Mr. Declan Hughes:

I suppose I should preface any comments by saying that we operate within the EU guidelines. A key activity that all Departments and agencies can do and are doing is to work with the Irish supply base to ensure there is an informed supply base about what is needed. That then positions businesses to be better able to meet those requirements. For example, the app for Covid tracking was developed recently by the HSE and the Department of Health with NearForm, an indigenous Irish start-up. This was an example of collaboration between a technology company and the public sector. We see significant further opportunities for such collaborative development and design. The first point is to have that engagement and openness, which is the reason we have the SME procurement group as part of the Office of Government Procurement. We can work with businesses then to ensure they are able to meet those criteria.

The new requirements in relation to green public procurement will also be a significant help to Irish businesses, because it will give them certainty as to what those requirements are, and once they have gone on that journey, it will position them to access public procurement opportunities, particularly in the Single Market.