Welcome

I am pleased to share with you this latest update from the Office of

Government Procurement (OGP). In this issue you can read about our

activity, including the visit from the Central Purchasing Bodies Network

(CPB) and the EU Commission at Dublin Castle. Representatives from several

EU member states, the EU Commission and Minister of State Patrick

O'Donovan were in attendance. Experiences and views were shared about

procurement in Ireland and across the Single Market. (p2 & 3)

Our dedicated eInvoicing team continue to successfully support public

bodies reach compliance with the European Directive on eInvoicing in

advance of the Central Government timeline of April 2019 and April 2020 for Sub Central

Government. (p4 & p5)

You can also read how the OGP has an information note on the inclusion of social considerations in

public procurement procedures that will assist Contracting Authorities in taking into account wider

Government policy. A Social Considerations Advisory group has been set up. Other information notes

have also been created as part of Strand 5 of the National Public Procurement Framework. You can find

a helpful link to the note on the OGP website. (p6 & p7)

The European Single Procurement Document (ESPD) has become exclusively available in an electronic

form and is available on our eTenders platform. An information note to explain the process has been

provided by the OGP and is available here. I am also delighted to share with you two new videos on

eTenders for suppliers that you can view on our YouTube Channel. (p8 & p9)

In March we were joined by Minister of State Patrick O’Donovan for the launch of a new people strategy

for the OGP ‘EMPOWER’. This new strategy sets out seven key themes and areas for action to establish

the OGP as a recognised employer of choice. (p14)

Finally we congratulate our team who took home the Facilities Management Project of the Year Health &

Education at this years Facilities Management Awards.

For regular updates on the Office’s work, you can visit the website at ogp.gov.ie and also follow on

Twitter @procurement_ie

Paul Quinn

Chief Procurement Officer

OGP Newsletter

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The Office of Government Procurement (OGP) joined the European Central Purchasing Body (CPB)

Network in 2017 and represents Ireland at the network meetings. Established in 2012 the CPB

Network meets twice yearly. It is a forum where public procurement issues are discussed and ideas

and learnings on public procurement are shared at a cross-European level.

The OGP hosted the network’s spring meeting in Dublin Castle in January 2019 which was held over

two days. Coordinated and manged jointly by the OGP’s Policy and Corporate Services teams, the

meeting attracted more than 40 procurement officials from 15 CPBs from across the European

Economic Area. The European Commission were represented at the meeting by officials from DG

GROW, the Directorate-General with responsibility for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship

and SMEs.

Minister of State at the Departments of Finance and Public Expenditure and Reform with special

responsibility for Public Procurement, Patrick O’Donovan TD, opened the meeting. The Minister of

State acknowledged that the network carries out an important role in sharing experiences and

knowledge in the public procurement realm and in assisting and advising Member States and the

Commission in implementing the provisions of public procurement Directives.

The opening address was followed by a customary tour de table in which each CPB provided a short

update on public procurement in their CPB. Updates covered digital transformation, contract

management, balancing centralised and regional/local procurement, capacity within CPBs,

corruption, professionalization, SME access, user expectations, transposition of Directives, and

social considerations.

European Central Purchasing Body (CPB) Network

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The Commission updated the network on its current and future priorities, plus challenges, such as

making procurement easier; addressing issues around evaluation; delivering on social dimensions;

third markets; cybersecurity and Artificial Intelligence.

The network meeting addressed four Commission priorities for public procurement, namely,

professionalising public buyers, increasing access to procurement markets, improving transparency,

integrity and data, and boosting the digital transformation of procurement (eProcurement).

The complex environment in which public procurement takes place, and the need to continue to

develop more coherent strategies and robust approaches across a range of areas, was widely agreed.

The meeting was an opportunity for experiences and views to be shared about procurement in Ireland

and across the Single Market.

The meeting combined plenary sessions and workshops which enabled a high level of engagement and

information exchange between CPBs. As the OGP is currently reviewing how Ireland’s programme of

procurement reform is progressing, this meeting was an opportune time for Ireland to hear how other

CPBs are dealing with the challenges faced by public procurers across Europe.

The next meeting of the network will take place in the autumn in Oslo, Norway and OGP will represent

Ireland at this event.

European Central Purchasing Body (CPB) Network

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eInvoicing Ireland Update; Along with the daffodils, Spring 2019 has brought the, European Directive 2014/55/EU on eInvoicing in public procurement’s, Central Government timeline of 18 April 2019 by which date all relevant public bodies need to be able to receive and process electronic invoices (eInvoices) in accordance with the European Standard.

Members of the eInvoicing Steering Committee pictured marking the eInvoicing Directive, Central Government deadline of 18 Thursday 2019 by which date public bodies need to be able to receive process eInvoices in accordance with the European Standard.

Speaking ahead of the deadline, Declan McCormack, Programme Manager, eInvoicing Ireland noted: “This deadline marks the culmination of a cross-sector 18 month campaign involving eInvoicing Ireland, the OGP with the sector partners across Central and Local Government, Health and Education and the OGCIO to develop awareness and understanding among public bodies in preparing them to take action to reach compliance with the eInvoicing Directive.”

Quarter one 2019 was an exceptionally busy period for eInvoicing Ireland in the run-up to the deadline. eInvoicing Ireland started the year by continuing to spread the eInvoicing message across Government and supported a number of events including the Public Service Shared Services Conference 2019, Public Services 2019 event and Procurex 2019. On Wednesday 20 March 2019 they facilitated an eInvoicing Implementation workshop with the European Commission’s CEF Digital Unit with over 200 delegates in attendance. The workshop was aimed at helping public bodies prepare for compliance with the eInvoicing Directive in particular Central Government ahead of the 18 April 2019 deadline.

Easter marks the ‘eggspiration’ of the eInvoicing Central Government Compliance Deadline

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eInvoicing eInvoicing Ireland also worked with the OGP Sourcing to establish a national framework agreement for the provision of compliant eInvoicing solutions to the public sector, which was published on Monday 25 March 2019. The Framework was established through a consultative process that included market research, public consultation, and continuous collaboration with the OGP’s sector representatives from Central Government, Health, Education and Local Governmentwas. Within the first 24 hours Central Government public bodies were directly drawing down the solutions and services they need to access to reach compliance with the eInvoicing Directive in advance of the April 2019 deadline.

Momentum continues to build since the passing of the compliance date this Easter and eInvoicing Ireland continue to support Central Government public bodies in trying to reach compliance. Beyond the April 2019 timeline, eInvoicing Ireland will continue to support and monitor progress with Central Government bodies as well as supporting Sub-Central public bodies ahead of next April 2020.

eInvoicing Ireland will also look to engage more directly with the supplier community. Although suppliers are not being mandated to send eInvoices in accordance with the European Standard in Ireland, eInvoicing Ireland are keen to ensure suppliers understand the approach being taken by Government. Ireland adopted the PEPPOL network for the transmission of eInvoices, due to the opportunities it allows businesses - when they connect once to the PEPPOL network they are connected to all public administrations and businesses in Europe on the network. Similar to the digital ambitions outlined by Government in Our Public Service

2020, eInvoicing should make transacting with Government better, leading to greater efficiencies and more transparency.

Public bodies interested in accessing the eInvoicing Framework, please log onto www.ogp.gov.ie and the Buyer zone and select/ search as follows:

Category: Managed Services

Keyword: ‘PEPPOL’ or ‘eInvoicing systems’

OGP Clients must register to gain access to the Buyer zone available to all public service buyers accessing live contracts/frameworks.

For further information on eInvoicing please visit: www.ogp.gov.ie/eInvoicing or email

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The OGP has finalised an information note on the inclusion of social considerations in public procurement

procedures that will assist Contracting Authorities in taking into account wider Government policy. The

intention is to adopt a similar approach to other jurisdictions that encourages Public Bodies to consider

non-discriminatory social clauses; judges the ability of SMEs to absorb the additional costs; and assesses

the additional cost of the good, work or service to the public body versus the benefit.

The Minister and Minister of State have approved the note which was launched in December 2018 by Min-

isters of State O’Donovan and Stanton. The implementation plan includes the establishment of a Social

Considerations Advisory Group drawing on the relevant departments and CPBs.

The following departments have been invited to participate:

Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection (Labour activation, disadvantaged),

Department of Communications, Climate Action and the Environment (environmental issues),

Department of Rural and Community Development (social enterprises),

Department of Education and Skills (training),

Department of Justice & Equality (equality and integration),

Department of Health (disability),

Department of Business, Enterprise, Innovation (SME Access, workers’ rights),

Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport (sustainable transport),

Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government – Local Government

Pictured: L—R: Ronan O’Reilly (OGP), Jim Deane (OGP), Minister David Stanton (Minister of State at the Department of Justice

and Equality), Minister Patrick O’Donovan (Minister of State at the Departments of Finance and Public Expenditure and

Reform), Denise Tully (OGP), and Minister Finian McGrath (Minister of State at the Department of Health)

The information note is now available on the OGP website here.

Social Considerations

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Policy Updates

Review of the Public Procurement Reform Programme The OGP has embarked on a review of the public procurement reform programme. A consultation

process has commenced and as part of this, Minister Donohoe and Minister of State O’Donovan have

asked each Government Minister for their views on the implementation of the programme, to

address compliance issues highlighted by both the PAC and the C&AG, and to make recommendations

for refinement based on the lessons learned to date.

This review is in line with the

commitments in the current

Programme for Government.

The feedback from this engagement

will inform the future direction and

shape of public procurement.

Brexit and Public Procurement The OGP’s Information Note on Brexit and Public Procurement highlights various steps a public body

should consider to prepare for the impact of Brexit. In summary, CPBs and Public Bodies should have

analysed their suppliers to understand each supplier’s relative importance, how these products arrive

into Ireland, where they come from and what borders they cross. Those with existing UK contractual

arrangements should have reviewed their existing contracts and have considered the potential impact

on future contracts in light of whatever legal changes Brexit may bring.

Procurement Officer Part of the OGP’s remit is to support better procurement practice and provide contracting authorities

with information they can use to achieve this. The purpose of this information note is to outline the

role of a Procurement Officer in organisations that carry out public procurement. The Procurement

Officer is important to ensuring organisations meet their procurement obligations.

The above information notes are now available on the OGP website here

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Two new animated videos have been developed by

the OGP, providing information for prospective

suppliers on interacting with eTenders.

The first looks at registering for eTenders, creating

business alerts, and ensuring that details are kept up-to

-date. The second looks at using eTenders to

participate in competitions, seek clarifications, etc.

These new videos are helpful and informative multimedia communications and they are available on

the OGP YouTube channel here

Tender Opening Protocol on eTenders The Tender Opening Protocol service is now available on eTenders for all contracting authorities.

The Tender Opening Protocol is new functionality available for the Contracting Authority (CA) to

report on submissions received via the electronic tender-box on eTenders. The protocol captures

date & time for the opening of tenders and shows the authorised persons nominated within the CA

for the electronic opening procedure. It lists all supplier responses submitted before the closing

deadline with date and time stamps for each submission.

Benefits of Tender Opening Protocol

Opening Protocol is aligned to the electronic submission requirement which is mandatory for

above OJEU threshold tenders since 18 October 2018

Provides a speedy and accurate report for the opening procedure

Provides transparency and will be a useful document in the event of a legal challenge

Generates a formal customised report available for each CA at tender opening including the CA

corporate logo where available

Repository for each RFT to capture details of the opening procedure without reviewing the full

audit trail

A common reporting process for all RFTs including tender submissions below OJEU threshold

Report can be printed by CA if required

Further guidance on the Opening Protocol is available by clicking HERE. If further assistance is

required, please email your request to eTenders@eu-supply.com

eTenders Animated Videos

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In this edition we take a look at three Generation 2 professional services frameworks that are all Tier 3 in terms

of complexity level. They are:

Business Management and ICT Consultancy Services (Tier 3)

Market Research and Surveys Consultancy Services (Tier 3)

Procurement Consultancy Services (Tier 3)

Why should I use these Frameworks? Accessing these services can be difficult for public service bodies, particularly those that do not regularly need

these services and may be unfamiliar with the marketplace. Procurement can also be costly and time

consuming, for both the public service bodies and for the service providers. The frameworks for the provision of

Business and Management and ICT Consultancy Services, Market Research and Surveys Consultancy Services

and Procurement Consultancy Services are fully compliant with procurement regulations. They reduce the time

and costs associated with the procurement process by offering a facility that has already been competitively

tendered for.

Provision of Market Research and Surveys Consultancy Services (Tier 3) What goods are covered by this contract/framework?

Lot 1 – Quantitative and Qualitative Research/Survey Services Research services, typically covering multiple disciplines of design, fieldwork, analysis and reporting from large scale population-based and/or longitudinal studies, with research predominantly primary (i.e. generating new research findings or data, rather than the analysis or interpretation of existing data or information). Research may be quantitative, qualitative or both.

Lot 2 – Secondary and Specialist Research/Survey Services

Secondary and specialist research services including the collation, consideration, analysis, synthesis and

interpretation of existing research, data or information, rather than the production or generation of new

primary research. Existing research examined in secondary research exercises can be quantitative, qualitative or

both, and services may extend into or include data processing, data coding and data matching. Lot 3—Procurement Training and Development

OGP Frameworks

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OGP Frameworks

Procurement Consultancy Services (Tier 3)

What goods are covered by this contract/framework?

Lot 1—procurement Training and General Procurement Advice

Lot 2—Procurement Strategy

Business Management and ICT Consultancy Services (Tier 3)

This Framework has twelve separate Lots, each Lot representing specific consulting practice areas with the estimated con-tract value of each Mini-Competition.

Lot 1 Business Strategy and Operations—Estimated Contract Value between €25,000 and €144,000

Lot 2 Organisational Change Management and Transformation - Estimated Contract Value between €25,000 and

€144,000

Lot 3 Project, Programme and Portfolio Management (P3M) - Estimated Contract Value between €25,000 and €144,000

Lot 4 Business Process, Process Improvement and Process Reengineering—Estimated Contract Value between €25,000

and €144,000

Lot 5 ICT— Estimated Contract Value between €25,000 and €144,000

Lot 6 Policy and Economics— Estimated Contract Value between €25,000 and €144,000

Lot 7 Business Strategy and Operations— Estimated Contract Value in excess of €144,000

Lot 8 Organisational Change Management and Transformation— Estimated Contract Value in excess of €144,000

Lot 9 Project, Programme and Portfolio Management (P3M) - Estimated Contract Value in excess of €144,000

Lot 10 Business Process, Process Improvement and Process Reengineering— Estimated Contract Value in excess of

€144,000

Lot 11 ICT— Estimated Contract Value in excess of €144,000

Lot 12 Policy and Economics— Estimated Contract Value in excess of €144,000

Who can use these frameworks? Ministers of the Government of Ireland, Central Government Departments, Offices and non – commercial

Agencies and Organisations which have a formal reporting and legal relationship to Central Government De-

partments, including all Local Authorities in Ireland (themselves including regional assemblies, county enter-

prise boards and library bodies).

Contracting Authorities in the Irish Health Sector including, but not limited to the Health Service Executive

(HSE), the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) and HSE funded agencies delivering health and per-

sonal social services funded by more than 50% from Exchequer funds.

Contracting Authorities which are third Level Education Institutions (including universities and institutes of

technology), Education and Training Boards (ETBs) and ETB schools and primary, post – primary, special and

secondary schools as well as ETBs acting on behalf of schools, groups and clusters of schools in centres.

An Garda Siochána;

The Irish Prison Service and;

The Defence Forces

For a full list of Frameworks please visit www.ogp.gov.ie

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Facilities Management Awards 2019

The Facilities Management Awards recognise and celebrate those involved in the key role of ensuring

that businesses achieve their operational objectives.

The awards showcase on a national scale the efforts made by those within the FM sector that have

made a positive contribution to the knowledge, practical application and communication of

strategies to improve the sustainable performance of their premises, while adding to the core value

of their client’s business. On the night the OGP won FM Project of the Year Health & Education

Pictured: L—R: Dermot Callaghan (OGP), Avril Moloney (Garda), Paul Guy (Aramark), Fiona Delaney (Garda) & Eileen

Delaney (OGP) Pictured: L-R: Eileen Delaney (OGP), Fiona Delaney (Garda) & Avril Moloney (Garda)

OGP SME Support & Engagements The OGP regularly engages with the SME sector to boost participation in competitions and to support

the best competitive processes for clients. This work takes us all over the country and the first

quarter was no exception.

OGP Key Account Managers (KAMs) make presentations at various Go-2-Tender workshops and

briefings where they present on the OGP Procurement model, and the various supports that are

available to SMEs. These are excellent opportunities to understand OGP activities and talk to our

staff at events.

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Procurex The event, held across a single day, drew a record attendance as visitors made their way to RDS Dublin to

engage within a marketplace valued at over €12 billion annually. The event hosted five unique Procurement

Academy Zones, each designed to increase the knowledge and skills of both buyers and suppliers at the

event. The OGP had a significant presence at the conference this year, our stand operating from a central

vantage point in the hall. The staff were kept busy throughout the day engaging with the numerous visitors

that approached to ask many varied questions about procurement, tendering for business, eInvoicing, our

frameworks and how best to engage with the OGP.

Patrick O’Donovan TD, Minister of State at the Department of Finance and Public Procurement Reform, Paul

Quinn, Chief Procurement Officer, Office of Government Procurement; John Swords, National Director of

Procurement, Health Business Services plus many more gave insightful takes on the latest developments

within the public procurement industry.

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EMPOWER

The OGP People Strategy has been very much a journey taken with our people who have had a

strong voice in setting out our people vision for the organisation. It has been formulated by people

from across the OGP, who brought great energy and enthusiasm, as well as innovative ideas and

vision into what EMPOWER means for the OGP.

This strategy sets out our intent for our people for the period 2019-2021 and is underpinned by a

detailed three-year implementation plan that sets out the activities, timescales and measures of

success so we can proactively monitor our progress over the lifetime of the strategy.

On Friday 29 March 2019, Minister O'Donovan joined Paul

Quinn CPO and Kathryn Whyte, Head of HR to launch our

new EMPOWER People Strategy in the Limerick City Gallery. A

number of the Senior Management Team also attended along

with colleagues from our Cork and Limerick offices.

This strategy is for everyone across all OGP locations. It reminds

us that although we have different roles to play, we are all

committed to creating a great place to work with access to

opportunities to realise our potential. The strategy also sets out

our commitment to responding to feedback on an ongoing basis

and being flexible in relation to the needs coming through from

employee engagement.

As a significant part of that commitment, OGP is taking part in a

survey of Irish workplaces which is compiled by the Great Place

to Work®. We are the first Civil Service organisation to have

teamed up with the Great Place to Work initiative to help us benchmark and shape our journey over

the next three years.

The Great Place to Work programme is a key initiative under the EMPOWER People Strategy.

The programme assists workplaces to create and sustain high-trust cultures, and recognises

organisations that develop best practices in this area.

The purpose of the Best Workplaces programme is to recognise organisations in

which employees are provided with a great work environment and to encourage

other organisations to do the same. This will help us understand the areas we need

to focus on most as part of EMPOWER.