Minister Higgins attends OECD Global Procurement Forum

Minister of State for Public Procurement, Digitalisation and eGovernment, Emer Higgins T.D., has today (1 July 2025) attended the 2025 OECD Global Public Procurement Forum in Paris to speak on the potential of public procurement to drive positive change.

The event, organised by the OECD, brings together high-level delegates, business leaders, policymakers, and Government representatives from OECD countries to showcase the power of public procurement in advancing the Government’s broader ambitions and demonstrating how public procurement can serve as a powerful vehicle for positive change. Minister Higgins was accompanied by officials from the Office of Government Procurement (OGP) which operates as part of the Department of Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation.

Speaking at the event, Minister Higgins said;

“When we speak about public procurement we don’t always focus on the people behind the processes and procedures. For me, it’s about supporting those people. From public servants delivering essential services, to social enterprises and small business owners working hard to grow and sustain their organisations. I’m especially focused on supporting Irish indigenous industry, particularly SMEs, to successfully engage with public procurement opportunities. Government spends a significant amount of money through public procurement, and that spending can be a powerful tool to deliver positive economic, social and environmental outcomes, while ensuring value for money.”

The Minister provided the following updates in relation to the digital development of public procurement in Ireland:

• The OGP has conducted research and analysis into opportunities to support digitalising public procurement and is developing a roadmap for the digital development of public procurement in Ireland.
• User centricity will be at the heart of solutions proposed.
• The OGP is working to support public procurement stakeholders in their end-to-end procurement journey through co-designing digital solutions.
• This work will support all stakeholders and seeks to make procurement easier, more transparent, and more efficient.

The Minister provided the following updates in relation to the OGP’s upcoming National Public Procurement Strategy:

• The Programme for Government: Securing Ireland’s Future, included a commitment to reviewing public procurement processes in Ireland to make them more transparent and to work to ensure greater participation from SMEs.
• To progress this, the OGP is developing Ireland’s first national public procurement strategy.
• The public consultation phase of the strategy has concluded and successfully gathered feedback from a wide range of stakeholders through a long running survey and through a number of regional public consultation roadshows.
• The OGP is analysing this feedback which will inform the forthcoming strategy.

Public procurement accounts for an average of 13% of GDP across OECD countries, with the government acting as the primary purchaser in many industries, especially in areas such as health and education. In Ireland, the Office of Government Procurement is responsible for shaping and delivering Ireland’s commitment to national and EU public procurement priorities, namely a future for public procurement that is transparent and socially, environmentally, and economically sustainable. The OGP is also responsible for leading on the digital development of public procurement in Ireland.

ENDS