Brian Hayes (Dublin South West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The National Procurement Service, NPS, was established in April 2009 on foot of a Government decision assigning responsibility for procurement to the Minister of State at the Department of Finance with special responsibility for the Office of Public Works. All functions of the former Government Supplies Agency were subsumed into this newly established unit. The NPS is tasked with centralising public sector procurement arrangements for common goods and services not including the construction sector. It has also become a centre of excellence for the provision of procurement advice and implementing procurement policy in line with best practice and Government initiatives, including the continued development of e-procurement strategies.

Through the aggregation of demand for common goods across the public sector the NPS can leverage the market, ensuring potential suppliers can offer significant cost savings on the products being tendered for through volume discounts. The NPS has reported estimated procurement savings to the end of 2012 under its frameworks of €127 million, comprising €14 million in 2010, a further €36 million in 2011 and projected savings of €78 million for 2012. The e-Tenders website generates estimated administrative savings of on average €10 million per annum.

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