A series of new measures aimed at improving the way public sector construction contracts will be procured have been unveiled.

Finance Minister Sammy Wilson set-out the 25 proposed actions, designed by the Construction Industry Forum for Northern Ireland (CIFNI) Procurement Task Group Report, during a visit to the site of the new Public Record Office of Northern Ireland (PRONI) building in Belfast's Titanic Quarter.

The recommendations flow from the decision by the former Finance Minister, Nigel Dodds, to ask CIFNI to examine how Government could improve its procurement practices, particularly during the current economic downturn.

Mr Wilson said: "These recommendations will bring a number of tangible benefits to the construction industry as they will contribute to the delivery of record levels of Government infrastructure investment. This year, for example, the Executive plans to deliver £1.7bn of gross capital investment alone.

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"I welcome the report's focus on how the visibility of Government construction procurement opportunities will be enhanced to facilitate workload planning by all sectors of the industry; how opportunities for enterprises of all sizes to benefit from public sector contracts will be maximised; and how the cost and timescale of the pre-qualification process will be reduced, as will the bidding costs of all parties.

Welcoming the report's emphasis on SMEs, the Minister said: "Government recognises the importance of SMEs to the local economy and encourages them to bid for Government contracts in their own right as single entities, as members of consortia, or to look for opportunities within the supply chains of successful tenderers."

Colin McCarthy, who led the construction industry representation during the development of the report, said: "All sectors in the construction industry, contractors, professionals and suppliers, firms and individuals, have been affected by the economic downturn.

"Producing a report is one thing - but delivering its recommendations will be the real test. The Construction Industry Group, for its part, is fully committed to working with the Central Procurement Directorate of DFP and others to ensure its full and effective implementation."

(PR/JM)