NVT, the Scottish IT group, has beaten off global competition to land a six-figure contract to run the technology and communications for the Ryder Cup at Gleneagles next year.
It is a second high-profile international award, following the Commonwealth Games 2014 contract a year ago, for the Lanarkshire-based business which champions SME opportunities in public procurement.
Stephen Park Brown, chief executive, said: "The decisions have been made by people outside Scotland, so what is it that makes us technically competent for them but (often) not for local councils or government or large enterprises in Scotland?"
He said there was a "cultural mind-set" based on the old notion "that you won't get fired for hiring IBM", and that while the Scottish Government's new public procurement Bill was welcome, it did not go far enough in promoting the SME cause.
NVT is Scotland's biggest independent in the sector, with 90 employees at Bellshill, and is celebrating 25 years in business.
It will be the official supplier and technology services integrator to the Ryder Cup at Gleneagles, providing the infrastructure to underpin internet access, scoreboards, catering and other services needed by the event, its other supplier partners, and by 250,000 visitors over four days, and (unlike the Commonwealth Games) mainly outdoors.
"A lot of what we are doing for the Ryder Cup will be around the golf course," Mr Park Brown said. "It is a global event and there will be scrutiny on it around the world.
"We are only 40 minutes from Gleneagles but, regardless of that, we are looking to use this as a springboard to do business with other European (golf) events."
He said NVT already had some business in Finland, Australia and South Africa.
Mr Park Brown said NVT had presented to Sir Ian Wood and other members of the Scottish Government's youth unemployment group its own 'white paper' on linking public procurement with modern apprenticeships.
He said the government spent £1 billion a year on IT, but less than 10% of that went to SMEs, who could offer to create apprenticeships as part of their tender - as NVT does.
"If we spent less money abroad - and I don't mean England - with global businesses rather than locally with Scottish companies, we believe the IT sector alone could create 6000 new jobs inside 36 months."
He said a recent NVT tender for a local authority contract had built in the guarantee of three to five modern apprenticeships linked to the work and then made permanent.
"We came second to a global business - I don't know what was in their tender."
Mr Park Brown said the proposed procurement reforms should go further.
He said: "I think they have to link the procurement directly to local jobs."
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