Jersey businesses asked for their views on Government procurement
Scrutiny
14 February 2025
The Public Accounts Committee has, this morning, launched an online survey as part of its ongoing review into Government procurement. The PAC is seeking the views of Jersey businesses – both those which are registered Government suppliers and those that are not – on the systems and structures in place when tendering for public sector contracts.As part of its remit, the PAC is committed to examining the current procurement processes and whether they achieve value for money for taxpayers and Government services. This may include major capital and strategic projects, consultancy work or the provision of goods and services to Government.
The Committee announced its review in June 2024 following concerns raised by businesses after the Government switched its payment system to SAP Ariba in late 2023. The PAC has been gathering evidence for several months and has received submissions from Government officials and business organisations.
Recently, the Committee held a public Hearing with representatives from Jersey’s Institute of Directors, Construction Council and Chamber of Commerce. During that Hearing, the PAC was told that many businesses were dissatisfied with the Government’s procurement processes and that several had made the decision not to apply for public tenders in the future as a result. The Committee was also told that several businesses felt unable to raise their concerns for fear of being rejected for future contracts.
Chair of the PAC, Deputy Inna Gardiner said: 'Since launching our review, the Committee has heard conflicting reports about the successes and challenges of the procurement processes from those in Government and business representatives.
'Having received a lot of anecdotal evidence that there appear to be major issues with engagement with the Government, especially from small- and medium-sized businesses, we believe it is important that we hear directly from businesses that are Government providers to gather their experiences of the process.
'Equally, we feel it is important that we hear from those companies which are not currently Government suppliers – whether they have previously held Government contracts but do not anymore, whether they have applied for public sector tenders and been unsuccessful or whether they have never engaged with the procurement process – to understand their reasons for not working with Government.'
The survey, which can be found on the States Assembly website, is being conducted on an anonymous basis, with the results forming part of the PAC’s final report, in which recommendations for improvements to the procurement operation will be made.
Deputy Gardiner added: 'In order to ensure our recommendations are as strong as they can be, it is important that we carry out this survey independently from Government or business organisations to ensure the best possible responses and we would like to encourage as many Jersey companies as possible to take part.
'A large part of Jersey’s economy is built on small, local businesses and we want to ensure that the systems in place work well for them and that our final report brings those voices to Government.'
A link to the survey can be found here. For more information about the PAC’s review and its terms of reference, visit the States Assembly website here.
The closing date for the survey is Friday 14 March.
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