Building contractors encouraged to participate

 €100m in contracts for minor building works across the entire public service.

The contracts will be tendered by the Local Government Operational Procurement Centre for the provision of Minor Building Works to public service bodies including 31 local authorities, the HSE, the OPW, the Department of Education and Teagasc.  

The contracts will be tendered by way of two new frameworks. Once registered for the Frameworks, contractors will receive alerts to all future minor works projects that meet their stated preferences in terms of scope and location.

Service providers interested in competing for minor building works contracts who meet the minimum competencies can apply online through www.etenders.gov.ie. Applicants may indicate which services, county or region they wish to apply for during the process. Once accepted onto the framework, contractors will be informed of opportunities via the www.supplygov.ie website and can choose to accept or decline projects as they arise. 

The frameworks will be tendered from October 2018 with two opportunities for contractors to participate – Minor Building Works Residential and Minor Building Works Commercial.  While the scope and complexity of the works will vary significantly, it is envisaged that the average contract value will be in the region of €50,000 for residential works and €100,000 for commercial works.

Building contractors will be required to meet the competencies established for admittance to the frameworks. Building contractors already registered on www.etenders.ie should ensure that they have registered for tenders at a minimum under CPV Code 45000000-7 Construction work and CPV Code 45210000-2 Building construction work in order to be registered for the minor works tendering process. 

Moira Murrell, Chairperson of the Local Government Procurement Programme Board said, “The local government sector, as lead partner, brings this opportunity to SMEs in Ireland in 2018. It represents a very significant opportunity for SMEs to deliver key contracts across the public sector. The value of the frameworks is estimated at €100m and the local government sector is eager to communicate this message to all small contractors in the building industry.

“These minor works frameworks are a great opportunity to win business from the public sector. They are open to businesses seeking to gain a first contract or those stepping up to tender for larger or commercial contracts. The local government sector is providing a number of supports to small businesses to help them to engage with this procurement process, including a series of regional information briefings.”

The Local Government Management Agency (LGMA) is encouraging all building contractors to recognise the benefits of public service contracts and to engage with the procurement process.  “The public sector is a good client for small businesses.  Payment for services delivered within the terms of a contract is guaranteed and, in line with the requirements of the Prompt Payment of Accounts Act, public bodies have a legal obligation to pay their bills on time”, said Paul Dunne, Chief Executive Officer of the Local Government Management Agency.

Regional Information Briefings

Interested building service providers are invited to attend one of eight regional briefings on the frameworks taking place around the country in mid-late September.

Eight briefings will be held between September 17^th and September 27^th in Mayo, Kerry, Cork, Dublin, Laois, Wexford, Cavan and Donegal. Full details are available at lgma.eventbrite.com.

These sessions will outline the frameworks and the opportunities for businesses and will be supported by InterTradeIreland who will provide advice to businesses about registering and tendering on www.etenders.ie, the Irish Government’s electronic tendering platform administered by the Office of Government Procurement. 

“InterTradeIreland welcomes the invitation from the local government sector to participate in these briefings and work with the sector to support procurement opportunities for small and microbusinesses”, said Grant Gilmore, InterTradeIreland Director of Programmes and Business Services. 

Several support and guidance documents are also being developed to support SMEs. These documents, details of information briefings and a link to register for the regional briefings are available at www.lgma.ie.

Contact

Brigid Fitzgerald, Communications Officer Local Government Management Agency (LGMA)

Mob: 087-6522527 Email: Bfitzgerald@lgma.ie

Notes to the Editor

• The Minor Building Works Frameworks are open to contractors who are experienced in providing and managing multiple discipline trades applicable to the Frameworks.
• Contractors must  register for admittance to the frameworks at www.etenders.gov.ie.  Once registered, all interaction in relation to open competitions and      contracts will be via www.supplygov.ie
• The work will be      tendered in two separate frameworks – Minor Building Works Residential and Minor Building Works Commercial in October on www.etenders.ie     
• Works will be carried      out for public service bodies including government departments, local authorities, the HSE, the OPW, and Teagasc. 

The framework relates to works associated with:

• General repairs and maintenance to the building fabric;

• Roofing works;

• Modifications for disability access;

• General electrical repairs and maintenance;

• General plumbing, heating and mechanical system repairs and maintenance;

• Replacement of windows and internal and external doors;

• 2^nd fix internal carpentry works;

• Installation of new kitchens;

• Floor coverings and painting and decorating;

• Construction of small extensions;

• Repairs and maintenance to external works such as driveways, steps, paths, fences and boundary walls;

• Minor demolition works;

• External site works, landscaping, drainage and residential waste and foul water treatment works;

• Clearance works in preparation for re-letting/re-occupation.

Queries from service providers in respect of the Framework should be made to The Local Government Operational Procurement Centre (LGOPC) Helpdesk on eproc@kerrycoco.ie / 079-1064020.

Regional Briefings details

More information and registration for these information briefings is available at lgma.eventbrite.com

About the Local Government Operational Procurement Centre (LGOPC)

The LGOPC under the auspices of Kerry County Council is tasked with leading the two Categories of procurement of Plant Hire and Minor Building Works and Civils.  The office delivers sourcing methodologies and procurement routes for local authorities, HSE, OPW and other public service bodies using the procurement platforms www.etenders.gov.ie and www.supplygov.ie.

About the Local Government Management Agency

The LGMA is an agency of local authorities, primarily funded by local authorities, and operates in the local government sector, reporting on performance as required to the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government (DHPLG).  The Agency aims to meet the needs of local authorities and DHPLG in delivering on the public sector reform agenda in the local government sector (particularly in terms of sectoral approaches to service delivery), researching emerging and identified issues, assisting local authorities in the implementation and measurement of change, and supporting, in general, enhanced performance by the local government sector.

About CPVs

The ‘Common Procurement Vocabulary’ (CPV) is a code for describing works, supplies and services to be advertised in the Official Journal of the European Union.

About the SME Advisory Group

The SME Advisory Group provides Irish small and medium enterprises with direct access to Government, providing ongoing assistance and advice to the Minister on SMEs and issues affecting them. The group prioritises issues adversely affecting SMEs and communicates these and possible solutions to the relevant Agency, Department or to Government.  The members of the SME Advisory group are: the OGP, Department of Business, Enterprise and Innovation, InterTradeIreland, Enterprise Ireland, the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission, Ibec, ISME, SFA, Chambers Ireland, and the Construction Industry Federation.

About the Office of Government Procurement

The OGP commenced operations in 2014 and, together with four key sectors (Health, Defence, Education and Local Government), has responsibility for sourcing all goods and services on behalf of the Public Service. In addition, the OGP also has responsibility for procurement policy and procedures.

Through the OGP and the sector-retained procurement functions, the Public Service speaks with “one voice” to the market for each category of expenditure, eliminating duplication and taking advantage of the scale of public procurement to best effect. This move is in line with best practice in the public and private sector and is part of the continuing reform programme being driven by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform.  For further information log onto www.ogp.gov.ie.

About PSCS

The role of the project supervisor construction stage is to manage and co-ordinate health and safety matters during the construction stage.  The project supervisor construction stage is appointed before the construction work begins and remains in that position until all construction work on the project is completed.