Become an accredited public procurement professional

Public procurement is an attractive career path with lots of room for advancement and the chance to truly impact the lives of others.

Procurement is a critical function in any public sector organisation, and those who work in it have many prospects for both personal and professional growth.

While the European Union (EU) public procurement regime has long been in place, it has received greater prominence in recent years, in particular, following the introduction of the remedies regime in 2010, and the automatic suspension of the conclusion of a contract following a challenge.

Public procurement is also central to the internal market and the EU procurement rules have been reformed, with three new directives adopted in 2014 and implemented in Ireland in May 2016. There is a significant volume of CJEU (Court of Justice of the European Union) case law in this area, as well as an expanding national jurisprudence. It is an important and rapidly evolving area of law.

Advanced Diploma in Public Procurement Law at King’s Inns

The Public Procurement Law professional development course offered by King’s Inns will provide participants with a comprehensive and practical knowledge of the public procurement regime, and will address a range of issues in depth, from invitations to tender, to conducting the various procurement processes, selection of tenderers, tender evaluation, contract conclusion and procurement litigation.

Participants will also acquire an understanding of how procurement can be used to achieve innovation and promote government policies. Participants will have a thorough grounding in the differences between the utilities and public sector regimes, and the intersection between procurement law and competition, state aid and intellectual property.

On completion of the course, you should be better able to:

• examine the legal framework in which public procurement operates and the applicable rules;
• identify situations which may give rise to procurement litigation;
• describe and explain current legal issues affecting the tender and evaluation process;
• describe and explain key provisions and case law affecting this area; and
• apply knowledge to factual problem scenarios.

Who is the course for?

The course will appeal to procurement professionals, public sector and utility employees, academic and government researchers, industry, policymakers, legal practitioners, regulators, and judges. It will also appeal to all
businesses that undertake big or small public and private contracts.

This course takes place in an online format only, live via Zoom, with recordings of lectures available after class is over. The course takes place over approximately 18 weeks from October 2024 to April 2025, with lectures on Wednesdays from 8.30am to 10am.

Previous students have found the course particularly beneficial in terms of having a diverse group of professionals studying this course together. It allows participants to learn from each other, especially during tutorials and Q&A sessions:

Course content:

• Introduction to public procurement law;
• The scope of the public procurement rules;
• Procedures, contracts and drafting the tender documentation;
• Conducting a lawful process I + II;
• Intersections between public procurement and competition law;
• Innovation in public procurement and intellectual property;
• Sub–threshold contracts;
• Contract conclusion;
• Frameworks;
• Procurement in the utilities sector;
• Public procurement and secondary policies;
• Public procurement litigation I + II;
• Transparency in public procurement;
• Public procurement: A view from the Bench; and
• Seminar: Practical problems in procurement.

King’s Inns courses are led by Ireland’s leading practitioners and academics, barristers in practice, and other qualified legal professionals.

The designers and lead lecturers of the course are barristers Catherine Donnelly and Michael Judge.

Donnelly is one of Ireland’s leading procurement practitioners; she specialises in data protection, public procurement, competition, regulatory and European law. Judge specialises in European law and practices in administrative law, commercial/chancery, general practice, and judicial review.

Previous speakers

• David Barniville
• Eileen Barrington
• Aoife Beirne
• Aaron Boyle, Partner, Arthur Cox
• Kerri Crossen, Partner, Philip Lee
• Anna-Marie Curran, Partner, A&L Goodbody
• Joseph Dalby
• Catherine Donnelly
• Nathy Dunleavy
• Joanne Finn, Partner, DAC Beachcroft
• James Kinch, CSSO
• Patrick McGovern, Retired Partner, Arthur Cox
• Audrey Murtagh, CSSO
• Jonathan Newman

How to apply

Application deadline: October 2024
Course Start Date: October 2024
Course Fee: €2,550

Apply here: www.kingsinns.ie/education/courses-open-to-lawyers-nonlawyers/advanced-diploma-in-public-procurement-law

There are no admission requirements for this course. A place on the highly sought–after course is not secured until the tuition fee is received in full. Once payment is received, you are automatically accepted on the course.
Keep an eye on King’s Inns website for more information on the application and course start date.

T: +353 (0)1 874 4840
E: admissions@kingsinns.ie
W: www.kingsinns.ie