Martin Daly (Roscommon-Galway, Fianna Fail)
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289. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if he will consider raising the national public procurement tender threshold for goods and services from €50,000 to €143,000 in line with the EU threshold, to support micro enterprises, reduce administrative burden, promote sustainability, and enhance value for money, while maintaining compliance and transparency in procurement. [35333/25]

Jack Chambers (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)
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In March 2023, my Department published Circular 05/2023: Initiatives to assist SMEs in Public Procurement. The circular highlights the positive measures that contracting authorities can take to promote SME participation in public sector procurement, including an increase to the threshold at which all contracts for goods and services must be advertised on eTenders from €25,000 to €50,000 (exclusive of VAT). The circular also includes a commitment that the measures will be kept under review in light of their impact on SME participation and operational efficiency.

The Programme for Government includes a commitment to reviewing the public procurement process to make it more transparent and encourage greater participation from SMEs. Working towards this aim, and to set out the strategic direction of public procurement for the next five years, my Department is developing a first national public procurement strategy. One of the foundational policy positions of the strategy is to make participation easier for suppliers. Through an extensive public consultation and three workshops, my Department has been listening to the views of SMEs to progress this objective.

My officials are currently reviewing the submissions to the public consultation and the insights garnered from the workshops. This feedback will be brought into the next phase of consultation which will involve discussions with key stakeholders to agree desired outcomes and actions for inclusion in the strategy. I plan on bringing the strategy to Government in Q4 2025.

It would not be appropriate for me to speculate at this stage and predetermine the outcome of the extensive consultation being undertaken by my Department, which is critical to understanding the primary challenges and opportunities for both public bodies and suppliers. Following this key stage, I will work with colleagues across government to agree actions to support the delivery of strategic, innovative, sustainable and transparent public procurement that promotes competition and value for money.