Mr. Paul Quinn:

In respect of market analysis, we need to take a step back to understand the scale of the challenge. The Government has tasked us with saving significant moneys over the next few years. It is not free. There is a cost. It will have implications. The scale is of the order of 2.5%. That is what we are attempting to achieve. It is not that the contraction in our spend through procurement activity will be double digit. We are talking about continuing and maintaining a spend of at least 97.5% every year which will continue to sustain a significant number of jobs within the economy. There is no doubt about that.

We are bound by the EU treaty regulations on procurement and cannot discriminate. We have to be transparent and equitable in our treatment of all suppliers. We bring our proposals to the marketplace to try to deliver the best value for money and to ensure that is sustainable. There will and can be winners and losers in the activity. It drives competition, which can make businesses healthier and more competitive. The experience of some of our sister organisations overseas has been that their work with SMEs strengthens them enough to win more business, not only nationally but overseas. Public procurement can have positive consequences.