Liz Nolan Department of Finance

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Liz NolanDepartment of Finance

• eTenders Website
• 29 September 2005

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eTenders Website

• Background
• History and features of site
• Marketing

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Background

• eProcurement Strategy
• Procurement Management Reform
• EU Action Plan on eProcurement

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eProcurement Strategy

• Stems from
• EC eEurope Initiative - eCommerce
• Government Action Plan on Implementing the
  Information Society in Ireland
• Strategy for the Implementation of eProcurement
  in the Irish Public Sector published 2001
• etenders website 2001

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Procurement Management Reform

• eProcurement is part of this
• Four Strands
• Capacity Building
• Aggregation
• Training Education
• eProcurement

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eProcurement

• etenders website www.etenders.gov.ie
• Signpost portal/website www.procurement.ie
• Electronic catalogue www.pscat.gov.ie
• eAuctions
• Supplier Register

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etenders Features

• www.etenders.gov.ie
• Principal developments to date
• Launched March 2001, managed externally, new
  contract since September 2003
• Conversion to Oracle platform
• Site redesigned
• OJEU wizard and eSender status

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etenders (contd.)

• Developments, continued
• Supplier alerts
• Guidance material online
• Electronic Postbox
• Online clarifications (Q and A)
• Accessibility audit

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etenders contd.

• Current Developments
• Irish version and accessibility
• Project-based tendering
• New OJEU forms
• Community forums
• Pilot online evaluation module
• Supplier profiles available to buyers
• Developing into a full Tender Management Facility

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Who uses etenders?

• Awarding Authority Buyers
• Suppliers
• General Public

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Registration Figures June 2004

• Authorities registered 1,240
• Authority users registered 1,575
• Suppliers registered 19,607

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Challenges at the time

• Increase awareness among public sector buyers and
  awarding authorities
• Attract suppliers, particularly SMEs
• Inform users about new site features as they are
  delivered

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Promotion of site up to mid-2004

• Initial launch and marketing campaign
• Ad-hoc advertising
• Some events run, presented at others
• More focused and coordinated approach needed
• Low budget - 150,000 (excl. VAT)

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Key requirements

• Focus attention on and create broader awareness
  of the website, with particular emphasis on the
  SME sector
• Provide information and guidance on new site
  features

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Marketing Campaign

• Consortium comprising
• The Media Group
• Elucidate
• Ogilvy Mather
• Best fit to requirements
• Most original approach
• Overall theme is fishing for business

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Activities to date

• Print Advertising
• Newspaper and journal adverts
• Radio advert
• Electronic magazine - four issues so far
• Online advertising
• PR
• Search engine optimisation
• Targeting events

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Sample print adverts
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Online adverts

• Ireland.com
• Construction Industry Federation (website and
  newsletter)
• Irish Internet Association
• Irish Software Association
• Enterprise Ireland
• Institute of Engineers
• IBEC
• IFA
• See next page for advert used in Ireland.com

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PR Highlights

• Daily news alerts to national and local media
• Press releases
• Features in
• RTE Mooney Goes Wild (hare count survey)
• Property pages in Irish Times and Irish
  Independent
• News pages in Irish Times and Irish Independent
• Environment page Irish Independent

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PR Highlights

• Recently
• Road improvements in Co Wicklow (I/Times)
• 10 Coin (98FM)
• Wexford refurbishment (Wexford People)
• Luas extension (various)
• CIEs mystery shopper (NewsTalk106)

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Search engine optimisation

• Ads placed
• Keywords and search phrases include
• Ireland government contracts
• Irish tenders
• Overseas contracts
• Tenders Ireland
• Building contracts
• Construction tenders
• Council tenders
• Services
• Clothing
• Average click through rate 1.9

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Ezine

• Separate ezines for suppliers and awarding
  authority buyers
• Ezine includes
• Profile of company that has won a tender through
  etenders or an awarding authority that uses
  etenders
• Details of site enhancements
• Advice on procurement including legal advice

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Outcomes

• What are the results so far?

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etenders Registration Statistics Now

• General Statistics (28 September 2005)
• Authorities 1,416 increase of 176
• Authority users 2,334 increase of 759
• Suppliers 26,936 increase of 7,329

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What next?

• Review and reassess
• Spread advertising?
• More strategic focus on SMEs?
• Use ezine to distribute information on etenders
  enhancements

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etenders contd.

• For more information, email etenders_at_finance.gov.i
  e
• To subscribe to the ezine, email
  ezine_at_finance.gov.ie with your details