Tenders provide €9bn in new business opportunities in Ireland but not all tenders are awarded — costing Irish companies at least €300m a year.

In this week’s Small Business column Kehlan Kirwan argues that there is government money on offer through grants and tenders and it’s high time for Irish SMEs to start ‘milking the system’.    

Only one in 10 SMEs apply for public sector contracts in what is a very lucrative €12bn market.