SMEs and regional businesses
- NSW Government wants to have more suppliers that are small to medium enterprises (SME) and regional businesses. We have policies to support this.
- We can often buy directly from you, especially if the contract is under $250,000.
- Up to $3 million, we must consider an SME first before other suppliers.
- Over $3 million, tenderers have to tell us how they’ll include SMEs and meet government priorities.
- Unsure where to start? Check out the Selling to the NSW Government Guide by the NSW Small Business Commissioner. Or get advice through Service NSW Business Connect.
We encourage SME and regional spend
NSW Government has policies in place to prioritise doing business with small or medium enterprises (SMEs) and regional businesses. To find out more, select a tile below or Expand all.
For construction contracts up to $50,000, we can buy directly from a small business.
Up to $1 million, we have to make reasonable efforts to get quotes from SMEs on the Construction Scheme for Works up to $1 Million.
Above $1 million, we ask the principal contractor to include SMEs in subcontracting opportunities.
These values exclude GST.
For non-construction contracts, we can buy directly from:
- a regional business up to $150,000
- an SME up to $250,000.
'Buying directly' means we don't need to get quotes from multiple suppliers. Up to these values, the SME or regional business doesn't need to be in one of our contracts or schemes. We must still achieve value for money.
Up to $3 million, we must first consider buying from an SME under a contract or scheme.
Over $3 million, we ask tenderers to include SMEs to deliver the contract.
These values exclude GST.
These measures are set out by:
- the SME and Regional Procurement Policy
- Procurement Board Direction PBD-2023-03.
We help you get started
To help you get started, the NSW Small Business Commissioner has created the Selling to the NSW Government Guide.
You can also access free TAFE NSW courses on how supplying to government works. The modules cover:
- getting business ready
- finding opportunities
- selling to government
- successful supplying.
Find out more at TAFE NSW Selling to government micro skill courses.
You can also get personalised business advice through Service NSW Business Connect. Business Connect provides practical advice and training for NSW small businesses.
Find business opportunities
We advertise most opportunities to supply to NSW Government on our Opportunities Hub.
To be notified of upcoming opportunities, you'll need to create a supplier profile. Sign up now.
Responding to an opportunity can involve:
- responding to a request for tender, proposal, quote or expression of interest
- applying to join a prequalification scheme.
We're making it easier to work with us
We’re working on other ways to make it easier for you to do business with us. This includes:
- simplifying contracts and using plain English
- limiting the length and complexity of tender responses
- giving as much advance notice of new procurements as possible
- reducing insurance and other requirements where we can
- making sure small business gets paid quickly – often within 5 days.