Mr. Hubert Loftus:

We estimated the cost of the procurement process to be approximately €12,000 to €13,000. Within the Department, we identified a number of persons we might approach to seek a quotation. We contacted one other person who was unavailable to undertake the inquiry and then we contacted Dr. Thorn who, at the time, was undertaking an inquiry into the University of Limerick. That was near completion.