From Department of Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform
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Minister Murphy encouraged by high level of SME participation in first national framework of its kind.
Minister of State at the Departments of Finance and Public Expenditure and Reform, with special responsibility for Financial Services, eGovernment and Public Procurement, Eoghan Murphy TD, has this afternoon (6 July 2016) welcomed the Office of Government Procurement’s (OGP) announcement of a new Framework Agreement for ICT Computer and Storage Infrastructure.
This is the first time a national framework covering such a significant range of ICT equipment and associated services has been delivered on behalf of the entire public sector. The estimated value of the framework, over its initial two-year duration is €14.5 million.
Welcoming the announcement, Minister Murphy said:
"I am delighted to see how the OGP has successfully encouraged the SME sector to engage with this valuable tender opportunity with 72% of all the suppliers on the framework being SMEs.
"In structuring this tender process, the OGP broke the framework into eight separate lots by equipment type. It used proportionate turnover requirements and appropriate insurance levels, based on the value of the contracts.
"These are strong and practical measures that have been developed through engaging closely with the SME sector and listening to what they need.
“This framework aims to deliver easy access to high-quality ICT goods and services for the public sector, at the best possible price.
“While ensuring strong SME participation in the tender process, the OGP has also managed to achieve discounts of an average of 45% against the recommended retail price (RRP) with this framework.”
The following goods and services are covered by this Framework Agreement:
233 tender submissions were submitted in response to the RFT across 8 lots for 16 brand groups from 35 tenderers.