Finian McGrath
Ceist:95 Deputy Finian McGrath asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation if he will respond to a query from a company (details supplied) in Dublin 5. [20809/12]
Amharc ar fhreagraWednesday, 25 April 2012
Ceisteanna (96)
Freagraí scríofa
The query in this case relates to a contract for the supply of goods which was awarded by a Local Authority. It would not be appropriate for me to comment on specific contracts in the procurement process which are a matter for the procuring authority and the company in question regarding any issues or queries on the awarding of particular contracts.
I am, however, keen to ensure that SMEs have every possible opportunity to compete for public procurement contracts. In this respect, the Action Plan for Jobs contains a number of measures to facilitate SME access to public procurement. These include:
ensuring that pre-qualification criteria (e.g. turnover, insurance thresholds, experience) for public procurement contracts are proportionate,
the assignment by Enterprise Ireland of advisors and mentors to help client companies to prepare better for public procurement opportunities, and
encouraging more SMEs to register on the Government's eTenders website to enable forthcoming procurement opportunities to be brought to their attention.
While the Government's objective is to ensure improved access to procurement for SMEs, ultimately the award of any particular contract is a matter for the procuring authority in question, having regard to the content of the tenders received and the criteria under which they are assessed.