Nadia Morris, executive director of the Public Procurement Commission, says the entity will be rolling out the MSME Procurement Integration Project island-wide during the first quarter of the 2026-27 financial year, which begins in April.

The project will highlight the Public Procurement (Set-Asides) Order, 2019, and enable more owners of micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) to benefit from this policy framework, which guarantees MSMEs 20 per cent of the allocation of public procurement opportunities.

She made the announcement while delivering remarks at the Small Business Association of Jamaica (SBAJ) public meeting on March 26 at Exim Bank Jamaica in St Andrew.

Four co-partners in public procurement

The PPC partnered with the SBAJ to host the public meeting in observance of World Sustainable Procurement Day, in an effort to empower MSMEs as well as increase their capacity building on public procurement-related matters. Other partner organisations which played key roles in this event were the Ministry of Finance and the Public Service; the Ministry of Industry, Investment and Commerce; and the Development Bank of Jamaica (DBJ).

The SBAJ public meeting saw in excess of 150 MSMEs participate face-to-face in the World Sustainable Public Procurement Day event, while scores joined virtually.

Objectives of the MSME Procurement Integration Project

Morris outlined that The MSME Procurement Integration Project will:

• Simplify and streamline the supplier registration process to reduce administrative barriers for small businesses.
• Establish and maintain a verified database of MSME suppliers, enabling procuring entities to easily identify eligible businesses when applying the Set-Asides provisions.
• Provide targeted training and outreach to equip MSMEs with the knowledge and tools required to successfully compete for government contracts; and
• Strengthen monitoring and compliance mechanisms to ensure effective utilisation of the Set-Asides framework across ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs).

PPC Roadshows for MSMEs

“The PPC will collaborate with its public sector partners represented here today – the Ministry of Finance and the Public Service; the Ministry of Industry, Investment and Commerce; and the Development Bank of Jamaica – in implementing the MSME Procurement Integration Project. Roadshows across the island will build awareness on and explain the Public Procurement (Set-Asides) Order, 2019, and how MSMEs can benefit,” the PPC executive director disclosed.

“Those Roadshows will start during the first quarter of the Financial Year 2026-2027. You will be hearing more about the itinerary for those shows within a month.”

Reform of the Supplier Registration System

The PPC is also advancing reform at another level of its operations. Morris also announced that the commission has submitted to the Cabinet proposals for further improvements to the Supplier Registration System (SRS).

“That process is at the Cabinet stage. The concept paper was approved by the Ministry of Finance, and we are now on the way to Cabinet to have those changes effected in legislation as well.”

Flurry of applications for PPC registration certificates

Meanwhile, despite the adverse impact of Hurricane Melissa on some businesses in western Jamaica, applications for PPC Registration Certificates remain buoyant. The number of applications moved from 880 in financial year 2023-24, to 959 in financial year 2024-25, and is set to leap beyond 1,000 at the end of the financial year 2025-2026. The PPC executive director shared the data during the SBAJ public meeting.

Driving positive & meaningful impact

Morris appealed to participants in the SBAJ public meeting to use the event “as a shared learning experience, and a platform for driving positive and meaningful impact” in procurement and in the economy.

She underlined the importance of the event in empowering MSMEs, who comprise 97.6 per cent of all registered, tax-paying businesses in Jamaica.

Navigating public procurement challenges

Meanwhile, SBAJ president Garnet Reid welcomed the staging of the public meeting as an effective step in engaging MSMEs, while highlighting and explaining public procurement opportunities available to them. He was delighted that the meeting allowed MSMEs to identify specific gaps in their capacity to pursue government contracts. He believed the owners and operators of micro, small and medium-sized businesses got the opportunity and necessary information to begin to navigate procurement challenges. 

Reid said he looked forward to more stakeholder engagements between the PPC and the SBAJ.