Regional small and medium businesses (SME) are reminded to register on the NSW Government Supplier Hub at buy.nsw.gov.au to be notified of NSW Government contract opportunities.

Late last year Barwon MP Roy Butler appealed to the State Government for a third of its spend with small and medium business to hit the regions, as a reflection of its population and business activity.

Over $10 billion was spent with small and medium businesses (SME) in the 2023-24 financial year.

Twenty-nine per cent of SMEs are in rural, regional and remote areas, but in answer to his question in Parliament, Mr Butler discovered regional SME received 16 per cent of the procurement contracts.

Mr Butler believes the 'funding' needs to be equitably allocated.

"One third of the population of NSW lives in Regional NSW, and businesses in regional areas need to have fair access to public funding," he said. 

"I want to ensure that the businesses in regional NSW have at least 33% of this funding. I am seeking a commitment from the NSW Government that this is the case."

However a spokesperson for Minister for Domestic Manufacturing and Government Procurement, Courtney Houssos, clarified that the amount was for value-for-money procurement, not a grant funding exercise.

"This is not a grants program or targeted funding," the response said.

"Government contracts are awarded to suppliers based on value-for-money to ensure the efficient, effective and economical use of taxpayer dollars.

"The NSW Government has committed to increasing spend with local small businesses and making it easier for small businesses to win government contracts."

These measures included easing insurance requirements for small businesses going for contracts and raising the threshold where agencies government agencies can directly contract small and medium businesses from $150,000 to $250,000.