The National Procurement Service (NPS) has put in place in excess of 40 contracts and frameworks with a total value of € 414 million since 2009. The most recent tender the NPS managed was for central purchasing of managed print services for the public sector, worth € 100,000,000. Next on its agenda is the central purchasing of legal services. The objective – to get central framework agreements and contracts that will have scale and value for money for the taxpayer. So by aggregating purchasing on behalf of the public sector, the NPS can run very valuable tender competitions to provide a list of preferred suppliers to state bodies that deliver value for money.
If a buyer does not want to buy from the preferred supplier list, they have to demonstrate that they are getting even better value for money. Minister Brian Hayes, with responsibility for the NPS, is clear that ‘thinking local’ is not something that can continue.
So your strategy as a supplier – be aware of upcoming tender competitions through good account management to position yourself to win these contracts.
