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SMEs call for more state contracts
■ Small businesses are still struggling to win public sector contracts despite the government’s efforts to make it easier, the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) said yesterday. Its survey showed 40 per cent of firms want the tendering process to be simplified, while 41 per cent of firms who bid for contracts failed to secure any business at all. The FSB argued that while the government has made improvements including the new “contract finder” website, a cultural change across the public sector is needed to help more small firms.