The role of training in dismantling barriers to sme participation in public procurement

Abstract

This paper examines entry barriers to involvement in public procurement of small and medium-sized enterprises and the role of training in dismantling those barriers. We find that firms' perceptions of barriers are of five main types. Regression analysis shows that a lack of ongoing training is associated with SMEs' perceptions of resource constraints and practical skills that hinder their participation in public procurement. We also observe a positive connection between a positive attitude toward training and SMEs' participation rates in public procurement. As a managerial implication, the value of training should be appraised at the firm level, and organizing training and providing information concerning public procurement could be a recommended policy to improve the SME participation rate in public procurement.

Citation

Saastamoinen, J., Reijonen, H. and Tammi, T. (2017), "The role of training in dismantling barriers to sme participation in public procurement", Journal of Public Procurement, Vol. 17 No. 1, pp. 1-30. https://doi.org/10.1108/JOPP-17-01-2017-B001