New eTendersNI portal will help local tech firms bid for government contracts

  • A new enhanced eTendersNI portal is set to make it easier for local tech and manufacturing firms to bid for government supply contracts.

    While most tech firms are developing solutions for the private and enterprise sectors, many also supply their goods and services to government departments and agencies. As the money being used is public, the government has to go through a tendering process for supply contracts.

    Public procurement accounts for about £3bn or 25% of the NI Executive's budget each year, with around 95% of all public sector bodies using the portal to advertise tender opportunities. It's used by around 22,000 suppliers from across the country to provide goods and services to government agencies, departments, and arms-length bodies when required.

    The eTendersNI portal has been redesigned to make it easier for suppliers to go through the tender process. The portal is managed by the Department of Finance’s Construction and Procurement Delivery Division, and the newly revamped version will help local tech firms bid for important supply contracts for their services.

    The old system required suppliers to prepare tender documentation on their own computers and was prone to delays and mistakes. The new portal lets firms prepare and submit tenders securely using the portal itself, and allows multiple users within one organisation to collaborate on the tender application. The new system is also accessible on mobile devices and tablets.

    Finance Minister Conor Murphy said: "Public sector procurement is vital for local businesses and jobs. It is therefore important we make the tendering process as user-friendly as possible to give companies the best opportunity to bid for contracts. I was delighted to hear first-hand the positive response from representatives from a range of companies who regularly use the system to search for business opportunities and bid for contracts."

    Source: Written based on press release

    About the author

    Brendan is a Sync NI writer with a special interest in the gaming sector, programming, emerging technology, and physics. To connect with Brendan, feel free to send him an email or follow him on Twitter.

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