£500m worth of contracts available to local SMEs

SMEs from around the province will have a chance to build connections with public sector buyers, who between them have contracts worth up to £500 million at an event hosted by cross border jobs agency InterTradeIreland.
By The Newsroom
Published 4th Jun 2018, 07:00 BST
Updated 19th Jun 2018, 10:30 BST
The public procurement process can bring opportunities for firms across a wide variety of sectors said Grant Gilmore of InterTradeIrelandThe public procurement process can bring opportunities for firms across a wide variety of sectors said Grant Gilmore of InterTradeIreland
The public procurement process can bring opportunities for firms across a wide variety of sectors said Grant Gilmore of InterTradeIreland

The Meet the Buyer event is aimed at encouraging more firms to take up the opportunities that engagement in public procurement can bring.

Among the buyers taking part are the Education Authority, which has a budget of around £98m for supplies and services alone with a further £200m plus allowance for minor capital works, and Translink, with a a budget of £70m for supplies and non-infrastructure services and a further £80m for construction works, services, maintenance, vehicles and IT.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

InterTradeIreland will also launch its ‘NI Local Authority Under Threshold’ booklet at the event at Armagh City Hotel on June 13; a comprehensive document setting out how NI Councils procure and the threshold levels applied.

“In addition to contracts that must be tendered, there is also a wealth of business opportunities for local companies in terms of smaller pieces of work, which are deemed ‘under threshold’ and subject to less complex processes, for example, public authorities might typically gain three independent quotes for works or services up to £15,000,” said InterTradeIreland spokesman Grant Gilmore,

Related topics:InterTradeIrelandEducation AuthorityTranslink