EPS Corporate Services has responsibility for the implementation and administration of procurement policies, procedures and processes in the education sector, providing customer service, data analytics and communications. The Corporate Services team works closely with our partners across the education sector in developing tools of engagement for improved efficiency and performance under the national procurement model.

Our corporate events will link you with procurement representatives from across education institutes, Department of Education and Youth (DEY), Office Government Procurement (OGP), Higher Education Authority (HEA) and other relevant public sector bodies.

EPS Corporate Services supports the implementation of policies and procedures for national procurement.

EPS Corporate Services key areas of responsibility:

• Customer Service
• Stakeholder engagement
• Communications
• Data Analytics and reporting education sector future procurement requirements

Corporate Procurement Planning

The Education sector spends around €1 billion each year on Goods and Services , making it essential that this spend delivers value for money, complies with government  policy, adheres to national guidelines, and meets EU procurement directives.

EPS recognises the importance of developing a strategic approach to support procurement planning across the education sector.

In creating the CPP, EPS worked closely with Department of Education and Youth (DEY)  and the Higher Education Authority (HEA) to ensure alignment with national policy and sector priorities.

In 2018, EPS launched a Corporate Procurement Plan (CPP) template for Higher Education Institutions, providing a structured, compliant, and forward‑looking approach to procurement.

With support from Education and Training Boards Ireland (ETBI), the template was extended to ETBs in 2019, creating a consistent model across the wider education system.

The CPP template pack has since become a valued toolkit for procurement teams, offering a practical, consolidated resource to support effective procurement planning and governance.

Using National Arrangements

EPS encourages education institutions to consult the OGP Buyer Zone to ensure effective planning and compliance. In particular, institutions should:

• Confirm whether a suitable framework or Dynamic Purchasing System (DPS) is available to meet their future CPP needs.
• Review the drawdown options that may be used for their procurement.
• Align timelines with the complexity and scale of their new requirement.

Engage early with OGP Customer Support (support@ogp.gov.ie) to support informed decision‑making and smooth procurement planning.

EPS Winners of “Best Procurement Internal Collaboration Project of the Year”

Winning the Best Procurement Collaboration Award of the Year in 2020 at the prestigious National Procurement Awards was indeed an honour and firmly establishes the success of the MAPP Programme in the education sector.

As we look back at the significant achievements in planning sector requirements,  EPS would like to acknowledge the successful collaboration built through the pro-active and ambitious shared objectives and goals with its HEI and ETB education partners.  We would mention particularly the co-operation we have received from our sector partners in providing the clarifications and supplementary information necessary to fully comprehend and represent the information provided in the MAPP line items.  Analysis of the MAPP Reports looks at the performance of central frameworks and arrangements in the sector, identifies key metrics for continued progress and actions required to meet the needs of sector specific requirements.  In developing the MAPP programme, we will continue to increase utilisation and delivery of central arrangements for education.  We look forward to progressing the programme through the use of dynamic visualisation platforms and reporting software to enhance communications and sharing of data for optimum utilisation and return of benefits to our sector partners.

For more information on MAPP visit here.