Brian Hayes TD, Minister of State with special responsibility for the Office of Public Works (OPW) and Minister for Small Business John Perry this morning launched a major new Report on Opportunities in Public Sector Procurement. The Report, compiled by DCU, is a result of Ireland’s first national survey of public procurement practice, carried out by the National Procurement Service (NPS) of the OPW, with over 4,000 suppliers and 600 public procurers contributing to the research.
Speaking this morning at the launch Minister of State Brian Hayes said: "The "Opportunities in Public Sector Procurement Report" maps the Irish public procurement landscape and identifies opportunities for the creation of a more effective public procurement system. This survey is the first of its kind and will be used to baseline the prevailing conditions in both public and private sector procurement".
"Findings from the survey demonstrate that significant progress has been made in ensuring that public procurement delivers value for money while remaining responsive to the needs of the Irish economy. The e-Tenders web portal is central to public procurement in Ireland, with over 90% of respondents using this online portal to identify available contracts. e-Tenders is shown to have increased the number of public sector contract opportunities available to suppliers and made the process of tendering for public sector contracts easier. Progress has been identified in the use by public procurers of the standardised tender documentation and adherence to the NPS Framework Agreements".
"Based on the survey findings, opportunities for enhancing the workings of the public procurement market in Ireland have been identified. They include: more training for procurers and suppliers to research their markets; reduce the paperwork burden for suppliers, and upskill and professionalise those operating in public procurement".
Also speaking at the launch Minister for Small Business, John Perry TD, said: "We are aiming to balance the need for the public sector to get best value for money with improving SME access to Government contracts and also getting innovative solutions to public sector needs. The Government is trying to make sure that there is a ‘level playing field’ for all businesses, therefore allowing SMEs a better chance than they may have had in the past to win these contracts".
"One of the actions set out in the Action Plan for Jobs in relation to procurement opportunities for SMEs refers to ensuring that pre-qualification criteria, such as turnover levels or previous experience, are not too onerous on small business and are proportionate to the contract itself".
"Winning public sector contracts not only is welcome business for any business, large or small, it also contributes towards business expansion and of course job creation. If the Government spends its money on goods and services provided by local suppliers, local people will be kept in jobs and it would greatly help towards additional job creation in those companies".
"We also need to remember that when Irish companies win a public sector contract, this can be an important reference site for them seeking other public sector contracts and selling their goods and services abroad".
"Innovative solutions to public sector needs, often supplied by Irish SMEs, provide value for money as well as often providing better solutions for the public sector, and encourage job creation and innovative thinking here in Ireland".
* This Report is available to download at http://www.procurement.ie/news/opportunities-public-sector-procurement-annual-survey-reportq