Government Operations committee  We were already planning a meeting.

Government Operations committee  No. We haven't supplied it to them yet. As I was saying, we haven't published this data yet. This is the first time.

Government Operations committee  They already have it.

Government Operations committee  Yes, it's never an easy thing.

Government Operations committee  It's tough to get information out to small and medium-sized companies. We have in the past worked with OSME in trying to get information out, and with other business organizations. The big thing that came out of our research was that small businesses say that you have to go to 20 to 30 different sites to figure out where the RFPs are, and that just having governments working together to maybe create one central repository where they can go and get the information they need....

Government Operations committee  I would love to see a lot more detail around it. It's the first time we've heard that kind of information. I know that's partly because we've been pushing hard to get that kind of information out of OSME, so I'm glad to hear that they're actually looking at the value a little bit better.

Government Operations committee  The idea of the OSME is something we support. We were actually part of the launch of the OSME because we believe there is some necessity for an outreach to small and medium-sized companies so they can better understand that process. So I do think part of the problem is that they are not well understood; they are not well known.

Government Operations committee  Yes, we have met with the ombudsman a few times. We are feeling very optimistic about the role of the ombudsman and what the ombudsman might be able to achieve. Unfortunately it took a long time to get into place. I think they're still trying to get it properly set up, but we are hopeful.

Government Operations committee  No.

Government Operations committee  No, it probably wouldn't make a huge difference.

Government Operations committee  One of our questions and something we have been pushing for a long time has to do with the idea of data accumulation and understanding what kind of information is being used to make the policy decisions they are making. When it comes to small business, it's not well understood.

Government Operations committee  I'd direct it to whoever could answer the question most completely.

Government Operations committee  I was simply trying to understand what sort of data are being used. You talked about 48% of the value of the business coming from SMEs. I'm trying to understand where that 48% is coming from. How do they define that 48% as coming from SMEs? Do they actually ask the businesses how many employees they have when they are accumulating the contracts?

Government Operations committee  The second. The second study was conducted in 2005 and the other one in 2008. However, the first one was not a survey: it was a statement of principles.

Government Operations committee  I couldn't answer on the foreign sales. We do know that our members are certainly involved much more in exporting, and that includes to other governments. We know that this is a growing part of the business. I couldn't tell you whether or not they're using OSME for that particular aspect of learning about it.