The following appeared as a Platform Piece by the Ulster Unionist Party's economy spokesperson, Sandra Overend MLA, in the Newsletter on Tuesday 24th September 2013

Today the Ulster Unionist Party will propose the first motion on the subject of the economy during this term of the Assembly. We would of course have preferred not to have to wait a number of weeks to get to the point where we are finally debating what is meant to be the number one priority of the Programme for Government.

We have chosen to focus on the issue of public procurement. This is because how the government spends money on goods, services and infrastructure projects is a key driver of the economy. The new Finance Minister has set out that public sector reform will be central to his thinking during his time in office and therefore he must set out the actions he intends to take to improve public procurement.

The scale of this area should not be underestimated with an annual spend in the region of £3 billion; the equivalent of 26% of departmental budgets.  The Ulster Unionist Party is unapologetically pro indigenous businesses,  and we want to see our local small and medium sized enterprises benefitting from improved access to public procurement contracts. Small business is the lifeblood of our economy and we believe that we need to keep as much of this money as possible in the Northern Ireland economy.

There are specific criticisms of the current system. Whilst figures from the Department of Finance and Personnel are at first glance encouraging, much more detail is needed to provide a fuller picture of how local SMEs are accessing this significant market. Inconsistency in how contracts are tendered across the board remains a concern. Research currently being taken forward by the Federation of Small Business will be important in informing this debate but DFP and their Centres of Procurement Expertise must ensure that they are applying processes and procedures consistently.

We must maintain a watchful eye on the bureaucracy which accompanies the tendering for government contracts. This of course ties in with the fact that many of the rules and procedures are passed down from Europe. This is an aspect which Ulster Unionist MEP Jim Nicholson has been raising repeatedly in Brussels. However we can and should be working to mitigate this at a devolved level also, for example, the Minister should be working to simplify paperwork as well as providing clear guidance and training.

Ulster Unionists also believe that small business needs to have a central role in how we develop procurement processes. Input into decision making is a key consideration. The Minister must ensure that the voice of small business is heard at the right time and in the right forums so they are able to influence policy and reform effectively.

We must consider the work on-going in the other devolved regions and the role of the National Development Finance Agency Centre of Expertise in the Republic of Ireland. Continuous development is necessary and the Ulster Unionist Party will play its part in ensuring that the needs of our local small and medium sized business are prioritised.