The Welsh Government has said it is making changes to the way it awards contracts to businesses to make it easier for smaller firms to win them.
Finance Minister Jane Hutt announced the changes to the Welsh public procurement policy on Tuesday and said they will help get local firms through pre-qualification to bid for public sector contracts.
The new system for procurement is called Supplier Qualification Information Database or ‘SQuID’ for short. It has now been finalised after a trial period.
Ms Hutt said: “The roll-out of SQuID will help us to break down barriers for smaller suppliers and ensure that all Welsh businesses, regardless of their size, have access to public sector contracts.
“In the last ten months the SQuID approach has helped Wales based businesses to win 45 of the 67 construction contracts or framework places awarded, potentially worth £755m. Welsh business is now winning two-thirds of all construction awards compared to only one third in 2010, a major boost to the economy.
“Employment and economic growth remain top of Welsh Government priorities. How we use our annual £4.3 billion public procurement expenditure has a profound impact on Welsh jobs, and that is why we will work continuously to ensure our processes deliver real value for money.”