Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 9 November 2023
207. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform if he is aware that recent changes to the e-tendering system are having a hugely negative impact on businesses using the platform and if he can ensure that changes are made to the system to ensure it is more user friendly as a matter of urgency. [49141/23]
View answerIn May of this year, following the successful conclusion of a tendering process, my Department established a new contract for the provision of eTenders, the national electronic tendering platform for public procurement contracts. In doing so, the provision of eTenders transitioned to a new service provider and as a consequence to a different eTenders platform than that which had been in use for the previous 10 years.
The Government recognises the significant change that this has effected for users of the platform. To that end, the process to establish the new contract and to transition to a different provider’s platform involved extensive consultation and collaboration with national public procurement stakeholder representatives and groups from across the public and private sectors. In addition to this, detailed guidance materials has been provided online to help users navigate the new system.
More than 5,000 Public procurement contracts for tender have been published on the platform since the new platform was launched in May, and their associated competitions are at various stages of the procurement process, from ‘open’ (for submissions) to ‘awarded’ (contract awarded) stages. The level and type of ongoing activity demonstrates that the eTenders platform is generally functioning and is capable of accepting submissions from interested bidders.
As with any large scale system, such as eTenders, in particular newly implemented ones, specific issues can arise regarding its use and operation. To that end, my Department have established standard support and service provision processes through which such matters can be signalled, investigated and resolved. In particular I would recommend that any affected parties contact the Office of Government Procurement (OGP) Helpdesk with any specific details in relation to the issue raised, to facilitate further investigation and resolution.
The primary avenue by which the Government engages with SMEs on issues relating to public procurement is the SME Advisory Group, which is chaired by Minister of State Ossian Smyth who has responsibility for public procurement.
The SME Advisory Group, which meets quarterly, includes representatives from the Irish Business and Employers’ Confederation (Ibec), the Irish Small and Medium Enterprises Association (ISME), the Construction Industry Federation (CIF), Chambers Ireland and the Small Firms Association (SFA). The group has afforded the Government the opportunity to hear first-hand from SMEs about their experiences tendering for public contracts, and to voice any concerns to Government on issues affecting SME participation in public procurement.
My Department will continue to proactively engage with public bodies and businesses through the SME advisory group and more generally through the OGP service teams and information events, in relation to eTenders, with a view to continuously improving its capabilities and the experience of businesses and public bodies using the platform.
