The Government is taking steps to fulfil a promise to include more micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) in the multi-billion-dollar public sector procurement process.

“For the upcoming financial year, we will also advance the implementation of the Public Procurement (Set Asides) Framework which allows portions of Government procurement to be reserved for Jamaican suppliers, including micro and small enterprises,” Finance and the Public Service Minister Fayval Williams said Tuesday during her opening contribution to the 2026-2027 Budget Debate in the House of Representatives.

Emphasising that the Government remains committed to ensuring that MSMEs benefit meaningfully from public procurement opportunities, Williams explained that the Government, in partnership with the Public Procurement Commission (PPC), “will establish and maintain a verified list of qualifying MSME suppliers to enable procuring entities to easily identify eligible businesses when applying the Set Asides provisions”.

“Once this system is operational, the ministry will issue a renewed directive to public bodies mandating utilisation of the Set Asides Order, with special emphasis on micro enterprises with annual turnover below $15 million and small enterprises with turnover between $15 million and $75 million,” the finance minister said.

Williams told the House that the ministry will continue working with the PPC to simplify and streamline the supplier registration system so that businesses can more easily enter the public procurement marketplace.

“These initiatives will ensure that Government procurement not only delivers value for money but also serves as a powerful tool for inclusive economic growth by opening more opportunities for Jamaican entrepreneurs to supply goods and services to the Government,” said Williams.

The finance minister pointed out that while it was never repealed, the systems mentioned in the Government’s circular are not operational.

“Now that the Public Procurement Commission maintains a registry, I have already discussed with them taking over the role of verifying qualifying suppliers and maintaining the list of qualified MSMEs,” she shared.

Williams also noted that there will be a need for some website/software changes and the PPC will likely need some additional budgetary support to execute the changes.

She said it was possible to get this done in the upcoming fiscal year.

The Public Procurement (Set Asides) Order 2019 defines a medium enterprise as having a turnover of between $75 million and $425 million, a micro enterprise as having a turnover of less than $15 million, and small enterprises between $15 million and $75 million.

“I wholeheartedly believe we need to give plenty of hand-holding assistance to entities with turnover below $75 million to help them to navigate the complexities of the Government’s procurement system. The good news is, no amendments are needed to the Act. It is the operationalisation of the Act and Regulations to which we must attend with haste. The SMEs can wait no longer,” Williams declared.

“Greater access to the Government’s billions of dollars of procurement, in line with the Procurement Act, Regulations and Circulars, will shortly open up more widely to MSMEs. It is crucial that this happens,” she added.

The commission has already begun engaging business associations of MSMEs to guide their members through the supplier registration process. A series of targeted engagements will continue to assist entrepreneurs in completing registration and understanding how to compete effectively for Government contracts.