The Irish public sector publishes over 107,000 tender notices across eTenders and TED. But if you’re an SME selling services - IT consulting, engineering, training, facilities management, or any professional service - which government bodies should you be watching most closely?
We analysed TenderFlare’s database of 50,000+ services tenders to find out.
Services Dominate Irish Public Procurement
Of the 107,000 tenders in our database spanning 13 years of procurement data:
| Contract Type | Tenders | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Services | 50,485 | 47% |
| Works | 25,152 | 24% |
| Supplies | 21,095 | 20% |
| Other/Unclassified | 10,275 | 9% |
Nearly half of all public procurement in Ireland is for services. If you’re a services business, the addressable market is substantial.
Top 10 Buyers by Services Tender Volume
These are the public bodies that publish the most services tenders:
| # | Buyer | Services Tenders | % of Their Tenders |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Health Service Executive (HSE) | 1,276 | 39% |
| 2 | Iarnrod Eireann-Irish Rail | 982 | 42% |
| 3 | Office of Public Works (OPW) | 813 | 39% |
| 4 | Dublin City Council | 685 | 47% |
| 5 | Office of Government Procurement (OGP) | 547 | 7%* |
| 6 | Education Procurement Service (EPS) | 468 | 27% |
| 7 | National Transport Authority (NTA) | 452 | 81% |
| 8 | Cork County Council | 444 | 35% |
| 9 | ESB | 412 | 65% |
| 10 | Dept of Climate, Energy & Environment | 368 | 86% |
*The OGP’s low percentage reflects that most of their 7,300+ tenders are framework agreements classified separately. Their actual services procurement is significantly higher.
What this means for SMEs: If you provide services, these 10 organisations should be on your radar. Bookmark their buyer profiles on TenderFlare to track new opportunities as they publish.
The Services-First Buyers
Some public bodies procure almost exclusively services. These are the organisations where services represent the highest proportion of their total tender activity:
| Buyer | % Services | Services Tenders |
|---|---|---|
| SEAI | 94% | 280 |
| EirGrid | 89% | 324 |
| Dept of Climate, Energy & Environment | 86% | 368 |
| National Transport Authority | 81% | 452 |
| NTMA | 75% | 312 |
| An Garda Siochana | 67% | 290 |
| ESB | 65% | 412 |
| Dept of Education & Youth | 65% | 314 |
| Dept of Transport | 63% | 185 |
| Dept of Social Protection | 59% | 204 |
These are organisations where services providers have the best odds of finding relevant opportunities. If you’re in energy consulting, SEAI and EirGrid are obvious targets. Transport planning? The NTA. Climate and sustainability? The Department of Climate.
What Types of Services Are Being Procured?
The services category covers a wide range of professional and specialist capabilities:
- IT and digital services - software development, cloud hosting, cybersecurity, data analytics
- Consulting and advisory - management consulting, strategy, policy advice, research
- Facilities management - cleaning, security, building maintenance, catering
- Engineering and technical - design, project management, surveying, environmental assessment
- Training and education - professional development, course delivery, e-learning
- Financial and legal - audit, legal advice, actuarial services, insurance
- Communications - PR, marketing, translation, printing
Each buyer has distinct patterns. The HSE’s services procurement skews toward healthcare consulting, IT systems, and agency staffing. Irish Rail’s toward engineering consultancy and maintenance services. Dublin City Council’s toward urban planning, environmental services, and facilities management.
How to Use This Data
If you’re an SME selling services to the public sector, here’s how to act on these insights:
- Identify your top 5 target buyers from the tables above based on your service area
- Research their procurement history - use TenderFlare’s buyer profiles to see what they’ve bought before, typical contract values, and how many bids they usually receive
- Set up saved searches for your target buyers and relevant CPV codes so you never miss an opportunity
- Track opportunities in your pipeline - when you find a relevant tender, add it to your TenderFlare pipeline to manage your bid process
The public sector needs what you sell. The data shows where the demand is. The question is whether you’re finding it before your competitors do.
Data sourced from TenderFlare’s database of 107,000+ Irish public procurement notices spanning 2013-2026, aggregated from eTenders and TED. Analysis current as of March 2026.
Want to explore buyer spending patterns for your specific service area? Search tenders on TenderFlare or browse buyer profiles to find your next opportunity.