eProcurement project gets the go-ahead
15-20-2002
By: Margaret Grene
Public sector spending is big business these days. In fact, spread right across the public service from Healthcare, to Education, to Communications and a variety of goods and services it is worth approximately 9 billion euros worth of business annually.
In April 2002 the Government's eProcurement strategy was launched. Local Authorities, Health Boards and Government bodies are forging ahead, getting ready to do business online; and this poses an opportunity and at the same time a threat to SMEs. It is an opportunity to expand or continue their business into the public sector arena but it is also a threat for those who do not do business online.
On November 26th last Kilkenny Chamber of Commerce hosted a one-day seminar for SMEs, Local Authorities and all those interested in the topic of eProcurement. Speaking at this event, Margaret Grene from the TSSG warned that eProcurement cannot exist outside of the broader context of eBusiness and SMEs who fail to embrace eBusiness will also miss the opportunity that eProcurement promises.
There is also the issue of the process - a large unwieldy process may prove prohibitive to the SME.
The eProc project, which has just been approved for European Regional Development Funding under the INTERREG IIIB North West Europe Community Initiative on Territorial Planning, will address these issues. The Irish partners, the Telecommunications
Software & Systems Group (TSSG) at Waterford Institute of Technology and the South Eastern Regional Authority (SERA) (on behalf of 6 Local authorities in the region), together with lead partner Antur Teifi Cyf of Carmarthenshire (Wales)and other partners in Cardiff (Wales), Stuttgart (Germany), Mulheim an der Ruhr (Germany) and Utrecht (Holland) have identified the following work plan for this three-year project.
1. Investigate eProcurement policies and strategies across North West Europe and solution developments.
2. Evaluate and benchmark the SMEs (in agreement with the Local Authorities) in respect of their use of ICT, eCommerce and eProcurement.
3. Investigate methodologies in use for eProcurement.
4. Devise a suitable methodology with step-by-step guides for all.
5. Participants in the process
Pilot this methodology and evaluate.
With the benefit of transnational collaboration between each of these partners and the sharing of knowledge and experiences from each country it is envisaged that this EUR1.2 million project will take the North-West European region to the vanguard of the eProcurement arena.
For more information about this project please contact mgrene@tssg.org.
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