The deadline has been extended for medium-sized business owners to complete and return surveys on their needs and requirements to the Bermuda Small Business Development Corporation (BSBDC).

The initiative was launched in June by Finance Minister Paula Cox and Michelle Khaldun, general manager of the BSBDC, along with Craig Bridgewater, partner, and Allison Pedro, manager, both from KPMG Advisory Ltd., who will be conducting the survey, and Stephen Todd, president of the Chamber of Commerce, who will be backing the census.

Ms Pedro said 105 out of 420 companies had replied to the survey, but the time by which responses had to be back had been pushed back to the end of the first week of September in a bid to elict more replies.She said that some businesses had been proactive in getting their surveys in, but others had struggled to answer all of the questions - however, she added that they did not need to complete every part of the questionnaire.

"The survey can be can be fully or partially completed," she said."I think the incentive is "I think the incentive is that they are actually setting up a unit to support these businesses."It does not cost them anything to have something established that they can go to."The survey will assess the requirements of medium-sized business owners in terms of additional resources to sustain and grow their companies, with the information received used in strict confidence to understand the sector and develop a business plan for a unit to support and advise them.Following a series of focus group meetings held with a number of stakeholders in the medium-sized business sector, KPMG Advisory Ltd. was called on to survey more than 400 local business to determine what support could be offered to the sector.As a result of the survey, the BSBDC will be able to give a range of advice and guidance on the resources they require, from human resource management and retention and training of the workforce to setting up a development plan to make employees more efficient and effective.

The survey includes more than 50 easy-to-answer multiple-choice questions and invites additional comments, with the criteria for businesses wishing to take part in the survey being annual revenue of between $1 million and $15 million, maximum net assets of $7.5 million, annual payroll between $500,000 and $3 million, and a staff of between 10 and 50.Anyone interested in participating in the survey can contact KPMG on 295-5063 or the BSBDC on 292-5570 or by e-mail at BSBDCSURVEYkpmg.bm