Thirty-five companies from across Northern Ireland have been recognised as InterTradeIreland Business Ambassadors at a special ceremony in Parliament Buildings hosted by Alastair Ross MLA, Assembly Private Secretary for the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment.

The Ambassadors were nominated by InterTradeIreland as companies that had successfully embraced innovation; developed new cross-border markets or secured venture capital with InterTradeIreland’s support. Representing the full spectrum of industries, the 35 companies between them have generated at least £15m in additional business value to the economy so far.

In a nutshell, in Ireland, all government related purchasing will be centralised through the Office of Government Procurement (OGP).  In Northern Ireland, the Central Procurement Directorate (CPD), the lead body responsible for NI public sector purchasing will adopt a 'common goods and services' approach, increasingly moving towards greater collaboration. 

But what does that mean? In simple terms it means that larger value contracts will be advertised and there will be new category structures.   These new category structures are accessible to all scales of suppliers, however different approaches may be required to stay in the market, such as forming consortia to make joint bids for contracts.

So how can InterTradeIreland help.....

One of the biggest challenges when thinking about doing business in a new market is getting the information, help and advice to get you started.  InterTradeIreland provides a range of supports to help you do just that.

InterTradeIreland is the recognised authority on cross-border trading and our experts are available to advise, guide and assist on all business matters.