Construction BUSINESS

Fingal County Council has hosted an informative regional briefing for contractors on public procurement with specific focus on two new frameworks aimed at streamlining the tendering process for €100 million in contracts for minor building works across the entire public service. The frameworks will be advertised by the Local Government Operational Procurement Centre for the provision of Minor Building Works to public service bodies including 31 local authorities, the HSE, the OPW, the Department of Education and Teagasc.

Interested building service providers were invited to a recent briefing at the County Hall in Swords to learn more about procurement, frameworks and the opportunities for businesses. The event was organised by the Local Government Management Agency (LGMA) and supported by InterTradeIreland.

Those in attendance also received advice on registering and tendering on www.etenders.ie, the Irish Government’s electronic tendering platform administered by the Office of Government Procurement.

The Local Government Management Agency (LGMA) is encouraging all building contractors to recognise the benefits of public service contracts and to engage with the procurement process.

“The public sector is a good client for small businesses.  Payment for services delivered within the terms of a contract is guaranteed and, in line with the requirements of the Prompt Payment of Accounts Act, public bodies have a legal obligation to pay their bills on time,” said Paul Dunne, Chief Executive Officer of the Local Government Management Agency.

Fingal County Council’s Procurement Officer Brian Murray said: “Fingal County Council was happy to host one of the regional session as part of its regular and ongoing process of engaging with the business community. It was great to have contractors based in Dublin area coming to Fingal to learn more about public procurement.”

Several support and guidance documents are also being developed to support SMEs. These documents, details of information briefings and a link to register for the regional briefings are available at www.lgma.ie. Fingal County Council also has comprehensive information on public procurement and tendering opportunities for all economic operators wishing to engage in business with the council on http://fingal.ie/business-and-economy/engaginginbusiness/procurement/.

CAPTION:

Donnacha Phelan from InterTrade Ireland addressing the seminar.