Brian Hayes T.D., Minister of State at the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform with special responsibility for the Office of Public Works (OPW) today announced the awarding of an €8 million public service ICT consumables contract to Datapac Limited with the expected creation of up to 25 new highly skilled jobs.
Speaking about the awarding of the contract Minister Hayes said: “I am pleased to announce that following an EU tendering process the National Procurement Service (NPS) of the OPW has awarded a contract to Datapac Ltd. for the supply of ICT consumables to the public sector. The contract is valued at €8 million and is available to a wide range of public sector clients including: central Government Departments and their Agencies, an Garda Síochána, the Defence Forces, all Local Authorities, the Health Service Executive, all Vocational Education Committees, as well as primary and post primary sectors and the third-level education sector”.
The Minister continued: “Datapac Ltd. is a wholly Irish owned organisation, whose head-office is in Enniscorthy in County Wexford, was established in 1982 and is one of the largest indigenous companies in the IT sector in Ireland. Datapac operates through a purpose-built distribution centre adjacent to Dublin’s M50, where in excess of 4,000 electronic office supply products are stored ready for next day delivery. Datapac currently employ 150 highly skilled staff between their offices in Enniscorthy, Dublin, Cork and Limerick".
“The award of this contract will enable Datapac to create up to 25 new jobs across its nationwide business and fifteen of these will be created before the end of 2012.”, the Minister said.
Patrick Kickham, Director, Datapac Ltd said “With this investment in our business, it gives us the opportunity to create new jobs which will benefit our business, our customers and also the economy. We are delighted to play such an important role for the Irish Government and public sector, as they continue to support local business growth.”
The NPS considers that this contract offers excellent value-for-money on a comprehensive range of ICT consumable items and further streamlines the procurement process. The NPS is actively promoting the use of online ordering, and payment methods, and has built a discounting structure into the contract to encourage clients to order and pay for items online. Significant benefits will be available to NPS clients, including:
(i) administrative savings
(ii) price discounts
(iii) reduced paper output
(iv) speed and ease of transaction
The Minister concluded: “Datapac Ltd also provide further support for the Irish economy by working closely with a wide range of suppliers and contractors throughout Ireland. By aggregating public sector demand for common goods and services (like ICT consumables) the NPS obtains better value and reduces duplication of effort. This contract further endorses the Government's support of the strategic role being played by the NPS and the importance of its impact on job creation in the private sector and its continued delivery of efficiencies across the Public Sector.”
NPS contacts for this contract are the following:
Jennifer Casey
Tel: 046 942 6832
Email: jennifer.casey@opw.ie
Gerard Dooley
Tel: 046 942 6385
Email: gerard.dooley@opw.ie
