Scottish public bodies should do more to let small business insurance holders benefit from their contracts, it has been suggested.
Finance minister John Swinney pointed out that the Scottish public sector spends around £8 billion each year on goods and services and claims they have a responsibility to support the nation's small business insurance customers.
He commented: "The public sector needs to build effective relationships with [small firms] and ensure that suppliers can quickly and easily find out about these contracting opportunities."
Mr Swinney suggested that the free Public Contracts Scotland online portal should receive more promotion, to show small business insurance holders where opportunities exist.
Furthermore, settlement terms should ensure than payments are made within 30 days to make public sector contracts more attractive to small firms, while the adoption of a suppliers' charter could strengthen business relationships.
Recently, the minister said that more companies should take advantage of the Small Business Bonus Scheme, which could help nearly 94,000 firms reduce the amount of property rates they pay.
