Consultation outcome

Purchasing goods and services: protection of small businesses

• From: Department for Business, Innovation & Skills
• Published: 24 March 2015
• Last updated: 2 February 2016 — See all updates

This consultation has concluded

Read the full outcome

Protection of small businesses when purchasing goods and services: government response

Ref: BIS/16/32

PDF, 188 KB, 27 pages

Detail of outcome

We recognise the concerns over costs and unintended consequences which many respondents raised. We will:

• consult on whether further protections are needed for micro businesses in non-regulated sectors
• ensure greater focus on the needs of small businesses through our policy statements to Ofgem and Ofwat
• ask the UK Regulators Network to consider the protections needed by small businesses across regulated sectors as part of its work in 2016
• ensure the Small Business Commissioner provides advice and information covering rights when purchasing goods and services

Feedback received

Protection of small businesses when purchasing goods and services: responses

ZIP, 3.92 MB

This file may not be suitable for users of assistive technology.

Request an accessible format.

If you use assistive technology (such as a screen reader) and need a version of this document in a more accessible format, please email enquiries@beis.gov.uk. Please tell us what format you need. It will help us if you say what assistive technology you use.

Detail of feedback received

We received 30 responses from:

• micro and small businesses
• medium and large businesses
• business and consumer representative groups
• trade bodies
• academics

There were a range of views expressed on the questions asked.

---

Original consultation

Summary

We're asking for evidence on whether micro and/or small businesses are sufficiently protected when purchasing goods and services.

This consultation ran from
12:30pm on 24 March 2015 to 11:45pm on 30 June 2015

Consultation description

We have extended the deadline for responses until 30 June 2015.

We’re asking for evidence on whether:

• the current legislative framework for the sale and supply of goods and services to micro and/or small businesses sufficiently protects them
• there’s a gap in the law

If there is evidence of a gap in the law, we would also like evidence on whether there are:

• potential impacts on costs and benefits of applying certain consumer protections to micro and/or small businesses
• other options

We are interested in hearing from:

• individual firms and their representatives
• trade bodies
• research and academic organisations
• others with experience of analysis in this area

Submissions should be backed up with strong and clear evidence to support any views offered.

Documents

Protection of small businesses when purchasing goods and services: call for evidence

Ref: BIS/15/209

PDF, 835 KB, 45 pages

Published 24 March 2015
Last updated 2 February 2016 + show all updates

1. 2 February 2016

   Added government response.

2. 11 August 2015

   Added public feedback.

3. 5 June 2015

   Deadline for responses extended unil 30 June 2015.

4. 24 March 2015

   First published.