CHANGES to public procurement rules will open the door for Limerick SMEs to compete for government contracts, according to Niall Collins, TD.
“The new rules will ensure that SMEs are not hindered in competing for contracts.
“Under the guidelines, all advertised contracts up to €250,000 for works and €125,000 for supplies and general services must now be open to all potential tenderers without a prequalification process.
“This is a huge boost for small firms and will ensure they can tender for small works, including the summer works scheme. The threshold for advertising supplies and general services on the Government’s public procurement website www.etenders.gov.ie has also been halved from €50,000 to €25,000”.
The deputy continued: “Furthermore, the guidelines have been changed prohibiting public bodies from making those who wish to enter public competitions pay to do so.
“There will be less red tape for SME’s as a tenderer will only have to submit the necessary documentation when they are close to being awarded a contract”.
This, he says, will reduce the amount of paperwork involved in submitting tenders, considerably easing the administrative burden on businesses.
It is anticipated that it will now be easier and less costly to tender for public contracts as the burden on SME’s will be reduced whilst at the same time ensuring the best value for money for the taxpayer.
