The Highland Council's Relationship With Small Businesses In The Highlands

The Highland Council’s Audit and Scrutiny Committee is eager to help small businesses overcome barriers they say they encounter in bidding for council contracts.

The Committee has set up a working group to interview businesses and recommend how the Council’s tender process can be changed to make it easier for small businesses.

Committee chair, Councillor David Alston said: “As individual councillors, we often hear it said that small, local businesses find it difficult to secure contracts to provide goods or services to the Council. Many different explanations are given, including the need for high public liability insurance or excessive bureaucracy. But it is difficult to distinguish what is fact and what is myth.
 
“We want to get to the bottom of this issue and hear directly from small businesses who feel that there have been unnecessary problems which have prevented them bidding for contracts.
 
“A working group of the committee is taking evidence from business people. We are interested in hearing from anyone who wants to share their experience and is interested in helping the Council to improve its procedures. I would ask anyone who feels they can contribute to contact me at The Highland Council.

“If the committee feels that significant improvements can be made, we will make recommendations to the Council – and this will benefit the Council, local businesses and, most importantly, the people of the region who use our services.”