Eoghan Murphy (Dublin Bay South, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

One of my first actions when I took responsibility for this area was to meet with the people in charge of the OGP, given that it is such an important area, as the Deputy pointed out. Given the amount the State spends on procurement, the OGP is incredibly powerful. We can use this economic soft power for many good things, including getting value for money, as we are trying to do. This does not necessarily mean achieving the lowest price but getting savings for the State while improving services. We can do this in tandem with a social good, as we have done in a number of areas regarding certain types of provisions in the bids to help areas that need regeneration or employment. We can also help SMEs to get access. Circular 10/14 introduced a number of areas that would help SMEs to tender for business and win public contracts, including advertising tenders on the eTenders website. We have a new directive coming in regarding e-invoicing. We encourage SMEs to get into consortium bidding. I can get the percentage the Deputy requested, although it is not yet available for 2015.

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