A free online public procurement course designed to help smaller firms bid for the £220 billion of public sector contracts awarded each year was today launched jointly by Small Business Minister Lord Davies and the Chief Secretary to the Treasury Liam Byrne.

The course, ‘Winning the Contract’, shows participants how to identify business opportunities to supply goods and services to the public sector, explains the public procurement process, and demonstrates how to submit tenders. It has helpful hints and tips to guide and inform businesses on the bidding process, and where to find public sector contract opportunities.

Trade, Investment and Small Business Minister Lord Davies said:

“Small and medium-sized businesses already sell their goods and services to the public sector, but many more could do so. Opening up public sector procurement to a wider range of suppliers provides new opportunities for small businesses as the UK economy heads towards growth.”

Chief Secretary to the Treasury Liam Bryne, MP said:

"Small and medium-sized businesses are the engine-room of our economy. We want them to harness the spending power of government to grow their businesses and create jobs. This new free course will help those businesses to compete effectively for government contracts, locking in the recovery and strengthening businesses throughout the country."

Winning the Contract is a nationally available online training course which all businesses, regardless of size and sector, can access free of charge. It is part of a series of joint initiatives by the Office of Government Commerce and Department for Business, Innovation and Skills aimed at making the procurement market clearer and simpler.

Businesses can register to access the ‘Winning the Contract’ course by clicking through to learndirect on the Business Link website at www.businesslink.gov.uk/procurement.