In an exclusive column, Emma Jones CBE discusses her work tackling late payment practices, offering practical insights to help small businesses get paid what they’re owed.
For years, I’ve championed getting more SMEs into the room where government contracts are awarded. But there’s a recurring ghost at the table – the spectre of dry, complex and often overwhelming procurement paperwork.
For many small businesses, the idea of winning a contract with the government, or any large organisation, is daunting before the work even begins. Long tender documents and one-size-fits-all requirements make it difficult from day one, as does investing time into applications that yield no feedback.
I’ve seen these realities put businesses off completely. However, technology – and more specifically, AI – has the power to change this.
Nearly 20% of business owners say they are comfortable using AI to draft a quick email. Using it for tasks like this is a great place to start, granted, but this is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to its use cases for small firms.
AI tools can now generate contract templates – from NDAs to Service Level Agreements – tailored to the legal needs of your industry. Many also allow you to upload contracts you’ve been sent, and they’ll flag clauses that deserve a second look.
The goal of everything we do at the Office of the Small Business Commissioner is simple: to free up your time and cash so you can focus on what you built your business to do. AI and automation, used wisely, are powerful allies in that mission.
- Pick wisely: There are a variety of tools out there offering contract review and generation services, and how they treat your documents will differ. Always check the privacy policy and the terms & conditions before uploading any information.
- Context is key: When generating something like a contract template, give the AI tool you’re using as much detail as possible about your project scope and your specific delivery model. The more initial context given, the better the results will be.
- Keep a human in the loop: Using AI tools will save you lots of time, but their outputs shouldn’t be taken as gospel. While they can quickly – and helpfully – pull out clauses from contracts that demand closer consideration, for example, a human still needs to read through them and make the right call.
Emma Jones CBE – Small Business Commissioner
Emma Jones advocates for SMEs in the UK, ensuring they receive the resources they need to grow. With a degree in Law and Japanese, Emma has spent the last 25 years founding and leading multiple ventures, including Enterprise Nation and StartUp Britain, before being appointed as the Small Business Commissioner for the Department for Business and Trade in June 2025.
This content is contributed by a guest author. Startups.co.uk / MVF does not endorse or take responsibility for any views, advice, analysis or claims made within this post.
