Clients 'too terrified' of EU procurement rules, says Cable

摘要

Vince Cable has criticised public sector clients for shutting out SMEs from taxpayer-funded construction work as they are "too terrified" of European procurement rules. Speaking at the National Federation of Builders' annual conference in London last week, the business secretary said public sector clients were issuing overly-bureaucratic tenders that effectively preclude SMEs out of a "misplaced" fear of contravening European rules. "They don't need to act like that," Cable said. He also acknowledged that the government's green construction policy, the Green Deal, had "got off to a very slow start" and "needs energising" although he did not go into specifics. On housing, Cable said the government was right to focus on boosting the private ownership market through policies like Help to Buy, but admitted this was causing "a problem of affordability".