By Naomi Yamamoto
Minister of State for Tourism and Small Business

Small business has been clear when it comes to what would help them sell more goods and services to government - level the playing field so small businesses could apply and compete for work.

That's why, as B.C.'s Minister of State for Tourism and Small Business, I was pleased to launch the two-page, short-form request for proposals (SRFP) on April 1, 2014, making it easier for small businesses to sell to government.

Over the past year, I have spoken to many small business owners and representatives of small business. These owners and representatives told me they needed an easier way for them to bid on government work. That makes sense. For example, in the past an environmental consultant would typically have to sit down and review about 18 pages of terms and conditions just to understand the business opportunity. Some RFPs were as long as 80 pages. Thanks to these changes, the RFP is reduced to two pages. .

This form was developed by our government through extensive consultations - 14 sessions with 273 with vendors, ministry and broader public-sector staff. There was one goal - make it easier for business to sell to government.

The simplified form is really a 'smart form' - a fillable, online PDF document that has built-in rules. These rules provide better consistency in the experience for vendors and ministries.

One of the six key principles of our government's Small Business Accord is to reduce barriers to government's procurement process. The short-form RFP is also helping achieve the Small Business Accord goal of making British Columbia the most small-business friendly jurisdiction in Canada.

Small business is a key economic driver in our province. As over one million people own, operate or work for a small business, it's important that government create long-term growth opportunities for small business. The new form is part of that.

I encourage you to learn more about the two-page, short-form request for proposals by visiting: www.gov.bc.ca/SRFP