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

We had very substantial dialogue with representatives of the small and medium enterprise, SME, sector before introducing this because we want that sector to win more of these contracts. If there is a criticism I can make of the procurement, it is that we do not have multiple suppliers on those frameworks. I accept the criticism from some that a framework should not be created with one supplier and there should be a framework with multiple suppliers.

The managed print contract has a total of five suppliers with approximately half being Irish small and medium enterprises and the others multinationals. The Irish companies would win because they came together and are working collaboratively. I want to see more of that but I also want to see significant savings for the State. To be blunt, some people have been screwing the State for years as a result of prices they got and we must make the procurement agenda an absolutely key part of the expenditure agenda in this country. That means we must professionalise the process, and we have recently appointed a new chief procurement officer. We are also rationalising and changing the procurement service through the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform and the National Procurement Service.

There is a substantial prize to be won if people hold their nerve and believe we can get the country to a better place by way of procurement. It is an exciting opportunity for Irish SMEs to win a bigger share by coming together and using their expertise.

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