Suffolk Chamber of Commerce has praised a pledge by ministers to give small firms a greater chance of securing Government contracts in the future.

In 2013-14, the Government worked with SMEs on around £11.4billion-worth of investment, equal to just over a quarter (26%) of the central government budget.

Now, the Government has set a target to spend an extra £3bn a year with SMEs by 2020. increasing its spend with smaller firms to one third of the total.

Matt Hancock, Minister for the Cabinet Office and Paymaster General, said: “This is an amazing opportunity for SMEs nationwide.

“From computers to uniforms, there are so many opportunities for small businesses to work with us and I want to see more of them providing value for money for the taxpayer and benefiting from our spending,” added Mr Hancock, who is MP for West Suffolk.

John Dugmore, chief executive of Suffolk Chamber, said: “There is no doubt that the SME community is the engine of the local, regional and national economy.

“Here in Suffolk and across the East of England we see every day how hard working entrepreneurial firms make a real and lasting difference to the lives of so many people. This announcement from Westminster can only encourage that work to grow.

“The Government has much to gain from opening up public procurement to smaller businesses and we welcome the Government’s commitment to achieve this target,” he added.

“Government will need to look at its current processes and cut red tape so engaging with more small and medium businesses and the chamber locally and nationally stands ready to support Government on this agenda.”