COMHAIRLE CONTAE ÁTHA CLIATH THEAS
SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

MEETING OF SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

Monday, December 10, 2012

QUESTION NO. 9

QUESTION: Councillor W. Lavelle

To ask the Manager, further to the replies to questions on procurement tabled at the November meeting, to provide details of any 'meet the buyer' events held in our county in 2012, or planned for 2013, so as to allow local SME's to meet with public sector procurement officers from the council, the HSE and other public service bodies located in the county?

REPLY:

During 2011, InterTradeIreland worked with the Central Procurement Directorate, the National Procurement Service, Enterprise Ireland, Invest Northern Ireland and the Strategic Investment Board to run a series of Public Procurement Awareness Conferences in Cookstown and in Dublin. They also ran an "Upping Your Game Meet the Buyer" event in Dundalk. The "Upping Your Game" conferences and "Meet the Buyer" event provided SMEs with an overview of the all-island public procurement market and the opportunities available, as well as an opportunity to speak with public sector buyers from across the island.  Local events were held in Tallaght Hospital, IT Tallaght and Peamount Hospital, facilitated by the County Enterprise Board.

 Following the success of these events the following Meet the Buyer events were organised for 2012.

Tuesday 29th May 2012 -

Hodson Bay Hotel, Athlone

Thursday 27 September 2012 -

Glenavon Hotel, Cookstown

Thursday 08 November 2012 -

New Park Hotel, Kilkenny

A further event is scheduled for Wednesday 5th December 2012 at The Red Cow Hotel in Dublin and South Dublin will have a presence at this event.  These events are organised primarily by the Agencies mentioned above and the dates are notified through ISME and the National Procurement Service to all Local Authorities and relevant Government Agencies.  Dates for 2013 have not as yet been notified.