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IRELAND’S SMALL BUSINESSES are being locked out of lucrative government tenders as the push to drive down prices sends millions in big contracts offshore.
The Small Firms Association (SFA) claims the attitude is costing Irish jobs as local operators are left unable to compete with overseas buying power.
SFA director Patricia Callan said a move to cut tender costs through large-scale contracts left out the many small businesses lacking the skills to band together for joint bids.
In its pursuit of the cheapest price, the government is neglecting the fact that this will not deliver either the quality, cost in use savings or service levels it desires, but will result in lost jobs here at home,” she said.
While the SFA says the government’s policy to save money was “valid”, it should be pulled into step with its plans to support jobs and enterprise.
Where have all the tenders gone?
TenderScout, a company which helps small and medium enterprises (SMEs) win public contracts, claims foreign companies won 28% of all Irish public contracts last year.
In its annual report, the company said firms from the UK and Ireland were taking the biggest share, although French, Belgian and German companies were all enjoying the spoils.
Big firms like Eircom, UPC and PwC were also taking a disproportionate share of the tenders on offer, the report said.
Public Expenditure Minister Brendan Howlin recently put the share of public contract money going overseas at under 5% of the total.
Callan said large foreign suppliers could use their buying power to compete on price and a new procurement system needed to be set up based on a “think small first” attitude.
READ: We should back female and elderly entrepreneurs better: small-business lobby
READ: ‘Be business focused not jobs focused’ – government told
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If the trial was here he’d have got a suspended sentence
You’d wonder why these people chose a life of crime when you are so likely to end up dead or in prison
@Tweety McTweeter: Greed.
@Tweety McTweeter: I blame Fine Gael
@Tweety McTweeter: that’s so true they should have chosen to be a banker or politician, it’s so much easier to live and get away with ripping people off. But outside of that it’s a good day for the Garda in dealing with these criminals
@Tweety McTweeter: I find the violence as abhorrent as the next, but if you followed this case you’d likely agree this conviction is unsafe. The prosecution changed stance at the last minute from saying he did the killing to he might have been the getaway driver.
@Tweety McTweeter: And Prison in Spain is a different story than our soft regime. They will wake up in the mornings with a big sweaty hairy Moroccan cell mate whispering sweet nothings in their ears !
I see the Predator cleaned himself up and got a new job.
@Seaghán Corcoran: ha ha cracker seaghan
have your say