Join The Entrepreneurs Network and the Department for Business and Trade for a discussion on overcoming barriers to procurement for SMEs.

Ahead of last year's General Election, the Labour Party published its Plan for Small Business. Now in power, they are translating the ideas it set out into a Small Business Strategy with an aim of increasing productivity and growth within Britain's 5.5 million small businesses.

In light of this, as well as the recent National Procurement Policy Statement, this virtual event will bring together founders of SMEs who have bid – successfully or unsuccessfully – for public contracts. We will discuss some of the barriers facing them by exploring the following questions:

• What have you found are the key challenges in reaching new domestic markets?

• What have been your experiences dealing with public sector procurers?

• What improvements could public sector procurers, either local or central government or agencies, implement to make bidding for contracts more accessible for small businesses?

• Would you find any additional training or support helpful to enable you to bid for public contracts?

This event is for entrepreneurs with experience of government procurement.