Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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Question 129: To ask the Minister for Finance his plans to make public procurement contracts more accessible to Irish small and medium enterprises; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11337/10]

Brian Lenihan Jnr (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)
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Government recognises the important business opportunities that public service contracts represent for business enterprises in the local and national economy and encourages participation to the greatest extent possible. Significant measures have been introduced which make it easier for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to bid for public contracts. Among these are:

the wide advertising of public procurement opportunities via the national public procurement website www.etenders.gov.ie, which is now the established reference point for all procurement opportunities

the issue of email "alerts" directly to registered suppliers when contracts that might be of interest to them are advertised

the simplification of the tendering process through the etenders website having a facility to pre-qualify tenderers and to submit tenders online

the provision of more training for the "professionalisation" of public purchasers. In recent years, sixty officials from forty organisations have undergone training in spend profiling and corporate procurement planning. A two year Masters qualification in Strategic Procurement is being offered by Dublin City University since September 2006 and an IPA Course is also available. Such initiatives are providing key public purchasers with the skills to appropriately promote whole of Government objectives and policies through the State's purchasing power.

More recently, the National Public Procurement Operations Unit (NPPOU) was established within the Office of Public Works. The Unit is working closely with all areas of the public sector to promote efficiencies and economies in public procurement expenditure. It is acutely aware of the issues for SMEs and has commenced the process of:

encouraging organisations to advertise low value contracts on etenders in order to promote SME participation

in association with the Chief State Solicitor's Office (CSSO), standardising contract and tender documents

educating SMEs through up-skilling by means of seminars/workshops/website

in association with the Department of Finance, reviewing appropriate levels of financial capacity required for public contracts

working with the CSSO and the State Claims Agency in examining the levels of public liability insurance required

working with Enterprise Ireland to encourage SMEs to tender for as many contracts as possible

encouraging SMEs in the use of electronic tendering on etenders which requires no more than a personal computer and Internet access and does not involve the expense of specialist software

encouraging early advertising upcoming procurement opportunities.

Finally, my Department, in consultation with the NPPOU, the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment and other stakeholders in the public procurement market, has developed guidance for contracting authorities on measures to facilitate SME participation in the public procurement market. This should be circulated and published shortly.