Background
The Micro, Small and Medium enterprises (MSME) sector is critical to the development and growth of any economy: not only does it account for a large percentage of the employed labour force, but it is also a large contributor to Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Despite its significance, the enterprises within the sector have been affected by its share of challenges. Public procurement is one particular area where MSMEs face significant challenges. MSMEs often lack the resources and technical know-how to participate in public bids, as such, MSMEs often times refrain from participating in public procurement tenders. Additionally, public procurement enterprises purchase a wide variety of goods and services from the private sector which account for a large spend of the public sector budget on an annual basis. Consequently, due to the foregoing limitations many local suppliers are missing out on opportunities to bid for these tenders.