public affairs ireland annual conference on public procurement · • register online at • call...

Public Affairs Ireland are organising a half-day conference on developments in public procurement on 7 November in Dublin.

The public service spends some €9bn every year on goods and services. The State buys everything from pens and paper, through to ammunition and surgi-cal equipment. Procurement has evolved into a professional business disci-pline over the last decade. The existing public sector structures are somewhat fragmented with procurement performed in an uncoordinated fashion in many organisations across the public service.

An open recruitment campaign to recruit the leadership team for the Office of Government Procurement is in train. The procurement reform program is targeting up to €500m of savings for tax payers over the next 3 years. The reformed procurement function will adopt a consistent approach across the public service by addressing three things: controlling demand (looking at how we buy), controlling the specification (looking at what we buy) and controlling the value (looking at price and quality).

In addition, there is a new legislative programme being developed in Brus-sels that will involve significant changes in the current EC Public Procurement Directives.

This should prove to be a topical and informative conference on significant current issues and forthcoming developments in procurement. Minister of State, Brian Hayes TD will open the conference and the leading expert official in the procurement field in the European Commission, Claudio Romanini, will make a presentation on progress on the new Directives. There will also be expert comments from leading legal practitioners and academics in the pro-curement field.

Anyone involved in public procurement across the public service in particular should attend this informative and topical conference.

Public Affairs Ireland Conference

Public Affairs Ireland annual conference on Public Procurement

Significant current issues and forthcoming developments in public procurement

New Office of Government Procurement

New EC procurement Directives

Below threshold procurement challenges

Competitive Dialogue

Budget infrastructure spending and procurement

Standstill letters

SMEs and public procurement

Typical pitfalls in public procurement

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Half-day conference, Alexander Hotel Dublin 9am - 1.30pm Thursday 7 November 2013

www.publicaffairsireland.com

Sponsored by:

Conference Agenda:Registration and coffee



IntroductionDon Bergin, Director of Public Affairs Ireland

Procurement litigation: Below threshold procurement challengesNiamh Hyland, SC

Economic recovery and infrastructure spending, avoiding past mishapsJohn Finnegan, Aecom

Competitive Dialogue The “Cinderella” of procurement procedures Philip Lee, Managing Partner, Philip Lee Solicitors

Chair for second session Thomas Hunter McGowan CEO InterTradeIreland

What is the extent of your obligation to include reasons within a standstill letter?Nathy Dunleavy, BL

Can public authorities improve prospects for SMEs to win in tendering? Professor Dermot Cahill, Bangor University, Winning in Tendering project

8.30

9.30

9.50

10.10

10.30

11.30

12.00

11.40

Proposed changes in the EU Procurement Directives Claudio Romanini, Legal Principal, DG Internal Market, European Commission

Panel discussion: developments in and some current issues facing public procurement officials. - Panel: Niamh Hyland SC, Philip Lee, John Finnegan, Claudio Romanini

Questions/panel discussion10.45

12.20 Avoiding the frequent pitfalls in the public procurement processChristine Comiskey, Deputy Assistant Chief State Solicitor, Chief State Solicitor’s Office

12.40 Questions, panel discussion and Chairman’s concluding remarks

11.00 Coffee

Keynote Address: Ireland’s evolving approach to Public Procurement, Office of Government Procurement and recent developmentsBrian Hayes TD, Minister of State at the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform with special responsibility for the Office of Public Works

9.05

1.00 Lunch

9.00


About the SpeakersBrian Hayes TD is Minister of State for Public Service Reform and the Office of Public Works. He has held a number of senior positions on the Fine Gael Front Bench and represents the constituency of Dublin South West. Brian has also served as Leader of the Party in the Seanad and as a member of South Dublin County Council.

Don Bergin is the Chairman of Public Affairs Ireland and was a former senior civil servant in the Department of Finance.

Niamh Hyland is a Senior Counsel practising in the Law Library specialising in the areas of European Union law (including public procurement, competition, telecommunications and environmental law), commercial law, insurance law and administrative law (including regulated industries and planning). She acts for both public sector bodies and applicants in procurement litigation and has advised on a

wide range of procurement issues. She has been included in the International Who’s Who of Public Procurement Lawyers for 2013. Prior to being called to the Bar, Niamh was a Foundation Scholar of Trinity College, did a Master’s Degree at Magdalen College Oxford, lectured in Trinity College in European Union law as the Jean Monnet Professor, and worked as a Referendaire at the Court of First Instance in Luxembourg and as a Euro-Jus Advisor at the European Commission Representation in Dublin.

Philip Lee is widely recognised internationally for his procurement expertise and particularly for his work on behalf of public bodies and public sector clients. He is a lead adviser to many local authorities, government departments and a wide range of corporate clients in the construction, pharmaceutical, telecommunications, energy, environmental and I.T. sectors. Philip wrote the first textbook in the English language on Public

Procurement, is recommended by Chambers Europe, Legal 500 and the International Bar Association’s Who’s Who (procurement), and is Chairman of the Irish Green Building Council.

John Finnegan is a Regional Director with AECOM. He is an economist and chartered accountant by profession and has over twenty years’ experience of public policy research and analysis as a government official and consultant. Prior to working as an economic consultant, John worked as an official with the Competition Directorate General of the European Commission. John is experienced in the application of economic analysis to wide range of policy areas

including transport and the evaluation of policies and programmes. He recently project managed an evaluation of “JASPERS” assistance to new Member States for DG REGIO European Commission. In addition, John has extensive experience of advising significant private sector companies on economic and regulatory issues.

“Christine Comiskey BCL LLM is a Deputy Assistant Chief State Solicitor with the Office of the Chief State Solicitor. Christine is Head of the Commercial Contracts Section which developed under her direction within the CSSO from 2005. Christine is responsible for advising Central Government Departments on public procurement and commerical law. In 2011, Christine with her team, working with the National Procurement

Service, developed the NPS Template Suite of Procurement and Contract documents for General Goods and Services now in wide use across the Public Sector. Christine is the legal advisor to the Chief Procurement Officer and the Office of Government Procurement.”

Claudio Romanini is a Legal Affairs Officer in the European Commission, Unit C 3 - Public procurement Legislation II - of DG Internal Market and Services. He is currently part of the small drafting team preparing the new legislative proposals following the Green Paper on modernisation and following the on-going negotiations in both Council and the European Parliament. He is furthermore responsible for horizontal issues

concerning Directive 2004/17/EC.He has worked in the field of public procurement ever since joining the Commission in 1987 (and has dealt with infringement cases, legislative work, interpretative documents, preparing and adopting Article 30 exemptions under the Utilities Directive…).

Thomas Hunter McGowan joined InterTradeIreland in 2012 as Chief Executive Officer and is based at the InterTradeIreland offices in Newry. Prior to this appointment he worked for a short period with Kildare County Council and the Local Government Efficiency Group but is best known for successfully running Swansea Cork Ferries Ltd as Managing Director for eighteen years where he was also the majority shareholder. He was a board member

of the Cork Chamber of Commerce and served for two terms on the board of Chambers Ireland. He was also a board member on a number of other companies and bodies. Thomas holds a Bachelor of Commerce from University College Dublin and a Master of Commerce from University College Cork. He is also a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants and an Associate of the Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators.

Professor Dermot Cahill holds the Chair in Commercial Law at Bangor University and is the Executive Director of the Bangor Institute for Competition & Procurement Studies (ICPS). Professor Cahill is Leader of the €3.7m European Union INTERREG-funded “Winning in Tendering” collaboration between the ICPS, Dublin City University and the Irish Institute of Purchasing & Materials Management. Professor Cahill co-authored Barriers to Procurement Opportunity Report (with

Clifford and Ringwald) which was adopted as Government policy by the Welsh Government in 2011, and is either author or editor of several EU Law books.

Nathy Dunleavy is a barrister based in the Law Library, Dublin, where his areas of practice include Administrative Law, Commercial, Competition, EU and Public Procurement. He represents both applicants and respondents in procurement litigation and has advised many public sector bodies on public procurement issues. He is also the Director of the Irish Centre for European Law and a Visiting Research Fellow

at the School of Law in Trinity College Dublin. Nathy has lectured and published widely in the field of European Law and is author of Competition Law: A Practitioner’s Guide (Bloomsbury Professional, 2010).


Competitive Dialogue The “Cinderella” of procurement procedures Philip Lee, Managing Partner, Philip Lee Solicitors

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• Register online at www.publicaffairsireland.com• Call with credit card details: 01 8198500 • E-mail details to: [email protected]• Fax registration form to: 01 8944733 • Post form to: Public Affairs Ireland, 25 Mountjoy Square (East), Dublin 1

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Cancellation Policy:For cancellation up to a week before the conference, the fee will be refunded less a 10% administration charge. Regrettably, forcancellations made within a week of the conference, the full fee is payable.PAI Publications Ltd. reserves the right to alter or revise the conference agenda, including the substitution or replacement ofspeakers if circumstances necessitate.

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Public Affairs Ireland specialises in providing high qualityinformation and services for the public sector in Ireland. Ourmonthly Journal offers expert analysis and commentary on keydevelopments in Irish public affairs. Our weekly email Updatecarries news and forthcoming parliamentary proceedings, newlegislation, and developments in Government policy.

We organise conferences on issues of major importance forthe public sector and business in Ireland. We assemble an expertpanel of speakers to provide a balanced high level overview ofkey strategic issues. Delegates also have opportunities to discussthe issues with colleagues from the public sector. Our highly ratedconferences focus on issues and developments affecting publicadministration in Ireland and Europe.

Public Affairs Ireland Some comments from delegates at previous Public Affairs Ireland events:“The most useful aspect was the fact that it raised awareness of where to find relevant information”“Many thanks for a most informative session”“It was very useful and well managed”“The content of the presentations was excellent”“The presenter was excellent and so easy to listen to.”“Very good general introduction to a range of relevant issues within a short time frame”“Excellent seminar with very informed, experienced and articulate speakers”

REGISTRATION DETAILS

To book your place on the conference:

• Register online at www.publicaffairsireland.com• Call us on 018198500 with credit card details• Email [email protected]• Fax form to 018944733• Post form to 25 Mountjoy Square East, Dublin 1

Pricing details:

PAI Subscribers members pay €245 + 23% VATNon subcribers pay €275 + 23% VAT(fee includes conference materials, tea/coffee and lunch)

Cancellation Policy:For cancellation up to a week before the conference, the fee will be refunded less a 10% administration charge. Regrettably, for cancellations made within a week of the conference, the full fee is payable. PAI Publications Ltd. reserves the right to alter or revise the conference agenda, including the substitution or replacement of speakers if circumstances necessitate.

Public Affairs Ireland specialises in providing high quality information and services for the public sector in Ireland. Our monthly Journal offers expert analysis and commentary on key developments in Irish public affairs. Our weekly email Update carries news and forthcoming parliamentary proceedings, new legislation, and developments in Government policy.

We organise conferences on issues of major importance for the public sector and business in Ireland. We assemble an expert panel of speakers to provide a balanced high level overview of key strategic issues. Delegates also have opportunities to discuss the issues with colleagues from the public sector. Our highly rated conferences focus on issues and developments affecting public administration in Ireland and Europe.


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