Small suppliers stuck outside Canberra’s ‘in-crowd’


Joseph Brookes
Senior Reporter

Small businesses feel excluded from Canberra’s “in-crowd” of suppliers and say competition mechanisms — including the Albanese government’s latest attempt — are being overlooked.

A new paper reveals the frustrations in an $80 billion annual spend, including complaints of uncompetitive panel arrangements, an opaque tender pipeline, large companies using wholly-owned subsidiaries to exploit SME exemptions, and “personal relationships” impacting contract decisions.

The objections come amid multiple procurement scandals and confirmation …

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