Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 3 December 2019
167. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the spend by the Office of Government Procurement and as a percentage of the annual value of procurement on certified procurement and tendering training and education for both suppliers and buyers in each of the years 2015 to 2018 and to date in 2019, in tabular form; and the estimated cost of increasing the annual spend by proposal outlined (details supplied). [50032/19]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Government recognises the importance of the SME sector and continues to enhance the already substantial measures in place to support SMEs in accessing the public procurement market. Significant work has been undertaken by the Office of Government Procurement (OGP) to ensure that public procurement is accessible by all businesses, including SMEs.
Procurement and tendering training and education .
The OGP does not provide certified procurement or tendering training for suppliers and buyers. However, the OGP engages consistently in a range of stakeholder engagement events, aimed at fostering awareness and encouraging engagement with public procurement systems
The OGP also participates in seminars and conferences intended to disseminate information on public works procurement. The OGP have participated in Continuing Professional Development (CPD) seminars organised by the RIAI and Engineers Ireland on topics such as contract administration, public works procurement and dispute resolution over the past 4 years and also delivered lectures for DIT to their post-graduates and undergraduates.
The OGP has, on a pilot basis, set up a Commercial Skills Academy which aims to provide necessary commercial skills training for Public Service managers who are responsible for managing capital projects under the NDP to enhance awareness and understanding of commercial skills and best practice approaches to apply throughout the entire project lifecycle.
eTenders is the Irish Government’s electronic tendering platform administered by the Office of Government Procurement. The platform is a central facility for all public sector contracting authorities to advertise procurement opportunities and award notices. The OGP facilitates training on this system for government buyers (table 1 below).
As part of its drive to professionalise procurement and drive procurement reform across the public sector, the OGP has invested significantly in education for its staff. Since 2014, over 200 staff members have undergone certified procurement training.
OGP Certified Procurement training for staff.
|
Year |
Cost in total |
|
2015 |
€81,850 |
|
2016 |
€166,768 |
|
2017 |
€52,534 |
|
2018 |
€113,105 |
|
2019 |
€162,410 |
|
Total |
€494,817 |
Table 1. eTenders system Training 1 January 2015 to date
|
Date(s) |
Incl. VAT |
|
2016 |
€4,243.50 |
|
29-Jun-2017 |
€10,608.75 |
|
02-Oct-2018 |
€6,365.25 |
|
02-April-2019 |
€6,365.25 |
|
Total |
€27,582.75 |
According to the Public Service Spend and Tendering Analysis report 2017, the State’s procurement expenditure with suppliers, excluding major capital projects, is of the order of €9bn.
The estimated cost of increasing the annual spend to 0.3 per cent of the annual value of procurement on certified procurement and tendering training and education for both suppliers and buyers, would be in the order of €27m.
