Problems with a tender? Check the SME Concordat

We've had some great responses from my request for suggestions on a code of practice, including references to a variety of existing codes produced by assorted professional bodies and trade associations. I'll be reviewing all the material soon and putting something together - my aim will be to cover only those issues that are 'special' to the way people do business over the internet in our sector rather than more generic consultancy engagement issues.

The level of response we get to our requests for help is one of the nicest things about running Skillfair, so at the risk of asking once too often I want to see if any of you can give us (and yourselves of course) a bit of a helping hand with PR.

We're really pleased with the new map-based Consultant Tracker but would like to get it more widely known, particularly in the local press, but as you may know local newspapers are generally only interested in locally based businesses. If you service local small businesses then we'd like you to contact your local paper highlighting the fact that you're now 'on the map' - for a suggested email to the editor please click here.

If you don't target local businesses we're also interested in quotes from our consultants that we can use either on the site or in press releases, if you can help with that then please get in touch.

We get some pretty specialist requests coming through Skillfair, this week we're looking for a Japanese Speaking Recruitment Consultant, if you know anyone who could help, please pass this email on to them or email us with their details.

These are just a small and rather random selection of the projects on the site this week, if you don't get daily alerts you will be missing out on many others.

Direct Client Development of commercial software product C++, Gloucester
Community Vision exercise, Tayside
Client Web Site Advice on Business Transformation Aspirations,Yorkshire and Humberside
Economics Training, United Kingdom
Supply of Games on Freeview TV platform, United Kingdom
Website Redevelopment, Eastern England
Business Advice Services, Scotland
Photography workshop facilitators , North West England
Client Web Site Consultant Services for ITIL Process, West Midlands
Marketing/Branding Strategy , North West England
Funding and policy consultant, United Kingdom
Open Spaces, Sport and Recreation Study , East Midlands
Coaching Supervisor Training, United Kingdom
SAP IT Consultancy,Overseas
Client Web Site Capacity Building Support for Economic Regeneration Service , East Midlands
Telephony and Network support, South West
OJEU Consultation Research, Greater London
OJEU Advertising and Media Buying, South Coast
OJEU Healthcare Technology Consultants, North East England
OJEU Strategic Facilities Management Procurement Consultancy , London
OJEU Training Transformation for Intelligence Centre, Eastern England

On the subject of Codes of Conduct, it's worth my pointing out that Skillfair doesn't have any direct contact with the clients involved in tenders published on the site - that's the projects that are labelled OJEU or Client Web Site - so we're not in a position to insist that these clients follow any kind of code. However, all public sector organisations should have a published procurement policy and many sign up to something called the SME Concordat which sets out small business friendly practices that councils and other bodies should adhere to.

If you feel a tender has been badly handled then it's worth checking the organisation's web site to see what their policy is and whether they have contravened the concordat (if they have signed up to it).

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