The Minister of State with special responsibility for Public Service Reform and the Office of Public Works, Mr. Brian Hayes, T.D., today welcomed the commencement of an open competition to recruit a Chief Procurement Officer for the Public Service.
A recently published* Review of the Central Procurement Function, commissioned by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, found that implementation of its recommendations, over a three-year period, could yield potential annual savings in the range of €249 million to €637 million, depending on the approach taken.
Last week, the Government agreed a number of reforms which represent a radical new consolidated and integrated approach to public procurement. Central to the implementation of these reforms is the recruitment of a Chief Procurement Officer. The Chief Procurement Officer will establish and lead a new National Procurement Office and will drive procurement reform across the Public Service.
Minister Hayes said today, "This is a key first step in implementing the reforms of the central procurement function, announced just last week. The Chief Procurement Officer will be an appointment of national importance to lead a major efficiency drive on a total Government spend on supplies and services of €9 billion per annum. We are moving ahead on this quickly as this is a key area of Public Service Reform with the potential for substantial savings over time".
Minister Howlin again highlighted the significance of addressing public procurement in this focused and targeted way, stating that "the recruitment of a Chief Procurement Officer will aid in the achievement of maximum value for money and substantial savings in the procurement of goods and services across the public service".
Applications for the post may be made though the website of the Public Appointments Service
www.publicjobs.ie. The closing date for receipt of applications is Thursday,
4th October, 2012.
Notes for Editors:
The new approach to public procurement will also involve:
§ integrating procurement policy, strategy and operations in one office;
§ strengthening spend analytics and data management;
§ much greater aggregation of purchasing across public bodies to achieve better value for money (i.e. centrally purchased);
§ examining the specifications set out for goods and services;
§ evaluating demand levels to assess how demand (volume) can be reduced; and
§ strengthening vendor and category management.
* the full report and accompanying press release are available at per.gov.ie