Kildare County Council Hosts Public Procurement Briefing for Local SMEs
Local Small and Medium Enterprises Gain Insights into Opportunities to Grow Through Public Procurement Process
Kildare County Council’s Procurement Office, in collaboration with the Local Enterprise Office, hosted a Public Procurement briefing on Wednesday, 20th November to equip local small medium enterprises (SME’s)with the knowledge to successfully engage in Ireland's public procurement process. This briefing highlighted Kildare County Council’s procurement plans for 2025, providing Kildare-based SME’s with valuable insights into opportunities for business growth.
Each year, Ireland’s public procurement process sees over €8.5 billion worth of contracts awarded, with numerous SMEs demonstrating high success rates in securing them. One of the most effective ways for County Kildare businesses to grow, is by understanding how to bid for and win public sector contracts. The seminar was structured to assist attendees in navigating the formal and often complicated process and bid more effectively for public sector opportunities.
Eoghan Ryan, Director of Services, Kildare County Council, opened the seminar by highlighting the importance of transparency and local engagement in the procurement process. He said, “Our procurement policies and procedures ensure that we are transparent in our dealings with potential suppliers and the public. Kildare County Council is committed to encouraging more local SMEs to engage in the procurement process. Each year, we spend millions on goods and services that support our work for the people of Kildare, and this briefing is designed to help more local businesses access and compete for these commercial opportunities.”
The briefing also provided an overview of Kildare County Council’s procurement plans across five key departments: roads/transport, housing, environment, corporate services and enterprise and economic development.
Jacqui McNabb, Head of Enterprise, Tourism and Economic Development, Kildare County Council addressed the event on the significant importance of SMEs in public procurement. She stressed, “The most important thing local SMEs must do is understand the procurement process and prepare themselves to bid effectively. We have seen many Kildare-based companies not only win bids with Kildare County Council but also secure national public sector contracts. The Local Enterprise Office Kildare will continue to support local businesses by running further procurement masterclass workshops to ensure they have the tools and training to bid successfully.”
The seminar closed with remarks from Sabrina Fogarty, Procurement Officer, Kildare County Council who announced that this inaugural event would become an annual event. “This seminar will continue to be an annual event for Kildare County Council to share our spending and procurement plans for the coming year. We also aim to keep local suppliers updated on the latest developments and innovations in Ireland’s public procurement process. Our national guidelines fully support SME participation, and Kildare County Council looks forward to engaging with more local businesses in the future,”
Kildare County Council is committed to fostering economic development, local enterprise, and community growth. Through its procurement policies, the Council aims to support SMEs and ensure that the public sector marketplace remains accessible and fair to all eligible businesses.
For further information on Kildare County Council's procurement opportunities and upcoming events, please contact procurement@kildarecoco.ie or +353 (0)45 980200 or www.kildare.ie/council
