A special conference aimed at helping construction companies based in Mayo and the Midlands to win public works contracts will take place early next month. The Procurement 2015 Conference has been organised by the Construction Industry Federation and will take place on Thursday November 6 in the Hodson Bay Hotel, Athlone.
The conference will be particularly timely following the Budget announcement that the Government is to spend €2.2 billion on social housing through the procurement process over the next three years. Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform Brendan Howlin also announced an extension of the capital spending budget, with funding going towards more public construction projects.
Among those who will address the conference are the State's chief procurement officer and CEO of the Office of Government Procurement, Paul Quinn; Irish Water's chief procurement officer, Martin Acton; Jim Curran who is head of estates with the Health Services Executive; the Department of Education's Larry McEvoy; chairman of the Government Construction Contracts Committee David O'Brien; and CIF director general Tom Parlon.
Speaking about the conference, CIF director general Tom Parlon said: "We want to provide Mayo construction companies with greater insight on the procurement regulations as well as some background on best practice behind winning tenders. That is why we have put this conference together. Winning public contracts has become a very complex process over recent years and this conference will help provide a lot of helpful advice to construction companies based in Mayo and the Midlands who plan on pitching for the forthcoming procurement projects. Traditionally public contracts have accounted for half of all construction activity in this country. With the Government announcing plans to spend considerable sums on public construction projects over the next couple of years, it is vital that construction companies in Mayo and the rest of the country understand the challenges involved in the procurement process. We have assembled the top experts in public procurement, arguably the most comprehensive line up of procurement specialists that has ever been assembled at a single event. Those attending will be hearing from the top of the procurement food chain as to what these experts are looking for when awarding public contracts. The conference will hear directly from the horse’s mouth about how these decisions are made. I would encourage all those construction personnel in Mayo who are involved in public contracts or who want to be involved in the future to attend. During the course of a single afternoon they will be provided with as much helpful information and straight forward advice as it would normally take years of tendering practice to piece together.”
The event will take place in the Hodson Bay Hotel, Athlone, on Thursday November 6. Tickets are available for €25 by contacting Brid Cody on (091 ) 502680 or by emailing [email protected].
