Public Procurement Contracts
Seanad Éireann — 2026-01-20
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Frankie Feighan (FG), Sligo-Leitrim

Significant work is being undertaken to support SMEs accessing public procurement opportunities. I am keen to explore further ways to make public procurement more accessible for SMEs. I will work with the Senator and all her colleagues across government to this aim. The Government is committed to making it is easier for SMEs to tender for public contracts. To support that objective, the Department has undertaken a comprehensive review of the public procurement process to understand the barriers to SME participation. We are trying to identify ways to support and simplify the procurement process and encourage SME participation particularly among micro and small businesses and social enterprises.
As I said, the Minister, Deputy Chambers, and I are committed to using public procurement as a strategic tool to deliver wider societal, environmental and economic impact. I came from an SME, a family business, and I know such people will work all the days they can. Sometimes it can be difficult to stand back and put in these applications, and we have to make it easier to do so. I again thank the Senator for raising this important issue.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/seanad/2026-01-20/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:31+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-01-20