Apprenticeships and Public Procurement

The Government aims to make apprenticeships more accessible. To fulfil a commitment set out in the Action Plan for Apprenticeships 2021 – 2025, the Office of Government Procurement (OGP) has published an Information Note on Apprenticeships and Public Procurement. This Information Note, developed in collaboration with the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, provides information on the inclusion of apprenticeship provisions within public-sector tendering processes.

Public procurement allows for the inclusion of social considerations, such as apprenticeship provisions, in procurement procedures under certain conditions. By incorporating apprenticeship provisions into their contracts, contracting authorities can be crucial in promoting apprenticeships. This Information Note sets out the legal basis for including social considerations, such as apprenticeship conditions, and provides examples of where such conditions have been incorporated.

Public bodies are encouraged to read this Information Note in conjunction with the Public Procurement Guidelines for Goods and Services and Circular 20/2019 Promoting the use of Environmental and Social Considerations in Public Procurement which was published in October 2019 to promote the wider use of environmental and social considerations in public procurement.

Any queries concerning this Information Note can be addressed to support@ogp.gov.ie

Further information on Apprenticeships can be found on www.apprenticeship.ie