Print initiative to save millions

The Government plans to save of up to €22m a year by reducing the one-to-one ratio that exists between staff and printing devices in some public sector offices.

Launching the new framework for the supply of managed print services in Dublin yesterday, minister of state Brian Hayes said the savings over the next two to four years would come from reducing costs in having to process a “plethora” of monthly invoices for a wide range of suppliers of items such as toner, devices, repairs, maintenance, and spare parts.

Describing the current public sector office purchasing regime as “ad hoc”, Mr Hayes said some public sector workers had their own individual desktop printers, photocopiers, scanners and faxes.

Some other staff share these devices on a 1:2 ratio. These cutbacks could save the state €44m over the next two years.

The framework is expected to save €100m during its lifetime.

Mr Hayes said: “This framework ticks all of the boxes as far as whole of government policy is concerned; it promotes indigenous SME involvement, it satisfies green public procurement requirements and it helps to fulfil many of the requirements of the Croke Park Agreement and public sector reform agenda.

“More significantly however, this framework will deliver significant savings of up to €22m a year.

“Subject to a full uptake, in the first two years’ duration of the framework, there are potential savings of €44m. This framework provides a tool for real public service reform that generates transparency in cost and generates savings that will be of direct benefit to all of the tax payers in this country.”

The agreement follows an open competitive process on e-tenders and in the Official Journal of the European Union, by the National Procurement Service of the OPW.

The framework, valued at €100m over a two-year period, is available to the entire, non-commercial, public sector clients.

These include government departments, offices and non-commercial agencies, local authorities, An Garda Síochána, the Defence Forces and the Irish Prison Service.