Brian Hayes TD, Minister of State with special responsibility for the Office of Public Works (OPW), today welcomed the publication by the National Procurement Service (NPS) of two guidance documents aimed at facilitating SME’s participation in public procurement.
The Guidance Documents – ‘Notice to Suppliers of Goods and Services to the Public Sector’ and ‘Notice to Public Sector Buyers of Goods and Services’ contain advice and guidance considered essential to SMEs. The practical solutions and guidance outlined is the result of collaborative Working Group sessions conducted with key stakeholders. The NPS is confident that the work of this group will continue to ensure best practice in Public Sector procurement and supply.
The Minister said today, in advance of the major InterTrade Ireland ‘Meet the Buyer Event’ in Athlone tomorrow, that: “the NPS has recently established a collaborative Working Group to identify any practical solutions to challenges for the SME sector in relation to public procurement. The NPS is confident that the work of this group will help to inform the continued delivery of best practice by public sector Buyers through the public procurement process and ensure openness and equality of opportunity to all Suppliers, including the SME sector. The advice notice to suppliers of goods and services provides practical solutions in key areas such as market analysis, costs of tendering, tax clearance certificates and in the use of the e-tenders portal.”
“I have emphasised to my officials in the NPS the critical importance of these interactions with this collaborative Group and it is intended that the NPS will continue to issue periodic advice to Buyers and Suppliers based on outcomes and deliverables agreed. The aim of these and future notices that will issue is to streamline the interactions between SMEs and public sector buyers and specifically to address any challenges arising”
“I have said before and I cannot emphasise enough the importance of the SME sector engaging fully with the online procurement portals and utilising the e-tenders website,” the Minister stated.
Among the recommendations for public sector buyers provided by the NPS are that buyers be satisfied that they are fully familiar with the market before tendering for a product or service. Part of this market analysis should place an emphasis on innovative solutions. Buyers should also consult the legal and guidance documentation related to public sector tendering found on both the
www.procurement.ie and
www.etenders.ie websites. On the
www.procurement.ie website the NPS has provided a facility for Buyers to upload details of competitions and opportunities for SMEs that will arise during the year. It is recommended that Buyers actively use this facility.
Among the advice offered to Suppliers by the NPS is that they should avail of the broad range of opportunities to meet with Buyers. The NPS arranges or participates in an extensive programme of such training events, including the InterTrade Ireland “Go to Tender” Workshops, which have proven to be very popular and informative for Suppliers and Buyers alike. Suppliers should ensure that they are fully registered on
www.etenders.ie and
www.procurement.ie to ensure maximum exposure to tendering opportunities within their sector. They should also ensure that they have a valid and up to date Tax Clearance Certificate.”
The Minister concluded: “I will be in Athlone tomorrow for the ‘Meet the Buyer’ event where I will be speaking to over 350 SMEs. This will provide an opportunity to outline what the NPS has been doing to assist the SME sector compete for contracts in goods and services, a market which is currently estimated to be in the region of €20 billion (approx. 10% of GDP).”