The ARC supports small business participation in the Australian Government procurement market. Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) and Small Enterprise participation statistics are available on the Department of Finance website, www.finance.gov.au > Procurement > Statistics.
The ARC recognises the importance of ensuring that small businesses are paid on time. The results of the Australian Government Payments to Small Business Performance Report are available on the Treasury website, www.treasury.gov.au > Publications > Australian Government Payments to Small Business Performance Report 2014.
The ARC employs a number of procurement practices to support SMEs including:
- use of standard contract templates with clear and simple language
- use of electronic payment systems to facilitate on-time payment
- encouraging credit card use to expedite payments
- utilising Supply Nation, a non-profit organisation established to grow the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander business sector by promoting supplier diversity in Australia
- reporting against the Indigenous Procurement Policy on the number of contracts, contract values and expenditure for all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander SMEs.