This case study is based on the correlation and analysis of 138 contract award notices that the HSE have posted on eTenders in the years 2008 and 2009. In total this study covers contracts with a declared combined total of around 640Million Euro for 2008 & 2009 for 89 contracts which declared their total value.

The HSE is Ireland’s largest procuring organisation which spends in the region of 4Billion Euro per annum on various goods, services and works. However less than 10% of this expenditure appears on eTenders due to various below threshold spends and recurring contracts etc.

(more…)

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It is one month to the day (at the time of writing) since  the Forum on Public Procurement.  The public sector buying community was very well represented with officials attending on behalf of (1) the RPA, (2) Bus Eireann, (3) The defense Forces, (4) Department of Social Protection/& Family Affaris, (5) Bord Gais Eireann, (6) Various Higher Education Institutions and (7) The HSE  amongst many others.

It offered a stark reminder that the future of Ireland’s economic recovery is more and more inextricably linked to the increasingly professional and open nature of public procurement both in Ireland and in the European Union.

Some Quick Points to Bear in Mind: EU

• Over 150,000 Contracts were advertised on an EU wide basis in 2009.
• On Average there were only 5 applicants per contract. In anyone’s language those odds are attractive as regards securing business.
• Legislation is in place to allow contracting authorities to favour new, emerging or clean technologies in the issuing of their contracts such as through the use of full life cycle costing for example to take into account overall energy costs through the entire life of the product. This reflects the emerging emphasis on green procurement.

Some Quick Points to Bear in Mind:  Irish Procurement

• Ireland has disproportionately favoured suppliers domiciled outside the country by awarding a massive 17.7% of Public Procurement contracts to them which is an incredible statistic given that the EU average is 1.5%.
• In 2008 there were an average of 5 applications per contract award notice on eTenders for the HSE (Ireland’s largest procuring agency) across their entire product portfolio. 
• Life cycle costing accounted for the third highest of  average criteria in 2008 with 17% of overall criteria and 20% in 2009 for judging the award of contracts on eTenders. This is only beaten by various measures of product quality and use of initial measures of price.

*Figures relating to HSE procurement patterns taken from EI study of Contract award notices on eTenders.

With the downturn continuing to grip the nation, more and more Irish SME’s are turning to the public procurement market to source new business opportunities both in Ireland and abroad.

Are you involved in the buying process or a potential supplier to the public sector? To find out how our dedicated public procurement team can help you please email this address:

value4money@enterprise-ireland.com

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We are pleased to announce the completion of the Life Sciences Stream of Best Connected. There are almost exactly 200 companies in this guide which are broken up into 7 cohorts of companies which are aligned by sub sector.

The format of the profiles for each company differs slightly from the Public Sector Software and Financial Software Streams in that their Standards and Certificates are given specific mention and their company contact details are included for direct linkages.

An IT for Health stream complete with sub sectors will also appear in the coming weeks.

If you would like to speak to an Enterprise Ireland member of staff relating to a specific company then please, Click Here and enter the companies name.

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The Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment last year published their 10 step guide to Innovative Public Procurement. This guide outlines key stages in the development and implementation of a successful public procurement contract.

Enterprise Ireland’s New Public Procurement Mandate is specifically mentioned at point four where buyers are called on to “find out what the market can provide”.  Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment 10 Step Guide

Using Enterprise Ireland’s extensive knowledge of Ireland’s indigenous SME’s a public sector procurer can seek market engagement at an early stage in the procurement process so as to allow the emergence of new and innovative solutions to meet new public sector needs.

Click Here for the full guide to innovative procurement

Are you involved in the buying process for a public sector organiation? Find out how Enterprise Ireland’s dedicated Public Procurement Team can help you by replying to this post.

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The Supply National SME Engagement Programme is sponsored by the National low value contract portal of the UK supply2.gov.uk. It forms part of a national strategy to increase SME engagement with the Public sector market worth around £175bn annually.

According to BiP Solutions nearly three quarters of all UK operating SMEs never or rarely tender for the 3,000 publicly tendered contracts available in the UK each month. – BiP Solutions

These workshops, designed to increase SME engagement with the UK public sector are delivered in each of the regions highlighted in the picture below and deal extensively with the following themes;
(1) Creating a Competitive Advantage
(2) Winning Business Through London 2012
(3) Understanding Pre-Qualification Questionnaires
(4) Effective Tender Writing
(5) Meet the Buyer (Details TBC)

These workshops are delivered by BiP Solutions on behalf of Supply2Gov and are charged at a flat rate of £75 each. 

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The Forum on Public Procurement is an independent not for profit body which represents around 1,000 individuals and organisations affected by public procurement.

“Its principal objective is to promote best practice and offer support to both buyers and sellers operating in the public procurement market in Ireland. FPP offers an independent objective voice in the area of public procurement” – Forum on Public Procurement website

This year, the Forum’s annual conference takes place on the 25th of February in the Westbury Hotel, Dublin. It is to be chaired by David McWilliams and themed ‘Promoting Recovery through Public Procurement’.

Enterprise Ireland’s Stephen Hughes will address the conference at 14.40 on the theme of ‘developing suppliers internationally to supply locally’. This address will focus on Enterprise Ireland’s Public Procurement priorities as regards developing our clients foot print in the public sector.

Many of Enterprise Ireland’s client companies have been extremtly successful as regards exporting goods and services to public sectors around the world but have however had few business dealings with the Irish public sector. This address intends to highlight the role Enterprise Ireland will play as regards bridging the gap between our client companies and the public sector both in Ireland and Internationally.

For registration details and information regarding the other speakers at the conference.

Click Here

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The World Customs Organization (WCO) and the Office of the Revenue Commissioners, Ireland are delighted to bring the WCO IT Conference & Exhibition to Dublin, Ireland from the 28-30th of April 2010.

“This will be the first time the conference has been held in Europe since 2002 and the meeting’s well-established reputation for relevant content, enhanced business opportunities and outstanding high-level networking will continue to be well-served through the conference theme, ‘Fusing Data to Transform Business Processes’ and the outstanding destination” 
Official website of the 2010 WCO IT Conference and Exhibition

Last years conference in Morocco attracted an attendence of 500 delegates from the following areas:

• Customs Authorities
• IT Sector
• Broader Business Community
• Governmental and Trade Organizations
• Lending Institutions
• Representatives from Other Border Regulatory Agencies
• Others Involved in the International Trade Arena

Registration details and forms for this conference can be found below: 

Click here

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InterTrade Ireland’s highly successful Go2Tender Workshop series is running towards conclusion. There are now just two final two day workshops left, one in Cork on the 22nd and 23rd of February and another in Galway with dates TBC. The combined cost of running the programme plus work place consultancy is €105.

“The Programme consists of two days of workshops with 1/2 day mentoring for every participant company. Eligible participant companies can also apply for up to a further three days of mentoring from an experienced consultant to assist with actual tender development, scoping markets and tailored advice and guidance. Companies will also be able to avail of:
• A tender help line
• A tender alert service
• Assistance with consortia building” – InterTrade Ireland

To date the 234 companies who participated in the Workshop have won a combined €17/18 million worth of public sector contracts. There are a small number of places left on each event.

For more information and application details for the Workshops click below.
Click Here

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