On September 24-25, in Manama, CLDP led a workshop and focus group on government tendering in cooperation with the Bahrain Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Tourism (MOICT), Bahrain Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the American Chamber of Commerce in Bahrain, Bahrain Businesswomen Society and several government contracting agencies. The workshop focused on Bahrain’s recent reforms to promote set-aside programs for small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Such programs aim to set aside a set percentage of public contracts to be awarded exclusively to SMEs. The workshop was the fourth meeting led by CLDP and MOICT, and largely focused on electronic procurement mechanisms and online registry to move forward on the pilot program to promote the use of SMEs in public procurement. In implementing the pilot program, MOICT has considered incorporating many of CLDP’s recommendations, including creating a small business oversight body, online registration system, and online advertising platforms that are similar. While the pilot program is expected to be launched in early 2019 for three government agencies, CLDP expects to continue to provide technical assistance on SME procurement reform to help make small business set-aside programs a reality.