Sir,

Regarding ‘MEP: Use procurement process to ‘leverage innovation’‘:

On behalf of small business innovators across Europe, I would like to congratulate MEP Malcolm Harbour for his success in getting through his report on pre-commercial procurement.

This is a fine example of the ‘think small first’ principle put into action. Traditionally, SMEs have shied away from public bids due to burdensome application procedures.

We sincerely hope that public authorities in the member states have read MEP Harbour’s report and will start applying these new procedures as soon as possible. They will go a long way in helping SMEs to compete with bigger players on an equal footing.

It goes without saying that in a context of a global economic crisis, this initiative is a powerful political tool not only to support SMEs but also to stimulate European innovation.

Johnathan Zuck

Association for Competitive Technology (ACT)