Mr. Paul Quinn:

One of the key aspects emphasised by the office and the Minister is that this is a question of value for money, not price. Price is only one small aspect of the overall formula when assessing value for money. We need to ensure that there is quality in the goods and services that are delivered, that the service level associated with that delivery, for example, after-sales support, is good, and that contractual protections are in place to protect the State. The standing instruction from the Government under circular 10/14 is that it is not just a question of price. Rather, the valuation should be based on what is called the most economically advantageous tender.

In terms of regionalisation, many services that are delivered within the State are provided on a local basis. For example, solicitor services for local authorities are delivered locally. One would not find someone who would travel from Donegal to Dingle to provide a legal service. It does not work that way. Many of the goods and services that are consumed by the State are often consumed locally. Consider cleaning. One would not find people who would travel long distances to deliver that service. However, there are other sectors in which services are delivered at a national level. For example, energy and electricity are not delivered locally. Neither is software.