The new initiative from Scottish Procurement Alliance (SPA) will see a series of regional events delivered across Scotland, designed to directly engage micro businesses and SMEs and help them better understand how to win public sector contracts.

It comes as growing numbers of smaller firms remain locked out of public sector work, not through lack of capability, but because of limited awareness and confidence in how to access opportunities and complete procurement processes.

Lesley Peaty, regional director at the Scottish Procurement Alliance, said: “There is no shortage of businesses that can deliver this work, but too many are still sitting outside the system, often because they don’t know where to start or assume it is not open to them.

“This roadshow is about changing that perception, giving businesses a clear and practical understanding of how procurement works and demonstrating that these opportunities are both accessible and achievable.”

Launching on 24th April in West Dunbartonshire, the Dynamic Purchasing Systems (DPS) Roadshow will provide direct, practical guidance on how public sector procurement works and what businesses need to do to compete.

Rather than expecting businesses to navigate procurement processes themselves, the roadshow will take that process directly into local communities, providing in-person support and guidance tailored to firms that would not typically engage with public sector opportunities.

The first event in Clydebank has been positioned to attract businesses from across the wider West Dunbartonshire area, with further locations to follow throughout the year.

To maximise reach, SPA is working with organisations already embedded within the SME landscape, including the Supplier Development Programme, Business Gateway and local authority economic development teams, alongside Trusted Trader networks and community groups to ensure the programme connects with businesses at a grassroots level.

Businesses attending the roadshow will have the opportunity to engage directly with procurement specialists, ask questions and gain a clearer understanding of how to access live opportunities, with previous engagement activity of this kind already generating strong interest from SMEs across Scotland.

SPA expects the programme to build momentum as it rolls out, with further regional announcements to follow and a longer-term ambition to create a more open and accessible procurement landscape where businesses of all sizes feel able to participate.

Interested parties can register here for the first event.