CONTRARY TO common belief, not all tenders go to northern contractors, said Town Clerk Mr Frank Pentony.
‘We were delighted when the contract for the Market Square refurbishment went to a southern firm, John Cradock Ltd from Co. Kildare. That, like all other major contracts, went out for tender and in this case it was won by a southern firm who also used all southern sub-contractors.’
However, Mr. Pentony conceded that southern contractors often find it hard to compete with their competitors from across the border and that the days when local firms dominated the market for work are over.
‘Now that all contracts over €25,000 have to go to etender means that it’s open to firms for anywhere to tender for a job. The firms from Northern Ireland realise this and they now make sure that they comply with all the regulations down here regarding health and safety, insurance, pensions etc, and meet all the requirements for tendering.’
He said that the wage differential is a major factor which favoured contractors from across the border.
‘The issue of tenders going to contractors from northern Ireland is a much bigger one in Dundalk than it is in Drogheda as workers from Newry can come up here, do their work, and then go home in the evening.’
Responding to the suggestion from Cllr. Paul Bell that contractors should be required to employ local labour, he said he was not aware of any regulations which would enable the council to request this.
Paddy Donnelly, Director of Services, Louth County Council, said that they had been very pro-active in trying to assist local suppliers and contractors.
‘We ran two conferences for contractors and suppliers last year with events in Dundalk and Drogheda which were addressed by staff from the National Procurement Office and our own staff,’ he said. ‘ This was to help local firms see what they had to have in place and how to go about applying for tenders.’
He said that Circular 10/10 issued by the Department of Finance had included a number of measures which made it easier for small to medium enterprises to tender.
Where possible, the council will use local contractors for smaller jobs which don’t have to go to etender such has housing maintenance work, pointing to the benefits which can come from using local firms who know the area.
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Article source: http://www.argus.ie/news/not-all-council-tenders-are-won-by-northern-irish-firms-3083847.html