Tender subject

In your Made in Scotland supplement (“Tangle of red tape sticks in the craw”, 12 June), ­Martin Hannan set out some concerns about European Union public procurement law.

Small and medium enterprises with limited capacity and resources would have better opportunities if public contracts were not made any bigger than they needed to be.

It would also help if, wherever appropriate, public contracts were divided into bidding lots and if subcontracting opportunities were given.

The use of “green” specifications can have the side effect of making procurement opportunities attractive to companies located nearer to the purchaser.

Broader measures of overall economic attractiveness than mere lowest price can be used if they are signalled in advance.

Equality of treatment is fundamental. Discrimination against non-local companies is not and never has been acceptable.

There is no basis “under the Treaty of Rome” or anywhere else for privileging any contender.

Jim McLean

Balfour+Manson LLP

Frederick Street

Edinburgh