translate English to French: A possible first step was to examine the amount of the performance bond, often prohibitive for small and medium-sized enterprises, and the arrangements for bidders' conferences, which were difficult for vendors to attend unless invitations were received in good time.
On pourrait commencer par examiner le montant des garanties de bonne exécution, qui est souvent prohibitif pour les petites et moyennes entreprises, et les arrangements applicables aux conférences de soumissionnaires, sachant que les fournisseurs ont du mal à y participer s'ils ne reçoivent pas les invitations suffisamment tôt.