THE GOVERNMENT TODAY launched a new website designed to make the awarding of State contracts easier for companies bidding for them.
The etenders website now makes it possible for firms who want to win these contracts to have a completely paperless relationship with public sector buyers.
Speaking about the launch of the site today, Procurement Minister Brian Hayes said the website will mean a dramatic shift in favour of suppliers who have “rightly complained about the endless documentation that is attached to each bid”.
Once that documentation is up on the site, it’s there forever. The site allows new bids from potential suppliers to simple cut and paste the documentation that is already there. It’s a major advance on what we have had in place.
Businesses registered on etenders will be notified when work in their specific area of interest becomes available. The site also offers a quick quote function which allows buyers to search and then invite suppliers to tender for low value contracts, typically below €25,000.
Hayes said the government spends in the region of €9 billion annually on goods and service and wants the SME sector to win a greater portion of this spend.
There are close to 72,000 suppliers already registered online with etenders and Hayes urged every Irish business, big and small, to register and to compete for these contracts.
“This technology is well ahead of what’s on offer in other EU countries while complying with all EU directives,” he added.
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