Now the electronic postbox gives purchasing authorities the option to receive completed documents in a secure postbox on the portal. When this function is used by the contracting organisations, suppliers will be required to upload their responses through the portal.

The Quick Quote function allows purchasing authorities to distribute requests for quotation and to receive quotes through the portal. The Quick Quote function will be used for low value requirements where a full tendering approach is not required.

Scottish Government is encouraging contracting organisations to use the quick quote facility as a standard means of quotations across the Scottish public sector, explained in the user Guide. Both functions are optional to purchasing authorities and although they will be available from the end of June, some authorities may not use them immediately.

The major changes implemented by Scottish Government to bidding rules, opening up around £8bn of public service contract to companies in Scotland and has helped Capital Solutions to double profits when it was appointed as preferred bidder for public sector contracts worth more than £10m a  year.

Under previous procurement rules from the Office of Government Commerce (OGC), Scottish companies were often unable to make it on to a list of government-approved suppliers for high-value contracts, such as IT and office supplies, unless they could demonstrate they covered the whole of the UK. That was a requirement even if the contract was only for a Scottish local authority.

According to Tom Flockhart (right), who founded Capital Solutions in 1970, "We have been championing these changes for a number of years and are delighted that Scottish businesses have now been given an equal opportunity to tender for Scottish public sector contracts... Capturing a significant proportion of this [work] would enable us to further strengthen our team and work closely with other locally approved subcontractors in remote areas such as the Highlands & Islands, ensuring that other small Scottish companies also benefit."

Flockhart,  fogether with Gordon Beattie, is also co-founder of Decus, which offers a complete network security surveillance service for companies and organisations.  Current vacancies  are for network security support and security advisors.

Capital Solutions employs more than 150 staff at five locations in Scotland, and is expecting profits to reach £750,000 this year on £13.2m turnover.  It offers Scotland's small and medium-sized businesses a service providing computer systems, software, internet and e-mail connection and training, operating from its refurbished McDonald Road headquarters in Leith with offices in Glasgow, Dundee, Aberdeen and Galashiels. Who knows, Inverness could be the next Capital solution?