherlands found access to the EU market starting from a local tender, 
which  opened  the  road to  PP.  The  company  now  also  operates  in  Africa.  Its  vision  is  starting  to 
become real, although in a very unexpected way thanks to PP and EU funding. 

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4.3. The stories 

4.3.1. Italy 

4.3.1.1.  Tech4Care 

Description 

Company 

Tech4Care 

Created in 

2015 

City 

Falconara  Marittima  (Marche 
Region) 

Size 

Small (15 emloyees) 

Sector (CPV) 

33. Medical equipment,  

Website 

www.tech4care.it/ 

Features 

Phase(s) 

Difficulties 

pharmaceuticals 
personal care products 

and 

Screening opportunities 

Lack of trust in PP 
Few opportunities 
Too much burden 

Solutions 

EU Market through EU Tenders 
Bid Team up to 6 people 

Communication 

Potential Key 
Message 1 

Potential Key 
Message 2 

Innovative start-ups have difficulties in finding opportunities and bidding in national and 
regional PP, but they are still interested in it. To complement the national offer, they 
can also exploit the EU single market opportunities using platforms such as TED. 

Common PP rules in the EU are facilitating innovative start-ups to get access to PP 
and  pre-procurement  opportunities  in  other  countries,  increasing  the  business 
opportunities and giving them a real chance to grow. 

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Executive summary 

Tech4Care  is  an  innovative  Italian  SME  that  uses  highly  advanced  scientific  knowledge  in  new 
healthcare  products,  services  and  good  practices  based  on  mobile  health,  artificial  intelligence, 
virtual  reality  and  the  Internet-of-Things  (IoT).  Their  success  in  national, regional  and local  PP  in 
Italy has been limited, but they have had success in other EU countries through EU PP and research 
networks. This is their story. 

Walking along with the Family 

Jorge made more steps than yesterday. He took off the virtual reality (VR) glasses he was wearing 
and smiled to Lola, his daughter. This is working! - Jorge said. Lola was so happy!  

Jorge is 76 years old and has a chronic disease which is slowly but inexorably damaging his nerves 
producing chronic  pain. Consequently,  he  has  serious motor  problems, making  it  very  difficult for 
him to take normal steps during his long days at home. Knowing this chronic disease has a huge 
impact on his life and on the life of his entire family, he wondered if he could never walk again. 

Recently Jorge began losing this fear and started mastering his bodily movements. This is thanks to 
a high-tech solution providing real time data, helping him to predict pain and move correctly.  

The solution is in its experimental development phase in a hospital in Córdoba (Spain), close to his 
village. He needs to put on a VR device, but this is not so hard. Lola is monitoring his movements 
and the evolution of the exercises in an app on her tablet. She can feel more helpful to her beloved 
father than ever before. Now Jorge is walking along with his family again. 

Solutions from abroad, but not for locals? 

Jorge’s  walking  at  home  is  today  possible  thanks  to  a  healthcare  family-sensitive  solution  from 
Tech4Care, an Italian innovative SME based in Falconara Marittima. They are implementing this in 
three European hospitals in Córdoba (Spain), Paris (France) and Uppsala (Sweden).   

Tech4Care has 15 employees and is currently working in seven EU countries as well as others such 
as Turkey. Its core business is to develop, test and market solutions based on mobile health, artificial 
intelligence,  VR  and IoT,  allowing  patients  to  advance their treatments with the  help of  their  own 
family and considering their actual situation.  

‘Chronic pain patients often have a long medical history and have been treated in many clinical units 
before reaching the pain unit. That implies lots of information that needs to be gathered by the pain 
unit to optimise the first visit’ says Sara, the Tech4Care business developer. ‘Having the information 
in  a  structured  way  ahead  of  the  visit  gives  the  physician  more  time  to  focus  the  interview  and 
optimise the analysis of the patient’s situation’.  

In her opinion, ‘pain management is one of the most neglected aspects of health care, and the fact 
that it is inadequately managed means costs and losses for the whole system’. 

Surprisingly, people with chronic diseases in the Italian region where Tech4Care is based have less 
chances than Jorge in Córdoba to benefit from similar experimental trials. How is that possible? And 
why is the Italian health system, apparently, not as involved in applying innovative solutions such as 
those proposed by Tech4Care as other countries?  

PP, an obstacle race for innovative start-ups? 

‘Italy is implementing a mix of policy measures that are mainstreaming innovation procurement’, said 
Sara. ‘There are some good practices at regional level, but there is no national structured policy for 
innovation  procurement.  This  could  include  financial  incentives,  targets  and  monitoring  systems 
countrywide’, she concludes. 

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From Sara’s experience, PP in Italy is not ‘so attractive’. She thinks that a start-up company in the 
health  sector  ‘needs  to  invest  a  lot  of  resources  just  in  screening  the  Italian  market,  and  the 
publication of these opportunities seems to be too dispersed and not very clear in the MEPA’ (the 
electronic platform for Italian Public Authority tendering). 

On the top of that, she also finds that administrative requirements to get PP contracts are sometimes 
‘too  much  burden’  and  discourage  any  ‘start-up  fresh  mind  to  go  for  it’.  PP  seems  to  be,  in  her 
opinion,  a  non-fit  for  start-ups:  ‘Italian  public  authorities  do  not  always  grant  the  flexibility  that  a 
research start-up needs to survive’, she said. ‘We need to grow up quickly, to have a quick return on 
the investments and this looks like impossible with public authorities, which sometimes are not very 
responsive on payments’. 

The EU single market, an opportunity for start-ups and innovative SMEs 

Tech4Care found opportunities such as the VR they are developing in Spain, France and Sweden 
through TED, the EU PP digital platform. TED is totally open and free of charge. In TED anyone can 
find  PP  opportunities  at  EU  level,  but  also  at  national,  regional  or  even  local  levels,  since  public 
authorities are obliged to publish tenders above certain thresholds.  

Finding opportunities in TED also requires screening. But searching TED can bring a clear overview 
of opportunities at all geographical levels and for very specific sectors.  

To be successful in opportunities published in TED and other EU research platforms, Tech4Care 
decided to share responsibilities internally when bidding for PP, and this from the screening phase. 
‘We  are  up  to  6  people  (of  15  in  the  whole  company!)  working  on  procurement  screening  and 
preparing tenders: you need to dedicate resources to it’, says Sara. Since this is strategic for the 
company, all managers are involved in the process. 

 ‘We decided very quickly to look at the EU market since we had contacts in other countries from 
research projects and networks, which are all operating at EU level. And most of the information is 
accessible on-line’ explains Sara. ‘But we didn’t know this was bringing us to work so directly at local 
or regional level in another country’.  She encourages other start-ups to adopt a similar approach. 

Today, 95% of Tech4Care market activity is outside Italy in 7 EU Member States and abroad. All 
these opportunities have been created through PP, with the support of the EU, following the same 
process of publication, selection and awarding.  

After  their  success  abroad,  Sara  and  her  colleagues  have  been  trying  to  encourage  local  and 
regional authorities to invest in similar solutions through PP to support research companies and help 
people in their own region. They found  some interest  in  their  counterparts,  and  maybe  soon  real 
opportunities will follow.  

Sara profoundly regrets the current state because she knows patients that could benefit from the 
solutions her company is developing for patients like Jorge in other countries. But she is also aware 
that these solutions could be soon available for the whole EU, which is obviously a good thing. And 
she encourages other innovative start-ups to take a closer look at the EU market and follow TED 
publications regularly. 

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4.3.1.2.  Polo9 

Description 

Company 

Polo9 

Created in 

City 

Ancona (Marche Region) 

Size 

2018  (merging  three  cooperatives 
established in 1981, 1994 and 1996) 

Medium  (307  employees  but  with 
turnover 
falling  under  medium 
company) 

Sector (CPV) 

85.  Health  and  social  work 
services 

Website 

www.polo9.org/ 

Features 

Phase(s) 

Verifying selection criteria 

Awarding 

Difficulties 

Tailor-made  opportunities  for  bigger  and  local  players  in  PP  (exclusion  criteria, 
proximity of facilities, etc.)  

Price over quality 

Solutions 

Co-planning and framework conventions to plan PP opportunities for social inclusion 

Communication 

Potential Key 
Message 1 

For  social  working  and  social  inclusion,  low  price  driven  tenders  can  put  local  and 
regional operators at risk, encouraging bigger operators coming from other regions that 
may ignore the specificity of the communities in the area.  

Potential Key 
Message 2 

There are possibilities beyond traditional tendering and contract services. Co-planning 
and  framework  conventions  could  work  with  local  and  regional  social  inclusion 
operators. 

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Executive summary 

Polo9 is an Italian cooperative based in Ancona (Marche region) formed from the merger of three 
social enterprises. Polo9 has a solid experience in the social economy and social working, offering 
services  in  re-education,  addiction  recovery,  ex-convict  reinsertion,  support  for  female  victims  of 
violence and social integration. The enterprise has community houses for collective living where they 
offer training, coaching, support and other services to individuals at risk of social exclusion. Polo9 is 
also keen on research and innovation, working for both private and public sectors. Although they 
have been relatively successful in PP, they think that public authorities prefer big contracts with big 
cooperatives from other regions for a lower price, which could be put local and regional operators at 
risk in their own markets. This is their story. 

The turn of a friendly card 

Didier is sitting on a wood bench in the waiting room of an old industrial building close to Ancona, an 
ancient port city on the Adriatic and in the Italian Marche region. He is extremely nervous, but he is 
making huge efforts to be quiet, keeping his deep feelings inside. From time to time he still feels the 
fear and desolation of the night he left his village in the Ivory Coast. He remembers kissing his little 
sister, knowing that it could be the very last time he sees her. That same day, Didier had been playing 
cards with his best friends, losing every hand. ‘Don’t worry, Didier, there is always a moment when 
you get the turn of a friendly card’, his friends laughed. Back to the waiting room in Ancona, Didier 
wants to cry. 

A 50-year old Italian man comes into the room. ‘Didier?’- he asks. ‘Yes, it is me’, he replies in a very 
acceptable  Italian.  ‘Congratulations,  you  can  start  working  next  Monday.  Please  bring  protection 
shoes, you will need them. Do not forget the shoes’. ‘I will not miss this. Strong shoes’, he says. 
Visibly moved, Didier shakes the hand of the man and runs out of building. He starts crying, but this 
time with a big smile in his face. He just got the turn of a friendly card. 

Didier (a fake name to protect his identity) arrived in Lampedusa in very poor health on 31 May 2017. 
He  was  dehydrated,  after  a  long,  extremely  dangerous  journey  in  an  illegal  boat,  coming  from 
somewhere between Libya and Tunisia. ‘I had nothing with me’ – he explains. ‘But I was really lucky. 
I got the chance to be included in a migrant hosting project, others did not. They gave me a place to 
sleep with other boys, they took care about me. They taught me Italian, and some months later they 
gave me the possibility of training to become a welder. It was hard to learn, I was a little bit lost. 
Then, I received a visit from Paola, with the project Con…tatto as the company’s tutor. She invited 
me  to  work  in  another  community  centre.  Paola  found  me  a  new  opportunity  with  an  apprentice 
contract. And today I was accepted! Now I will have a salary and I can go ahead with my life.’ Didier 
says. ‘And I will be sending part of my earnings to my little sister’, he says more proudly this time. 

Transforming fragility into strength 

Con…tatto (in Italian both ‘Contact’ and ‘With tact’) is one of the most successful worker reintegration 
projects  in  Marche.  It  is  run  by  Polo9,  a  social  enterprise  formed  from  three  social  reintegration 
cooperatives established in 1981, 1994 and 1996. Polo9’s perspective is to change and to connect 
services between people and territories, in a mutual exchange allowing both to grow and to develop. 
Polo9  transforms  fragility  into  strength  by  promoting  changes  and  encouraging  a  supportive  and 
inclusive community. 

Polo9 has a lot of experience helping people who have seen social harassment, conviction, drug 
addiction, gender violence and unbelievably bad living conditions. Since 2017, they have received 
more and more young people like Didier from the Ivory Coast and other African countries.  

Polo9 has four therapeutic communities, where they provide food, sleeping places, and sanitation. 
They psychologically support people to overcome difficulties in their lives. But most importantly, they 
teach them to work, and work every day. Anyone who is accepted into community must work. 

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Targeting public sector to grow 

Polo9 is well known in the Marche region. They strongly believe in training and upskilling, as well as 
social insertion, having also hired beneficiaries of their services. ‘This is one of the things that makes 
Polo9  different  from  other  cooperatives,  we  are  almost  the  only  one  hiring  beneficiaries’,  says 
Gabriella  Noto,  Polo9  bid  manager.  ‘But  this  message  doesn’t  seem  important  enough  to  public 
authorities, since this kind of inclusion has never been a criterion in the tenders we have participated 
in’.  

Since  merging  the  three  cooperatives,  Polo9  changed  their  strategy  towards  PP.  They  dedicate 
internal resources to PP calls, including Gabriella and her colleague Stefano Ialenti, Polo9’s R&D 
coordinator.  ‘Polo9  has  traditionally  worked  on  contracts  and  concessions,  in  partnership  with 
associations and operators. But since we are growing significantly, we know we can be a great player 
for public authorities in the region, and that we can also work outside Marche’, explains Gabriella. 
But apparently, this new strategy is not working as they imagined when they adopted it. Why not? 

The risk of falling in aggressive pricing 

Large national and regional competitors had a clear impact on smaller regional and local markets. A 
primary reason is the final price: ‘Very recently, we lost a concession contract in a retirement house. 
We managed the previous contract, which was renewed due to Covid19. After that, the municipality 
issued a new call for tenders, we were obviously well placed to have the contract awarded. But we 
lost  the  contract  also  because  another  competitor,  from  another  region,  proposed  a  price  20% 
cheaper.’   

This price difference seems to be due to the size of the cooperative. ‘We cannot compete with much 
bigger cooperatives; they have a €100 million turnover and can be much more aggressive on price 
just to get the contract’, says Stefano. ‘They propose their tested and well-known methodologies to 
other  territories  but  using  a  local  workforce.  By  doing  this,  smaller  local  cooperatives  lose 
attractiveness and competitiveness. In the end we are at risk, we could lose our traditional market.’ 
says Stefano.  

‘Public authorities are tempted to fix lower prices in their next calls, and we could be systematically 
out. Paradoxically, this is breaking the relationship between public authorities and the territory’, says 
Stefano. ‘Project managers in bigger cooperatives are not local people, they do not know the local 
staff very well, so the strong connections between managers and workers are damaged. For bigger 
cooperatives, workers are just employees, they are not considered as members of the cooperative, 
and  the  values  and  mission  could  get  lost.  In  these  conditions,  the  social  worker  is  even  less 
protected, weakening social cooperation’, explains Stefano. 

There is room for improvement and for innovative solutions 

Both Gabriella and Stefano are convinced that there is room for improvement in PP. They think that 
public authorities could change their perspective in a win-win scenario. 

‘The  real  problem  is  that  contracts  for  social  working  and  social  inclusion  are  seen  as  any  other 
contract, economically driven. Public authorities could change this perspective by proposing other 
formulas such as co-planning or convention frameworks’, says Gabriella. ‘From our point of view, 
co-planning  is  the  best  fit  for  social  working  and  social  inclusion,  because  services  offered  by  a 
cooperative are strictly related to the territorial needs, in terms of work force and social impact. So, 
it is much better to have a long-term territorial strategic approach and PP in line with the strategy’. 
‘The other great advantage of co-planning is that the budget is fixed, and therefore price is not the 
most important aspect, opening a door for smaller operators and offers that will bring better results’, 
says Gabriella. 

Polo9 is committed to discuss the situation for cooperatives in the region with public authorities, and 
to  jointly  find  innovative  solutions  that  could  better  match  reality.  In  the  meantime,  they  have 

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unconditional supporters such as Didier, who is still committed to work with Polo9 in the therapeutic 
house where he got a new opportunity in life. 

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4.3.1.3.  Dinets 

Description 

Company 

Dinets 

Created in 

2000 

City 

Ancona (Marche Region) 

Size 

Small (44 employees) 

Sector (CPV) 

72.  IT  services:  consulting, 
development, 
software 
internet and support 

Website 

https://www.dinets.it/ 

Features 

Phase(s) 

Difficulties 

Solutions 

Communication 

Screening opportunities 
Awarding 

Asymmetries in regional PP, different requirements, eligibility criteria and other 
aspects that could be coordinated or standardised 
Payment uncertainty, payment schedule periods are too long for SMEs 
Too much burden for every type of PP 
Public digital platforms on PP inefficiencies 
Language and specific administrative burden as barriers to access EU / Member 
State PP 
Lack of joint vision among companies in the same region 

Proposing services as subcontractor to avoid payment problems 
Building alliances with bigger companies 
Targeting public operators trusted for payment 

Potential 
Message 1 

Key 

SMEs  could  benefit  from  savings  on  tender  preparation  costs  if  bidding  within 
consortia.  Business  associations  could  support  more  SMEs,  preparing  them  to 
participate in PP, by providing training and help in screening opportunities. 

Potential 
Message 2 

Key 

Language and administrative burden are serious obstacles for SMEs to participate in 
PP in other Member States.  

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SME NEEDS ANALYSIS IN PUBLIC PROCUREMENT 

Executive summary 

Founded  in  2000,  Dinets  is  a  cutting-edge,  Italian,  ICT  SME  based  in  Ancona.  They  provide  IT 
solutions  and  service  system  integration,  focusing  on  communication  and  collaboration,  data 
centres, cloud computing, networking, security, and mobile computing. Dinets a top Italian company 
implementing  the  Internet  of  Things,  Mobile  Computing,  Big  Data  &  Analytics  solutions  with  fully 
exploitable  process  automation  and  resource  streamlining.  They  have  developed  several 
applications  and  solutions  which  are  extensively  used  in  e-health  and  e-government  at  national, 
regional and local levels and target the public sector, which makes up 75% of their turnover. As with 
many other companies, they started participating in PP as subcontractors, and after some successful 
bids they won some calls as the leading company. They were remarkably successful at local and 
national level, but meet difficulties in regional and EU calls for tenders. This is their story. 

High-tech medical patient handling 

Gianluca  is  waiting  for  the  ambulance  service  that  will  take  him  to the  hospital  to  get  his  regular 
treatment. When the driver arrives, he helps Gianluca to get settled. Gianluca take a tablet, fills in 
the online application and sends a request, which is automatically handled at the hospital. 21 minutes 
later, on their arrival, everything is ready for Gianluca. A nurse is waiting with another tablet in her 
hands. She checks him in on the system. At the daily low-emergency services room, Gianluca is 
seen immediately by a doctor, who has all his history on the screen. Just one hour later, Gianluca is 
back home, checking his medical history with his daughter, accessing a platform through the internet. 

This  high-tech  patient  handling  system  was  developed  by  Dinets,  a  top  Italian  company 
implementing  the  Internet  of  Things,  Mobile  Computing,  Big  Data  &  Analytics  solutions  with  fully 
exploitable process automation and resource streamlining. 

‘We are proud of our MediaWeb platform, it took us many years to develop’, says Andrea Annini, 
Dinets’ General Administrator. ‘The platform is a unique interface to handle any patient-related issue, 
including keeping track of patient medical records and health cards, managing documents such as 
privacy statements, admission and discharge forms, booking visits and checking test results through 
hospital  systems, reserving meals,  video-consulting  with  hospital  staff and/or  between physicians 
and  hospital  wards  or  attending  Holy  Mass  at  the  hospital  chapel  by  clicking  a  dedicated  link. 
Everything!’, explains Andrea proudly. 

Not successful at home, successful in other regions 

‘For more than 15 years we have been providing these kinds of IT solutions for the public sector 
through PP opportunities. But to our regret, we had no success in our own city (Ancona) nor our 
region (Marche).  I really  think that  Marche regional  authorities  are  reluctant to  work  with regional 
companies’, explains Andrea. 

‘Regional PP markets can be hard, we know that. But we were successful in other regions such as 
Apulia, Emilia Romagna, Lombardia and Lazio. And we have great penetration at national level. The 
solutions we provide are top quality, I do not see why the place where the company is established 
should have an influence on awarding the contract. But this is just one of the many difficulties SME 
experience when participating in PP’, says Andrea. 

Timely payments, a real problem for SMEs 

‘The  tender  assignment  takes  too  long  for  SMEs.  Procurers  often  request  more  documentation 
between announcing the award and contract signature. This means more time and more work for no 
real value, and you cannot avoid this long process if you are targeting the public sector’, complains 
Andrea. 

‘On  the  other  hand,  some  public  authorities  sometimes  do  not  pay  on  time,  and  this  can  be 
problematic  for  SMEs,  which  need  to  have  healthy  cash-flow  and  income.  This  is  another  good 

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reason  to  participate  in  tenders  as  subcontractors.  We  know  that  big  companies  have  sufficient 
resources, so they will pay their subcontractors on time. It is safer’, explains Andrea.  

‘We have a lot of experience with PP and we know which public authorities pay on time. We use the 
leading contractor formula only in tenders issued by those procurers. When we find an interesting 
call  published  by  another  authority  less  trusted  for  payments,  we  contact  bigger  companies  and 
propose ourselves as subcontractors, even when the tender is divided into lots’, says Andrea. 

Digital platforms on PP need to improve 

‘We try hard to follow all PP opportunities in the ICT sector, which are a lot. We are registered on 
the online Italian national tender system (MEPA), and in regional platforms where all these calls are 
published.  Because  we  are  in  the  ICT  sector,  we  have  a  professional  point  of  view  on  the 
performance of these public platforms. For example, the MEPA system does not alert you to all new 
tenders, and does not invite you to bid either. In some tenders, you receive a notification when you 
have been invited, but in others you need to check if you can apply. It is always up to you to verify 
whether there is any interesting business opportunity for your company’, says Andrea.  

‘If you want to receive tender notifications and alerts, then you need to register on a paid platform, 
and indeed we have. These are more business-oriented solutions, but they just reuse public data. 
They bring little added value, these services could already be included in the MEPA system’, explains 
Andrea. 

‘Both free and paid platforms require regular updates on the documentation. There are 3 people in 
our bidding department looking for tenders and preparing the technical documentation and believe 
me, this is a lot of work!’, complains Andrea. ‘This is even more true when you take a deeper look 
into specific requirements. Each region is asking for different documents and references, this is time 
consuming and could be better coordinated. To have common rules for applications and selection 
criteria will be helpful’, thinks Andrea. 

EU opportunities in PP if joining forces 

‘In fact,  our  first  experiences  in  PP  were  linked  to  EU  funding. We  participated  a  temporary  joint 
ventures forces, we shared the administrative costs and were very complementary. For SMEs, EU 
PP is even more difficult, not only because of the linguistic barriers and the administrative burden, 
you need to join forces to be competitive’, explains Andrea.  

‘We  thought  we  could  find  companies  with  this  vision  of  joining  forces  in  regional  business 
associations, but it has not been the case. We are a member of Confindustria Marche, but despite 
this, we did not find SMEs to collaborate in our region. Regional SMEs are not inclined to cooperate, 
as they prefer to bid alone. They pretend they can do everything, even in the ICT sector, where you 
really  need  other  companies’  services  to  be  successful.  So,  there  should  be  no  doubt  about 
participating together in PP’, says a disappointed Andrea. 

‘These  associations  could  support  more  SMEs  to  participate  in  PP.  They  could  organise  specific 
training  on  tender  preparation,  or  try  to  bring  business  opportunities,  they  have  contacts  with 
procurers’, says Andrea. 

‘Authorities could  encourage  SMEs  to  build  consortia,  to join  forces,  this  could  reduce  costs  and 
increase technical capacities. The Italian market is made up of SMEs, but they are not competitive 
in international arenas. Only when joining forces can SMEs face up to bigger companies in big public 
markets. And from the side of procurers, I think they should look more into the value added of local 
businesses before awarding to companies from other regions’, says Andrea. 

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4.3.2. The Netherlands 

4.3.2.1.  Save Plastics 

Description 

Company: 

Save Plastics 

Created in 

1990 

City 

Arnhem (Gelderland) 

Size 

Micro (6 employees) 

Sector (CPV) 

90.  Sewage,  refuse,  cleaning,  and 
environmental services 

Website 

www.saveplastics.nl/ 

Features 

Phase(s) 

Screening opportunities 

Difficulties 

Lack of experience in dealing with PP 

Administrative language, excess burden 

Solutions 

Access to EU Market through national tenders (include Interreg possibilities on the local 
tender) 

Alliance with innovation consultancy company specialised in PP tender preparation 

Communication 

Potential Key 
Message 1 

SMEs can grow when participating in PP, given common needs in some sectors. Finding 
cross-border national/regional solutions including EU programmes in local and regional 
tenders related to key strategic EU policies. 

Potential Key 
Message 2 

Targeting public authorities can be fruitful  especially  in the medium to  long term: one 
route  to  success  is  to  build  strong  links  with  companies  that  have  experience  in  PP 
tendering, able to face administration burden and fit the specific requirements. 

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Executive summary 

Save Plastics is a 30-year-old family business, based in the small city of Almere, the Netherlands. 
They transform low-grade plastic waste into urban and civil engineering solutions, giving new life to 
refuse that otherwise has to be burned, with a bad impact on the environment. The business recently 
grew thanks to PP, combined with EU grants. This is their story. 

A vision of a world of reused plastic 

Bram is looking out of one of the big windows in his new house, which he recently moved into with 
his family. Outside is green and calm, you can feel nature around. This view is part of Bram’s vision 
-his dream- of a cleaner, more sustainable Netherlands and, why not, a much better world. He called 
this new house Save Home. 

Bram made his own house by using low-grade plastic refuse, which nobody knows what to do with 
when it comes to recycling centres. It ends up in a high temperature burning chamber, with a very 
bad impact on the environment. 

Bram Peters was achieving his dream while working in his own small company with 6 employees, 
Save Plastics. This continues the work his father started 30 years ago, creating moulds for low-grade 
plastics, transforming them in something useful and durable. For the last 10 years, Bram was able 
to go much further than his father, developing the first public lamppost 100% made of waste plastic, 
as well as park benches and picnic stations, small bridges, water retaining walls and the first fully 
self-sufficient movable home. This is made with local plastic waste and is where he is living now. 

‘The world wants to be plastic free, but nobody is taking care of all these billions of tons that are 
thrown into our rivers, seas or simply released into the air when they are finally burnt.  I see the world 
reusing the plastics we don’t want anymore and giving them another life.’, Bram says. ‘I want to help 
my country to become a better place to live. This is my vision.’ 

Growing thanks to PP 

For more than 20 years, Save Plastics was providing B2B solutions, most of the time with local and 
regional businesses. Capacity was limited since they were only producing the moulds, outsourcing 
production to a bigger plastic producer in Germany. But Bram had larger ambitions: he wanted to 
move to B2C, growing quickly with his own full production line, not depending on industrial partners. 

One day, he heard that the city of Almere was presenting a plan to become fully Circular in 2030. 
The city wanted to create a ‘plastic recycling factory’, to address the ban on shipping plastic waste 
to Asia and taking responsibility locally. This was an opportunity! Bram contacted the city to present 
his products as well as talk about his production plant plans and his own ‘plastic world’ vision. 

‘I  organised  a  boat  trip  for  the  city  officials,  since  90%  of  our  products  are  outdoor  furniture  or 
solutions that can be seen in rivers and in parks close by. They loved the products, especially the 
idea of producing them for the city. But they explained that to have these products, the municipality 
had to launch an official tender. At that time, I was confused: what is a tender? I was thinking of 
chicken tenders! I did not understand what they were really talking about’ says Bram smiling. 

The City of Almere launched the tender some months later in 2018, inviting Save Plastics to take 
part,  along  with  many  other  well-known  plastic  recycling  companies.  When  he  received  the 
documentation, Bram was shocked: ‘Do I have the time and the capacity to go for it? Is this really 
worthwhile?’ he says. ‘The tender was also for specific issues on innovation that were simply out of 
my scope’. He was very sceptical about participating, but since the city showed a lot of interest in 
his products during the boat trip, he finally decided to go for it. 

Bram was spending his own holidays preparing a proposal when, sometime later, he met somebody 
from  an  innovation  consultancy  company,  Partners for  innovation, that was also interested  in the 
tender. They told him that his proposal was going to be rejected since it did not reply to the technical 
specifications. 

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‘That was really frustrating. For me, all that administrative jargon was hard to understand, I was just 
preparing  a  great  proposal  to  reuse  plastic  waste  and  start  delivering  the  products  as  soon  as 
possible.’ After some talks, both companies decided to go for the together as a consortium tender. 
‘This was a great decision, I do not regret it at all’, he confesses. ‘We were even a little bit scared 
when we knew that our industrial partner in Germany didn’t want to participate in the tender, and 
even more when we knew that big players were also participating in consortiums with big consultancy 
firms.’, says Bram. 

A new world of opportunities with EU funds 

At the opening session, despite the feeling that he could be out of the game, Bram was somehow 
having a lot of fun: ‘All the big companies were there, these people were looking at me thinking: who 
is this guy? But it was even funnier when we got the contract!’, he laughs. 

Save Plastics quickly started to work on creating the plant and planning the production of 10 pilot 
projects, as agreed in the proposal. The company was growing quickly and suddenly becoming a 
real player. ‘Winning the tender in the summer of 2018 opened other doors for me. I gained a new 
reputation and visibility with it’. 

The big move was yet to come, within the tender there was also the possibility for the company to 
ask, together with the municipality, for an Interreg grant to promote innovative green projects. This 
could ensure more funding for the plant whilst making production available for any local and regional 
player, creating synergies and ensuring fund blending. 

‘At the very beginning I didn’t even see that paragraph’ Bram admits. But when he was contacted by 
Reeleaf,  a  consultancy  company  specialised  in  EU  green  funds  including  Interreg  that  was  also 
supporting the municipality of Almere with this EU programme, he saw the opportunity to finance his 
plant and to grow even faster. ‘That was amazing: already awarded a project and suddenly having 
the possibility of a new one’, says Bram. 

The production line on hold 

With the help of Reeleaf, Save Plastics and the Manchester Metropolitan University (in partnership 
with  other  parties)  presented  a  circular  economy  project,  TRANSFORM-CE.  They  finally  got  the 
grant in 2019. This was great news for the plant, which will be operational by the end of 2020. ‘Fully 
operational? Not exactly’ – Bram says. ‘Surprisingly, although the plant is going to be there soon, 
neither the municipalities, the province nor the region have yet ordered any product, which was the 
goal.’. How was this possible?  

‘To make the Plant profitable, the City of Almere was committed to buy products made of low-grade 
plastics collected in the wider Almere area. It was their intention to sell these products to other public 
entities, such as the water board and municipalities in the province of Flevoland. They were even 
committed to show the products at the national trade fair, Floriade, to be held in Almere in 2022.’, 
explains Bram. 

 ‘But when we came to visit the public authorities to promote the products, they said they cannot 
work  with  plastics,  even  recycled  ones.  The  regulations  are  strict,  promoting  concrete  and  steel. 
They said they could review the regulations to see if they can buy some products. At least they liked 
them’, Bram says.  

Going international  

In parallel, Bram was able to produce his dream Save Home plastic house. The City of Almere shows 
the  house  as  an  innovative  achievement  in  its  race  to  become  fully  circular  by  2030,  attracting 
interest from international players.  

‘Right now, we have agreements to start producing modular projects for Africa’, he says proudly. 
‘And we have also been contacted for other interesting public sector projects, with PP. But I am still 

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willing to develop this more extensively in my own city, my region, and my country. Somehow it is a 
pity that we are on hold here’ he says. 

Back in his dream plastic house, Bram is proudly looking through the window again. His vision is 
finally starting to become real, although in a very unexpected way thanks to PP and EU funding. 

For  those who  want  to try  PP  and  be  successful,  he  is  clear  in  his  advice:  ‘PP  is  not  a one-shot 
adventure, it is a much longer commitment and a learning process. If you do not have the capacity, 
the means, the time, the experience, you need to find the right allies to get into it. Otherwise you risk 
losing your holidays on something useless’.  

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4.3.2.2.  Groenendijk Bedrijfskleding 

Description 

Company 

City 

Sector (CPV) 

Features 

Phase(s) 

Difficulties 

Solutions 

Communication 

Potential Key 
Message 1 

Potential Key 
Message 2 

Groenendijk 
Bedrijfskleding 

Woerden 
province) 

Created in 

1997 

(Utrecht 

Size 

Medium (200 employees) 

19.  Leather  and  textile 
fabrics, plastic and rubber 
materials 

Website 

www.groenendijkbedrijfskleding.nl/ 

Awarding 

Lack of experience for public operators preparing PP 
Not enough expertise and few contacts 
Increasing diversification and new quality standards 

Permanent exchange with potential public sector clients 
In-house specialisation in PP tender preparation 
Cross-border and international cooperation on research for cleaner production, 
developing the circular economy 

PP is a catalyser for social and environmental engagement when it includes criteria on 
social inclusion, social impact, health and environmental issues or the circular economy. 

It is important to encourage local and regional authorities to use PP to promote the local 
economy and SME participation. 

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Executive summary 

Groenendijk Bedrijfskleding is a leading workwear SME, based in Woerden since 1997. From the 
beginning, the owners have been keen to keep the best quality standards in the whole production 
life-cycle (from  selecting  fabrics  to  the  end  of  product  life).  These  include  social  aspects  such  as 
gender equality, fair trade and employment dignity in the production centres as well as environmental 
aspects such as fabric recycling and not using harmful chemicals. They have been able to do this 
with PP, where price is not the only factor and tenders can include social and environmental criteria. 
The company today has a turnover of €35 million, some 200 employees and production agreements 
for every continent, although their main market remains The Netherlands. This is their story. 

Saving lives of those who work saving lives 

Anna is surrounded by a huge fire. She is in shock and her 7-year old brain cannot provide her with 
a clear idea of what is happening. She is crying, shouting, holding tightly, extremely tightly, to her 
teddy bear. In a second, she sees an astronaut coming, or maybe an alien? The figure immediately 
takes her into his strong arms, covering her under his deep, deep coat. Just a few seconds later, 
Anna is looking at her feet, she recognises her balcony. There is smoke everywhere, she cannot 
open her eyes and she cannot breathe. After that, the darkness, she has lost consciousness. 16 
hours later, Anna wakes up in a hospital room painted pink. Her parents are close to her bed, smiling, 
but mom is crying a lot. Anna is safe and will recover soon from third degree burns, but she could 
have died just few hours ago.  

Anna was lucky to be saved by a brave fireman wearing one of the most sophisticated firefighter 
jackets in the world. It is made of fire protection and retardant fabrics, able to repel toxic abrasive 
elements. It is deeply impermeable but breathable, keeping the body much cooler inside than the 
outside. It includes reflective patches that can be seen in thick smoke and it is almost unbreakable: 
8  layers  of  life-saving  materials.  This  special  equipment  is  one  of  the  top  technical  products  of 
Groenendijk Bedrijfskleding, a market leading Dutch SME. 

‘We produce a wide range of technical workwear such as firefighter gear. We work hard on satisfying 
specific client requests. We are now producing a specific uniform for the customs authorities which 
includes more than 60 specific items’, says Jaap Groeneweg, the company’s general manager. ‘We 
are doing well as we are really worried about functionality and, of course, workers’ lives.  

But these are not the only lives the gear is saving. The company is strongly committed to the fight 
against poverty, applying a strict code of conduct in its production centres all over the world. This is 
in cooperation with Anfori BSCI, a global association for open and sustainable trade, which audits 
most of the providers. Since 2018, the company has worked in Ghana with Ethical Apparel Africa on 
improving the quality of employment conditions (including protecting children from exploitation, as 
well as engaging women and men to work with dignity). Production is introducing new elements with 
no negative environmental or health impact.  

The company is also committed to society much closer to home, in the Netherlands. Groenendijk 
hires employees with difficulties to get into the labour market. It works in partnership with Ferm Werk, 
an  NGO  specialised  in  social  return  and  the  long-term  unemployed.  Groenendijk  ‘s  office  and 
distribution centre are next to Ferm Werk’s facilities, making it easy to collaborate. They started to 
work  together  by  employing  people  in  logistics,  delivering  orders,  returns,  checking  goods, 
replenishing articles and similar tasks. 

In 2019, the collaboration with Ferm Werk was extended to catering, cleaning, technical services 
and landscaping. In addition, Groenendijk is in partnership with schools in the area, offering training 
for students to work in the warehouse. And these are just a couple of examples of Groenendijk’s 
social commitment. 

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Caring about environmental impact, trying to get circular 

In addition to social issues the company also addresses environmental concerns. ‘Dealing with the 
environment starts with thinking about how clothing is made. We strive for production methods that 
are effective, but that also respect the environment. In these times, it is hard to choose fabrics, paints 
and finishes from suppliers that do not use chemicals which could have a harmful effect on health 
or the environment. We have an increasingly clear picture of such suppliers’, says Jaap. 

The  company’s  vision  on  the  environment  goes  even  further.  Most  recently,  the  company  has 
focused on finding ways to have full circular economy production. ‘To recycle some high-protection 
synthetic materials is extremely complicated, especially after exposure or intensive use. So we are 
participating  in  an  EU  co-funded  Interreg  project,  CircTex,  where we are  all  looking  at  innovative 
solutions to recycle parts and fabrics and to close the circle. Many public tenders ask for circular 
production. This is technically difficult, but we think it is not impossible. We are working hard on it.’, 
explains Jaap. 

PP, the catalyser for Social and Environmental engagement 

‘All this is possible thanks to PP. Other markets demand quality, but clients are looking mainly at the 
final price, they do not take into consideration social return or environmental issues if they are not 
obliged to by law or regulation’, explains Jaap. ‘Close to 70% of our business is in PP, and we are 
very happy about that, since this enables us to still do what we do for people, here and abroad.’ 

The door to deploy Corporate Social Responsibility activities was less open years ago, at the very 
beginning of the first PP opportunities for workwear. ‘I guess tendering for workwear was new and 
has evolved a lot with time. It was a learning process for public authorities, as it was for us when we 
started to seriously target public tenders in 2007’ says Jaap. 

‘I was hired to look at those opportunities. Although we were quite successful from the beginning, 
we did not have a clue how to do it. We just tried and tried, since we were convinced that this was 
our market. Both parties were quite new to it, there was no real culture of PP at that time, but now 
we can see it everywhere’, reflects Jaap. 

‘Nowadays we see a lot of small tenders (i.e. below thresholds) launched by public operators, and 
the number of small competitors has increased as well: now you can face 10 or even 15 competitors 
in a local tender. These are obviously small companies that cannot compete with us on what we do 
in social or environmental aspects, but they can be competitive on price for simple requests’, Jaap 
says. ‘For some recent local PP, we decided to not submit an offer’. 

New strategy towards PP 

What  is  their  strategy  now  that  other  competitors  are  coming  into  the  field?  ‘We  are  much  more 
focused on big tenders, more complex ones, where you need to invest and innovate. Like the fireman 
workwear’, explains Jaap. ‘This has been a big challenge for us. We moved from bidding for every 
opportunity,  always  thinking  about  providing  whatever  the  client  needed,  to  a  more  strategic 
approach. The goal is to produce and deliver top-quality more innovative products, with full respect 
for the environment whilst trying to contribute to society as well.’  

Since it grew quickly, the company has tried to bid for PP in other EU countries, but the public sector 
seems to be ‘attached to national providers, especially in sectors related to security and defence’, 
says Jaap. For opportunities in international PP, Jaap needs more time to understand it better. ‘We 
are doing so many things that we haven’t had enough time to explore international tendering, but 
the Interreg experience is positive and has changed the way we look at this’. 

For those who want to get into PP, Jaap is clear: ‘the key to success is working hard, asking many 
questions to find what is really on their mind. But you must be ready to be on your own, because 
there is little interaction with the client. We should have more meetings, specially on the technical 
side, to talk about what is possible and where the real issues are for producing such tailor-made 
products,  we are  not  magicians!’.  Maybe  not,  but  in the  meantime, they  have been  successful  in 

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making  workers’  lives  better  and  safer  whilst  caring  about  social  and  environmental  issues.  And, 
most importantly, Anna is still alive. 

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SME NEEDS ANALYSIS IN PUBLIC PROCUREMENT 

4.3.3. Poland 

4.3.3.1.  Uchacz 

Description 

Company 

City 

Sector (CPV) 

Features 

Uchacz 

Created in 

1970 

Tymbark  (Lesser  Poland 
region) 

45. Construction work 

Size 

Website 

Small (30 employees) 

www.uchacz.com 

Phase(s): 

Verifying selection criteria 

Awarding 

Difficulties 

Lack of experience in dealing with PP 

Lack of references (at the very beginning) 

Solutions 

Searching alliances with successful operators dealing with PP 

Diversify business activities using PP to complement main business activity 

Communication  

Potential Key 
Message 1 

SME can successfully diversify activities. 

Potential Key 
Message 2 

PP contracts are better structured, with little room for unexpected demands during 
implementation.  

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Executive summary 

Uchacz land and road works is a Polish company providing tree felling, land preparation, excavation 
and related services including renting machinery and equipment. The company is part (brunch) of a 
family owned group (Uchacz group) that started in the transports sector in the 70s. The activities 
cover national transport, petrol supply and stations, concrete production, construction, building, land 
preparation and road works. For land and road works, 80% of their contracts are through PP. The 
company started as a service provider for State Forest National Forest Holding (Lasy Państwowe), 
specifically land works in natural areas. The company makes up 10 to 15% of the group revenue, 
contributing to the group’s stability and expansion. This is their story. 

Big fish in a domestic fishbowl 

Piotr, the official for public works at the Mszana Dolna municipality services, is just opening the offers 
they received on a call to acquire 200 m3 of concrete for renovation works at the municipal library. 
He is surprised to find an offer from CEMEX, the biggest concrete producer in the world and the offer 
fits the price they are looking for. ‘I do not understand, this is like having Coca-Cola offer to provide 
soft-drinks at the mayors’ Christmas party’, thinks Piotr. But the offer is there, among another 10, 
and must be considered as any other. 

‘This is one of the effects of the pandemic’, explains Janusz Uchacz, general manager of concrete 
production and raw material supply at the Uchacz group.’ Big firms such as CEMEX usually target 
big construction and road work tenders because they can supply big quantities. But with the crisis, 
most  works  have  been  suspended,  and  there  are  much  less  opportunities  in  the  public  sector. 
Because they need to place their product, big firms are now competing in local markets, even under 
the official threshold to launch an open tender, as in this one. ‘This is understandable, although it 
could be risky for an SME such as us. In the end, a big fish in a domestic fishbowl will be tempted to 
eat the small fish around’, says Janusz.  

‘In our case, we are pretty much on the safe side. We provide services to the State Water Holding 
Polish Waters, in a specific niche for land works in natural areas. But, even if we are one of the few 
companies  providing  these  services,  in  recent  calls  for  tenders,  the  number  of  competitors  has 
increased considerably, from 2 or 3 up to 10 or 12’, says Janusz. 

‘The land and road works branch is just one branch of the group. It brings between 10% and 15% of 
the annual group revenue. And it is the only branch working almost 100% on PP opportunities’, says 
Janusz proudly. 

‘In fact, we launched the land and road works branch because it made a lot of sense to the group at 
that  moment.  We  were  delivering  heavy  materials  to  construction  and  road  projects,  starting  to 
produce and deliver concrete and we had contacts with machinery providers. Therefore, we were 
ready to support some of our construction clients by renting machinery and delivering concrete to 
local works. We have always been keen on diversifying, but only if the new business was deeply 
connected to existing ones’, explains Janusz. 

PP as a mean to get business, not a target 

‘We  did  not  target  PP  as  such,  we  just  saw  the  opportunity  to  expand  the  business  by  renting 
machines that we were able to lease’, says Janusz. ’But of course, all these contracts were supposed 
to provide services to local, regional, and national public authorities, and therefore the opportunities 
were mainly in PP. We thought that this was just something we could learn, working closer with our 
construction  partners  and  transport  clients,  who  were  really  active  in  the  public  sector’,  explains 
Janusz. 

‘At the beginning our strategy was to provide services as subcontractors, we knew we could provide 
the service quickly and our partners appreciated that. After participating as subcontractors in some 
calls for tenders, we gained a reputation in the market. Everybody was suddenly aware that we had 

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new machines, expensive ones, and that we delivered quality services. And that was good news’, 
says Janusz. 

‘Because  we  leased  the  machines,  at  some  point  we  thought  we  didn’t  need  to  wait  for  other 
companies to call us to be part of their offers. We had complementary services to offer in construction 
and concrete. We tried to bid directly, targeting small tenders in places we already worked, and we 
were successful’, explains Janusz. 

‘Some years later, we tried a longer shot. We saw an opportunity to provide machines for land works 
in natural areas published by the SF National Forest Holding and we got the contract. After that, we 
won more and more of their contracts for that kind of service, and they remain our main customer.’ 

No problems in PP but the future is uncertain 

‘We  do  not  have  real  problems  with  PP.  We  are  a  qualified  subcontractor,  thanks  to  these  first 
tenders,  and  therefore  legal  issues  are  not  a  problem.  The  public  sector  is  a  secure  business, 
authorities  are  good  on  payments,  although  with  the  crisis  it  is  getting  harder  on  the  price  side. 
Procurers are discovering there is more competition, and they can propose lower prices. But we are 
pretty  confident  that  this  is  temporary,  some  companies  will  disappear,  and  we  will  face  less 
competition in the future’, says Janusz. 

‘What I personally like a lot in PP is that the model is clear and stable, it is a secure sector. Calls are 
usually very clear on the services to be provided, and there are few surprises during implementation. 
Once  you  get  used  to  the  administrative  rules  and  procedures  you  can  propose  your  services 
calculating  costs  and  expenses  in  advance,  and  you  know  that  there  will  be  no  surprises  during 
implementation’, says Janusz. 

‘On the other hand, there is some uncertainty about future business. I am optimistic, but my brothers 
are a little pessimistic. Due to the Covid19 crisis, this year there was less business activity, in both 
the public and private sectors. And there are consequences to that. In the public sector, local and 
regional  authorities  will  collect  less  money  coming  from  taxes,  affecting  their  future  budgets’, 
explains Janusz. 

‘We  think  that  2021  will  bring  fewer  PP  opportunities  than  2018  or  2017,  for  example.  But  if  the 
private sector is stagnating, then the problem could be even worse in future. In this context, I am 
quite happy to have contracts with a national public operator such as the State Water Holding Polish 
Waters. They have budgets for 4- or 5-years, they do not work on a yearly basis and this is somehow 
reassuring for us’, explains Janusz.  

Keeping business alive 

‘In this branch of the group we employ some 30 people, and we are working hard to keep all these 
jobs in place. If, as the government said, some money will be injected in local and regional bodies 
to boost the economy, this will be helpful. More money means more PP opportunities and that is 
really what could relaunch the business. We need and we are willing to work’, says Janusz. 

‘The sad reality is that because of the crisis companies, regardless of their size, are struggling to 
keep business alive.  Each one of us is trying to find the best way. Some companies are proposing 
no margin prices to ensure a cashflow and pay their own liabilities, leasing operations and employee 
costs.  Others  are  penetrating  any  market,  because  they  cannot  switch  off  their  production  lines’, 
explains Janusz. 

‘We would like to avoid big fish in our local fishbowls, that’s for sure. But honestly we would be even 
happier if smaller desperate competitors that can break the market with extremely low prices were 
not  taking part  in these calls  and  local  opportunities.  I really  hope this  will  not  last,  otherwise the 
whole market could be in danger, but I am still positive that this will not happen’, says Janusz smiling. 

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4.3.3.2.  Max Produkcja -Dystrybucja 

Description 

Company 

Max 
Dystrybucja 

Produkcja 

-

Created in 

2002 

City 

Mszana 
(Malopolska region) 

Dolna 

Size 

Small (40 employees) 

Sector (CPV) 

15.  Food,  beverages, 
tobacco, 
related 
and 
products 

Website 

http://maxslodycze.pl 

Features 

Phase(s) 

Difficulties 

Solutions 

Communication 

Screening opportunities 

Verifying selection criteria 

Awarding 

Lack of experience in dealing with PP 

Competitors  

Quality and less margin to win bids, with extra efforts on CSR 

Permanent exchange with procurers to boost quality criteria 

Potential Key 
Message 1 

PP  can  offer  opportunities  in  many  different  sectors,  SMEs  should  explore  the 
possibilities using existing digital platforms and tools. 

Potential Key 
Message 2 

Quality and social impact can be key aspects for public procurers. SMEs need to show 
quality  standards  and  meet  procurers  to  offer  the  best  quality  products  and  services 
matching the needs o procurement beneficiaries.  

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Executive summary 

Max  Produkcja-Dystrybucja  is  the  leading  Polish  firm  for  sweets  production  and  distribution.  The 
company founders, a married couple, started to work in food distribution and sales in 1990. In 2002 
they created their own distribution company specialised in distributing sweets, with a van and a small 
warehouse.  In  2012,  they  saw  the  opportunity  to  buy  a  family  owned  sweets  and  chocolate 
manufacturer and they launched Max Produkcja-Dystrybucja. Since then, the company increased 
its participation in PP, winning a lot of contracts by providing top quality products, restricting profit 
margins, and aligning their CSR policies to those of their clients. This is their story. 

A very special Christmas basket in Covid19 times 

Gosia is playing with other children at the Municipality Communal Social Welfare Centre in Krakow. 
She has been there every day since June 2018. Now she is happier than ever, although she is still 
a bit scared every evening going to her father’s place. Her mother died last year and her father has 
been unemployed for a long time. He has big problems. The family is poor, and before she started 
to go to the centre, life was a real nightmare for this 6-year-old. They have moved every year to new 
places, always dark and cold, sharing one small room, sometimes even with other people. The social 
services  promised  to  provide  a  new  place  for  both  Gosia  and  her  father  to  live,  but  this  has  not 
happened yet. While waiting for this, she thinks of the little things that make children happy: sweets, 
candy, chocolate! As Christmas is approaching, she is hoping that this year, at the Centre, she will 
again get a Christmas basket full of sweets and chocolates. She cannot wait! 

‘Oh,  she  will  get  a  huge  surprise  this  year,  believe  me!’  says  Marek  Worwa,  MAX  Produkcja-
Dystrybucja  sweets  warehouse  owner.  ‘Christmas  baskets  are  our  speciality.  We  are  proud  to 
provide  these  baskets to  state-owned companies,  public  bodies,  civil  servant  unions,  many  other 
public institutions, and private companies. Some of these send Christmas baskets to orphan children 
and families in difficulty, such as Gosia’s. In these baskets, we include some extra products for free, 
the  best  ones  we  have.  Nowadays  they  call  this  ‘Corporate  Social  Responsibility’,  but  for  us this 
means much more than words’, explains Marek proudly. 

Starting from scratch to become the market leader 

Marek knows the sector very well. Today, his company is leading the Polish sweet market in both 
production and distribution. And he did it from scratch. Marek started working in food distribution in 
1990 when distribution of non-fresh food products in Poland included all types of products. And he 
thought there was room for more specific distribution of sweets and chocolates.  

‘In  2002,  after  more  than  10  years  in  the  food  distribution  business,  my  wife  and  I  started  this 
adventure with a just a van and a small warehouse. We created a new brand and launched a new 
company  together.  We  were  convinced  that  specific  distribution  of  sweets  and  chocolates  could 
work. Sweets, candy, and chocolates were delivered to a lot of selling points that were not really 
linked  with  classical  non-fresh  food  products  such  as  pasta  or  rice,  for  example.  We  worked 
extremely  hard,  from  5 a.m.  to  10  p.m.,  with  no  weekend  breaks.  But  we grew  quickly!’  explains 
Marek. 

In 2006, they bought their first warehouse with the company's headquarters and 5 years later, they 
took  over  a  production  plant  that  produced  sweets.  This  was  a  huge  step  for  them,  adding  the 
production challenge to distribution. In the early years they were awfully busy improving production. 
Once  the  factory  was  running  closer  to  their  plans,  they  started  delegating  its  management  and 
focused on getting new clients. ‘We started to explore both private and public markets, keeping open 
minded. And we found a few small opportunities in PP’, says Marek. 

‘Our first win was with the federation of national police stations. They launched a request to provide 
500 Christmas packages of sweet and chocolate assortments. They were incredibly happy with the 
quality of the products and we were very happy  with the price. Then, we registered with a digital 
service that scans PP opportunities per sector. We started to bid for similar contracts and won most 
of them, that was clearly a new business opportunity for us’, explains Marek. ‘In 2014, for example, 

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we won a tender of the mining national company, providing around 4,000 packs for 100,000 euros. 
That is a lot of Christmas packs!’, says Marek laughing. 

A quality strategy to win 

‘In the first tenders there were only 2 or 3 competitors, none of them manufactured their products, 
just assembling others’ products in a basket. Since we were winning a lot of contracts, competitors 
started to offer lower quality products or lower quantities to propose better prices. When we were 
offering  chocolate  bars  of  100  grams,  they  proposed  70  grams.  And  we  started  to  lose  some 
contracts we had won in previous years’, explains Marek. 

‘We  talked  to  the  client,  insisting  on  the  importance  of  quality,  quantity,  presentation,  variety, 
everything. They were receptive because everyone would like a great Christmas basket. But at the 
same time, they were not willing to make substantial efforts to contact procurers and write tenders 
together:  who  cares  about  tendering  for  Christmas  baskets,  when  it  is  just  an  extra  for  the 
employees?’, says Marek. 

‘We were angry with that position. Christmas baskets can make families and children happy. You 
need to provide quality and fulfil expectations. So, we decided to change strategy. The next year, 
we prepared our best quality Christmas baskets ever, making huge efforts on presentation, variety 
and  quantities,  but  most  importantly,  we  proposed  the  same  price  as  other  competitors,  making 
exceptionally  low  profit  margins.  And  it  worked.  Clients  were  much  more  satisfied,  workers  were 
sending thanks to company managers, talking about the nice Christmas baskets. In exchange, we 
insisted  on  talking  to  procurers  to  improve  their  tendering  by  including  quality  aspects,  and  they 
accepted.  Procurers  did  improve,  requesting  more  demanding  quality  criteria  in  the  next  tender’, 
explains Marek proudly. 

‘This was a clear win for us. Competitors were making huge margins on their Christmas baskets, but 
since the price was so competitive, it was not worth for them making extra efforts  to beat us. We 
were really the best offer by far at any time. Maybe not always on price, but on the product quality 
for sure. Now that procurers are more demanding, we are less afraid of competitors with dumping 
strategies. We propose added value as well including products made nationally, an aspect that public 
authorities can appreciate too’, says Marek.  

CSR policies fine-tunning 

‘In addition to the quality strategy, and since we knew that some of the baskets were for children in 
orphanages,  we  fined-tuned  our  CSR  policies  to  those  of  big  companies,  adding  some  quality 
products for free with the idea to create value added in our offers. We think they appreciate this as 
well, and we are proud that children are receiving support from our clients and some of our products 
as well’, says proudly Marek. 

‘This year I am a bit more worried. With Covid19 restrictions, the open session with other competitors 
planned  will  not  take  place.  And  we  could  be  losing  some  opportunities.  But  I  guess  they  will 
appreciate all the efforts that we are planning for this dramatic year. If Gosia and children from very 
poor families get a Christmas basket from a competitor this year, we have a plan B, since our CSR 
policy does not just depend on the contracts, we will do other things on our own’ says Marek. 

‘If I can give some advice to other SMEs on PP, I strongly recommend they search intensively for 
opportunities, they could be surprised. And then, I urge them to go for quality, and to openly talk to 
procurers on the importance of getting quality at the right price. When I face a new client in the public 
sector, I try to explain him the importance of product and service quality because this is public money, 
they should be more conscious of that’, says Marek. 

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4.3.3.3.  Tomcat.Arch.Design 

Description 

Company 

Tomcat.Arch.Design  

Created in 

2008 

Country 

Warsaw (Mazovia Region)  Size 

Micro (5 employees) 

Website 

www.tomcatarchdesign.com 

Sector (CPV) 

Architectural, 
71. 
construction,  engineering, 
and inspection services 

Features 

Phase(s): 

Verifying selection criteria 

Awarding 

Difficulties 

No previous professional track to bid in PP 

Lowest price  

National regulations hinder new EU markets 

Solutions 

Alliances with experienced companies in consortia 

Targeting local procurement and small bids to build reputation 

Communication  

Potential Key 
Message 1 

SME  can  build  a  market  reputation  participating  in  PP.  Join  more  experienced 
companies in consortia or bid for small tenders in local PP. 

Potential Key 
Message 2 

Local procurers are more sensitive to community issues and social impact and more 
involved in PP projects they launch.  

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Executive summary 

Tomcat.Arch.Design is a Polish architecture and design company, founded in 2008 by a well-known 
Polish  architect,  Tomasz  Olszewski.  He  had  broad  professional  experience  working  with  large 
renowned  construction  companies.  In  recent  years,  the  company  has  realised  projects  both  for 
private  and  public  operators.  The  company  employs  5  people,  but  works  with  more  than  25 
independent civil, structural, electrical and sanitary engineers, architects, designers, visual artists, 
and consultants. The company has participated in PP from its creation, being subcontractor then 
partner in consortia and finally leading some bids. Tomcat.Arch.Design is committed to the EU green 
and  circular  economy,  but  in  their  opinion,  procurement  based  on  lowest  price  makes  this 
unachievable.  The company unsuccessfully looked at PP in other EU Members States, but technical 
and legal barriers hindered the company from being competitive. This is their story. 

Training to be world champions 

Grzegorz, Kacper and Szymon are happy. They just won the bronze medal at the European Canoe 
Slalom championships, celebrated in Prague (Czech Republic) under strict sanitary measures due 
to Covid19. Now they want more, the Canoe world cup is on their target. This is a well-deserved 
result after years of training, a lot of travelling and considerable cost. They have struggled to find a 
proper place to train for years, but soon this could change. In 2015, the city of Warsaw launched a 
call to build a new aquatic sports centre - Przystan Warsawa. The original idea was to transform an 
old, deteriorated park into something much different, better, and useful. Here the three champions 
could train intensively every day, keeping closer to their families in Poland. The project was awarded 
to Tomcat.Arch.Design. 

‘This is the kind of project that we love to do, we strongly believe in this one’, says Tomasz Olszewski, 
Tomcat.Arch.Design owner and head architect. ‘The aquatic centre fits perfectly with the idea of a 
circular economy. Recovering local abandoned areas, relaunching the local economy, creating new 
jobs and developing greener infrastructures, it is a win-win project for both the city and citizens’, says 
Tomasz proudly.  

PP, a pathway to gain market credibility and grow 

The path to getting such a contract was not simple. ‘For an SME, to be  successful in PP is a real 
challenge.  It  does  not  come  immediately,  even  if  you  think  your  company  is  ready  for  it’,  says 
Tomasz. 

‘The market for architecture and design professional services is relatively wide, but at the same time, 
highly specific. Start-ups and young SMEs often face serious barriers to access PP opportunities. 
These are mainly related to eligibility criteria. Public authorities request previous experience and a 
track record of successful service delivery in previous contracts. The thing is that the criteria concern 
the company, not its people and their achievements or professional record before being part of the 
company. So, you can be the best architect in Europe, but when you create your own company, you 
are less eligible. This is an obstacle hindering growth for many talented professionals and their new 
businesses’, explains Tomasz. 

‘But  if  you  do  it  differently,  PP  is  one  of  the  best  ways  for  an  SME  to  penetrate  the  market. 
Participating in calls for tenders, start-ups and young companies can build a reputation in the market, 
getting  credibility  and a track  record  of successful  deliveries.  Since  in the beginning they  are  not 
eligible, they need to propose their services as subcontractors to other companies with successful 
experience in dealing with PP. After winning some bids, you can try for smaller contracts’, explains 
Tomasz. ‘Calls for tenders for small projects are usually less dependent on the eligibility criteria, and 
most of the time big companies are not interested in bidding. So you have some chances and less 
competition. That’s the right strategy’ says Tomasz.  

The company has grown thanks to its commercial activities. But PP contributed to this growth by 
building  a  reputation  in  the  call.  They  took  part  in  tenders  for  architectural  services  launched  by 
public institutions. Earlier, they were subcontractors or co-participants in architectural competitions. 

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In 2010 they won a conceptual architectural competition for a big area of Czerniakowski port and its 
surroundings. This became an important step which opened the opportunity for the company to be 
awarded  the  Przystan  Warszawa  aquatic  sports  centre  contract  in  Warsaw.  Later,  the  company 
managed to win other contracts, creating additional market history. 

‘Cooperating with well-established companies in consortia is a great experience, you can participate 
in large projects for major procurers such as national and regional authorities or big cities. But you 
can acquire much richer experience by participating in small calls, issued by local authorities. Local 
procurers  act  often  on  behalf  of  their  communities  and  are  much  closer  to  the  daily  work  during 
project implementation. Also, they are usually responsive to new ideas and SME creativity. They are 
looking to generate significant value-added for their community, and that’s always a challenge’, says 
Tomasz. 

Lowest-price rule, a clear obstacle to growth 

‘Competition in PP can be also be hard. Procurers used to apply the ‘best price’ rule, giving little 
room for innovation and top-quality products, which are usually more expensive’, explains Tomasz.  

‘Some years ago, this was the only rule in calls for tenders in our sector. There was a time when 
there were a lot of competitors fighting for survival. To get contracts, tenderers reduced their prices, 
keeping margins to a minimum, seriously affecting their income. In these circumstances, to grow is 
a dream, you are just worried about keeping the business alive’, complains Tomasz.  

‘The  best-price  rule  with  possibly  high  fines  for  design mistakes  or  late  delivery  prevented  many 
SMEs  from  participating  in  PP.  Even  worse,  it  encouraged  unreliable  or  short-sighted  tenderers 
offering unrealistically low prices. This had many consequences. Some projects were not completed, 
others were finished with extremely low quality. The rule was and still is harming both parties, the 
public  authorities  as  clients  and  the  reliable  tenderers,  which  were  simply  excluded’,  explains 
Tomasz.  

Circular and greener economy, only in competitions, but not in tenders 

‘At Tomcat Arch Design we are open minded. We strongly believe in the social impact of architecture 
and the benefits of circular and greener economies. We include all these aspects in our proposals. 
We believe they are important for public authorities, and communities. Despite being important in 
the architectural competitions public authorities include these aspects far more rarely in their tenders, 
which are still mainly price driven’, says Tomasz. 

Since  these  principles  seem  to  be  the  same  in  other  EU  countries,  we  are  also  looking  at 
opportunities  in  other  EU  Member  States.  But  for  an  SME  providing  architectural  and  design 
services, to work abroad requires exceptional devotion and a network of international partners. We 
know  it  well  as  we  have  been  working  with  our  friends  abroad  and  are  now  preparing  for  more 
international cooperation (commercial, but not PP that is).  

Architectural  design  is  highly  regulated,  national  laws  are  well  developed,  including  very  specific 
standards,  techniques  and  certifications,  differing  a  lot  from  country  to  country,  even  within  the 
European Union. To work in another EU member state is highly burdensome and costly. It requires 
a local architectural partner as well as legal and linguistic interpreters. Therefore, for an SME like 
ours, it makes little economic sense to participate in PP in those markets’, explains Tomasz. 

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4.3.3.4.  Biomed Lublin 

Description 

Company: 

Biomed Lublin 

Created in 

1999 

City: 

Lublin (Lubelskie Region) 

Size 

Medium (230 employees) 

Sector (CPV): 

33.  Medical 
pharmaceuticals, 
personal care products 

equipment, 
and 

Website 

www.biomedlublin.com/pl/ 

Features 

Phase(s): 

Verifying selection criteria 

Awarding 

Difficulties 

National regulations hinder entry into other EU markets 

Different procurement rules per country  

Solutions 

Alliances with registered distributors as subcontractor provider 

Communication 

Potential Key 
Message 1 

SMEs can expand their markets, building common strategies for production and 
distribution. 

Potential Key 
Message 2 

Overprotective  policies  are  a  serious  barrier  to  developing  the  EU  internal 
market, making it hard for SMEs to do cross-border PP.  

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Executive summary 

BIOMED LUBLIN is a Polish biotech company established in 1999 after a split of the former state-
owned BIOMED, originally created in 1944. Nowadays BIOMED LUBLIN employs 230 people and 
produces  an  extensive  range  of  high  demand  medical  products  including  prescription  drugs, 
products and reagents. Among those, BIOMED LUBLIN is the unique official producer of the BCG-
10  anti-tuberculosis  vaccine,  mandatory  in  Poland  for  new-born  children  within  24  hours  of  birth. 
BIOMED  LUBLIN  regularly  provides this  vaccine  to  the  entire national  health system,  ordered  by 
national  health  authorities  through  yearly  contracts  in  PP  calls.  The  company  works  closely  with 
universities, research centres and medical authorities to develop new products and conduct clinical 
research. To fully exploit market opportunities, the company invests in R&D and aims to increase its 
production  capacity,  expanding  to  international  markets  (both  within  and  outside  the  EU).  The 
company relies on carefully selected commercial partners as foreign operators to cope with market 
challenges and legal restrictions. This is their story. 

Targeting the Polish stream to lead the market 

Anna is enjoying for her very first contact with Maciej, her new-born son. The journey to give birth 
was incredibly exhausting, but she has still some strength to smile and caress Maciej. He is so calm 
and beautiful! The doctor is coming into the room. He is explaining to Anna that Maciej will receive 
an anti-tuberculosis vaccine. He takes the delicate arm of Maciej, who closes his eyes when the little 
needle pricks him. ‘Very good, Maciej, well done! says the doctor. ‘He is really strong, he didn’t cry 
at all, you should be proud of your son’, says the nurse smiling at Anna, who is just holding back her 
tears.  

This is a common daily scene in every hospital in Poland. By law, every new-born must have the 
antituberculosis vaccine, which is produced by BIOMED LUBLIN. This Polish pharmaceutical SME 
produces  an  extensive  range  of  high  demand  medical  products  including  prescription  drugs, 
products and reagents.  

‘BIOMED LUBLIN is the official producer of the BCG-10 anti-tuberculosis in Poland. Every year there 
is an open competition tender issued by the health ministry for this vaccine. And since we are the 
only laboratory in the country producing the Polish BCG vaccine, our offer wins the contract’, explains 
Magdalena Kowalska, BIOMED LUBLIN Business Unit Manager-Export. ‘There is no room for price 
negotiation depending on quantities, but most of the time the budget is reasonable and we can make 
some profit’, says Magdalena.  

BIOMED  LUBLIN  has  a  huge  experience  of  PP  in  Poland.  There  are  three  independent  Biomed 
companies  in  three  cities  in  Poland.  Only  one  of  them  is  still  a state-owned  company.  The  three 
branches are not real competitors since each of them sells quite different products. Apart from the 
antituberculosis vaccine, in which the company holds 100% of the national market, they compete 
with other national and international pharmaceutical companies for more market share in prescription 
drugs.  

Overprotective national regulation is a barrier to SME market expansion 

‘At the national level we are fine. But exports are another story’, explains Magdalena ‘The real issue 
about pharma exports is that national laws can be overprotective. This is a very strategic sector, you 
are  dealing  with  the  health  of  your  population,  public  authorities  are  very  often  too  conservative, 
claiming that they want to avoid risks. For that reason, they request pharma companies register their 
products in the country in order to offer them in PP, explains Magdalena. 

‘What we do is to find a distributor in the country that we want to export to. In some countries, they 
accept that you sell a product that is not registered but only when there is a shortage of   competitive 
products in this market. But mostly if you are not registered, you are systematically excluded from 
PP offers. In countries where the authorities allow non-registered companies to participate in PP, 
like  in  Hungary,  public  operators  are  reluctant  to  award  contracts  to  companies  from  abroad’, 
complains Magdalena. 

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BIOMED LUBLIN has expanded its markets quite a lot in recent years and increased their production 
capacity.  For  products  sold  by  prescription  such  as Distreptaza,  which is  used in gynaecology  to 
treat pelvic inflammatory disease, adhesions after abdominal surgical procedures and haemorrhoids, 
the company signed a B2B contract with one distributor including 10 new countries both within the 
EU and abroad. 

‘In all these countries we need to sell the products only after obtaining registration certificates and 
only to registered distributors if we want them to be sold in pharmacies. That is fine. But then, there 
is  a  hidden  problem,  this  kind  of  product  is  only  given  by  prescription.  So,  if  the  doctor  does  not 
prescribe  the  product,  ¡t  will  not  be  sold.  Some  practicians  are  eager  to  prescribe  new 
pharmaceutical products that are more effective than ones which are produced there or have been 
in their national market for decades, but others are not. We always ask our partners to do their best 
to promote the product among practitioners, this is how this works’. 

Hard competition facing big pharmaceutical producers 

‘Depending on the product we must face tough competition from much bigger producers, who can 
reach both practitioners and procurers and will push for their own products. It is not easy to compete 
with  them,  however  we  are  successful  since  small  pharmaceutical  producers  often  specialise  in 
niche products that just a small number of manufacturers worldwide can produce’, says Magdalena. 

‘This has been the case, for example, with a medicine that we tried to sell in public hospitals. The 
call  for  tender  requested  providing  the  medicine,  with  legal  requirements  and  technical 
specifications,  but they  also requested  a  special  apparatus  to  administer  the medicine. We knew 
that our product was cheaper for hospitals but we do not produce the set and the competitor does. 
In such circumstances, we could not even make an offer, because the set was only produced by our 
direct competitor, so we were excluded’, explains Magdalena. 

‘On the other hand, it is understandable that hospitals want to keep the same product for chronic 
treatment  to  ensure  therapy  continuity.  It  is  not  a  simple  thing,  we  know  that.  But  for  specific 
medicines that are just administered once, or for a short period of time, you could use new ones as 
well’, says Magdalena. 

A dedicated team for tendering connected to the legal department 

‘PP  is  important  to  BIOMED  LUBLIN.  We  have  a  dedicated  team  for  tender  preparation,  using 
different platforms covering the Polish market. We also scan for opportunities within EU countries 
via  the  TED  platform.  It  takes  time  to  get  used  to  it,  but  it  provides  you  with  a  clear  picture  of 
opportunities in our sectors across the European Union’, explains Magdalena. 

‘Once we decide we want to bid in a specific call for tenders, our legal department checks the specific 
legal  requirements.  They  review  the  exclusion  criteria  for  each  tender  we  want  to  bid  for’  says 
Magdalena.  

‘For  tenders  published  in  TED,  the  general  description  is  available  in  English.  But  when  you  go 
deeper into the tender you find the specifications in the national language of the country. For that 
reason, we employ people that speak different languages, especially those where we have already 
a market share or we have been delivering our products’, explains Magdalena. 

‘But  we  are  still  an  SME,  and  there  are  a  lot  of  opportunities  in  PP  that  seem  to  privilege  big 
operators,  that’s  a  pity’,  says  Magdalena.  ‘For  some  tenders,  you  really  need  to  have  a  huge 
production  capacity.  The  authorities  could  divide  these  contracts  into  smaller  lots  to  increase 
competition, giving room to SMEs such as BIOMED LUBLIN to propose their offers. This will certainly 
bring better final prices with the same or even better quality products, making serious savings for 
public authorities’, says Magdalena.   

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4.3.4. Romania 

4.3.4.1.  Smart Consulting 

Description 

Company 

Smart Consulting 

Created in 

2004 

City 

Deva (West Region) 

City 

Micro (4 employees) 

Sector (CPV) 

Features 

71.  Architectural,  construction, 
engineering, 
inspection 
and 
services 

Website 

NA 

Phase(s) 

Screening opportunities 

Awarding 

Difficulties 

Lack of transparency on PP (hidden by high threshold) 

Lack of equal treatment from public authorities 

Administrative burden, lack of coordination in public databases 

Solutions 

Externalised legal advice 

Permanent exchange with potential clients in the public sector  

Communication  

Potential Key 
Message 1 

PP contracts can be a more secure business for SMEs than private sector ones. 
But authorities need to be strict and fair during tenders following regulations to 
ensure equal treatment. 

Potential Key 
Message 2 

The high threshold of PP makes it difficult for SMEs to access these opportunities. 
Lower than market prices can lead to speculation and forced contract conditions, 
hindering SME competitiveness, and putting quality at risk. 

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Executive summary 

Smart Consulting is a Romanian civil engineering company offering construction design, architecture 
and building work; energy audit and certification for buildings; site and technical management; and 
technical  consulting  for  public  and  private  projects.  In  2012  they  changed  strategy  and  started 
targeting the public sector. Today 90% of their activity is linked to PP and contract services for public 
authorities, mainly municipalities. However, although the company’s technical expertise is in short 
supply, they  struggle  to find  opportunities  since  the  PP threshold is  very high  and information  on 
potential opportunities is not entirely transparent. This is their story. 

Keeping alive architectural heritage, but not only 

Today  is  a  great  day  in  Sibiu.  The  sun  is  shining,  showing  all  the  beauty  of  the  splendid  Saxon 
architectural legacy in this old Romanian city at the heart of Transylvania. Adrian is wearing a brand-
new suit for the occasion. The city mayor will inaugurate a renovated 120-year-old building which he 
and his father have worked on for almost three years. Suddenly, the alarm goes off and Adrian wakes 
up. The inauguration will take place in 2 years’ time, now it’s time to work! 

Adrian Bodea is a civil engineer who followed in his father’s footsteps to work on projects such as 
renovations  in  Sibiu.  ‘There  is  so  much  work  to  do,  so  many  things  that  can  be  improved  in  this 
country, so when I finished my studies I decided to stay and continue working with my father. And 
he is incredibly happy because I did not leave the country’, says Adrian smiling. 

In 2012 Adrian joined the company his father had created in 2004. Since it started, the company has 
completed some 50 projects with on-site construction management, infrastructure renovation and 
many more. ‘I think we already did 16 buildings, but the rehabilitation of this building in Sibiu is the 
most  beautiful  project  we  have  worked  on.  I  like  the  fact  that  we  are  breathing  new  life  into  our 
architectural heritage, which is rich but needs renovation. I love my country, and this is the kind of 
project that connects you with it’, says Adrian proudly.  

Making direct contracts with local providers could affect quality 

‘We are willing to do more projects like this one, but the problem is that we are not informed of the 
opportunities’,  explains Adrian.  ‘In  our  sector,  there  is  a  lack  of transparency  on  public  contracts. 
Municipalities often propose restricted formulas based on direct contract arrangements, and you can 
be systematically left out if you do not have contacts inside the system’, complains Adrian. 

‘This  is  partially  because  the  financial  threshold,  part  of  the  legal  procedure  that  requires  public 
institutions  to  publish  a  tender  on  the  public  on-line  system,  is  too  high.  In  these  circumstances, 
municipalities prefer to keep under this threshold so they can deal directly with their local contacts. 
And, even if it is legal, this opens a door for political interests and other kinds of influence as well’, 
explains Adrian. 

This situation is also closing the door on better quality services, damaging competitiveness in the 
market. ‘In the end, quality is at risk. I am quite sure that our company could provide better quality 
services than some of the companies they are working with. But since the contracts are allocated 
directly, it seems that quality is not what matters, is not so important’, says Adrian. 

PP, a more secure business? 

From the very beginning, Adrian was very keen to work with the public sector because he thinks it 
can bring more stability. ‘When I joined the company, I said to my father that we should work much 
more  with  public  authorities.  Romania  joined  the  European  Union  and  there  are  many  more 
opportunities in the public sector than in the private sector’, he explains. 

‘The big advantage of working with public authorities is that you know that in the end you will get 
paid, and this is not always the case in the private sector, the risk is higher. Even more, if you win a 

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public  contract  and  you  deliver  work,  then  if  this  is  unpaid,  you  can  go  to  the  legal  system,  and 
hopefully you will get what was agreed to be paid’.  

Adrian  talks  this  way  because  recently  his  company  took  legal  action  against  a municipality  over 
unpaid  bills  after  the  service  won  the  tender  and  was  delivered.  ‘We  strongly  believe  in  equal 
treatment of all parties within contracts. When you are late on the service, you must pay penalties 
every month. But when the work is done, you must be paid. Otherwise, the contract conditions are 
abusive. Of course, to go to the legal system is your ‘last call’, nobody wants to go there. Going for 
justice is a bit traumatic and you know you will face extra costs for the lawyer’s services, but at least 
you are fighting for your rights. This is a huge difference between the private and public sectors. 
When  a  company  that  has  disappeared  or  was  declared  bankrupt  has  not  paid  you,  it  is  almost 
impossible to claim your money and to recover all of it’, says Adrian. 

Administrative burden and unrealistic prices 

For Adrian it seems clear that working for the public sector in Romania is a more secure business. 
But from his point of view, there are still a lot of obstacles. ‘Working with the public sector can be 
extremely hard, you need to be very patient. There is a lot of bureaucracy and companies do not 
want  to spend their time  on  paperwork  nor to  invest  in it’,  explains Adrian.  ‘We  are coordinators, 
managers, and we subcontract most of the services required. And the subcontractors are happy to 
leave the administrative matters to us’, says Adrian. 

Furthermore,  he  does  not  understand  why  local,  regional  and  national  authorities  are  not  more 
integrated. ‘Sometimes you need to go to 5 different places to get a document, this is time consuming 
and could be solved with a common shared data base. We want of course to follow the rules, to be 
checked legally and formally, but they could make the process much easier’. 

To add to the bureaucratic burden and lack of integrated data, Adrian thinks that in his sector public 
contracts are not priced correctly. ‘Most of the time, the contract value in the calls is too low, far from 
the real cost of the work and the services they demand’, complains Adrian.  

‘In trying get the authorities closer to reality, when we won a contract, we wanted to teach the client 
about  the  real  costs  of  on-site  management  and  the  services  we  coordinate.  This  requires  top 
technical  equipment  and  many  other  things  that  are  becoming  more  and  more  expensive.  But 
unfortunately, this seems to have no effect if we consider the current contract opportunities they are 
proposing’, says Adrian with a shrug of resignation. 

‘In Romania, public authorities have tight budgets for contracts, and they try to spend this well. But 
this  is  not  an  excuse  to  propose  prices  that  cannot  cover  costs,  pushing  companies  to  propose 
unrealistic offers’, says Adrian. 

‘Some competitors try to get low-priced contracts at the very beginning of the year, and then they try 
to negotiate extensions or amendments to the contract. This is why at the end of the year we are 
sometimes the only company making an offer in some calls. From our point of view, the strategy of 
getting under-priced contracts to try to get more money afterwards is too risky, but most importantly, 
it  has  a  terrible  collateral  effect:  public  authorities  will  decrease  prices  because  they  still  receive 
offers  that  fit  with  their  low  budgets.  But  in  the  end  they  will  pay  more,  and  quality  will  be 
compromised’. 

On the other hand, Adrian thinks that PP in Romania is improving. ‘In the last 2 years, we saw many 
more  opportunities  in  PP  for  SMEs  in  quite  different  sectors.  There  is  improvement  also  on  the 
paperwork, and administrations are getting more and more digital’, says Adrian. ‘And I will be pleased 
if somehow the renovated buildings such as in Sibiu can inspire officials to improve even more and 
faster!’, says Adrian smiling.

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4.3.4.2.  Addwise 

Description 

Company 

Addwise 

Created in 

2013 

City 

Bucharest (Central Region)  Size 

Micro (7 employees) 

Sector (CPV) 

Features 

79.  Business  services:  law, 
consulting, 
marketing, 
recruitment,  printing,  and 
security 

Website 

http://addwise.eu/ 

Phase(s) 

Verifying selection criteria 

Difficulties 

Difference between real needs and what is requested in tenders 

Tender  evaluations  not  considering  methodology,  focusing  on  price  and  profiles 
(experts) 

Administration payments after services  

Solutions 

Interaction with public authorities during implementation 

Transfer know-how from EU experience into national PP to focus on quality 

Strategic alliances with companies that can provide services for other lots in the 
tender 

Communication  

Potential Key 
Message 1 

PP  should  be  based  on  full  understanding  of  public  administration  needs.  This 
means  the  procurement  department  must  analyse  the  specific  needs  of 
departments/services requiring the tender. This analysis should be the basis for 
the quality criteria, including methodological aspects when needed. 

Potential Key 
Message 2 

Public  contracting  formulas  should  include  advance  and  flexible  intermediate 
payments to increase SME participation in PP. 

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Executive summary 

Addwise is a Romanian consulting company offering training and capacity building services to public 
administrations. They also provide advice to companies willing to participate in PP or receive funding 
from national and European funding programmes. But most calls for tenders they are bidding for are 
far  from  the  real  needs,  making  implementation  a  nightmare.  Although  the  company  internally 
supports  central,  regional  and  local  administrations  on  programme  ex-ante  analysis,  preparation, 
implementation,  monitoring  and  evaluation,  they  are  struggling  to  change  procurers’  mentality  to 
prepare tenders to better reflect the real needs. This is their story. 

Extra demands in contract implementation 

‘We expect 40 people at the training session. We are interested in ROM (result-oriented monitoring). 
Can you do that?’, says Corina, the interface at the Ministry of Employment in Bucharest, on the 
phone.  ‘I  will  check  if  this  is  possible  and  get  back  to  you  with  an  answer  as  soon  as  possible’, 
answers Alina, the project coordinator at Addwise. After the call, Alina explains to us: ‘This is a typical 
extra demand, going far beyond what is in the initial contract. And we must face similar situations in 
almost every project we run with public administration’, says Alina. 

Alina Pitulice has been dealing with this kind of issue since 2006, long before launching Addwise 
with some colleagues in 2013. ‘One of the main problems with PP in our sector is that tender requests 
are far from reflecting the real training needs of the administration. In the tender specifications, they 
are just requesting training for 20 or 30 people on very general aspects of project and programme 
implementation, monitoring, and evaluation. But once you win the contract and you meet the services 
or the department that will get the training, they want much more than what was planned initially’, 
complains Alina.  

‘We were hoping for a big improvement when they announced the new PP law in 2016, but things 
didn’t change as much in practice as we expected, explains Alina. ‘When the law came into force we 
saw some changes in training services tenders. They were proposing to split some tenders into lots, 
making a distinction between logistics and training, which was a good thing. But they did not change 
anything on selection criteria’, explains Alina.  

‘Before  2016  price  was  the  main  criteria,  the  cheapest  offer  won.  Of  course,  beneficiaries  were 
complaining all the time. After 2016, they introduced expert evaluation as the main criteria for the 
technical offer, but they kept a cap on the low prices, which still count for 40% of the offer evaluation. 
In 2017, the market became extremely aggressive. Some companies proposed up to 50% discount 
on their offers, trying to survive by keeping a contract portfolio, says Alina. 

EU technical assistance cooperation model only partially transferred 

‘Romanian  tenders  on  training  for  public  administration  are  clearly  inspired  by  EU  technical 
assistance tenders, which are based on expertise and specific-knowledge recruitment. But most of 
the time training tenders request extremely specific profiles so the services can be expensive.’ 

The company founders worked with EU technical assistance projects before, as Romanian partners 
for other external operators. So, at Addwise they know the model and how to identify and recruit the 
right experts very well. But, apparently, they struggle to find experts when providing services to public 
authorities through national PP much more than with EU funded ones. 

‘When the project is EU funded, the budget seems to be higher and consequently you can pay better 
fees to experts. In national PP opportunities, budgets are lower and you struggle to find the right 
expert since fees are less competitive, and the work is in the end even harder for them or they give 
up. Then the work is done by in-house staff to deliver the services’, explains Alina. ‘Any expert would 
like a better fee and to participate in an EU funded project rather than a national one,’ confirms Alina. 

From  Addwise’s  point  of  view,  the  fact  that  the  Romanian  model  does  not  include  advanced 
payments is an added difficulty for the business. ‘In the EU Technical Assistance cooperation model, 
once  you  sign  a  contract  you  receive  an  advance  payment,  which  immediately  helps  you  to 

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compensate the efforts of offer preparation and gives you economic health to hire and pay experts’, 
explains Alina.  

‘But in the Romanian model, you do not have such advances, being very dependent on final approval 
from the services or department receiving the services. This opens a door for economic uncertainty, 
since you are supposed to provide these services sometimes for 9 months or even a year, with no 
payment in return. This is a difficult model for such SMEs as Addwise, we can hardly adopt long-
term risk investment policies’, explains Alina.  

Every time we do our best to fulfil the needs, making serious efforts to keep within the budget. And 
even if we don’t, beneficiaries have the last word, since payments are linked to deliverable validation. 
So, somehow, however willing we are, we are obliged to stay within the budget’, says Alina. 

‘In these circumstances, any big project with public administration could put the whole business at 
risk. This model also increases stress among experts, consultants and colleagues, and early on can 
become an issue of complaint and discussion with beneficiaries as well, creating a bad atmosphere’, 
explains Alina. 

Methodologies are important, but procurers do not consider them as such 

As a partial solution to the need for expert recruitment at lower prices, Addwise has some in-house 
expertise, but this strategy cannot cover all the needs. ‘For price distortion, and the fact that we need 
to provide in-house resources permanently, methodology is especially important from our point of 
view. It allows us to keep service quality using a unique approach, replicating models that we know 
can work. But here, again, PP is not helpful. Tenders are evaluated 40% on price and 60% on the 
expert  profiles, giving  ‘zero’  room for methodology.  Any  competitor  with no knowledge of training 
sector needs could win, and this is very unfair’, explains Alina. 

Addwise  is  trying  to  pass  this  message  on  during  project  implementation.  Experts  are  always 
prompting clients on the definition of criteria for the services to be provided, and how tenders and 
programmes can be drafted based on strong and clear methodologies. 

‘Without methodology you can have very inconsistent training. The funny thing is that we are training 
public  national,  regional  and  even  local  authorities  on  the  importance  of  consistency  in  project 
implementation, monitoring and evaluation, but this seems to have no final effect on procurers. This 
could  also  be  because  procurers,  the  tender  writers,  are  not  really  connected  to  the  services  or 
departments requesting the training, as we see in the difference between services requested and 
those to be implemented’, says Alina. 

Political influence stresses public procurers 

Another reason  why  procurers may  be  drafting  tenders  with no  real  correlation  to the  needs,  not 
requesting  methodologies,  could  be  that  they  are  severely  influenced  by  the  political  agenda.  ‘In 
Romania,  when  a  decision-maker  announces  new  measures  to  be  adopted  in  the  short  term, 
procurers need to prepare, publish and award tenders very quickly’ explains Alina. ‘So, procurers 
propose tenders that match the minimum legal requirements, but which are not well documented or 
well prepared’. 

‘Political  influence  in  PP  is  also  very  visible  when  elections  are  approaching:  the  publication  of 
national public funded tenders decreases seriously, and only EU and other international offers are 
published on the national platform’.  

Ideas to improve PP 

‘I  think  that  PP  could  easily  improve  by  introducing  some  changes’,  says  Alina.  ‘Since  procurers 
seem  very  familiar  with  the  EU  technical  assistance  model,  they  could  introduce  more  technical 
selection criteria, targeting methodologies, and propose advance payments as well’. 

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‘Already with these changes you could have much better proposals. But, most importantly, what they 
really  need  is  to  connect  internally,  to  make  the  procurers  understand  the  real  needs  of  their 
colleagues in the departments requesting the services, to write calls that make sense. And this can 
only be done if the public authorities deploy a long-term vision and programme their training needs 
accordingly’ says Alina. ‘But until this happens, I need to find a quick solution to Corina see if we can 
provide her with the ROM training their people need’, says Alina smiling. 

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4.3.5. Sweden 

4.3.5.1.  ChromoGenics 

Description 

Company 

ChromoGenics 

Created in 

2003 

City 

Uppsala (Central Region) 

Size 

Small (15 employees) 

Sector (CPV) 

44. Construction structures and 
materials 

Website 

https://www.chromogenics.com/  

Features 

Phase(s) 

Difficulties 

Solutions 

Communication 

Potential Key 
Message 1 

Potential Key 
Message 2 

Verifying selection criteria 
Awarding 

Price versus quality 
Lack  of  long-term  vision  and  return  on  the  investment  (including  local  economy 
development, circular economy, and sustainability) 

Intensive  pre-procurement  to  explain  long-term  benefits  including  energy  savings, 
greener economy, and job creation 
Fine-tuning strategy to national environmental and economic policies 

PP  can  consolidate  local  companies  and  boost  innovative  SME  development  by 
introducing quality criteria for a green and sustainable economy to compensate for higher 
prices. 

Public  Private  Partnership  can  be  efficient  if  public  operators  include  this  quality 
approach in PP. SME can fine-tune their strategy to the long-term political vision to get 
credibility with procurers considering the return on investments. 

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Executive summary 

ChromoGenics  is  a  leading  Swedish  SME  offering  electrochromic  solar-control  glass  solutions. 
Established in  2003  by  top  researchers  at  Uppsala university,  the  company  struggled  at the  very 
beginning  to  win  contracts  through  PP  and  sell  their  innovative  products.  Calls  for  tenders  were 
mainly  price-driven  and  ChromoGenics  products  were  more  expensive  than  traditional  solutions. 
The company  changed strategy  by  aligning  their  model to  the  national  political  vision  of  greener, 
sustainable, and national production. They also started to make pre-procurement presentations to 
procurers and decision-makers to explain the long-term benefits of their products. This is their story. 

Capturing sunlight to keep pupils warm 

Ebba and her brother Nils are sitting at the brand-new school atrium in Gothenburg (Sweden). This 
is their first day of school and everybody was told to be in the atrium for the years’ opening speech. 
They can feel the weak sunlight coming through the big glass walls around the atrium keeping them 
warm. This is not just a feeling, it is real. The atrium windows include electrochromic glass which 
captures 90% of sunlight radiation to maintain a comfortable indoor climate. At the same time this 
lowers energy consumption and the environmental footprint.  

This technological solution, ConverLight dynamic glass, is provided by ChromoGenics, a Swedish 
company based in Uppsala founded by material science researchers from the University of Uppsala 
in 2003. ‘The Svartedalsskolan project in Gothenburg is just one of the projects we have already 
done for public authorities in our region. We are bringing ecological solutions that are sustainable 
and  boost  local  business  development’,  says  Anders  Pettersson,  Sales  and  Customer  Relations 
director at ChromoGenics proudly. 

‘You can of course find much cheaper insulated glass solutions, but when installing those you are 
not  thinking  circular,  you  are  just  thinking  of  insulation  from  a  minimal  energy  loss  perspective’, 
explains Anders. ‘We propose something completely new, a performance glass ensuring insulation 
but  also temperature  regulation,  more light  and shade,  as well  as energy  production.  In  the  end, 
these new aspects are real savings’, explains Anders. 

Aligning to national and EU policies and changing procurers’ minds 

‘ChromoGenics would like to have its glass installed in every new school in Sweden and in many 
other  public  buildings  as  well,  because  it  makes  sense’,  says  Johnny  D.  Engfeldt,  the  technical 
product manager at ChromoGenics. ‘We obviously tried to win some contracts in PP from the very 
beginning of our commercialisation in 2015. We are researchers, so we think of every possible use 
and there are a lot of public buildings (new or to be renovated) that need efficient, big glass surfaces 
to  meet  building  requirements.  For  example  airports,  stations,  university  facilities  and  schools’, 
explains Johnny. 

‘But to be honest, although it was clear to us that our products were the best for public buildings, we 
lost a lot of bids when we tried at the beginning. There can be a greater initial investment with our 
product than for traditional solutions, and in the public sector price is a particularly important point, 
sometimes the most important one’, says Anders. 

After those unsuccessful trials, ChromoGenics changed their strategy towards PP. ‘We decided to 
move forward by doing intensive pre-procurement presentations, thinking that sooner or later public 
officials  could  change  their  mind  ‘,  says  Johnny.  ‘We  worked  hard  on  also  presenting  long-term 
economic  scenarios,  considering  energy  savings,  durability,  and  many  other  costs  that  were  not 
considered when officials were preparing public tenders’, says Johnny.  

‘But most importantly, we tried to align to the political vision. We understood Sweden is willing to 
have a fully circular, green economy. So, we started presenting our solutions in line with national 
politics on the environment and economic sustainability’, explains Johnny.  

ChromoGenics strategy was also aligned to the most recent EU policies. Buildings are responsible 
for about 40% of EU energy consumption, and 36% of greenhouse gas emissions from energy. The 

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European  Commission  published  its  Renovation  Wave  Strategy  on  14  October  to  improve  the 
energy  performance  of  buildings.  A  leading  action  proposed  in  the  strategy  is  linked  to 
ChromoGenics’ strategy: expanding the market for sustainable construction products and services, 
including the integration of new materials and nature-based solutions.  

Job creation, a key aspect for any public authority 

The European Commission foresees that by 2030, 35 million buildings could be renovated and up 
to  160  000  additional  green  jobs  created  in  the  construction  sector.  And  local  job  creation  was 
another major factor that ChromoGenics highlighted when presenting their solutions. ‘Our aim is to 
produce all our materials locally, creating jobs and boosting the local economy, which of course is 
also bringing taxes, sustainability and independence’, explains Anders. ‘It is easy to fall into the best 
price temptation, paying less for other solutions, but then you are importing materials, so you are not 
developing  your  own  economy.  This  is  the  main  reason  we  convinced  investors  to  create  a  new 
factory in Uppsala, which will be fully operational by the end of 2021.’ 

Consequently,  public  authorities  started  to  consider  the  long-term  benefits  of  this  local  economy 
development approach more seriously. They started to include very advantageous criteria instead 
of  only  best  price  ratings,  allowing  ChromoGenics  to  win  PP  bids  in  the  region.  ‘After  this  pre-
procurement work, we caught the attention of top officials and decision makers. And it worked, they 
were listening to us.’, says Johnny. ‘Officials working on tenders started to introduce other criteria, 
including  sustainability  and  environmental  impact.  So,  finally,  we  found  some  room  to  win  some 
public contracts and target PP more intensively’, explains Johnny. 

A B2B approach to PP? 

ChromoGenics was created under a B2B approach since glass is just part of complex construction 
projects. The company is facing public sector opportunities with the same spirit, trying to establish 
agreements  with  national  public  construction  companies.  They  also  know  that  Public  Private 
Partnerships  can  be  fruitful,  since  their  own  investment  model  is  based  on  the  same  formula, 
including with big companies such as Volvo for the car industry and public funding for research and 
innovation. 

‘We know that in Sweden the state is the biggest building owner, and the biggest construction works 
promoter. And we want to be in partnership with them. PP can also be used to find the right formula 
for B2B, especially in this sector’, says Anders. 

‘Yes,  the  state  is  one  of  our  main  targets,  but  not  the  only  one’,  adds  Johnny.  ‘We  have  been 
exploring  other  markets  outside  of  Sweden,  internationally.  We  have  sold  some  products  in  the 
Nordic countries, and gotten inquiries from all over the world, including the US and China, from the 
building sector, transport sector, etc. So, the market is huge. And what we have seen is that their 
approach is similar to the Swedish market in the sense of the ‘best-price’ approach and lack of a 
long-term and holistic view of their investments. This makes us confident that there is a natural place 
for  products  like  ours  world-wide.  Of  course,  you  have  more  challenges  and  competition  in  new 
markets like the US, but we believe that our business model of finding strong partners will be a key 
factor in reaching new markets. This is a long-term process that has just started’, explains Johnny. 

‘We  have  also  looked  into  EU  markets.  One  of  the  approaches  has  been  collaborating  with  EU 
partners in pilot projects, to better understand their realities and their markets’, explains Johnny. ‘We 
are  part  of  the  Switch2Save  research  project,  funded  by  the  EU  H2020  programme,  and  we  are 
learning a lot from our partners in Belgium, the Czech Republic, Greece and Germany. We are all 
committed to explore and develop electrochromic and thermochromic windows and glass façades 
to control the radiation energy transfer. This can drastically reduce energy demand for heating and 
air conditioning in large buildings’, says Johnny. 

‘We discovered that every country has different building needs, and we are thinking of how to get 
products that could fit to these needs. But for the moment we are not targeting PP outside Sweden, 
at least not until the factory is in place. And we are proud that at least in Sweden children like Ebba 

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and  Nils  are  already  benefiting  from  our  innovative  solutions,  which  are  a  reality  thanks  to  more 
strategic and conscious PP’, agreed Anders and Johnny.

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4.3.5.2.  Upplands Hiss 

Description 

Company 

Upplands Hiss 

Created in 

2016 

City 

Uppsala (Central Region) 

Size 

Micro (8 employees) 

Sector (CPV) 

50.  Repair  and  maintenance 
services 

Website 

http://www.upplandshiss.se/  

Features 

Phase(s) 

Verifying selection criteria 

Offer formulation 

Awarding 

Difficulties 

Criteria exclude SMEs in PP  

Lack of understanding of the real value of services requested 

Resilience and resistance to change within public authorities 

Solutions 

Contacts with procurers to improve procurement documentation and tender preparation 

Communication 

Potential Key 
Message 1 

Selection criteria based on economic conditions such as turnover can seriously  affect 
new SME participation in PP. 

Potential Key 
Message 2 

Procurers  need  to  review  tender  writing  to  adapt  to  new  market  realities  and  needs. 
Regular contact with operators contributes to more effective PP. 

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Executive summary 

Upplands Hiss is a young Swedish SME that installs and maintains elevators. Established in 2016 
by experienced elevator technicians, Upplands Hiss targeted PP from the very beginning but failed 
to win tenders  as selection  criteria  systematically  excluded  them.  The  company decided to  go to 
court and appeal the tenders. They won. Although there were some improvements, procurers were 
still reluctant to change their tender specifications, benefiting bigger companies. This is their story. 

Hard exclusion criteria in public tenders 

‘Today we are lucky! Right now, just as we are talking about the national tender platform, I see there 
is a new call that could be interesting for us. And this time it seems that criteria are mainly technical 
and do not exclude small operators’, says Magnus Andersson, one of the Upplands Hiss company 
founders. ‘Quite honestly this is incredibly good news, we did not expect that, after all what we have 
been through’, says Magnus. 

Magnus  has  been  installing,  repairing  and  maintaining  elevators  since  1989.  He  worked  for  the 
biggest companies in Sweden and knows almost every secret of any elevator from any manufacturer. 
‘When we (me and my colleagues) created the company in 2016, we had more than a century of 
technical knowledge and field experience between us. It was clear for us that there was room for big 
improvements in the quality of services provided by other companies in the sector’, declares Magnus. 

They  were  confident  that,  with  their  experience  and  profound  know-how,  they  could  be  awarded 
services contracts with both private and public operators quite easily. But when they started to look 
for  PP  opportunities,  to  their  surprise  they found themselves excluded.  ‘Tenders  were  requesting 
huge turnover from past years, and our company was recently created’, explains Magnus. ‘We could 
of  course  provide  the  services  as  requested,  but  because  of  the  turnover  requirement  we  were 
excluded even before presenting any offer’. 

This happened in every public tender they found for this kind of service. It was so unfair in their eyes 
that they decided to appeal some of the tenders in court, including some with contracts awarded and 
already running. And they won. The justice’s decision had its impact. After this legal win, procurers 
changed the turnover requests in the tenders. They were also obliged to stop some contracts and 
relaunch the procedure. So, apparently, good news for Upplands Hiss, this time they were expecting 
to have more chances. 

But in the relaunched tenders, procurers introduced new criteria, such as a much higher number of 
items to be maintained or repaired. Consequently, the tenders requested greater capacity from the 
companies. ‘This was excluding not only new, but any SME from bidding. You cannot systematically 
exclude operators just because you have been working with other big companies in the past’, says 
Magnus. 

‘Zero-euro’ hourly fee for regular services 

On the other hand, Magnus thinks that procurers have a clear lack of understanding of the services 
to be provided. ‘They are not professional. Or at least they do not seem to understand the market 
and the real needs. They are trying to get the lowest price, but their calculation grid is considering 
hourly fees for what they consider ‘regular services’, which are not the ones you need. Since they 
allow you to propose your own fees for ‘special services’, we submitted some offers including a ‘zero-
euro’ hourly fee for regular services and higher hourly fees for special services. And we won!’ says 
Magnus. 

Procurers were so shocked that they thought this was a mistake. ‘Are you sure about the regular 
services fee? ‘, they asked Magnus. ‘Of course, we were!’ says Magnus excited. ‘They could not 
believe us. We had several calls and meetings with them because they wanted to understand how 
was this possible’, explains Magnus.  

‘I  told them  that their  calculation  grid  was  wrong,  that  to  request turnover from  past  years  meant 
nothing compared to guarantees and that the technical documentation was very outdated. I even 

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helped one public procurer to write a new tender with other criteria, closer to reality both for services 
and price! When the tender was launched, there was much more competition. In the end the public 
authority got a final price cheaper than under the old formulas. I know it because we submitted an 
offer says Magnus.  

Big likes big 

The effort Magnus made supporting a local procurer from Stockholm unfortunately did not change 
tender writing for every public authority in Sweden. ‘It looks like public authorities do not like to go 
small on this kind of services: big likes big’, says Magnus.  

‘They want just to have one contract for all the services needed in different buildings, in different 
cities and regions, even from different manufacturers. To have just one contract means much less 
work for them’, explains Magnus. ‘And even knowing that they are preparing  just one big tender, 
they are not making any effort, they just replicate the tender that was issued last time or few years 
ago’, says Magnus. 

In  his  opinion,  this  is  the  reason  why  public  authorities  are  now  proposing  framework  services 
contracts  more  often,  including  100  or  more  items  in  different  buildings  and  places.  ‘In  these 
framework contracts, they do not allow subcontracting either. Honestly, this is too much, sometimes 
I think they really do not care about SMEs, we are an obstacle for them. To deal with a framework 
contract is less bureaucratic work, and they just need to have one interface, one contact person for 
one contract, rather than 4 or 5 of them and deal with different contracts’, complains Magnus. 

The  number  of  lots  included  in  tenders  for  elevator  services  and  maintenance  has  decreased  in 
recent  years:  ‘before  there  were  10  lots,  each  one  covering  a  specific  area  or  region:  now  with 
frameworks they are simply taking out the division into lots, demanding just that the service provider 
is installed everywhere (or almost). And this obviously points to big companies, we are just covering 
two or three cities and one region’, says Magnus. 

There is a need to change the procurers’ mentality to improve competitiveness 

In his opinion, with such framework contracts, procurers are missing service improvement, they do 
not promote more innovative solutions and they discourage entrepreneurship. ‘The funny thing about 
all this is that they think they are going cheaper, but in the local market they are just paying much 
more for the services they really need’, says Magnus. 

‘What is sad is that, because of this mentality, and because we know that public procurers are not 
willing to change their old methods of tender writing, every call for tenders encourages us to find 
mistakes on the technical part, to identify any contradictory point that could open a door to play with 
the price as we did with the ‘zero-euro’ hourly cost’, rather than to focus on the quality of the services 
requested’, says Magnus. 

‘Preparing a tender is time consuming. We do not have the resources to work on this full time, as do 
the big companies. Most of the time, we face tender preparation almost as a moral obligation rather 
than a business opportunity.  

‘Procurers need to change their mentality. Every year, as any other good citizen, I am paying my 
taxes and I would like to see that public authorities are looking for the best quality services and the 
best price in any public contract – the economically most favourable offer. And as a citizen, I would 
not like to be trapped more than 5 hours in a public institution elevator just because some officials 
prefer  to  have  less  work  and  prepared  a  tender  under  a framework  contract  formula for  elevator 
maintenance’, complains Magnus. ‘I really hope this will change soon in the future, otherwise I might 
have to recommend you take the stairs instead of the elevator in a public building before you are 
trapped for the whole weekend’, says Magnus with some sarcasm.

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4.3.5.3.  Svensk Dos 

Description 

Company 

Svensk Dos 

Created in 

2011 

City 

Uppsala (Central Region) 

Size 

Medium (75 employees) 

Website 

https://www.svenskdos.se/  

Sector (CPV) 

Medical 

equipment, 
33. 
pharmaceuticals,  and  personal 
care products 

Features 

Phase(s) 

Verifying selection criteria 

Offer formulations 

Awarding 

Difficulties 

Moving from a monopoly to open competition, with no tendering experience of procurers 
and operators 

Information leaks that could affect tenders 

Solutions 

Risky bet on future investment 

Flexible business model 

Communication 

Potential Key 
Message 1 

Interaction between procurers and SMEs on tender preparation can contribute to smarter 
procurement. 

Potential Key 
Message 2 

More result-oriented tenders could prompt innovative proposals to boost local production 
and SME growth. 

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Executive summary 

Svensk Dos is a Swedish company packaging medicine doses in special disposable bags primarily 
for the elderly in Sweden. The company was founded in 20011 by 4 pharmacists when the state 
monopoly was lifted. They saw an opportunity to provide better quality, much cheaper products with 
a new factory. They found support to establish a factory that was conditional on winning tenders. 
They won three regional tenders and started to build the factory. But a competitor (also a newcomer 
to  the  business)  appealed  some  of  the  contracts,  openly  declaring  a  legal  war  on  Svensk  Dos. 
Despite the costly legal battles, and even losing some of the initial contracts, within five years Svensk 
Dos launched the new factory. This ensured production and delivery of the dispensing bags, at a 
profit  and  with  40€  million  savings  for  the  region  of  Skåne  in  the  first  year.  The  company’s  high 
growth caused a gap in staff for human resources, IT and other areas which were urgently needed 
at that time. Therefore, in 2016 the owners decided to sell the company. Today the company has 
more than 50% of the market for the dispensing bags and is a leading firm in the sector. This is the 
love and hate story of Svensk Dos with PP up to the moment of selling the company. 

The war of the medicine bags 

Karin is going to the pharmacy to retrieve her regular medicine dispensing bags. The bags contain 
a  specific  mix  of  medicines  prescribed  by  the  doctor,  with  a  label  listing  the  medicines  and  their 
proportion as well as her details. The bags are financed by the Swedish government and Karin does 
not think about their cost, or that behind these apparently simple bags a legal battle was raging. 

In 2007, Sweden decided to lift the monopoly on pharmaceutical production and distribution held by 
the national state-owned company Apoteket, which still exists. National authorities gave two years 
for  competitors  to  set  up  and  compete  on  the  new  open  public  market.  The  Swedish  Ministry  of 
Public  Health  launched  calls  for  tenders  for  various  services  through  PP.  These  grouped  dose 
dispensing into seven clusters covering different regions and cantons (the Sweden health system is 
divided into 21 cantons). 

‘I remember this moment as if it were yesterday. We were a small group of just four pharmacists, 
one close to retirement, one in his forties, and another of my age. I was only 28 years old!’, says 
Kristofer Klerfalk, one of the Svensk Dos founders. ‘We decided to bid for these services ourselves 
because  we  thought  we  had  all  the  key  knowledge  of  production  and  distribution.  Some  people 
thought we were going crazy. The former monopoly had a huge grip on the market, that was basically 
David versus Goliath. Now that I look back at this, I think it was a rather risky and bold move’, laughs 
Kristofer. 

The  four  friends  created  a  new  company,  Svensk  Dos,  and  immediately  bid for  some  of  the  first 
tenders. ‘When we saw the tenders published, we were somewhat disappointed. The tenders had 
gaps that were open for complaints and were more or less based on the lowest price rule’, explains 
Kristofer.  

The founders of Svensk Dos brainstormed a new strategy to win at least some of the next tenders. 
And took a completely new approach that slashed the price. 

‘They were under shock. In the new offers, we were reducing the price of the dose dispensing service 
by  97%  and  100%,  concentrating  the  benefits  on  sales  margins  of  the  pharmaceutical  products 
instead  of  on  bag  production  and  delivery.  Nobody  could  offer  a  lower  price.  That  was  really 
disruptive’, says Kristofer proudly. 

Investors commitment to build a new factory 

97% discount on the price! How was this possible? ‘Our idea was to build our own dose dispensing 
factory,  making  money  on  the  sales  margin  of  the  medicines,  reducing  costs  for  the  regions 
enormously compared to the previous supplier. But we had no money to do this, and it only made 
sense to build the factory if we got the contracts. Our strategy was totally linked to being awarded 

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the services contract. We did everything that was in our hands to convince investors to trust us and 
to bet on the factory project. In the end we found investors that issued financing commitment letters 
to launch the factory if Svensk Dos got the contracts’, explains Kristofer. 

Svensk Dos was awarded three contracts in the first wave. They immediately  went to banks and 
investors  (including  ALMI,  the  State-owned  business  developer)  to  build  the  factory,  with  new 
machines, new IT and a completely new set-up. But in the meantime, just after the awards, a losing 
private competitor (Apotekstjänst) claimed that Svensk Dos did not have the financial solvency to 
fulfil these contracts and appealed the decision on one contract.  

The  State  cancelled  the  tender  and  decided  to  relaunch  the  calls,  reviewing  the  wording  and 
including new criteria. Svensk Dos bid again and won the tender. The competitor claimed again on 
this  new  contract,  this  time  on  legal  formalities  of  the  tender  and  finally,  after  two  years  of  legal 
confrontation, court appeals and high lawyers’ costs, Svensk Dos lost the contract. ‘The sad part of 
the  story  is  that  the  competitor  was  gaining  market  share  just  by  complaining  and  slowing  the 
process, not by winning the tenders’, says Kristofer. 

‘Procurers and public authorities often lack full insight into the complex and diversified business. If 
you  comply  with  tender  criteria  selection,  how  is  it  possible  that  companies  can  appeal  on  the 
wording  after  it  is  awarded?  This  should  be  possible  before  presenting  offers,  not  after  you 
participated. I think the procurement system needs to evolve to avoid cases such as this. If every 
losing  competitor  complains  on  the  selection  criteria  after  the  award,  then  the  State  will  be 
permanently cancelling and relaunching tenders, no public contract could run’, complains Kristofer. 

‘From the positive side, I must admit that we did gain a lot of tender knowledge from these legal 
battles. Procurers were worried. We talked to procurement officers saying that, before launching a 
tender, they could contact companies to gain a better understanding of the market. And they listened 
to us. I was personally giving some input to procurers and I have to admit they did improve their 
tender writing a lot after that. We continued to bid and win some of them, others we lost. That is life’, 
explains Kristofer. 

‘If only when preparing tenders, procurement officers consult with entrepreneurs that have been on 
the other side of the process, then they could produce much smarter tenders. It is always a win-win 
when  entrepreneurs  interact  with  procurers  in  the  early  stages  of  tender  preparation’,  explains 
Kristofer.  

‘Thankfully, we built our business model on the 2 other contracts we won initially. The factory was 
quickly operational and started to produce promptly. We grew quickly, acquiring up to 30% of the 
Swedish market share in less than five years. In February 2016 we decided to sell the company, 
because it became really hard to manage the growth and continue with the investments needed. In 
addition, we did not have a real HR department, nor dedicated IT, and things that only big companies 
have. Oriola Corporation, a big Nordic pharma group, acquired Svensk Dos. And I was happy with 
that decision’, says Kristofer. 

Result-oriented PP? 

‘Procurers should take advantage of lessons learnt in the legal battle of the Swedish dose dispensing 
market.  Tenders  should  focus  much  more  on  results,  and  much  less  on  the  legal,  bureaucratic 
suitability of the companies’, says Kristofer. 

‘I believe in the benefits of more result-oriented innovative tenders. For example, in some rural areas 
of Sweden, we have a high prevalence of metabolic syndrome (increased blood pressure, high blood 
sugar,  excess  body  fat  around  the  waist,  and  abnormal  cholesterol  or  triglyceride  levels).  This  is 
caused  by  unhealthy  food,  lack  of  exercise,  smoking,  and  alcohol.  Consequently,  diabetes  is  a 
growing  problem  in  some  regions.  Regional  health  authorities  could  issue  a  tender  to  reduce 
diabetes in their specific region by 2% in four years. Companies could propose very different ways 
to achieve this result. A big part of the payment should be linked to achieving targets. In my opinion, 
this could bring in innovative approaches, more efficiency, money savings and better results’, says 
Kristofer. 

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‘In any case, I am proud that we took a disruptive business model with Svensk Dos. This way elder 
Swedes such as Karin have medicine bags which take much less of their yearly taxes, and I know 
they are still in good hands as well’, says Kristofer. 

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4.3.5.4.  BASE 10 

Description 

Company 

BASE10 

Created in 

2017 

City 

Uppsala (Central Region) 

Size 

Micro (1 employee) 

Website 

https://base10.com/ 

Sector (CPV) 

Features 

79.  Business  services:  law, 
marketing, 
consulting, 
recruitment,  printing,  and 
security 

Phase(s) 

Verifying selection criteria 

Offer formulation 

Awarding 

Difficulties 

Model not fully adapted for start-ups, with limited time for self-sustainability  

Solutions 

Integrate competitors in implementation 

Explore alternative funding sources by using the same scheme 

Communication 

Potential Key 
Message 1 

Supporting start-ups and high-tech SMEs through PP is a long-term investment for cities 
and regions. They should target value added services to be more successful. 

Potential Key 
Message 2 

Open dialogue between public procurers and potential providers prepares the ground 
for better understanding the needs, facilitates advanced quality criteria and specific KPI 
for implementation. 

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Executive summary 

BASE10 is a recently created Swedish SME providing a co-working space and community services 
to tech start-ups in Uppsala. BASE10 was created with the support of the municipality and the region 
by transforming a pilot initiative into a PP opportunity. BASE10 has successfully attracted start-ups 
which were in or around Stockholm, with the idea of bringing the tech-community together. Uppsala 
region is historically a highly innovative area where very successful IT companies such as Klarna 
and  Skype  have  their  roots.  Start-up  visionaries  Kristofer  Klerfalk  and  Jason  Dainter  have  an 
incredible track record of proposing disruptive ideas to transform PP into something completely new. 
BASE10 exists thanks to their motivation. This is its story. 

Value added for start-ups 

Today at BASE10, a co-working space in Uppsala (Sweden), Folke is in his dedicated office working 
hard on a new idea. He recently graduated in machine learning from Uppsala University and is using 
drones, software machine learning and artificial intelligence for close-up forest control. Forestry is 
important for Sweden, but he has no money to go into that business. In a coffee break he meets the 
Chairman of BASE10, Kristof Klerfalk, who offers him advice on how to get funding and key contacts 
that could support his idea. This is real value added for a start-up. 

Such  a scene is  common  in  BASE10,  a coworking  space for  start-ups that  Kristofer  Klerfalk  and 
Jason Dainter launched in Uppsala in 2016. ‘I am based in Uppsala. I’m running companies, doing 
board work for non-profit organisations and giving free mentoring to start-ups in the Uppsala area, I 
love this city!’, explains Kristofer. 

‘By the end of 2016, I noticed there was no Tech Hub in the city. Most of the start-ups in Uppsala 
were scattered around or commuting to the hubs in Stockholm. We saw a huge opportunity to bring 
together new companies and repatriate some high-techs that started in Uppsala, such as Klarna, 
MySQL, InkClub, Skype…we have a history of brilliant tech minds with roots here’, explains Kristofer. 

‘Then I talked to some friends, who were enthusiastic about creating a co-working space for start-
ups. We found an empty old building, got a particularly good lease, and started to fill the 1 000 m2 
with start-ups’, says Kristofer. 

‘Once the project was launched, we immediately started to look for a better place. The first building 
needed a lot of work and we got in touch with officials at the municipality and the region. Uppsala is 
a small city, with easy access to officials and decision makers. In a bigger city, before reaching a 
decision-maker or a procurer, you need to first pass seven layers of gatekeepers and you can be 
unsuccessful at these intermediate levels’, explains Kristofer. 

Support from procurers and officials through PP 

‘After our successful launch, local officials welcomed the idea of a new co-working space for start-
ups.  Putting  Uppsala  onto  the  tech  start-up  map,  benefiting  the  whole  city  and  high-tech 
environment. The University is an especially important actor in Uppsala, and the co-working space 
could  also  keep  students  in  the  city  after  their  studies.  Retain  talent  and  create  jobs,  a  win-win 
scenario’, says Kristofer. 

A few months later, the municipality and the region together issued a tender to support a new co-
working space in Uppsala for four years. ‘The tender was launched, we bid for it and we won. It is 
true, we didn’t offer the most competitive offer in terms of price, but we had the best points for quality 
and former experience, explains Kristofer. 

‘Most of the selection criteria related to the co-working space business model and the start-up world. 
They requested, for example, proven experience of organising events for start-ups and for women 
in  the  tech  sector,  of  managing  co-working  spaces  or  hubs  for  tech  companies,  etc.’,  explains 
Kristofer. 

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Looking for self-sustainability 

On being awarded the tender, in 2019 BASE10 moved into a brand-new eco-friendly building. Close 
to the central station, in the heart of the city were 1 200 m2 over three floors ready to host start-ups. 
The tender was for 4 years, hoping that the co-working space will be full and self-sustainable by the 
end  of  this  period.  ‘It  could  have  been  the  case,  but  the  Covid19  crisis  seriously  impacted  the 
business.  One  floor  is  supposed  to  be  rented  for  conferences,  events,  networking  sessions, 
seminars. We had a full agenda with events every day, but with the pandemic we were obliged to 
cancel.’, explains Kristofer. 

‘Maybe we are not going to be self-sustainable after the four year period as foreseen. But you can 
already see a huge return on the investment, because we have new companies in Uppsala, we are 
creating jobs. We became a nursery for new tech companies in the city. Our approach is to provide 
‘neonatal business services’, new born companies have no money and the rent at BASE10 is really 
low. We don’t want to be just another office hotel’, argues Kristofer proudly. 

‘Thanks to PP, new companies coming to BASE10 pay a low rent, and soon hopefully they can even 
pay nothing if they are just starting their business and apply for a scholarship we are trying to set up. 
This is great example of how the public sector can support and boost business creation.  

‘In return, and even if this was not included in the tender, we provide coaching and advice for start-
ups pro-bono. I coached at least 10 new companies last year, this is how I pay back the help I got 
when I started my first business. Some of the advice is just pre-guidance before going to an incubator 
or other help organisations which, by the way, are also in BASE1o’, says Kristofer smiling. 

‘We  are  trying  to  help  the  start-up  movement  thrive  by  providing  real  support.  If  somebody  is 
unsuccessful with one idea or business, he can integrate another team or other people in another 
project,  because  we  ensure  fluent  internal  communication.  And  the  results  are  quite  good  to  be 
honest’, says Kristofer. 

‘These aspects are important and could have been included in the tender. In any case, we will be 
happy if the region and the municipality issue another tender for the co-working space after the four 
years. But just in case this support does not come, or is lower than the first one, we are exploring 
other possibilities. We are looking for philanthropist contributions and are in talks with the University, 
to see if they can cover costs in the co-working space. We are applying the same model as in the 
tender, because it is working well’, says Kristofer.  

KPIs to meet to get paid  

The  tender  for  the  co-working  space  was  innovative  as  well.  ‘We  have  some  key  performance 
indicators  (KPIs)  to  be  reported  every  year:  number  of  start-ups  and  age,  number  of  events 
organised on tech and other matters, etc. On meeting these KPIs, BASE10 gets money from the 
procurer’,  explains Kristofer.  ‘And, from former experience in PP  in  my life, this  is  not  always  the 
case, tenders are very classical and bureaucratic, with a lot of reporting and administration’, says 
Kristofer. 

‘I believe in the benefits of more innovative tenders, which seek an outcome or at least results that 
indicate real progress or service achievement. I think this is the future of PP, and this can be applied 
in almost every sector. Ticking KPIs is not enough. The public sector could have a better return on 
investment’, says Kristofer. ’But if the KPI formula gives results and in the end opportunities to people 
like Folke, then this is much better than nothing’, says Kristofer. 

111 

 
 
 
 
SME NEEDS ANALYSIS IN PUBLIC PROCUREMENT 

4.3.5.5.  Jobbet.se 

Description 

Company 

Jobbet.se 

Created in 

2003 

City 

Uppsala (Central Region) 

Size 

Small (10 employee) 

Sector (CPV) 

Medical 

33. 
equipment, 
pharmaceuticals,  and  personal 
care products 

Website 

https://jobbet.se/ 

Features 

Phase(s) 

Difficulties 

Verifying selection criteria 
Offer formulation 
Awarding 

Tenders  do  not  request  recruitment  management,  focusing  on  high  profiles  of 
consultants instead of company capacity  
Framework contract models imply too much administration for both SME and small public 
authorities 
Procurers  do  not  adapt  tenders  to  new  GDPR  regulation,  which  could  affect  the  final 
price offered by compliant companies 

Solutions 

Interact with procurers explaining difficulties in implementation 
Long-term agreements with top consultants 
Betting for digital solutions 

Communication 

Potential Key 
Message 1 

Procedures need to comply with latest regulations such as GDPR. 

Potential Key 
Message 2 

Both SMEs and small public operators do not have the capacity to deal with complex 
contract formulas and therefore struggle to get good results. 

112 

 
 
SME NEEDS ANALYSIS IN PUBLIC PROCUREMENT 

Executive summary 

Jobbet.se is a web-based recruitment platform based in Uppsala (Sweden). Created in 2002, it was 
the first online recruitment platform in Sweden. They offer services for private companies and public 
authorities,  including  ministries,  regional  governments  and  municipalities.  They  have  extensive 
experience  participating  in  PP,  having  targeted  public  sector  from  the  outset.  Since  the  GDPR 
regulation entered into force, the company claims that PP has not adapted properly to the new legal 
framework. This opens the door to competitors that are not GDPR compliant and therefore offer low 
prices, recruiting independent consultants and avoiding responsibility for data protection at company 
level, unlike Jobbet.se. This is their story. 

The advantages of hitting first 

Agnes  is  listening  carefully  to Sofie Skaränger, CEO  at  Jobbet.se,  who  is  today’s  speaker  at the 
Information  Technology  Centre  in the  University  of  Uppsala.  Sofie  is  talking  about  labour  market 
possibilities and the importance of preparing a great CV. Agnes was not aware that, with her Masters 
in UX/I design that she should get in 2 years’ time, she could get a job in a Ministry. But now this 
makes sense, they also need to design forms, websites and other e-administration tools that have 
to be user friendly. Thanks to the inspiring speech, Agnes now has a slightly different vision of the 
world as a big interactive job market. After her day at the university, she runs home to prepare her 
very first CV and post it on Jobbet.se to see how this works. Exciting, yes, but also challenging!  

Jobbet.se is the leading online recruitment platform in Sweden and the first to offer an online solution, 
launching their site in 2003. ‘At that time some clients got excited, but others not at all. Companies 
and most public authorities didn’t have a website and were not ready to understand the capacity of 
a  digital  service’,  says  Sofie  Skaränger,  Jobbet.se  CEO.  ‘But  hitting  first,  you  can  have  serious 
advantages over competitors. We grew quickly, and this allowed us to participate in PP very early’, 
says Sofie. 

‘We have huge experience in offering services to public administration. They do not have enough 
professional  resources  to  organise  national  recruitment,  potentially  addressing  thousands  of 
candidates. So they launch calls for tenders to subcontract recruitment services. We were the main 
supplier of recruitment services to the Swedish Transport Administration for 5 years, between 2012 
and 2017. We have also been providing recruitment services to the Region of Uppsala since 2011, 
and our agreement extends to 2022’ explains Sofie.  

In addition to these national and regional contracts, Jobbet.se has also been awarded contracts in 
local  procurement,  delivering  recruitment  services  to  smaller  municipalities,  counties,  regional 
structures, and government agencies.  

‘We  are  permanently  scanning  PP  looking  for  new  opportunities.  Since  we  are  a  digital-driven 
company, we are very used to online PP platforms’, explains Sofie. ‘In Sweden, you can easily follow 
the procurement market through digital platforms such as Kommersannons or Tendsign. But these 
do not work as well as they could, there is a lot of room for improvement’, says Sofie.  

Listening to the market 

‘In the PP system, buyers are supposed to listen to the market, so service suppliers should know 
what to expect in a call for tenders. But honestly, I think that this listening from public authorities is 
rare. Most of the time procurement officers just take the elements from previous calls to prepare new 
calls. Consequently, changes in profiles could be forgotten’, says Sofie. 

‘When it comes to the selection criteria, recruitment tenders request quite different things about the 
company and the consultants that are going to do the job. The exclusion and selection criteria target 
wealthy companies, having no problems with taxes and liabilities, and to ensure they have many 
years of experience in recruiting. From my point of view, these requests are logical and a must for a 
public buyer as they deal with public money. But usually they forget the most important thing, they 

113 

 
 
 
SME NEEDS ANALYSIS IN PUBLIC PROCUREMENT 

do not request any proof or methodology of how the company is going to administer and manage 
the recruitment’, explains Sofie.  

‘For  the  selection  criteria  on  consultants  that  will  do the  recruitment, the  story  is similar. Tenders 
usually request they hold diplomas relevant, that they have at least 3 years professional experience 
in recruitment and up to 10 years for managerial recruitment, and that they have certifications on 
test tools. Fine. But then, for each consultant, they must have carried out at least 10 recruitments in 
the  last  2  years  per  position,  and  in  some  sectors,  such  as  ICT,  which  are  relatively  new  in  the 
market, this is simply not possible’, says Sofie. 

‘Procurers  could  find  other  ways  for  recruitment  companies  show  their  capacity  and  prove  their 
experience  instead  of  requesting  overly  high  standards  for  consultant  profiles.  Since  they  are 
independent experts, some consultants have worked for different employers. They can have great 
professional experience in a specific niche, but a consultant cannot individually respond to a call for 
tender. Ultimately, it is the company that signs the contract and is responsible for ensuring a service 
is delivered with experienced staff’, says Sofie. 

GDPR compliance 

‘I think that public authorities in Sweden are not fully aware of the real constraints of the GDPR’, 
says  Sofie.  ‘We  have  been  offering  recruitment  services  in  Sweden  for  almost  20  years  now.  Of 
course we adapt to every new piece of regulation, including personal data protection. But in every 
call for tenders where we are participating, it seems that burdens on companies managing personal 
data are just not considered.  This for me is very shocking. We are dealing with a huge amount of 
personal data, it is our job’, explains Sofie. 

‘Since May 2018, when GDPR entered into force in Sweden, there are high demands on companies 
about  handling  personal  data.  This  really  affects  our  business.  Logically,  tenders  should  ask 
companies about their capacity to deal with GDPR and how are proposed to safely handle personal 
data, and this is not the case. For any recruitment company, GDPR compliance is a must, but implies 
internal costs that obviously affect the price you can propose in a tender’, complains Sofie.  

‘Procurers are looking more into the past experiences of companies rather than the needs ahead. 
How can they be sure if a company meets the legal requirements if they are not requesting GDPR 
compliance?’ asks Sofie. 

Cascade framework contracts, a good formula for big administration 

‘For  recruitment  services,  public  operators  usually  propose  cascade  framework  contracts  that 
include an ‘allotment list’. They rank companies on their proposals, with number 1 the best quality at 
the lowest price. Usually the company ranked number 1 on the list gets business. But there is still a 
possibility  for  the  client  to  call  lower  ranked  companies  if  the  number  1  cannot  undertake  the 
assignment.  The  cascade  framework  ensures  service  provision,  although  in  some  cases  no 
company could undertake the assignment’, explains Sofie. 

‘However, some public operators choose another formula which is to sign framework contracts with 
three  or  more  pre-selected  operators.  Under  this  formula,  each  call  is  launched  as  restricted 
competition among pre-selected contractors. Each new tender relaunches competition, there is no 
rank  list. Therefore,  companies  submit their  proposals  and again include the  references for  each 
assignment’, explains Sofie. 

‘This second format creates problems for service suppliers. References are valuable for companies, 
and procurers should not request those all the time. If your company is pre-selected, this means it 
passed the first filter. We cannot understand why the procurer is asking us to do this job again and 
again, updating the references for each tender when you are already preselected. This is too much 
work!’, complains Sofie. 

‘This second formula is frequently used for relaunching and reopening unfruitful tenders. But maybe 
the real reason that no company was tendering is that the price was too low, or the request required 

114 

 
 
 
SME NEEDS ANALYSIS IN PUBLIC PROCUREMENT 

extra efforts that are not worth it for the company. Procurers could fix a minimum threshold to allow 
tender relaunching, e.g. 50,000 euros’, proposes Sofie. 

‘There  are  framework  contract  models  on  recruitment  everywhere  at  national,  regional  and  local 
levels. But, from our experience, national public authorities are generally more competent in dealing 
with both tender preparation and contract follow-up applying these models. Municipalities and small 
administrations struggle to deal with these because they request a certain capacity for preparation 
and follow-up.  After  all, at  local  level  you  trade with  local  recruitment companies and people you 
already know, these contracts include too much administrative burden for both parties’, says Sofie.  

‘The  framework  contract  model  gives  little room  for  service  suppliers  to  appeal  against  a  tender, 
since they argue that your company has been included on the lists, like saying that you have been 
awarded. But issues such as being GDPR compliant could affect the final price. We are encouraging 
students such as Agnes to post their CV looking for opportunities in public bodies, explaining clearly 
that they have nothing to fear about this, because their personal data will be saved. Procurers need 
to deal with these issues if they want to keep on the data protection track’, concludes Sofie. 

115 

 
 
 
 
 
SME NEEDS ANALYSIS IN PUBLIC PROCUREMENT 

5. IMPROVING SME ACCESS TO PP 

This chapter analyses the information collected and illustrated in chapters 2, 3, and 4 with the tables 
below  summarising  the  results.  The  first  table  shows  10  barriers  hindering  SME  access  to  PP 
identified during the project, when they occur and how they were identified. 

Table 8 Barriers: source of information 

Italy 

Netherlands 

Poland 

Romania 

Sweden 

S
t
o
r
i
e
s

S
t
o
r
i
e
s

x 

x 

Q
u
i
z

x 

i

W
e
b
n
a
r
s

x 

x 

x 

i

W
e
b
n
a
r
s

x 

x 

S
t
o
r
i
e
s

x 

x 

i

W
e
b
n
a
r
s

x 

x 

S
t
o
r
i
e
s

x 

x 

i

W
e
b
n
a
r
s

x 

x 

x 

x 

x 

x 

x 

x 

x 

S
t
o
r
i
e
s

x 

x 

i

W
e
b
n
a
r
s

x 

x 

x 

x 

x 

x 

x 

x 

x 

x 

x 

x 

x 

Poor  usability  of 
digital platforms 

Screening 
opportunities 

x 

x 

x 

x 

x 

x 

x 

x 

x 

x 

x 

x 

x 

x 

x 

x 

x 

x 

x 

x 

Awarding 

x 

x 

Screening 
opportunities / 
Offer 
formulation 

Screening 
opportunities/
Verifying 
selection 
criteria 

x 

x 

x 

x 

116 

Barriers 

PP phase 

Low trust in PP and 
public procurers 

High  administrative 
burden 

Obstacles 
hampering 
collaboration/ 
consortia 

Linguistic  barriers/ 
Tender 
documentation 
accessibility 

Unreachable 
criteria 

Price  over  quality/ 
Unbalanced criteria 

All 

All 

All 

All 

Screening 
opportunities / 
Verifying 
selection 
criteria 

Offer 
formulation / 
Awarding 

Difficulties 
in 
providing  evidence 
of selection criteria 

of 
Lack 
internal resources 

time/ 

Low  knowledge  of 
PP principles 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
SME NEEDS ANALYSIS IN PUBLIC PROCUREMENT 

The second table illustrates 12 needs of SMEs to overcome the barriers. The needs emerged in the 
interactive sessions between SMEs and public procurers and were consolidated in the study circles 
with SME associations and public procurers. The needs were further analysed and synthesised by 
the  project team,  as  shown in the  table  below.  These form  the  basis for actions illustrated  in the 
following sections. 

Table 9 From barriers to needs 

Barriers 

i

n
P
P
a
n
d
p
u
b

l
i

c

p
r
o
c
u
r
e
r
s

Needs 

More  dialogue  between  public 
procurers and SMEs 

x 

More  EU  single  market,  less 
national barriers 

More support/ advice from public 
authorities to participate in PP 

x 

More 
associations 

support 

from 

SME 

Selection criteria more consistent 
with procurement needs 

More efficient tools to access PP 
opportunities  (TED  +  national 
platforms) 

Public  procurers  to  have  more 
knowledge  of  market  including 
local companies  

Simpler rules 

More flexible  payment schemes, 
on-time payments 

x 

x 

L
o
w

t
r
u
s
t

i

H
g
h

i

i

a
d
m
n
s
t
r
a
t
i
v
e
b
u
r
d
e
n

l

O
b
s
t
a
c
e
s
h
a
m
p
e
r
i
n
g

c
o

l
l

a
b
o
r
a
t
i
o
n
/
c
o
n
s
o
r
t
i
a

x 

x 

x 

x 

x 

x 

x 

x 

P
o
o
r

u
s
a
b

i
l
i
t
y

o
f

i

d
g
i
t
a

l

l

p
a
t
f
o
r
m
s

c
r
i
t
e
r
i
a

P

r
i
c
e
o
v
e
r
q
u
a

l
i
t
y
/

l

U
n
b
a
a
n
c
e
d

c
r
i
t
e
r
i
a

x 

x 

a
c
c
e
s
s
b

i

i
l
i
t
y

i

L
n
g
u
s
t
i
c

i

b
a
r
r
i
e
r
s
/

T
e
n
d
e
r

d
o
c
u
m
e
n
t
a
t
i
o
n

U
n
r
e
a
c
h
a
b
e
c
r
i
t
e
r
i
a

l

x 

x 

x 

x 

x 

x 

x 

L
a
c
k

o
f

t
i

m
e
/

i

n
t
e
r
n
a

l

r
e
s
o
u
r
c
e
s

x 

x 

x 

D

i
f
f
i
c
u
l
t
i
e
s

i

n

p
r
o
v
d
n
g

i

i

i

e
v
d
e
n
c
e

o
f

l

s
e
e
c
t
i
o
n

x 

x 

x 

L
o
w
k
n
o
w
e
d
g
e

l

o
f

P
P
p
r
i
n
c
p
e
s

i

l

x 

x 

x 

117 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
SME NEEDS ANALYSIS IN PUBLIC PROCUREMENT 

More  support  for  digitalisation 
and  upskilling  of  SMEs 
in 
traditional sectors 

More quality oriented PP (versus 
price only criterion) 

x 

More  PP  opportunities  for  start-
ups 

x 

x 

x 

x 

In section 5.1 the proposals are put into context by highlighting the EU policy framework. In section 
5.2, narratives and key messages for possible EU communication actions are proposed, together 
with target groups and communication channels. Finally, section 5.3 offers policy actions to improve 
SME access to PP.  

5.1. Alignment with EC action 

2020  has  been  marked  by  the  Covid19  crisis  and  required  the  EC  to  adapt  its  strategy  for  the 
Multiannual Financial Framework 2021-2027. A huge effort to support EU citizens and businesses 
to  recover  from  the  crisis  impact  is  on-going.  The  EU’s  long-term  budget  coupled  with 
NextGenerationEU,  the  temporary  instrument  designed  to  boost  the  recovery,  will  be  the  largest 
stimulus package ever financed through the EU budget. A total of €1.8 trillion will help post-Covid19 
rebuilding with the aim of having a greener, more digital, and more resilient Europe. 

The EU response to the Covid19 crisis includes a multitude of measures from liquidity measures to 
support through instruments such as the Enterprise Europe Network (EEN) to mitigate the effects 
on SMEs. In addition, the EC is advancing and adapting measures under the new SME strategy to 
cushion  the  impact  of  the  crisis,  including  working  with  Member  States  on  cutting  red  tape  and 
enforcing the Late Payment Directive.  

The new SME strategy19 underlines untapped opportunities for PP in the single market for SMEs, 
including start-ups who find it hard to compete in public tenders, and identifies two challenges: 

  The  public  sector  is  relatively  risk-averse,  and  frequently  lacks  the  skills  to  encourage 

innovation. 

  Operators and SMEs find public tendering complex or unsuitable. 

To address these challenges, the EC will call on Member States and their contracting authorities to 
use  the  flexibility  offered  by  the  EU’s  new  procurement  framework  as  well  as  digital  platforms  to 
stimulate innovative solutions from SMEs along with cross-border access to PP contracts.  

This  project  also  aims  to  support  the  EC  in  its  communication  towards  European  SMEs.  Key 
messages and narratives found during project implementation are linked to actions and instruments 
targeting SMEs.  

5.2. Key messages and narratives 

The key messages and narratives proposed in this section are inspired by the statement: ‘The EU 
Single Market opens more opportunities for business to grow’. 

19 European Commission, COM(2020) 103 final, ‘An SME Strategy for a sustainable and digital Europe’, 10 March 2020. 

118 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                 
SME NEEDS ANALYSIS IN PUBLIC PROCUREMENT 

The project team has drafted 18 key messages based on issues identified from the survey, 
webinars and stories.  

10 messages could support EC communication encouraging SME participation in PP (Table 
10).  These target SMEs and mainly combine possibilities offered by PP with advice on potential 
strategies for SMEs. 

In addition, eight messages could help communication with public procurers (Table 11). These 
messages arise from SME testimonials and opinions expressed in the stories, and occasionally from 
the training sessions, interactive sessions and study circles.  

12 narratives are also proposed (Table 12) with a link to: 

  A specific need identified in the project (Table 9); 

  Potential  EC  actions  where  the  narrative  could  be  used  to  communicate  with  the  target 

groups; 

  Several key messages, with details of the main target, actors that could help disseminate the 

messages and communication channels. 

119 

 
 
 
SME NEEDS ANALYSIS IN PUBLIC PROCUREMENT 

Table 10 Key messages to encourage SME participation in PP 

Covered issues  

Consortia 

Business strategy 

Business  opportunities 
and growth 

Start-ups 

Social impact 

# 

1 

2 

3 

4 

5 

6 

7 

8 

9 

Key messages  

SMEs can build market reputation by participating in PP. They can 
start by joining more experienced companies in consortia or bid for 
small tenders in local PP. 

Targeting PP opportunities can be fruitful, especially in the medium 
to long term. Build links with companies that have PP experience 
in  public  procurement  tendering,  including  the  administration 
burden and meeting specific requirements. 

SMEs  could  save  on  tender  costs  if  bidding  within  consortia.  In 
consortia SMEs can share costs such as tender preparation, they 
can share human and technical resources, and therefore mitigate 
risks during implementation. 

To be more successful in PP, SMEs can develop complementary 
services, diversifying and enabling them to grow. 

PP can be more secure for SMEs than the private sector. However, 
authorities  need  to  be  strict  and  fair  during  tenders,  following 
regulations to ensure equal treatment. 

Public authorities have similar needs in some sectors and services. 
SMEs  can  grow  when  participating  in  cross-border  national/ 
regional PP, including EU programmes. 

PP can offer opportunities in many sectors. SMEs should explore 
using digital platforms and tools. SMEs can get access to training 
in digitalization through business associations. 

PP  contracts  are  usually  well  structured,  with  little  room  for 
unexpected demands during implementation. 

Innovative start-ups are interested in PP, but sometimes national 
opportunities  are 
limited.  The  EU  single  market  provides 
opportunities abroad, which can be explored using platforms such 
as TED. 

10  Social  impact  is  a key  aspect  for  public  procurers.  SMEs  should 
promote their  capacity  to generate  positive  social  impact  at  local 
level to be more successful in PP.  They could try to meet public 
procurers to make sure that they understand this value added. 

120 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
SME NEEDS ANALYSIS IN PUBLIC PROCUREMENT 

Table 11 Key messages for public procurers 

Covered issues  

# 

Key messages 

Dialogue 

Barriers 

Local economies 

Policy alignment 

PP Strategy 

Social inclusion 

Start-ups 

11  Open dialogue between public procurers and potential providers 
helps  SMEs  to  better  understand  procurers’  needs,  and  helps 
procurers to set quality criteria that are closer to the market reality 
in tenders. 

12  Overprotective policies make it hard for SMEs to do cross border 
PP and are a serious barrier to developing the EU internal market.  

13  PP can consolidate local economies and boost innovative SME 
development by introducing quality criteria encouraging a green 
and sustainable economy. 

14  PP  is  a  strategic  tool  for  public  authorities  to  develop  national, 
regional,  and  local  policies.  SMEs  can  fine-tune  their  business 
strategy  to  long-term  political  visions  (greener  Europe,  more 
digital) to get credibility with procurers. 

15  PP needs to be based on longer-term strategies, with clear and 
stable  procedures,  looking  for  more  sustainable  and  consistent 
economic growth and business development. 

16  PP  can  catalyse  social  and environmental  engagement  when it 
includes  criteria  on  social  inclusion,  social  impact,  health  and 
environmental issues or the circular economy. 

17  Supporting start-ups and high-tech SMEs through PP is a long-
term investment for cities and regions. They should target value 
added services to be more successful. 

GDPR compliance 

18  Procurers need to be coherent with the latest regulation, such as 

GDPR, and adapt their tenders. 

121 

 
 
SME NEEDS ANALYSIS IN PUBLIC PROCUREMENT 

Table 12 Needs, narratives, EC actions and key messages 

Needs 

Narratives 

EC actions related 

Key messages 

Main SME 
target(s) 

Actor(s) 
involved 

Preferred 
channel(s) 

t
o
S
M
E
s
n
°

t
o
p
u
b

l
i
c
p
r
o
c
u
r
e
r
s
n
°

More  dialogue 
between 
procurers 
SMEs 

and 

More  EU  single 
market, 
less 
national barriers 

1. SMEs in Europe need more interaction with 
public procurers. This will enrich procurers’ 
market  knowledge  helping  them  to  better 
target  services,  with  more  opportunities  for 
return,  SMEs  can  better 
SMEs. 
In 
understand 
and 
limitations, preparing better offers. The EC 
should encourage national, regional and local 
public procurers to organise open discussion 
sessions  with  SMEs  and  support  common 
instruments 
interaction.  SME 
associations  could  bring  value  added  by 
hosting these sessions. 

to  boost 

procurer 

needs 

in 

face  serious  difficulties  when 
2.  SMEs 
participating 
other  Member  State 
procurement markets. There are still too many 
differences between national PP procedures. 
to  cross-border 
limitation 
This 
business. SMEs will get more opportunities 
across  Europe  by  joining  forces  with 
partners. 

is  a  key 

EC  actions 
to  reinforce  SME 
Envoys Network to strengthen the 
link  between  the  EU  and  national 
levels on SME policy. 

EEN reinforcement and support. 

COSME programme. 

10 

11 

•SMEs  with  PP 
experience  

•Member 
States 

•Public 
procurers 

•SME 
associations 

•EC 

•SME  Envoys 
Network  and 
Ambassadors 

NextGenerationEU. 

EC actions to support partnerships 
in  border  regions  and  to  remove 
administrative barriers. 

Tender Electronic Daily (TED). 

6 

9 

12 

•SMEs in general 

•EC 

•SMEs  active  in 
cross-border 
activities 

•SMEs  ready  to 
and 
export 

•SME 
Associations 

•EEN 

•Face-to-face: 
meetings, 
seminars 

on-
support, 

•Digital: 
line 
help services 

•Face-to-face: 
outreach  and 
networking 
events 

•Digital: 
on-
line support, e-

122 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
SME NEEDS ANALYSIS IN PUBLIC PROCUREMENT 

Key messages 

Needs 

Narratives 

EC actions related 

t
o
S
M
E
s
n
°

More 
support 
and  advice  from 
public 
authorities 
to 
participate in PP 

More 
from 
associations 

support 
SME 

3.  SMEs  do  not  feel  that  national  authorities 
provide enough guidance, advice or support to 
participate in PP. The new EU SME Strategy 
will  connect  support  structures,  so  SMEs 
have advice nearby, including support on 
understanding  PP  opportunities  and  how 
the  public  sector  engages  services.  This 
support also benefits public procurers, so the 
EC  should  encourage  public  procurers  and 
public  administrations  to  provide  advice  on 
their own systems. The EC could reinforce the 
capacities of EEN and its members. 

4.  SMEs  need  more  support  from  SME 
associations  to  be  informed,  coached,  and 
involved 
in  PP.  SMEs  can  approach 
associations  and  request  them  to  be  more 
active.  SME  associations  should  provide 
more  support  to  SMEs  on  understanding 
participation. 
encouraging 
PP 
Associations  can  also 
recruit  SMEs 
because  of  their  interest  in  new  business 
opportunities  in  PP  and  reinforce  their 

and 

NextGenerationEU. 

7 

EC actions to support EEN, Digital 
Innovation  Hubs  (DIHs),  Start-up 
Europe  and  others 
to  ensure 
seamless  support  and  advice, 
including  with  national,  regional 
and  local  authorities  and  support 
structures.  

EC  actions  encouraging 
the 
creation  of  regulatory  sandboxes 
(at Member State level).  

EC  actions 
capacities.  

to 

reinforce  EEN 

EC actions with regional bodies to 
enhance 
local 
regional  and 
services interconnectivity. 

1 

2 

3 

7 

ESIF. 

t
o
p
u
b

l
i
c
p
r
o
c
u
r
e
r
s
n
°

11 

17 

18 

17 

Main SME 
target(s) 

Actor(s) 
involved 

Preferred 
channel(s) 

expand 
their 
business quickly 

mail 
newsletters 

alerts, 

•SMEs  with  no 
experience in PP 

•EC 

•EEN 

in 

•SMEs 
traditional 
sectors 

•Digital 
Innovation 
Hubs 

• Public 
procurers 

•Face-to-face: 
outreach 
events, 
seminars, 
workshops 

•EC 

•SME 
associations 

•SMEs  with  no 
experience in PP 

with 
•SMEs 
potential 
to 
provide  services 
public 
to 
administration 

•Face-to-face: 
networking 
events, 
workshops 

•Digital: 
websites, 
portals,  e-mail 
alerts 

123 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
SME NEEDS ANALYSIS IN PUBLIC PROCUREMENT 

Key messages 

Needs 

Narratives 

EC actions related 

Selection criteria 
more  consistent 
with 
procurement 
needs 

links  to  public  authorities  by  putting  the 
parties in contact.  

5.  SMEs  consider  that  selection  criteria  are 
very demanding, target bigger companies and 
are  made 
for  companies  already  very 
experienced  in  PP. SMEs  need to know that 
demanding  selection  criteria  are  sometimes 
the best guarantee for public administration in 
the  selection  process,  but 
the  EU  new 
regulatory 
framework  on  PP  proposes 
solutions  to  reduce  these  barriers.  Dividing 
tenders  into  lots  will  allow  more  SMEs  to 
participate  in  PP,  but  this  is  not  enough. 
Economic  and  professional  capacity 
criteria should be lower. The EC will work 
with Member  States  and  public  procurers 
to  avoid  misleading  interpretations  that 
could exclude SMEs.  

EU’s new procurement framework. 
NextGenerationEU. 

EU SME Strategy. 

EU Industrial Strategy. 

ESIF. 

t
o
S
M
E
s
n
°

t
o
p
u
b

l
i
c
p
r
o
c
u
r
e
r
s
n
°

Main SME 
target(s) 

Actor(s) 
involved 

Preferred 
channel(s) 

5 

8 

13 

14 

•Start-ups 
young 
companies 

and 

•EC 

•Micro  and  small 
enterprises 

• National 
Authorities 

•Regional 
Authorities 

•Local 
Authorities 

•Intellectual 
Property 
Rights centres 

•Publications: 
handbooks, 
manuals  

•Face-to-face: 
workshops, 
trainings 

•Digital: 
websites, 
portals,  e-mail 
alerts 

•Publications: 
handbooks, 
manuals 

124 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
SME NEEDS ANALYSIS IN PUBLIC PROCUREMENT 

Key messages 

Needs 

Narratives 

EC actions related 

Upskilling Europe. 

Small Business Act. 

EU SME Envoy. 

Public  procurers 
to  have  more 
knowledge 
of 
markets 
including 
companies 

local 

regional  and 

6. SMEs complain about public procurer’s lack 
of market knowledge including prices and new 
quality  standards.  In  a  regulated  framework 
where no competitive advantages are given to 
any  enterprise,  SMEs  can  approach 
local  public 
national, 
procurers  to  present  their  services  and 
products  outside  PP  tender  preparation. 
This  can 
inform  public  procurers  of 
potential  needs  and  improve  their  tender 
writing.  Public  procurers  need  to  consult 
SMEs  more  often.  The  EC  will  boost 
procurer  and  SME  dialogue,  fostering 
recommendations  of  the  'Small  Business 
Act’  to  consult  stakeholders,  including 
SME  organisations,  prior  to  making  any 
legislative or administrative proposals that can 
impact businesses. 

t
o
S
M
E
s
n
°

4 

5 

t
o
p
u
b

l
i
c
p
r
o
c
u
r
e
r
s
n
°

13 

14 

15 

Main SME 
target(s) 

Actor(s) 
involved 

Preferred 
channel(s) 

•SMEs in general 

•EC 

•Local 
regional SMEs  

and 

•Regional 
procurers 

•Local 
procurers 

•SME 
Associations 

•Face-to-face: 
workshops, 
trainings 

•Digital: 
websites, 
portals,  e-mail 
alerts 

•Publications: 
handbooks, 
manuals 

More 
efficient 
tools  to  access 
PP opportunities 
(TED  +  national 
platforms) 

7.  Most  SMEs  screen  PP  opportunities  in 
local,  regional  and  national  digital  platforms. 
The  EU  digital  platform  (TED)  is  less  used. 
Such  digital  platforms  are  not  user  friendly 
enough 
to  encourage  SME  participation, 
proposing very static access to data. The EU 
is engaged to improve digital access to PP 
across  Europe.  SMEs  will  soon  benefit 

NextGenerationEU. 

EC  actions 
to  support  Single 
Digital Gateway implementation in 
an SME-friendly way.  

EC  actions  to  encourage  MS  on 
developing One-stop-shops. 

7 

9 

•Digital: 
on-
line support, e-
mail alerts 

•SMEs in general 

•EC 

•Start-ups 
young 
companies 

and 

•Member 
States  

•SMEs  active  in 
cross-border 
activities 

•Regional 
Authorities 

125 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
SME NEEDS ANALYSIS IN PUBLIC PROCUREMENT 

Key messages 

Needs 

Narratives 

EC actions related 

t
o
S
M
E
s
n
°

t
o
p
u
b

l
i
c
p
r
o
c
u
r
e
r
s
n
°

Main SME 
target(s) 

Actor(s) 
involved 

Preferred 
channel(s) 

•SMEs  ready  to 
and 
export 
expand 
their 
business quickly 

Simpler rules 

from  the  on-going  digitalisation  of  public 
in  all  Member 
administration  services 
States and new cross-border procurement. 

the 

that  PP 

8.  SMEs  complain 
regulatory 
framework  is  too  hard  to  understand.  Some 
legal  and  other 
SMEs  need  external 
professional services to participate in PP. The 
EU  already  simplified 
regulatory 
framework.  Despite  efforts  at  EU  level  to 
reduce  it,  administrative  burden  remains  a 
great obstacle for SMEs to participate in PP. 
The  EU  continues  to  encourage  Member 
States  to  reduce  administrative  burden  in 
PP.  Simplified  formulas  are  now  possible 
thanks  to  digitalisation  and  SMEs  need 
support more than ever to reduce costs. In 
the  transition,  SMEs  will  get  more  support 
from  the  EEN  and  EU  SME  Envoys  to  get 
advice on PP as well.  

EU’s new procurement framework 
to enhance opportunities for SMEs 
including 
and 
platforms  to  step  up  cross  border 
procurement. 

digital 

tools 

Tender Electronic Daily (TED). 

EU’s new procurement framework.  

5 

12 

•SMEs in general 

•EC 

NextGenerationEU. 

EU SME Strategy. 

EU Industrial Strategy. 

ESIF. 

•Member 
States 

•Regional 
Authorities 

• EEN 

•EU 
Envoy 

SME 

•SME 
associations 

More 
payment 

flexible 

9.  SMEs  consider  PP  as  a  secure  business 
but  claim  that  payments  are  very  rigid, 
cashflow  problems.  Moreover, 
creating 

NextGenerationEU. 

5 

8 

11 

•SMEs in general 

•EC 

•Face-to-face: 
outreach  and 
networking 
events, 
workshops, 
trainings,  

on-
•Digital: 
line support, e-
mail alerts 

•Publications: 
guides, 
handbooks, 
manuals 

•Digital: 
websites, 
portals, on-line 

126 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
SME NEEDS ANALYSIS IN PUBLIC PROCUREMENT 

Key messages 

Needs 

Narratives 

EC actions related 

t
o
S
M
E
s
n
°

t
o
p
u
b

l
i
c
p
r
o
c
u
r
e
r
s
n
°

schemes, 
on-
time payments  

payment delays can put SMEs at risk. There 
is a need to explore new payment formulas in 
PP  to  encourage  SME  participation.  These 
could  include  advanced  and  intermediate 
payments. PP has the  advantage of legality 
and  more  secure  payments  in  the  longer 
term. The EU supports businesses to fight late 
payments  (Late  Payment  Directive)  and  is 
exploring  alternative  mediation  solutions 
specifically for SMEs.   

EC  actions  to  support  Member 
the  Late 
States 
Payment Directive. 

in  enforcing 

actions 

EC 
exploring 
resolution/mediation  mechanisms 
for SMEs. 

More support for 
digitalisation and 
of 
upskilling 
in 
SMEs 
traditional 
sectors 

ready 

10.  Many  SMEs  are  not 
for 
digitalisation.  SMEs  will  get  more  support 
from  the  EU  to  digitalise  and  upskill  their 
workforce. The EC can help  SMEs in these 
two  important  aspects  by  both  direct  action 
and funding through the European Structural 
and Investment Funds. 

EC ‘digital volunteers’ programme. 

Digital  Crash  Courses  for  SME 
employees. 

Skills Agenda for Europe updates, 
including  a  dedicated  component 
for SMEs. 

7 

9 

ESIF. 

Main SME 
target(s) 

Actor(s) 
involved 

Preferred 
channel(s) 

•SMEs 
with 
negative  or  low 
growth 

in 
•SMEs 
countries 
and 
regions  where 
the 
is 
need 
urgent 

in 

•SMEs 
traditional 
sectors ‘upgrade’ 
(manufacturing, 
lower 
knowledge-
intensive 
services  sectors, 
construction) 

•SMEs that need 
upskilling 

•SMEs 
areas 

in  rural 

•Member 
States 

support, e-mail 
alerts 

•EC 

•National 
authorities 

•Regional 
authorities 

• Local 
authorities 

•SME 
associations 

•Face-to-face: 
meetings, 
workshops 

•Digital: 
websites,  on-
line support 

•Publications: 
guides, 
handbooks 

•National, 
regional,  and 
local media 

127 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Needs 

Narratives 

EC actions related 

t
o
S
M
E
s
n
°

SME NEEDS ANALYSIS IN PUBLIC PROCUREMENT 

Key messages 

t
o
p
u
b

l
i
c
p
r
o
c
u
r
e
r
s
n
°

13 

14 

15 

16 

Main SME 
target(s) 

Actor(s) 
involved 

Preferred 
channel(s) 

•SMEs 
that 
urgently  need  to 
digitalise  

•SMEs  providing 
quality 
top 
and 
services 
products 

and 

•Start-ups 
young 
companies 

•EC 

•Member 
States 

•Public 
procurers 

•Face-to-face: 
meetings, 
outreach 
events 

•Digital: 
newsletters,  e-
mail alerts 

NextGenerationEU. 

10 

EU’s new procurement framework. 

EU SME Strategy. 

Small Business Act. 

More 
oriented 
(versus 
price formula) 

quality 
PP 
best 

More 
PP 
opportunities  for 
start-ups 

11.  Lowest  price  criterion  is  still  an  issue  for 
SMEs.  It  is  hard  to  compete  with  bigger 
companies,  which  can  propose  lower  prices. 
The  EU  aims  to  support  SMEs  to  find 
quality-oriented  PP  opportunities.  PP  is 
clearly  moving  towards  quality  to  retain 
SME  talent  and  maintain  jobs,  although 
this  may  take  some  time.  The  EC  is 
encouraging  national,  regional  and 
local 
public  procurers  to  introduce  best  quality/ 
price  criteria,  as  in  the  2014  Directive  and 
when  necessary  upskilling  public  procurers. 
includes 
Orientation 
towards  quality 
‘green’  requirements.  SMEs 
that  can 
comply have a clear advantage. The EU will 
support  SMEs  to  get  aligned  by  providing 
more advice. 

for 

12.  EU  start-ups  are  expecting  more  PP 
their  specific  niches. 
opportunities 
Support  for  European  start-ups  needs  to 
be  local  to  avoid  migration  or  dispersion. 
SME start-ups can approach DIHs, the EEN 
or  SME  associations  for  support  on  any 

EC actions supporting EU Start-up 
Nations Standard.  

9 

EC  actions  to  support  EEN  and 
DIH.   

17 

•Start-ups  

•EC 

in  high 

•SMEs 
knowledge-
intensive  service 
sectors 

•National 
authorities 

•Face-to-face: 
meetings, 
trainings 

128 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
SME NEEDS ANALYSIS IN PUBLIC PROCUREMENT 

Key messages 

Needs 

Narratives 

EC actions related 

opportunity  at  any  level  (EU,  national, 
regional,  local).  The  EC  needs  to  identify 
stakeholders  and  new  tech  trends  in  local 
ecosystems.  There  are  more  opportunities 
for SMEs in PP than ever before, and this 
will increase in the coming years. Start-ups 
in 
should  be  encouraged  to  register 
platforms and be approached at local level. 

NextGenerationEU. 

EU SME Strategy. 

t
o
S
M
E
s
n
°

t
o
p
u
b

l
i
c
p
r
o
c
u
r
e
r
s
n
°

Main SME 
target(s) 

Actor(s) 
involved 

Preferred 
channel(s) 

•SMEs  in  high-
tech/  advanced 
manufacturing 

•Local incubators  

•Regional 
authorities 

•Local 
authorities 

•Innovation 
stakeholders 

•DIH 

•EEN 

•SME 
associations 

•Digital: 
websites  and 
portals 

•National, 
regional,  and 
local media 

• R&I 
channels:  EC 
portals 
R&I 
specific 
and 
publications 

129 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
SME NEEDS ANALYSIS IN PUBLIC PROCUREMENT 

5.3. Actions to improve SME access to PP 

In this section, five actions including 10 interventions to meet the needs detailed at the beginning 
of this chapter are described. They belong to three dimensions, clearly linked to the EC strategic 
framework: 

  Digital tools and communication: 

o  Action 1: Improving TED; 

o  Action 2: EU Communication actions. 

  Guidance and support for SMEs and public procurers: 

o  Action 3: Capacity building programme; 

o  Action 4: Reducing financial barriers to PP. 

  Better implementation of PP directives principles: 

o  Action 5: Simplification and standardisation of PP practices. 

Action 1: Improving TED, includes three different interventions:  

  1.1: Improving TED usability; 

  1.2: Improving and expanding the quality of TED information; 

  1.3: Making TED accessible from additional channels.  

This  action  refers  to  tools  to  access  PP  opportunities  and  the  single  market  as  well  as  to  lower 
national barriers and the digitalisation and upskilling of SMEs in traditional sectors. This action is 
largely under the control of the European Commission, which manages TED directly, but also implies 
possible partnerships with SME associations and national public authorities to increase and facilitate 
use of the platform by SMEs. 

Action  2:  EU  Communication  actions  foresees  one  type  of  intervention  (2.1:  Developing 
communication  actions). This  is  based  on  narratives that  are  well  aligned  with the  SME  strategic 
framework and key messages directed at both SMEs and public procurers. This action reaches a 
wide range of target groups. It also envisages the mobilisation of several actors in Member States. 

Action 3: Capacity building programme, includes four interventions: 

  4.1: Improving SME capacity to use online PP platforms; 

  4.2: Supporting SMEs to explore other Member State PP markets; 

  4.3:  Improving  the  capacity  of  public  procurers  to  formulate  and  use  balanced  selection 

criteria and more suitable award criteria; 

  4.4: Regular exchanges between public procurers and SMEs at regional and local level.  

This  action  mainly  answers  the  need  for  more  dialogue  between  SMEs  and  public  procurers.  It 
should also improve the competences of public procurers with better knowledge of the market, more 
quality  oriented  criteria,  more  favourable  payment  schemes  for  enterprises  and  more  accessible 
tender procedures for start-ups. This action should be developed together with national authorities, 
SME associations and other actors. 

Action 4: Reducing financial barriers to PP is based on one intervention (4.1: Financial instrument 
reducing  financial  obstacles)  and  helps  reduce  costs  for  SMEs  to  participate  in  PP,  which  are  a 
significant barrier in some Member States. 

Finally,  Action  5:  Simplification  and  standardisation  of  PP  practices  is  based  on  only  one 
intervention  (5.1:  Standard  models  to  issue  shorter  and  more  consistent  tender  documents) 
contributing to better implementation of PP directive principles. The need for simpler rules is directly 
addressed  through  Standard  models  to  issue  shorter  and  more  consistent  tender  documents, 

130 

 
SME NEEDS ANALYSIS IN PUBLIC PROCUREMENT 

reducing  administrative  burden  for  both  SMEs  and  public  procurers.  Public  procurers  should  be 
enabled to use the model to focus on consistency with their own procurement needs, defining the 
most appropriate and specific selection and award criteria. This action implies strong partnerships 
between European Commission and national authorities in Member States.  

The table below shows relationships between single interventions and needs.  

Table 13 From needs to interventions 

Needs 

M
o
r
e
q
u
a

l
i
t
y

o
r
i
e
n
t
e
d
P
P

(
v
e
r
s
u
s
p
r
i
c
e
o
n
y

l

c
r
i
t
e
r
i
o
n
)

M
o
r
e
P
P
o
p
p
o
r
t
u
n
i
t
i
e
s

f
o
r

s
t
a
r
t
-
u
p
s

M
o
r
e
d
a
o
g
u
e

i

l

b
e
t
w
e
e
n
p
u
b

l
i

c

p
r
o
c
u
r
e
r
s

a
n
d
S
M
E
s

Dimensions/ Interventions 

Digital tools and 

communication 

M
o
r
e
s
u
p
p
o
r
t
/
a
d
v
c
e
f
r
o
m
P
u
b

i

l
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c
A
u
t
h
o
r
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t
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e
s

i

M
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U
s
n
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e
m
a
r
k
e
t
,

l

P
P

l

e
s
s
n
a
t
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n
a

l

b
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r
r
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s

t
o
p
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r
t
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p
a
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e

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i

n

M
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p
p
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r
t

f
r
o
m
S
M
E
a
s
s
o
c
a
t
i
o
n
s

i

1.1 Improving TED usability 

x 

x 

Improving  and  expanding 

1.2 
quality of TED information 

the 

x 

x 

1.3  Making  TED  accessible 
additional channels 

from 

x 

i

l

n
c
u
d
n
g

i

l

o
c
a

l

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p
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P
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i

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p
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r

l

l

r
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s

p
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t
s

p
r
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t
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e

l

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f

m
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t

i

M
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b
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n
t

l

s
c
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e
m
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s
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d
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f
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,

o
n
-
t
i

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e

t
r
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l

s
e
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t
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l

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n
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p
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)

M
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t

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t
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l

t
o
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P
P
o
p
p
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t
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(
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+

x 

x 

x 

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p
p
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r
t

f
o
r
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g
i
t
a

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p
s
k

i
l
l
i

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g

o
f

S
M
E
s

i

n

x 

x 

x 

Developing 

2.1 
actions 

communication 

Guidance and support for SMEs 
and public procurers 

x 

x 

x 

x 

x 

x 

x 

x 

x 

x 

x 

x 

131 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
SME NEEDS ANALYSIS IN PUBLIC PROCUREMENT 

3.1  Improving  SME  capacity  to  use 
online PP platforms 

x 

x 

x 

3.2 Supporting SMEs to explore other 
Member State PP markets 

x 

x 

3.3  Improving  the  capacity  of  public 
formulate  and  use 
procurers 
balanced  selection  criteria  and  more 
suitable award criteria 

to 

3.4  Regular  exchanges  between 
public procurers and SMEs at regional 
and local level 

x 

x 

4.1  Financial 
financial obstacles 

instrument 

reducing 

x 

Better implementation of PP 
Directives principles 

5.1  Standard models to  issue shorter 
and  more 
tender 
documents 

consistent 

x 

x 

x 

x 

x 

x 

x 

x 

x 

x 

x 

x 

x 

In  subsequent  tables  each  intervention  is  described  and  detailed  in  terms  of  needs  addressed, 
targets and actors involved. 

132 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
SME NEEDS ANALYSIS IN PUBLIC PROCUREMENT 

5.3.1. Digital tools and communication 

Action 1 

Improving TED 

Intervention 
1.1 

Description 

Improving TED usability 

Improving the guide20 to TED in a very focused way. The ‘Text’ search tool was 
used by 60% of SMEs in the training sessions. It is not clear how to search by text 
combining  strings  and  characters. The  pop-up  help  (clicking  on  ‘?’  near a filter) 
recommends  using  quotes,  question  marks  and  asterisks.  However,  the  Help 
page  recommends  using  characters  and  ‘and’  to  combine  search  words. 
Consistency is needed. The guide should be also integrated with video tutorials in 
all EU official languages showing the basic navigation paths. 

Establishing  a  TED  Helpdesk  in  all  EU  official  languages.  This  could  be 
through a chat function, email exchange and/or a call-in service. A full multilingual 
service is key given the language barriers for SMEs. 

Reviewing platform functions from a user perspective, in particular: 

The ‘Search’ function should be more visible than ‘Browse by’. Under ‘Browse by’ 
the ‘Buyer’ filter should include all types listed under the ‘Type of buyer’ filter. The 
most  relevant  public  procurers  for  SMEs  should  appear  first  (Utilities  entity, 
Regional and local authorities, Regional and local agencies, National and federal 
agencies, Ministries and any other national or federal authority). 

Add  a  new  ‘Basic  search’  (currently  TED  only  includes  ‘Advanced  search’  and 
‘Expert search’, suggesting it is a tool for experienced users). Based on use by 
more than 50 SMEs in the five countries covered by the project, the basic search 
filters should be: 

- 

- 

- 

- 

- 

- 

‘Search scope’ (‘Active notice’ filter used by 73% of SMEs in the webinars, 
while only three used ‘Current OJS issue’, and seven ‘All notices’, of which 
five also used ‘Active notice’); 

‘Text’ (used by 60% of SMEs); 

‘Business  opportunities’  (‘Planning’  was  used  by  14%,  ‘Competition’  by 
21%), excluding ‘More options’; 

‘Subject matter of the contract’ – currently ‘CPV’ (used by 53%); 

‘Subject matter of the contract’ – ‘Type of contracts’ (used by 27%); 

‘Subject matter of the contract’ – ‘Place of performance’ (used by 41%). 

Perhaps reintroduce  the  filter  ‘Division  in  lots’,  which  was  eliminated  in  the  last 
TED interface reorganisation. 

Add a tool converting prices into Euros. 

Most  of  the  SMEs  encountered  difficulties  in  interpreting  CPV  codes.  Perhaps 
complement  CPV  with  NACE  codes  to  search  by  sector.  For  public  procurers, 
documents  are  based  on  CPV  codes  so  conversion  into  NACE  should  be 
automatic. This would help SMEs to use TED and reduce the perception that it is 
designed from a bureaucratic perspective. For transparency, include CPV-NACE 
code conversion tables in the guide. 

20 https://ted.europa.eu/TED/misc/helpPage.do?helpPageId=home 

133 

 
                                                 
SME NEEDS ANALYSIS IN PUBLIC PROCUREMENT 

An additional filter could be added to label the SME friendly procedures to help 
SME  to  easily  identify  the  tenders  suitable for  them. These include lower  value 
tenders and those requiring less evidence of previous contracts. Before delivery 
of  any  new  navigation  interface,  SME  user  tests  are  recommended.  This  could 
address SME information needs. 

More efficient tools to access PP opportunities (TED + national platforms)  

More EU single market, less national barriers   

More support from SME associations 

More support for digitalisation and upskilling of SMEs in traditional sectors 

Need(s) 
addressed 

Target(s) 

Micro and small enterprises, start-ups and young companies in all Member States 

Leading 
actor(s) 

Actor(s) 
involved 

European Commission  

At least one SME association per Member State (for the Helpdesk) 

One public authority/ agency with competence on PP per Member State (for the 
Helpdesk) 

National public authorities /agencies of all Member States with PP competence (if 
the labelling system is implemented) 

SME associations in selected Member States (to test TED usability) 

Action 1 

Improving TED 

Intervention 
1.2 

Improving and expanding the quality of TED information 

Description  Make  the  translation  function  for  contract  notices  more  visible  and  more 

usable (i.e. avoiding to receive the translation via email). 

Make  tender  documentation  directly  more  accessible  from  TED  to  avoid 
forcing the user to separately access individual public procurer websites. This will 
also  lessen  linguistic  barriers  (i.e.  losing  time  screening  websites  in  foreign 
languages).  

A  partner  search  tool  on  TED  allowing  SMEs  to  identify  possible  partners, 
especially in other Member States. On TED perhaps SMEs could advertise that 
they are searching for partners with specific features (specialisation, location, etc.) 
to jointly explore common PP business. This would be especially useful for SMEs 
using the ‘Business opportunities – Planning' filter, also to access information on 
future market opportunities well in advance. Possible integration with EEN should 
be explored. 

Suggest services offered by the EEN point in the user’s region if they need 
support to  start  PP  at  cross  border  or  transnational  level  (see  also  Intervention 
3.2). 

To include ‘success stories’ in all EU official languages of SMEs who developed 
their business thanks to above threshold PP contracts, not only at national scale 
(see Intervention 3.2). 

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Need(s) 
addressed 

More efficient tools to access PP opportunities (TED + national platforms)  

More support/ advice from public authorities to participate in PP  

More EU single market, less national barriers   

More support for digitalisation and upskilling of SMEs in traditional sectors 

Target(s) 

Micro and small enterprises, start-ups and young companies in all Member States 

Leading 
actor(s) 

European Commission  

Actor(s) 
involved 

National public authorities/ agencies of all Member States with PP competence 
(to ensure that tender documentation is directly accessible from the TED platform) 

EEN  (for  possible  integration  in  the  design  and  implementation  of  the  partner 
search tool) 

Action 1 

Improving TED 

Intervention 
1.3 

Making TED accessible from additional channels 

Description  Access  to  TED  from  any  public  national  (or  regional)  platform  for  PP  could 

improve.  

A feasible option would be a banner in all public national PP platforms, ‘Access 
information  on  above  threshold  tenders  across  the  EU’.  The  user  could  be 
directed to the TED home page in the national language. 

In  parallel,  TED  should  include  banners  promoting  national/  regional 
platforms for PP, depending on the place of performance and language chosen 
by the user (clearly there will be some complexity with languages used in more 
than one Member State, such as German and French). 

More  integration  with  national/  regional  PP  platforms  could  be  tested.  In 
principle, an SME accessing a national (or regional) platform should be driven to 
expand their search to a wider geographical area, if they are interested in above 
threshold business opportunities.  

A geolocalisation tool to find cross border or transnational opportunities could 
help  companies  looking  for  tenders  in  neighbourhood  regions,  districts  and/or 
abroad  (see  also  intervention  1.2).  Additionally,  TED  could  include  a  list  -  or  a 
user-friendly  map  -  of  national  and  regional  PP  databases  across  the  EU  to 
facilitate screening opportunities in other Member States.  

Need(s) 
addressed 

More efficient tools to access PP opportunities (TED + national platforms)  

More EU single market, less national barriers   

More support for digitalisation and upskilling of SMEs in traditional sectors 

Target(s) 

SMEs in all Member States  

Leading 
actor(s) 

European Commission  

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SME NEEDS ANALYSIS IN PUBLIC PROCUREMENT 

Actor(s) 
involved 

National  public  authorities  /  agencies  managing  PP  platforms  at  national  and 
regional level (perhaps incremental with not all Member States covered at first) 

SME Envoys Network and Ambassadors 

Action 2 

EU Communication actions 

Intervention 
2.1 

Developing communication actions  

Description  Develop communication actions promoting SME access to PP based on the 
narratives and key messages using channels presented in the previous section. 
Understanding  national  and  regional  contexts  together  with  the  use  of  national 
languages is key to the success of the communication actions. Involving national/ 
for 
regional 
communication design, formulation and implementation. 

institutional  and  economic  stakeholders 

is  a  precondition 

Need(s) 
addressed 

More dialogue between procurers and SMEs 

More EU single market, less national barriers 

More support/ advice from public authorities to participate in PP  

More support from SME associations 

Selection criteria more consistent with procurement needs 

More efficient tools to access PP opportunities (TED + national platforms) 

Public procurers to have more knowledge of market including local companies  

Simpler rules 

More flexible payment schemes, on-time payments  

More support for digitalisation and upskilling of SMEs in traditional sectors 

More quality oriented PP (versus best price formula) 

More PP opportunities for start-ups 

Target(s) 

SMEs in general 

SMEs with negative or low growth 

SMEs in countries and regions where this need is urgent 

Micro and small enterprises 

Start-ups and young companies 

SMEs with no experience of PP 

SMEs with potential to provide services to public authorities 

Innovative SMEs 

SMEs in risky industrial sectors (with negative or low growth, or lower knowledge-
intensive service sectors) 

SMEs that need an ‘upgrade’ (manufacturing, lower knowledge-intensive service 
sectors, construction) 

SMEs in high knowledge-intensive service sectors 

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SME NEEDS ANALYSIS IN PUBLIC PROCUREMENT 

SMEs in high-tech/advanced manufacturing 

SMEs that need upskilling 

SMEs in rural areas 

SMEs that need to get digitalised urgently 

Local incubators  

Innovation stakeholders 

Regional procurers 

Local procurers 

European Commission – in partnership with Member States 

EEN 

Regional Authorities  

Local Authorities 

SME associations  

SME Envoys Network and Ambassadors 

InvestEU actors 

Private funds 

Philanthropic foundations and personalities 

Leading 
actor(s) 

Actor(s) 
involved 

5.3.2. Guidance and support for SMEs and public procurers  

Action 3 

Capacity building programme  

Intervention 
3.1 

Description 

Improving SME capacity to use online PP platforms  

Training  SMEs  lacking  experience  and/or  capacity  to  use  digital  PP 
platforms effectively, at least where digital literacy is lower. This training should 
help less prepared enterprises (especially micro and small enterprises and start-
ups and young companies) with their first digital access to PP opportunities. Such 
training  should  focus  on  using  national,  regional  and  local  platforms,  as  such 
players  are  unlikely  to  compete  in  above  threshold  tenders.  Trainers  should 
belong to SME associations and training the trainers is a pre-condition. 

In  parallel,  an  SME  association  could  support  enterprises  in  using  the  online 
platforms, as, due to company size or staff background, it may make outsourcing 
such an operation more efficient. 

Such  an  intervention  implies a  structured  partnership with SME  associations in 
Member States (e.g. Italy and Romania) where such a basic need exists. 

Need(s) 
addressed 

More support/ advice from public authorities to participate in PP 

More support from SME associations 

More support for digitalisation and upskilling of SMEs in traditional sectors 

137 

 
 
SME NEEDS ANALYSIS IN PUBLIC PROCUREMENT 

Target(s) 

SMEs in countries and regions with lower digital literacy  

SMEs with negative or low growth 

Micro and small enterprises 

Start-ups and young companies 

SME with no experience in PP 

SMEs that need upskilling 

SMEs in rural areas 

SMEs that need to get digitalised urgently 

SME associations in selected Member States 

Leading 
actor(s) 

Actor(s) 
involved 

National  public  authorities/  agencies  managing  PP  platforms  at  national  and 
regional level  in selected Member States 

European Commission  

EEN 

SME Envoys Network and Ambassadors 

SME associations  

Action 3 

Capacity building  

Intervention 
3.2 

Supporting SMEs to explore other Member State PP markets 

Description  Offering support and advice to SMEs willing to establish cooperation with 
non-national companies to better exploit the EU single market. 

Support  and  advice  could  be  offered  by  EEN,  which  manages  a  dataset  of 
companies willing to join forces in business, to participate in PP at EU level. SMEs 
have to be enabled to start internationalisation by establishing PP subcontracts 
with international consortia, to progressively acquire experience and references 
(see  Intervention  1.2).    Furthermore,  SMEs  willing  to  find  EU/  international  PP 
opportunities  should  be  pushed  to  make  full  use  of  Article  63  of  Directive 
2014/24/EU, concerning ‘Reliance on the capacities of other entities’. 

To encourage enterprises to establish cooperation with non-national companies, 
success  stories  (following  those  included  in  the  present  study  and  covering 
further  EU  Member  States)  can  be  prepared  and  distributed  through  TED  (see 
Intervention 1.2), promotional tools such as ‘The secrets of success’21 brochures, 
events such as those organised in the framework of the SME Week22. They could 
also feed content for the annual ‘SME Assembly’. 

21  https://op.europa.eu/en/publication-detail/-/publication/dd1c2503-5f37-11e9-9c52-01aa75ed71a1/language-en/format-
PDF/source-95143553  
22 https://ec.europa.eu/growth/smes/sme-strategy/sme-week_en  

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SME NEEDS ANALYSIS IN PUBLIC PROCUREMENT 

Need(s) 
addressed 

More support/ advice from public authorities to participate in PP  

More EU single market, less national barriers 

Target(s) 

SMEs with potential to provide services to public administration 

Innovative SMEs 

SMEs in high knowledge-intensive service sectors 

SMEs in high-tech/advanced manufacturing 

Start-ups 

EEN 

European Commission  

SME associations 

SME Envoys Network and Ambassadors 

Leading 
actor(s) 

Actor(s) 
involved 

Action 3 

Capacity building programme  

Intervention 
3.3 

Improving the capacity of public procurers to formulate and use balanced 
selection criteria and more suitable award criteria 

Description  Support for regional and local public procurers (authorities, agencies, utilities) 
in  all  Member  States.  This  includes  providing  tools  and  encouraging  officers, 
practitioners  and  stakeholders  to  exchange  information  and  practices  through 
dedicated events, with training when necessary.  

Guidelines,  manuals,  case  studies,  factsheets  should  be  in  all  EU  official 
languages and indicate to public procurers that: 

-  excessively  high technical  and  professional  capacity  criteria for  contract 
value and specificity can be avoided without prejudicing selection of the 
provider; 

- 

targeted  quality  award  criteria  linked  to  the  subject  of  the  contract, 
considering methodological and technical aspects should be preferred. 

A good starting point is the ProcurComp Toolbox23, designed by the European 
Commission  to  support  PP  professionalisation  and  self-assessment  for  PP 
professionals.    ProcurComp  Toolbox  also  suggests  how  public  administrations 
can upskill their PP teams, in particular, to ensure that quality criteria are properly 
applied when bids are evaluated. The toolbox also includes case studies focusing 
on  some  Member  States. These materials  should be  available in all  EU  official 
languages, as not all public procurers are highly proficient in English.  

PP materials should be properly distributed to regional and local procurers. They 
should  be  accessible  from  an  online  library  also  containing  all  EC  regulatory, 
policy  and  support  documents  concerning  PP,  as  well  as  videos  and  tutorials. 
Systematic promotion through national/ regional events such as workshops 

23 
buyers/procurcompeu-european-competency-framework-public-procurement-professionals_en  

https://ec.europa.eu/info/policies/public-procurement/support-tools-public-buyers/professionalisation-public-

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SME NEEDS ANALYSIS IN PUBLIC PROCUREMENT 

should  be  also  envisaged.  Public  procurers  and  SME  associations  could  be 
involved, opening dialogue between businesses and public authorities on PP. For 
instance, each workshop could include sections where national and/or regional/ 
local public procurers exchange practices. Such events can also be organised by 
the  European  Commission  following  the  example  of  fi-compass24.  These 
workshops  across  the  EU  have  promoted  best  practices  for  using  financial 
instruments under European Structural and Investment Funds.   

Technical  training for tender  evaluation  committees  should  be  provided by  the 
Member  States  when  needed.  Training  should  focus  on:  (1)  knowledge  of  the 
regulatory framework, especially on applying quality criteria; (2) evaluating bids in 
relation to the needs, also considering the specific regional or local dimension. 

Need(s) 
addressed 

More dialogue between public procurers and SMEs 

Simpler rules  

Selection criteria more consistent with procurement needs  

Public procurers to have more knowledge of market including local companies  

More quality oriented PP (versus best price formula) 

More PP opportunities for start-ups 

More flexible payment schemes, on-time payments 

Target(s) 

Regional and local public procurers (authorities, agencies, utilities)  

Leading 
actor(s) 

European Commission in partnership with Member States 

Actor(s) 
involved 

National  and  regional  public  authorities/  agencies  of  all  Member  States  with 
competence on PP 

SME associations 

Networks of local public procurers (including local and regional authorities) 

SME Envoys Network and Ambassadors 

Action 3 

Capacity building programme  

Intervention 
3.4 

Regular  exchanges  between  public  procurers  and  SMEs  at  regional  and 
local level 

Description  Develop  more  dialogue  between  public  procurers  and  SMEs.  Regular 
opportunities  should  be  created  to  share  approaches  and  experiences  outside 
ongoing procurement. 

Early  information  about  procurement  plans  should  be  provided  more  often. 
Informal  and  sector  specific  dialogue,  where  all  potential  providers  are  invited, 
would  increase  the  understanding  of  roles  and  inform  public  procurers  about 
sector specific developments. 

This  kind  of  interaction  is  sensitive  in  several  Member  States  (including  where 
problems  of  corruption  are  lower),  so  such  dialogue  should  be  promoted  in 

24 https://www.fi-compass.eu 

140 

 
 
                                                 
SME NEEDS ANALYSIS IN PUBLIC PROCUREMENT 

partnership  with  national  authorities  and  in  compliance  with  the  national 
legislation. 

Need(s) 
addressed 

More dialogue between procurers and SMEs 

Public procurers to have more knowledge of market including local companies  

More flexible payment schemes, on-time payments  

More quality oriented PP (versus price only criterion) 

More PP opportunities for start-ups 

Target(s) 

SMEs with potential to provide services to public administration 

Innovative SMEs 

SMEs in high knowledge-intensive service sectors 

SMEs in high-tech/ advanced manufacturing 

Start-ups 

National public procurers 

Regional public procurers 

Local public procurers 

Leading 
actor(s) 

National public authorities/ agencies with PP competence, possibly in all Member 
States 

Actor(s) 
involved 

SME associations 

Networks of local public procurers (including  local and regional authorities) 

SME Envoys Network and Ambassadors 

European Commission  

Action 4 

Reducing financial barriers to PP 

Intervention 
4.1 

Financial instrument reducing financial obstacles 

Description  As a general principle, national authorities should encourage public procurers to 
request  deposits  proportional  to  the  contract  value.  The  capacity  building 
mechanism  proposed  under  intervention  3.3  could  be  used  to  promote  good 
practices. More regular dialogue between public procurers and SMEs proposed 
under intervention 3.4 could be the occasion for public procurers to understand 
the necessity to reduce this burden. 

Until  this  burden  exists,  financial  instruments  could  help  micro  and  small 
enterprises (including young companies and start-ups) cover the costs of 
tender procedures.  

This  solution should be provided  in  Member  States where SME  participation  is 
particularly hampered by financial barriers. For instance, in Poland the contracting 
authority may require a deposit of up to 3% of the contract value.  

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SME NEEDS ANALYSIS IN PUBLIC PROCUREMENT 

A  financial  instrument  to  finance  such  deposits  (and  other  tender  costs,  as 
specified below) may provide targeted and short-term loans or guarantees. After 
the tender is settled and the security deposit is returned, the SME would repay 
the loan or release the guarantee. 

Establishing and mainstreaming such a financial instrument would enable: 

- increased access for micro and small companies to larger tenders; 

- reduce SME funding gap in their early stages (especially in their first two years); 

- free up SME cashflow while the tender is settled; 

- secure deposit financing, without involving multiple parties. 

Loans  could  cover  not  only  the  deposit  but  also  other  procedural  costs  (e.g. 
obtaining certificates, translations, evaluations, expert opinions, preparation and 
delivery  of  samples,  etc.),  and  possibly  also  pre-finance  operations  related  to 
contract delivery. 

Such  a financial  instrument  could  be  set  up  by SME  associations and financial 
intermediaries  with  support 
the  European 
Commission (including using EU funds). 

from  national  authorities  and 

Need(s) 
addressed 

More support from SME associations 

Target(s) 

Micro and small enterprises in Member States where this barrier exists  

Start-ups and young companies meeting this barrier  

Leading 
actor(s) 

Actor(s) 
involved 

SME  associations  with  experience  in  setting  up  financial  instruments  for 
microenterprises and start-ups   

National authorities 

Financial intermediaries in the Member States 

European Commission  

5.3.3. Better implementation of PP directives principles 

Action 5 

Simplification and standardisation of PP practices 

Intervention 
5.1 

Standard models to issue shorter and more consistent tender documents  

Description  Create  EU  standard  models  for  recurrent  tenders  and  adapt  them  to  each 
Member State.  With standard models, tender documents tend to be shorter. More 
important,  standardisation  means  information  is  presented  in  a  recurrent  way, 
reducing effort for SMEs in reading, analysing and assessing tender documents. 

This approach could be incremental, starting from the most basic cases. These 
standard  models  should  be  promoted  to  regional  and  local  public  procurers 
(authorities, agencies, utilities). A model endorsed by national authorities and the 
EC could be considered as a sound solution and recommended but not imposed. 
This would mitigate a ‘defensive’ approach that leads public procurers to elaborate 
criteria  hampering  SME  access,  such  as  excessive  technical  and  professional 

142 

 
 
SME NEEDS ANALYSIS IN PUBLIC PROCUREMENT 

capacity  criteria.  Standard  models  should  also  reduce  the  burden  for  local  and 
regional public procurers, helping them prepare tenders. 

In some Member States standard models could limit the room for manoeuvre of 
public  procurers  in  setting  selection  and  award  criteria  consistent  with  specific 
procurement  needs.  This  should  be  avoided  with  care.  In  the  dialogue  with 
national authorities/ agencies, the European Commission could promote standard 
models that create conditions for public procurers to translate what they need to 
buy and their knowledge of the market into a PP procedure.  

Need(s) 
addressed 

Selection criteria more consistent with procurement needs 

Simpler rules  

More quality oriented PP (versus best price formula)  

Target(s) 

SMEs in general 

Regional and local public procurers (authorities, agencies, utilities) 

National Public authorities / agencies of all Member States with PP competence 
in partnership with the European Commission  

Networks of local public procurers (including local and regional authorities) 

Leading 
actor(s) 

Actor(s) 
involved 

143 

 
 
 
 
 
SME NEEDS ANALYSIS IN PUBLIC PROCUREMENT 

6. CONCLUSIONS AND SUBSEQUENT RESEARCH 

6.1.  Conclusions 

The project has shown that more regular dialogue between SMEs and public procurers could 
reduce  barriers  hampering  SME  access  to  PP. These barriers  include low  trust  in PP  and public 
procurers,  unbalanced  award  criteria,  high  administrative  burden  and  limited  knowledge  of  PP 
principles.  

SMEs and public procurers normally interact only when a tendering procedure is running. The project 
suggests that dialogue at an earlier stage could benefit both parties. It should give public procurers 
a better understanding of the market and increase SME’s familiarity with PP specificities. This still 
appears  to  be  a  sensitive  issue  given  that  public  procurer  relationships  with  SMEs  tend  to  be 
considered as unfair practices affecting competition in the market. The project showed that this can 
be the case even in Member States with very little corruption. Such dialogue would have several 
dimensions and require multilevel governance. It should be promoted  – not imposed - at different 
national scales for public procurers at all levels, with a focus on local authorities and smaller public 
procurers. Here interaction with local SMEs would be key to facilitating their access to PP.   

The  interaction  with  public  procurers  highlighted  their  awareness  that  several  problems  of  SME 
access to PP depend on the transposition of EU PP Directives, including on administrative practices. 
Gold-plating at national level and low use of provisions facilitating SME access emerged from the 
dialogue with 55 SMEs, 15 SME associations and 19 public procurers in the five Member States. 
This seems to require a more regular and systematic approach in developing capacity building 
actions, focusing on national and regional specificities. The EC could look at creating a platform 
for advisory services on PP. This could follow the example of fi-compass25 where the EIB provides 
advisory  services  on  financial  instruments.  ‘pp-compass’  could  be  a  hub  for  advisory  services 
directed at national authorities responsible for PP, as well as public procurers and SME associations 
across the EU. As in fi-compass, this platform could produce and collect material on PP such as 
guidelines,  manuals,  case  studies  and  factsheets  in  different  languages.  Such  materials  could 
facilitate  regional  and  local  procurers  in  understanding  that  excessively  high  technical  and 
professional  capacity  criteria  (disproportionate  with  contract  values  and  their  specificity)  can  be 
avoided without prejudicing the selection of the provider. Further success stories could also cover 
all Member States. The platform could include a library with all EC regulatory documents concerning 
PP as well as a section for videos and tutorials. Such a platform should be fully integrated with the 
‘European SME Week’ and feed content for the annual ‘SME Assembly’. The possibility to organise 
blended workshops, with limited face-to-face options and extensive use of online solutions should 
mitigate costs. 

An evident finding of the project is that collaboration is key for SMEs to increase access to PP. 
Even if SMEs are aware that joining forces would increase their capacity to fulfil selection criteria, 
they  commonly  find  barriers  in  establishing  new  business  relationships.  Small  entrepreneurs 
consider the human factor as crucial and tend not to establish relationships with companies that do 
not belong to their network. Such a cultural barrier can be overcome with targeted services for SMEs. 
Even if this does not fully meet all SME expectations,  support from SME associations and the 
public  sector  seems  necessary  to  increase  the  capacity  to  cooperate  with  new  partnering 
companies. This is particularly true for international company relationships offering advantages to 
better exploit the EU single market. Public services, starting from those offered by the EEN, should 
be publicised to offer more systematic answers to SMEs looking to establish partnerships, increasing 
their capacity to participate in PP. 

The project enabled in-depth investigations on the use of TED by SMEs. Compared to national digital 
tools,  the  added  value  of  TED  is  the  EU  coverage,  even  though  this  may  be  less  interesting  for 

25 https://www.fi-compass.eu 

144 

 
                                                 
SME NEEDS ANALYSIS IN PUBLIC PROCUREMENT 

smaller enterprises. The SME use of TED shows there is significant room to improve the user 
friendliness of this tool. For instance, linguistic problems are a major barrier for companies that do 
not  operate  on  a  cross-border  or  transnational  basis.  Concrete  indications  can  be  extracted  by 
observing use of the platform, as in this project. This practice should continue to regularly review 
future  changes  to  the  platform.  Furthermore,  greater  integration  with  national/  regional  PP 
platforms  could  be  experimented  to  increase  the  use  and  visibility  of  TED  by  national  and  local 
SMEs.  

For communication activities to increase SME participation in PP, the project suggests messages 
for  both  SMEs  (emphasising  strong  points  and  the  potential  of  participating  in  PP)  and  public 
procurers  (promoting  PP  practices  facilitating  SME  access).  The  analysis  also  indicates  that 
formulating  and  developing  communication  actions  imply  strong  partnerships  with  the  Member 
States  and  their  public  authorities  as  well  as  with  SME  associations  and  other  players. 
Communication requires a profound knowledge of the targets, including their national contexts and 
linguistic specificities. 

Finally, the project methodology had to be adapted as face-to-face meetings were impossible due 
to the Covid19 health emergency. The use of digital platforms was intensive and advanced, enabling 
sophisticated  data  collection  methods.  SMEs,  SME  associations  and  public  procurers  showed  a 
good capacity to use these tools in a cooperative approach, especially when the team had to track 
their screens during the TED exercise. This opens the door to more intense and innovative use 
of data collection methods in future studies. 

6.2. Subsequent research 

The project produced findings that can be used as a basis for policy action. Furthermore, there are 
opportunities to fill gaps with further research, such as:  

  Covering  all  EU  Member  States  with  a  similar  qualitative  approach.  The  pandemic 
created  the  occasion  to  elaborate  and  experiment  a  more  efficient  methodology  for  this 
project. Data collection could be extended to the remaining 22 Member States, consolidating 
the  results  of  the  study.  In  particular,  focus  groups  involving  SMEs  and  public  procurers 
should cover more Member States to investigate interaction between the two groups. 

 

Integrating the qualitative approach by adopting a quantitative approach. 

o  Similar to the joint EC/EIB Survey on Access to Finance of Enterprises (SAFE) every 
six months (since 2009), a recurrent survey on SME access to PP could provide 
additional quantitative insights. 

o  A recurrent (i.e. yearly) analysis of awarded procedures based on information in 
TED and national databases could highlight SME participation in other EU Member 
States.  The  analysis  could  be  conducted  across  Member  States  (by  buyer,  by 
provider), sector of procurement (by CPV code), public procurer type, and company 
size. 

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Annex A - Quiz figures by enterprise categories 

Table 14 Key results from the quiz by answer and enterprise category: enterprise size 

Quiz answers 

Of total 
enterprises 

Size 

Micro  Small  Medium 

Participation in the past  

51.5% 

44.7%  57.5% 

69.6% 

with success 

83.2%  82.5%  80.0% 

89.7% 

without success 

16.8%  17.5%  20.0% 

10.3% 

No interest in participating in the future*  

30.7% 

33.6%  24.3% 

17.6% 

because too complicated 

58.2%  57.5%  66.7% 

66.7% 

because not needed 

41.8%  42.5%  33.3% 

33.3% 

Interest in participating in the future* 

69.3% 

66.4%  75.7% 

82.4% 

Wrong  definition  of  a  call  for  tender/for 
proposal 

19.4% 

18.9%  23.0% 

14.3% 

Wrong definition of open procedure 

5.9% 

6.5% 

5.7% 

3.6% 

Wrong definition of restricted procedure 

51.8% 

51.6%  54.0% 

50.0% 

The cheapest offer always wins 

8.4% 

8.8% 

8.0% 

7.1% 

Wrong knowledge of exclusion criteria 

14.3% 

14.3%  16.1% 

8.9% 

On local authority website 

53.1% 

59.4%  42.5% 

44.6% 

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o
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o
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K

Where to 
find a tender 
above EU 
thresholds 

On TED 

On Google 

Get lost 

28.3% 

24.0%  31.0% 

39.3% 

9.7% 

8.8%  13.8% 

8.9% 

8.6% 

7.4%  12.6% 

7.1% 

Where to 
find a tender 
managed by 
the EC 

Tender in 
another EU 
country 

Tenders' 
workload 

Tender 
procedure 
clarification 

On a specific EC website 

55.8% 

59.4%  43.7% 

58.9% 

On Google 

28.6% 

24.9%  36.8% 

32.1% 

SMEs cannot compete 

15.1% 

15.2%  19.5% 

7.1% 

Check with an expert 

29.6% 

32.7%  28.7% 

23.2% 

It is no possible 

13.2% 

12.9%  14.9% 

12.5% 

All complicated 

15.4% 

12.0%  20.7% 

21.4% 

Writing an email through website  

14.8% 

15.7%  17.2% 

10.7% 

Questions not possible 

3.8% 

4.6% 

3.4% 

0.0% 

Note: *= as % of those without participation in the past

146 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
SME NEEDS ANALYSIS IN PUBLIC PROCUREMENT 

Table  15  Key  results  from  the  quiz  by  answer  and  enterprise  category:  enterprise  year  of 
creation 

Quiz answers 

Year of creation 

Of total 
enterprises 

Start-ups 
and young 
companies 

Mature 

Participation in the past 

51.5% 

29.1% 

58.0% 

with success 

83.2% 

91.3% 

without success 

16.8% 

8.7% 

81.9% 

18.1% 

No interest in participating in the future*  

30.7% 

28.6% 

31.9% 

because too complicated 

58.2% 

31.3% 

because not needed 

41.8% 

68.8% 

71.1% 

28.9% 

Interest in participating in the future* 

69.3% 

71.4% 

68.1% 

Wrong definition of a call for tender/for 
proposal 

19.4% 

20.3% 

19.2% 

Wrong definition of open procedure 

5.9% 

5.1% 

6.3% 

Wrong definition of restricted procedure 

51.8% 

51.9% 

51.4% 

The cheapest offer always wins 

8.4% 

13.9% 

7.0% 

Wrong knowledge of exclusion criteria 

14.3% 

12.7% 

15.0% 

On local authority website 

53.1% 

67.1% 

48.6% 

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Where to find a 
tender above EU 
thresholds 

On TED 

On Google 

Get lost 

28.3% 

19.0% 

31.1% 

9.7% 

8.6% 

8.9% 

3.8% 

10.1% 

10.1% 

Where to find a 
tender managed 
by the EC 

Tender in another 
EU country 

Tenders' 
workload 

Tender procedure 
clarification 

On a specific EC website 

55.8% 

67.1% 

52.4% 

On Google 

28.6% 

21.5% 

30.4% 

SMEs cannot compete 

15.1% 

10.1% 

16.8% 

Check with an expert 

29.6% 

32.9% 

28.7% 

It is no possible 

13.2% 

12.7% 

13.6% 

All complicated 

15.4% 

15.2% 

15.7% 

Writing an email through website 

14.8% 

21.5% 

13.3% 

Questions not possible 

3.8% 

2.5% 

3.8% 

Note: *= as % of those without participation in the past. 

147 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
SME NEEDS ANALYSIS IN PUBLIC PROCUREMENT 

Table  16  Key  results from the  quiz  by  answer  and enterprise  category:  enterprise  average 
turnover growth in the last three years 

Quiz answers 

Of total 
enterprises 

Average turnover growth in the last 3 
years 

<0% 

0%< 
and 
<10% 

10%< and 
<20% 

>20% 

Participation in the past  

51.5% 

53.1%  50.4% 

46.5% 

64.0% 

with success 

83.2%  76.7% 

85.7% 

80.4%  90.6% 

without success 

16.8%  23.3% 

14.3% 

19.6%  9.4% 

No  interest  in  participating  in  the 
future*  

30.7% 

43.2%  20.3% 

32.1% 

38.9% 

because too complicated 

58.2%  50.0% 

57.1% 

58.8%  85.7% 

because not needed 

41.8%  50.0% 

42.9% 

41.2%  14.3% 

Interest  in  participating  in  the 
future* 

Wrong  definition  of  a  call  for 
tender/for proposal 

Wrong 
procedure 

definition 

of 

open 

Wrong  definition  of 
procedure 

restricted 

69.3% 

56.8%  79.7% 

67.9% 

61.1% 

19.4% 

23.5%  18.0% 

21.2% 

14.0% 

5.9% 

9.9% 

5.8% 

4.0% 

4.0% 

51.8% 

45.7%  53.2% 

55.6% 

50.0% 

The cheapest offer always wins 

8.4% 

17.3% 

4.3% 

8.1% 

6.0% 

Wrong  knowledge  of  exclusion 
criteria 

14.3% 

14.8%  13.7% 

15.2% 

14.0% 

On local authority website 

53.1% 

48.1%  58.3% 

53.5% 

44.0% 

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o
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K

Where to find 
a tender 
above EU 
thresholds 

On TED 

On Google 

Get lost 

28.3% 

27.2%  28.1% 

28.3% 

32.0% 

9.7% 

16.0% 

6.5% 

7.1% 

14.0% 

8.6% 

8.6% 

7.2% 

11.1% 

8.0% 

Where to find 
a tender 
managed by 
the EC 

Tender in 
another EU 
country 

Tenders' 
workload 

Tender 
procedure 
clarification 

On a specific EC website 

55.8% 

49.4%  56.8% 

59.6% 

54.0% 

On Google 

28.6% 

35.8%  27.3% 

27.3% 

24.0% 

SMEs cannot compete 

15.1% 

14.8%  15.1% 

13.1% 

20.0% 

Check with an expert 

29.6% 

28.4%  33.1% 

31.3% 

20.0% 

It is no possible 

All complicated 

13.2% 

14.8%  14.4% 

11.1% 

12.0% 

15.4% 

23.5%  12.9% 

14.1% 

12.0% 

Writing an email through website  

14.8% 

23.5%  13.7% 

12.1% 

10.0% 

Questions not possible 

3.8% 

2.5% 

5.0% 

5.1% 

0.0% 

Note: *= as % of those without participation in the past.

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SME NEEDS ANALYSIS IN PUBLIC PROCUREMENT 

Table 17 Key results from the quiz by answer and enterprise category: enterprise sector 

Quiz answers 

Of total 
enterprises 

Sector 

Manufact.  Services  Construction 

Participation in the past  

51.5% 

43.1% 

51.6% 

60.4% 

with success 

83.2% 

88.0% 

79.8% 

90.6% 

without success 

16.8% 

12.0% 

20.2% 

9.4% 

No  interest  in  participating  in  the 
future*  

30.7% 

18.2% 

33.3% 

33.3% 

because too complicated 

58.2% 

66.7% 

60.0% 

42.9% 

because not needed 

41.8% 

33.3% 

40.0% 

57.1% 

Interest in participating in the future* 

69.3% 

81.8% 

66.7% 

66.7% 

Wrong definition of a call for tender/for 
proposal 

19.4% 

17.2% 

20.8% 

11.3% 

Wrong definition of open procedure 

5.9% 

1.7% 

6.4% 

9.4% 

Wrong 
procedure 

definition 

of 

restricted 

51.8% 

55.2% 

52.4% 

47.2% 

The cheapest offer always wins 

8.4% 

3.4% 

8.0% 

13.2% 

Wrong knowledge of exclusion criteria 

14.3% 

19.0% 

16.0% 

3.8% 

On local authority website 

53.1% 

41.4% 

53.6% 

64.2% 

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o
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K

Where to 
find a tender 
above EU 
thresholds 

On TED 

On Google 

Get lost 

28.3% 

34.5% 

29.2% 

17.0% 

9.7% 

8.6% 

10.0% 

9.4% 

8.6% 

15.5% 

6.8% 

9.4% 

Where to 
find a tender 
managed by 
the EC 

Tender in 
another EU 
country 

Tenders' 
workload 

Tender 
procedure 
clarification 

On a specific EC website 

55.8% 

53.4% 

57.6% 

52.8% 

On Google 

28.6% 

29.3% 

26.4% 

34.0% 

SMEs cannot compete 

15.1% 

17.2% 

15.2% 

13.2% 

Check with an expert 

29.6% 

34.5% 

28.4% 

28.3% 

It is no possible 

All complicated 

13.2% 

8.6% 

13.6% 

17.0% 

15.4% 

20.7% 

14.0% 

15.1% 

Writing an email through website  

14.8% 

15.5% 

14.0% 

17.0% 

Questions not possible 

3.8% 

5.2% 

4.4% 

0.0% 

Note: *= as % of those without participation in the past.

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SME NEEDS ANALYSIS IN PUBLIC PROCUREMENT 

Table 18 Key results from the quiz by answer and enterprise category: service knowledge-
intensity 

Quiz answers 

Of total 
enterprises 

Service sector knowledge-
intensity 

Low 

Medium 

High 

Participation in the past  

51.5% 

39.2% 

54.6% 

60.0% 

with success 

83.2% 

72.4% 

79.7% 

79.2% 

without success 

16.8% 

27.6% 

20.3% 

20.8% 

No  interest  in  participating  in  the 
future*  

30.7% 

29.5% 

34.7% 

43.8% 

because too complicated 

58.2% 

61.5% 

52.9% 

71.4% 

because not needed 

41.8% 

38.5% 

47.1% 

28.6% 

Interest 
future* 

in  participating 

in 

the 

Wrong  definition  of  a  call 
tender/for proposal 

for 

69.3% 

70.5% 

65.3% 

56.3% 

19.4% 

23.0% 

13.0% 

30.0% 

Wrong definition of open procedure 

5.9% 

6.8% 

2.8% 

7.5% 

Wrong  definition  of 
procedure 

restricted 

51.8% 

59.5% 

46.3% 

55.0% 

The cheapest offer always wins 

8.4% 

14.9% 

2.8% 

7.5% 

Wrong  knowledge  of  exclusion 
criteria 

14.3% 

9.5% 

18.5% 

22.5% 

On local authority website 

53.1% 

58.1% 

55.6% 

40.0% 

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Where to find a 
tender above EU 
thresholds 

On TED 

On Google 

28.3% 

21.6% 

34.3% 

32.5% 

9.7% 

13.5% 

6.5% 

10.0% 

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Where to find a 
tender managed 
by the EC 

Tender in another 
EU country 

Tenders' 
workload 

Tender 
procedure 
clarification 

Get lost 

8.6% 

6.8% 

3.7% 

15.0% 

On a specific EC website 

55.8% 

51.4% 

61.1% 

50.0% 

On Google 

28.6% 

39.2% 

25.9% 

17.5% 

SMEs cannot compete 

15.1% 

9.5% 

12.0% 

30.0% 

Check with an expert 

29.6% 

36.5% 

24.1% 

20.0% 

It is no possible 

All complicated 

13.2% 

16.2% 

6.5% 

27.5% 

15.4% 

18.9% 

7.4% 

20.0% 

Writing an email through website  

14.8% 

24.3% 

8.3% 

7.5% 

Questions not possible 

3.8% 

5.4% 

4.6% 

2.5% 

Note: *= as % of those without participation in the past

150 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
SME NEEDS ANALYSIS IN PUBLIC PROCUREMENT 

Annex B - The ‘quiz’  

1) Have you ever participated/are you participating in PP procedures? 

Yes, with success 

Yes, without success 

No, but I’m interested in participating in the future 

No, and I am not interested in participating in the future as it seems too complicated to us 

No, and I am not interested in participating in the future since I don’t need it 

2) Is there any difference between a call for tender and a call for proposal? 

a) There is no difference, they are the same 

b) Different from a call for proposal, a call for tender is a procedure that a public authority uses 
to procure goods, services and  works  in exchange  of  a  payment  on  an agreed price based  on a 
public contract 

c)  Different  from  a  call  for  tender,  in  the  call  for  proposals  made  by  public  authorities,  the 

procedure to procure goods, service and works is without a competition 

a) score: 0 
b) score: 3 
c) score: 0 

3)  You  become  aware  of  a  tender  of  more  than  250  000  EUR  to  provide  public  services 
awarded by your local public authority. You don’t have all the information and specification 
of the tender. What can you do? 

a) I will consult the website of my local authority 

b) I will consult the TED (Tenders Electronic Daily) website 

c) I will google “tender in….” 

d) I’m lost, I will not take part to the tender 

a) score: 2 
b) score: 3 
c) score: 1 
d) score: 0 

4) You become aware that the European Commission purchases services connected directly 
to your business. What do you do to find opportunities for your business?    

a) Surely I will not search anything since SMEs have not the requirements to compete 

b) I will google “European Commission tender….” 

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c) There is a specific web portal supporting enterprises in finding the European Commission’s 

tender opportunities 

a) score: 0 

b) score: 2 

c) score: 3 

5) There is a tender in another EU country and the subject of the tender is related to a sector 
where you have a strong comparative advantage. Moreover, the price is very attractive. How 
do you approach it? 

a) I give up, I can never tender outside my country in the EU 

b) I need to check with an expert if I can bid in this country 

c) I know I can bid in other EU countries, but I need to verify the specific technical requirements  

a) score: 0 
b) score: 2 
c) score: 3 

6) What is an open procedure? 

a) This procedure is used to obtain an idea for a design 

b) Used when only preselected companies can apply 

c) Anyone may submit a full tender 

a) score: 0 
b) score: 0 
c) score: 3 

7) What is a restricted procedure? 

a) Procuring authorities can only use this procedure when negotiations are necessary due to the 

specific or complicated nature of the purchase 

b) Anyone may ask to participate in a restricted procedure, but only those who are pre-selected 

may submit tenders 

c) Anyone may ask to participate, but only those who are pre-selected will be invited to submit 

initial tenders and to negotiate. 

a) score: 0 
b) score: 3 
c) score: 0 

8) Do all tenders involve the same workload to submit an offer? 

a) No, it depends on the size of the contract. The tender procedure is simplified under a specific 

threshold 

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SME NEEDS ANALYSIS IN PUBLIC PROCUREMENT 

b) No, it mainly depends on the specific tender procedure 

c) Yes, they are all very complicated 

a) score: 3 
b) score: 3 
c) score: 0 

9) During the tender procedure, what you can do if you need clarification? 

a) Questions on the tender are not allowed when the procedure is open 

b) If I can find a contact on the website of the tendering authority, I can write an email 

c) The tender documentation includes how to ask questions. The answers are then published 

a) score: 0 
b) score: 2 
c) score: 3 

10) The contract is always awarded on the basis of the lowest price 

a) Yes, the cheapest offer always wins 

b) Yes, but the tenderer must fulfil the minimum requirements set in the procedure 

c) Not always, the public authority can also award using other criteria 

d) No, never 

a) score: 0 
b) score: 2 
c) score: 3 
d) score: 0 

11) When can you be excluded in a tender procedure? 

a) When you participate in corruption or have links to a criminal organisation 

b) If you did not pay taxes or social security contributions. 

c) For discretional reasons decided from time to time by the tendering authority 

a) score: 3 
b) score: 2 
c) score: 0 

To conclude the Quiz, we need only few information about your company: 

Year of creation*  

2019 

2018 

2017 

153 

 
 
 
 
 
SME NEEDS ANALYSIS IN PUBLIC PROCUREMENT 

2016 

2015 

2014 

2013 

2012 

2011 

Before 2011 

Staff headcount 

 1 - 9 

10 - 49 

50 -–249 

More than 250 

Turnover 

0 - 2 million € 

2 - 10 million € 

10 - 50 million € 

More than 50 million € 

Average turnover trend in the last three years: 

Decreased 

Increased less than 10% 

 Increased between 10% and 20% 

 Increased more than 20% 

In which sector (NACE rev 2) you are operating:  

A- Agriculture, forestry and fishing 

C - Manufacturing   

E - Water supply, sewerage, waste management and remediation activities 

F - Construction   

154 

 
 
 
 
 
SME NEEDS ANALYSIS IN PUBLIC PROCUREMENT 

G - Wholesale and retail trade  

H - Transportation and storage (excl. H50 Water transport)  

I - Accommodation and food service activities  

J - Information and communication  

K - Financial and insurance activities 

M - Professional, scientific and technical activities  

N - Administrative and support service activities; 

Q - Human health and social work activities  

Other, please specify_______ 

155 

 
 
 
SME NEEDS ANALYSIS IN PUBLIC PROCUREMENT 

Annex C – Questionnaires used in the training sessions 

Questionnaire post TED exercise 

1)  Did you find words or sentences difficult to understand?  

a.  None  

b.  Yes, in some cases  

c.  Yes, in many cases so that I had problems to fill in the form 

d.  I cannot reply 

2)  Did you notice cases where there are redundancies in the fields to be filled in? 

a.  None  

b.  Yes, in some cases  

c.  Yes, in many cases so that I had problems to fill in the form 

d.  I cannot reply 

3)  Were you able to find business opportunities thanks to the selected search criteria?  

a.  Yes, and the number of business opportunities I found was appropriate 

b.  Yes, but the number of business opportunities I found was too large (contract notice, 

others)  

c.  No, I could not identify any business opportunity (contract notices, others)  

d.  I cannot reply 

4)  In case you chose answer b. in previous question, did you add more filters to better perform 

the search?  

a.  Yes  

b.  No 

c. 

I cannot reply 

5)  Did the system allow you to identify business opportunities in different territorial areas other 

than your current market and / or outside your country? 

a.  Yes 

b.  No, although I would be interested in business opportunities in new territorial areas 

other than my current market and /or my country  

c.  No, but I am not interested in business opportunities in new territorial areas and / or 

abroad  

d.  I cannot reply 

6)  Are you considering using this database to find out business opportunities in the future?  

156 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
SME NEEDS ANALYSIS IN PUBLIC PROCUREMENT 

a.  Yes  

b.  No 

c. 

I cannot reply now, as I should discuss this with my colleagues 

Questionnaire post Selection Criteria exercise  

1)  Were the documents difficult to read?  

a.  Yes  

b.  No 

2)  In case you chose answer a. to previous question, which are the main problems you met? 

(multiple choice) 

a.  Documents are too long and I need lot of time to read them 

b.  Documents  are  too  complex  and  I  cannot  understand  where  to  find  out  the 

information needed  

c. 

In those documents language is too technical and not easy to interpret  

3)  Did you have problems to understand whether your company has got the requirements that 

would allow it to apply for the tender?  

a.  Yes  

b.  No 

4)  In case you chose answer a. to question 3, could you please indicate which of the following 

elements were the most difficult for you? (multiple choice) 

a.  Identification of the general and eligibility requirements  

b.  Identification of the economic and financial requirements  

c. 

Identification of the technical and professional requirements  

5)  Have  you  met  difficulties  to  understand  how  your  company  can  provide  evidence  of  the 

requirements?   

a.  Yes  

b.  No 

6)  In case you chose answer a. to question 5, could you please indicate for which of the following 
requirements you meet difficulties to understand how to provide evidence? (multiple choice) 

a.  General and eligibility requirements (subscription to Chamber of commerce, etc.) 

b.  Economic and financial requirements  

c.  Technical and professional requirements  

7)  In  case  it  is  not  clear  to  you  whether  your  company  meets  some  or  all  the  requirements 

needed (answer a. to question 3), what do you do?  

157 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
SME NEEDS ANALYSIS IN PUBLIC PROCUREMENT 

a.  I decide to not participate to the tender  

b.  I ask my colleagues  

c. 

I ask for further clarification to my consultant (i.e. accountant)  

d.  I ask for further clarification to my SMEs association 

e.  I write an email to the public procurer 

f. 

I cannot reply 

8)  In case you know that another company disposes of some of the necessary requirements 

needed to apply for the tender that your company misses, how would you react?   

a.  I call the company, explain the business opportunity and propose to participate jointly  

b.  I do not call the other company, as I do not want to participate in a tender with one of 

my potential competitors 

c. 

I ask for further information to my consultant (i.e. accountant) 

d.  I ask for further clarification to my SMEs association  

e.  It is not possible to participate in a tender with another company, thus I abandon the 

idea  

f. 

I cannot reply 

158 

 
 
 
Annex  D  –  Public  procurers  and  SME  associations  involved  in 
the interactive sessions and in the study circles 

Name 

Short description 

website 

Italy 

Confartigianato 
Ancona-Pesaro 

Confindustria 
Marche-Nord 

territorial 

representative 
The 
structure  of  Confartigianato,  the 
main association of artisans and 
small businesses in Italy 

territorial 

The 
representative 
structure  of  Confindustria  Italia, 
the  main  entrepreneurs  and 
employers' association in Italy 

i

s
n
o
i
t
a
c
o
s
s
a
E
M
S

www.confartigianatoimprese.net 

www.confindustriamarchenord.it/public 

Confcooperative  The 

territorial 

representative 
structure of the Confederation of 
Italian Cooperatives 

www.confcooperative.marche.it 

Ancona 
Municipality  

Local  public  administration  (PP 
department) 

 www.comune.ancona.gov.it 

s
r
e
r
u
c
o
r
p

SUAM Marche  Regional  public  administration 
(regional purchasing body/single 
contracting  authority  of 
the 
Marche region) 

suam.regione.marche.it 

c

i
l

b
u
P

Province 
Ancona  

of 

Local  public  administration  (PP 
department)  

www.provincia.ancona.it 

Municipality  of 
Jesi  

Local  public  administration  (PP 
department)  

www.comune.jesi.an.it 

Name 

Short description 

Website 

Netherlands 

Hague 

i

  MKB 
s
n
o
i
t
a
c
o
s
s
a
E
M
S

Bridgehead  

The 

of  MKB  The 
Department 
Netherlands, 
largest 
advocate for small and medium-
sized enterprises in The Hague 

the 

www.mkbdenhaag.nl 

Private  company  specialised  in 
trusted 
tender  support  and 
liaison 
public 
for  Dutch 
organisations 

www.bridgehead.nl 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
BNA 
(Association  of 
Dutch 
Architecture 
firms)  

BNA, the Royal Institute of Dutch 
Architects, the sole professional 
association for Dutch architects 

www.bna.nl 

UBR-HIS 
(Ministry  of  the 
Interior) 

Organization  that  purchases  for 
six  departments  within 
the 
central government. 

https://www.ubrijk.nl/service/his 

Province 
Utrecht 

of 

Local  public  administration  (PP 
department) 

www.provincie-utrecht.nl 

Province 
North Holland 

of 

Local  public  administration  (PP 
department) 

www.noord-holland.nl 

City  of  The 
Hague 

Local  public  administration  (PP 
department) 

www.denhaag.nl 

Province 
Overijssel 

of 

Local  public  administration  (PP 
department) 

www.overijssel.nl 

Verdonck, 
Klooster 
Associates  

& 

PIANOo 

Procurement consultant 

 www.vka.nl 

up 

The Dutch PP Expertise Centre, 
set 
professionalise 
procurement and tendering in all 
government departments 

to 

www.pianoo.nl/nl 

Name 

Short description 

website 

Poland 

Fundacja  Rozwoju 
Rabka 
Regionu 
(Rabka 
Region 
Development 
Foundation) 
FRRR 

- 

with 

foundation, 
Regional  development 
dealing 
entrepreneurship 
support  programs,  loan  funds  and 
supporting the local entrepreneurship 
and community 

Izba 

Tatrzańska 
Gospodarcza 
(Tatra Chamber of 
Commerce) - TIG 

Voluntary  association  of  business 
entities  associating  companies  from 
various  industries,  not  only  from  the 
Podhale region 

Izba 
Przedsiębiorców 
Branży  Biurowo-
Szkolnej 
(Chamber 

of 

organization 

of 
Nationwide 
manufacturers, 
importers, 
distributors and dealers of stationery, 
office and school supplies, i.e. supply 
and service companies for business, 

www.frrr.pl 

www.tig.zakopane.pl 

www.ipbbs.org.pl 

160 

s
r
e
r
u
c
o
r
p

c

i
l

b
u
P

i

s
t
n
a
p
c
i
t
r
a
p

l

a
n
o
i
t
i
d
d
A

i

s
n
o
i
t
a
c
o
s
s
a
E
M
S

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Entrepreneurs  of 
the  Office  and 
School  Industry)  - 
IPBBS 

Ministerstwo 
Funduszy i Polityki 
Regionalnej 
(Ministry 
Development 
Funds 
and 
Regional  Policy)  -
MFiPR 

of 

education and science, health sector 
and government institutions 

Government  administration  office 
providing  services  to  the  Minister  of 
Development  Funds  and  Regional 
Policy  in  the  field  of  government 
regional 
administration 
development 

and 

www.gov.pl/web/funds-
regional-policy 

Agencja 

Polska 
Rozwoju 
Przedsiębiorczości 
(Polish  Agency  for 
Enterprise 
Development) 
PARP 

- 

Centrum  Unijnyh 
Projektów 
Transportowych 
(Centre 
Transport 
Projects) - CUPT 

for  EU 

and 

involved 

Agency  responsible  for  creating  a 
in 
business-friendly  environment 
Poland 
the 
implementation  of  national  and 
international  programmes  financed 
from  the  EU  structural  funds,  state 
budget and multiannual programmes 
of the European Commission 

in 

financed 

Centre supporting beneficiaries in the 
preparation  and  implementation  of 
the 
investments 
European 
(Multiannual 
Financial Framework 2007-2013 and 
2014-2020)  and 
‘Connecting 
Europe  Facility’  (CEF)  European 
Union Financial Instrument 

Funds 

the 

by 

www.en.parp.gov.pl 

www.cupt.gov.pl/en 

s
r
e
r
u
c
o
r
p

c

i
l

b
u
P

Municipality 
Wojnicz 

of 

Local public organisation 

www.wojnicz.pl 

Gorce 
Park 

National 

National public organisation, national 
park 

www.gorczanskipark.pl 

Romania 

Name 

Short description 

Website 

i

s
n
o
i
t
a
c
o
s
s
a
E
M
S

Young 
Entrepreneurs 
Patronage  in  Romania 
(PTIR) 

National 
entrepreneurs 

association 

of 

young 

www.ptir.ro 

Construction Companies 
Patronage (PSC) 

National  association  of  constructions 
entrepreneurs  

www.psc.ro 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
General 
Romanian 
(U.G.I.R.) 
Region 

Union 
of 
Industrialists 
of  West 

National employer organisation  

www.en.ugir.ro 

  Hunedoara City Hall 
s
r
e
r
u
c
o
r
p

Hunedoara 
Council  

County 

c

i
l

b
u
P

Local public administration  

www.primariahuned
oara.ro/ro 

Local public administration 

www.cjhunedoara.ro 

Hunedoara  Psychiatric 
Hospital 

Public hospital structure 

 n/a 

Sweden 

Name 

Short description 

website 

Företagarna  The  largest  SME  business  organisation  in 

www.företagarna.se 

Sweden  

ALMEGA 

Association of SMEs and large companies  

www.almega.se 

Svenskt 
Näringsliv 

Association of SMEs and large companies 

www.svensktnaringsliv.se 

i

s
n
o
i
t
a
c
o
s
s
a
E
M
S

  Sveriges 
s
r
e
r
u
c
o
r
p

Kommuner 
och Regioner 

The  national  organisation  for  local  authorities 
and regions representing all local and regional 
public procurers  

www.skr.se 

c

i
l

b
u
P

The  Swedish 
Competition 
Authority 

The supervisory body for all PP in Sweden 

www.konkurrensverket.se 

162 

 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
In person 

WITH THE EU 

All over the European Union there are hundreds of Europe Direct information centres. You can find the 
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On the phone or by email 

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Data can be downloaded and reused for free, for both commercial and non-commercial purposes.

 
 
 
 
 
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doi: 10.2873/86199 
ISBN 978-92-76-38214-0