The announcement comes as the Government publishes a New National Procurement Policy Statement. 

Maggie Berry, OBE, has spent her career helping diverse-owned SMEs to sell their services and products into the global corporate supply chain. In this new role, she will be leading the small business support platform’s procurement and supplier-ready programme strategy as the act opens up new opportunities for growth for the UK’s small business community.

Maggie, who was awarded an OBE in 2019 in recognition of her services to women in business and technology, was most recently director at London’s Heart of the City, an organisation that works with SMEs to help them to develop responsible businesses that benefit their own community. Before that she was Europe-wide executive director for WEConnect International, a global organisation championing supplier diversity in procurement.

The UK Procurement Act 2023 comes into force on February 24 and pledges to remove some of the bureaucratic barriers that have so far prevented SMEs from bidding for and winning government contracts. It heralds a fresh approach that will see SMEs inject innovation, sustainability and expertise into the public sector supply chain, as well as using their agility to solve public sector problems.

Maggie believes demonstrating social value will play a key role in the procurement process going forward, with the adoption of the 'most advantageous tender' approach, which allows for wider considerations in purchasing decisions such as social value and sustainability as well as cost and quality. SMEs will be well placed to show their positive impact on improving the social, economic, and environmental well-being in the communities where they operate.

Emma Jones, CBE, founder and CEO of Enterprise Nation, said: “Maggie has been a champion for SME supplier diversity for more than a decade and deeply understands the benefits that opening contracts to a broader range of suppliers can bring. 

“Accessing public sector work can act like a growth accelerator for SMEs. Government contracts are solid and reliable and pay within 30 days. They help SMEs develop and invest in new processes, products and efficiencies, as well as take on more staff in their local community.

"By seeing Government procurement through this lens, opening up contracts to more diverse and community-based businesses will be a very powerful way to deliver economic growth.

“Maggie is going to help us build alliances and develop supplier-ready programmes that champion the power of small businesses.”

Enterprise Nation has been instrumental in delivering pioneering supplier support with programmes like the SME Supplier Eco-system Programme with Deloitte, helping talented digital firms access life-changing opportunities to grow their business sustainably. It has also been part of a consortium of supply chain experts, regional business leaders and procurement specialists delivering support to open up fresh opportunities for businesses in the West Midlands, on behalf of the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA). 

Maggie said: “It’s an exciting time to be working in this sector with a world of opportunity opening up for the SME community and Enterprise Nation going full steam ahead to make sure it’s a success.

“What needs to happen next is to build a dynamic and healthy pipeline of SMEs that are ready to supply with all the right products and services and that can meet all the criteria. But we also need procurement people or economic buyers to be open and willing to buy differently and have the confidence to buy from an SME.

“Another key element is going to be visibility. To get involved, SMEs will need visibility on what those opportunities are. There's also going to be much more openness about what is being purchased, what stage the business is at and the broader pipeline - so preparing ahead and being ready will be crucial.

“The gap for government and its strategic suppliers is that they don't always know where to find the SMEs with the right skills.

“This will be a key part of my work with Enterprise Nation – helping SMEs to be ready and to ensure buyers know where they are, providing a significant impact on the economy.”

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