Procurement Stakeholder Working Group 

9 December 2008: At our briefing session for members on the current status of public sector procurement on 10 November 2008, we identified three key priorities:

1. Identifying public sector works that could be quickly brought to the market and how they will be procured.
2. The urgent establishment of a small stakeholder working party to agree procurement processes that are consistent, transparent and provide opportunities for companies of all sizes.
3. Introducing a process that allows companies to raise concerns regarding procurement processes without feeling the need to issue legal challenge.

We can report that the Central Procurement Directorate (CPD) and the Strategic Investment Board (SIB) are currently co-ordinating details of projects that can be brought forward by each Government Construction Client. We hope to have details of these for you imminently.

CPD has formally agreed to the establishment of the stakeholder working party under the aegis of the Construction Industry Forum. With regard to our own representation on the working party the CEF was keen that it represents as broad a cross section of members as possible. Federation Council has therefore approved the following nominees:

Mark Lowry              Farrans (Construction) Ltd               CEF Vice-President
Eugene McKenna   Geda Construction Company Ltd    Civil Engineering Committee
Daniel Dixon            Dixon Contractors Ltd                       Social Housing Committee
Enda Brady              O’Neill & Brady Ltd                            General Contractors Committee

The CEF Managing Director John Armstrong will also sit on the working party.

The Construction Industry Group Professional College has nominated three representatives and the Specialist Sub-Contractors College has nominated one.

Finally, the Federation has been examining existing adjudication processes that could be formally adopted as part of the review process. While the working party is of necessity made up of a small but broadly representative group of members, we will be taking steps to ensure that all members are kept informed of the progress of the group.