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Mr. Brian Hayes TD, Minister of State at the Department of Public Expenditure & Reform with special responsibility for the Office of Public Works today spoke at the InterTrade Ireland ‘Meet the Buyer event at the Citywest Conference Centre in Dublin. This is the 6th in a series of ‘Meet The Buyer’ events that have taken place since 2011. Attendees have the opportunity to meet and engage with representatives from approximately 60 of the key buying organisations from Ireland and Northern Ireland. The public sector procurement market remains a significant market for SMEs and the value of this market on the island of Ireland is estimated at €16 billion per annum; this represents approximately 10% of GDP. The event is organised in partnership with The National Procurement Service (NPS), Central Procurement Directorate (CPD) Northern Ireland, Enterprise Ireland, the Strategic Investment Board and Invest Northern Ireland.

Speaking at the event this morning, Minister Hayes said, “The SME sector is the backbone of our economy, employing over 70% of our workforce and making up 99% of active enterprises. The scale of today’s event demonstrates the importance of SMEs to build on recent positive news on the jobs and growth front. That this is the largest procurement event to take place on the island of Ireland reflects positive action to stimulate more and better engagement between small and medium enterprises and public sector buyers. I am confident that today’s event will drive home the message that effective and professional public procurement provides greater opportunities and incentives for small and medium enterprise.”

“I am also pleased to see that the event has responded to the needs of the SME sector, with new ‘pre-event’ briefings held at the August event in Belfast and also here in Dublin today. This gives SMEs the opportunity to prepare for the main event and to fully maximise their time with the key public sector buyers”.