Cleaning, IT, textile and furniture suppliers could soon get a large slice of the government's lucrative spending pie when the cabinet approves its small enterprise service delivery programme next week.

It has finalised a list of 10 products which will be bought from small and micro-enterprises (SMMEs) in an attempt to boost their fortunes and stimulate the sector, Trade and Industry minister Mandisi Mpahlwa told reporters at a briefing in Pretoria yesterday.

This targeted procurement plan would also force the state to pay its suppliers within 30 days.

Small suppliers have in the past shied away from government contracts because of its inability to settle accounts promptly.

While Mpahlwa would not release the list of products and services before it was approved by the cabinet next week, it is expected to include cleaning services, clothing and textiles, advertising, travel, IT and furniture products.

PRESIDENT Thabo Mbeki chastised business leaders in Johannesburg at the weekend during a high-powered presidential imbizo in Gauteng, demanding they shape up and "provide leadership" if the problems facing small, medium, and micro enterprises were to be properly addressed.

Mbeki, flanked by a bevy of senior cabinet ministers and provincial politicians including Gauteng premier Mbazima Shilowa and Johannesburg mayor Amos Masondo, criticised business leaders for not displaying the "type of leadership" required to address challenges raised by individual business owners.

"You are called stakeholders because of the positions that you occupy," Mbeki said. "I get worried because I will be in Soweto and I know pretty well what people there will say about jobs, and one would expect that," he said.

TenderInfo reports on all aspects of business promotion and development including assistance schemes and BBBEE opportunities as well as tenders. Here is a great opportunity for Free International Standards Business Development Assistance!!

PUM, a Dutch organisation that facilitates expert business development missions to South Africa offers assistance that spans across most of the economy.

Widespread business aspects to meet changing needs are covered and free assistance is provided.
Small to medium enterprises carry the local operational cost for accommodation.
The qualifying selection criteria are:
- Being in existence for longer than two years and being statutory compliant;
- Have a staff complement of between 10 and 1 000 employees;
- Turnover should not exceed R500 million.
For the greater Gauteng and Johannesburg areas, contact Laura van der Merwe at Tel: 011 674 2854 or lauraint@mweb.co.za

Now that the sting has been taken out of the BBBEE codes for SMEs in that they are exempted from having to implement the code, the code is good news for SMEs marketing efforts. 

MASSIVE CONCESSIONS MADE WITH NEW CODES
The new Broad Based Black Economic Empowerment (BBBEE) codes of good practice will not directly affect the vast majority of small and medium enterprises (SME’s).  Businesses with a turnover of less than R5 million will be exempted from having to implement BBBEE in their operations at all and will automatically be viewed as 75% empowered!  All start-up businesses will be viewed as 75% empowered as well.

Winning a tender could be a dream come true… but if you do not have the finances to execute the tender your dream could become a nightmare.
The National Empowerment Fund (NEF) has launched a preferential procurement funding product that offers bridging finance, asset finance or term loans to Black owned businesses (51% for existing businesses and 76% for start-ups) that