It also said that, until access is free, it was "considering options for making supply2.gov more attractive to suppliers".

Supply2.gov is privately owned by software company BIS Solutions and charges up to £750 a year for access to government tenders.

At the end of last year, PrintWeek submitted a petition to the government calling for an end to registration charges on supply2.gov, as well as calling for free training on how to tender.

In addition, we called for the simplification of the tender documentation and a better indication of initial requirements "to prevent companies wasting time and money preparing tenders when they could never meet requirements".

In response, the government said it "recognised the real concerns of SMEs when tendering for public sector contracts" and added a report commissioned in 2008 had addressed these concerns.

It said that the Office of Government Commerce (OGC) was developing guidance for procurers on how to effectively manage the supplier selection process.

"The OGC is also supporting industry-led initiatives aimed at streamlining the current accreditation landscape and will be working with procurers and accreditation service providers to promote mutual recognition of accreditation standards, where possible," the statement said.