Figure 2.
The diagram presents five grouped factors. Selection criteria include lowest price, provide references, financial criteria, overly specific project requirements, outcome ambiguity, and safety and security. Project attractiveness includes risk-reward imbalance, high preparation cost and bureaucracy, poor timing and strict deadlines, clients risk avers behaviours, lack of interaction with client, no binding volumes in contracts, and size and duration. Problematic procedures include non-competitive procedures, company size requirements, incomplete information, and rigidity in rules and policies. Internal obstacles include lack of competences regarding tendering, lack of resources, lack of information network, and lack of access and network with the contracting authority. External obstacles include company qualification requirements, providing references, procurement process, rules and procedures, lack of supplier-buyer interaction and subject matter knowledge, and security screening. These factors connect to limited S M E participation in public tendering and limited S M E success in public tendering.Impeding factors in small and medium-sized enterprises success in public tenders