New SME supplier hub pilot is set to unlock government contracts established by the Procurement Act
- 40% firms say they need support to become supplier ready
- 50% said they would be interested in working with government
- 23% said they’d never heard of supplier-ready training
An SME supplier hub pilot programme which aims to help UK SMEs unlock valuable public sector spend to generate SME growth, has been launched today/September 18, 2025.
Support by JPMorganChase, the initiative will build on the opportunities opened up by the Procurement Act 2023 and the £2bn additional spend on construction and housing announced by the Chancellor Rachel Reeves in the Budget.
The programme is delivered by small business support platform Enterprise Nation and business growth specialist Newable, which is the partnership behind the mentoring component of the Help to Grow: Management Course and West Midlands Combined Authority Supply Chain Transition programme of support.
The partnership has developed a digital supplier hub that will do much of the heavy lifting to connect SMEs looking to work on contracts with strategic government suppliers – as well as providing training and support to become supplier-ready.
In addition, the partnership said the delivery of a national supplier readiness training network with existing market providers including supplier diversity advocate MSDUK, global supply chain champion for female entrepreneurs WEConnect International and LGBTQ+ business network OutBritain will boost diversity in the government supply chain.
A short poll of more than 200 small firms found 40% needed support to get ready to work on government contracts, but almost a quarter (23%) said they’d never heard of supplier-ready training.
Despite this, half (51%) that had never worked on a contract before said they were keen to find out more.
Phase one of the programme will focus on preparing and supporting SMEs to work on new national procurement frameworks in food and drink, facilities management and construction with an estimated combined spend of almost £100bn.
The new supplier hub opportunities will include:
- An estimated £100 million worth of spend via a new national food and drink framework over the next four-year contract period. This will include being part of the supply chain into schools and prisons, for example [1]
- It will also help populate the Total Facilities Management Framework which will run until January 2029, with a total estimated value of £814million [2]
- £80 billion Construction Works and Associated Services framework, including Healthcare and Offsite Solutions [3]
Stephanie Mestrallet, Head of UK Philanthropy, JPMorganChase, said: “The launch of the Supply Connect platform will empower small businesses to access government contracts and make the most of the Procurement Act. We’re proud to support this platform to help strengthen the resilience and growth of small businesses across the UK. Today’s announcement builds on our firm’s £40 million investment to create opportunities for local communities and is important work to boost small business participation in the economy.”
Malcolm Cohen, Managing Director, Advice at Newable, said: “The scale and ambition of this programme of support means that we can work together with a network of strategic partners across the UK to help small and micro businesses thrive by increasing their awareness of commercial opportunities coming from government supply chains; develop skills and capacity through practical supplier-readiness training and win fresh and larger supply chain contracts with strategic government suppliers.
“The programme comes at a critical juncture for the UK economy and perfectly aligns with the Government’s priorities of boosting growth and improving the impact of public spend on SMEs.”
Maggie Berry, OBE, SME procurement lead at Enterprise Nation, said: “The Procurement Act and the enhanced investment in construction announced at the Spring Statement, has opened up a new era of opportunity in public sector spending with SMEs.
“Accessing public sector contracts can act like an accelerator for small and medium-sized businesses. Government contracts are complex, but they are solid and reliable and deliver an incentive for small businesses to invest in process and technology, create local jobs and grow.
“This supplier hub will crucially open opportunities for small businesses to be part of large frameworks that deliver billions of valuable public services on a national scale.
“This step is critical to boost local economies and generate good quality private sector jobs.”
The investment is part of JPMorgan Chase’ £40 million commitment to help drive inclusive economic growth across the UK by boosting skills and pathways to unlock quality careers.
[1] https://www.crowncommercial.gov.uk/news/new-first-of-its-kind-ccs-agreement-for-public-sector-food-procurement-goes-live
[2] https://pagabo.co.uk/news/pagabo-names-suppliers-for-new-facilities-management-framework/
[3] https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/038207-2024
ENDS
About JPMorganChase in the United Kingdom
With a legacy dating back more than 200 years, JPMorganChase has a track record of demonstrating leadership during times of both economic growth and financial instability. The firm provides £600 billion in credit and capital to nearly 4,500 medium and large companies and supports over two million retail customers. At the same time, together with its non-profit partners the firm has supported over 33,000 low income households to reduce their debt and improve their financial health, helped over 10,800 small businesses to grow their activity and placed over 9,800 individuals into apprenticeships or full and part-time employment.
The firm’s retail bank, Chase, was recently named the Official Banking Partner of the Home Nations Football Teams. The partnership supports individuals across the U.K. from low income backgrounds – providing them access to fully funded coaching qualifications and free learning tools, helping to develop transferable skills for life on and off the football pitch.
About Newable
Newable Advice implements end-to-end business support programmes for public and private sector organisations aimed at helping businesses to grow and generate social and economic impact.
About Enterprise Nation
Enterprise Nation is a business support platform and provider that delivers support to more than 800,000 businesses annually. Its aim is to help people turn their good ideas into great businesses through expert advice, events, acceleration support and networking.