24 Mar 2022

Complete our seventh Annual GovTech SME Survey

Complete our seventh annual GovTech SME Survey!

Today we are delighted to be launching our seventh annual GovTech SME Survey. Each year we run this survey to better understand the experiences of small businesses working in or aspiring to work in the public sector tech market. The findings from the survey are used to develop recommendations to promote GovTech innovation, ensure a smoother experience when it comes to procurement, and help improve access to the public sector market for SMEs.

Small businesses are high on the agenda for us here at techUK, it is clear to us the potential that they have to transform public service delivery and drive innovation, we want to see more SMEs selling to government and showcasing their capabilities - this ambition is evident in government too - but there are a number of barriers that need to be broken down that have been in the way of SME access to the public sector tech market for a little while now.

Last year techUK surveyed over 100 SMEs from January 2021 to March 2021.

40% of our respondents felt that the Government has acted on its commitment to helping small businesses break into the market over the last five years. While this is a considerable improvement from the year before, it is still a disappointing figure on the whole and it is clear more needs to be done. It wasn’t all bad news, and once again the Digital Marketplace was the brightest light in the survey with 65% of respondents agreeing that it has made opportunities in the public sector more open and visible to all.

Unfortunately, 92% of respondents felt that Government buyers do not have sufficient understanding of how small businesses can meet their needs – this is a very worrying statistic, and the barriers to SME access to the market remained largely unchanged. We want to help Government take advantage of the innovative nature of SMEs and it is evident that the public sector has a huge job to do in giving SMEs more assurance that they will harness their capabilities.

Last year’s survey showed that there are signs of improvement, but these are marginal, and here at techUK we know there is still a long way to go. If the Government works with SMEs on understanding and harnessing their capabilities and recognises how SMEs can meet their needs and work to address the major challenges, then we do believe access to the market for SMEs will improve.

Which is why we have once again launched our annual GovTech SME Survey, continuing our efforts to encourage Government to work effectively with SMEs and with their best interests at heart, working to drive the next leap forward in access to the public sector technology market for SMEs.

If you are an SME working in or aspire to work in the public sector, you can complete the survey here and help us understand your experiences and generate recommendations for Government.