The Department for Transport (DfT) has committed to spending a third of its procurement budget with SMEs by 2022.
Under its SME Action Plan the department explains how we will contribute towards the Government’s aspiration that 33% of procurement spend will be with SMEs by March 2022.
DfT is embedding the measures set out in the Procurement Policy Notice (PPN) 0118 to help level the playing field for smaller business.
Transport minister Jo Johnson said: 'With this new action plan, we are leading by example by making it easier for these businesses to bid for contracts, and we will continue to support them over the coming years.'
The DfT also awarded £700,000 in Transport Technology Research Innovation Grants (T-TRIG) to support innovative transport projects, including a universal train access ramp that would help disabled people board trains more easily across the network.
Out of 23 innovative transport projects given a share of £700,000, 14 were from small and medium-sized enterprises with fewer than 250 members of staff.
These projects include:
- a system to encourage uptake of electric taxis by providing live information on charge points for electric private hire vehicles
- an app (Signly) that improves communication and passenger experience for people who use sign language
- developing software to improve the use of airspace and reduce commercial flight times
T-TRIG funds organisations with innovative early-stage UK transport projects, and has already provided a total of around £2m of innovation funding since its launch in 2014.
For the full list of winners click here.
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