Mr. Ciarán Ó hÓbáin:

After the preferred bidder has been identified the next stage is the award of the contract, but very significant work remains to be done. There is a 1,500 page contract, and that contract has to be closed out. There are approximately 40 contracts, subcontracts and direct agreements that have to be closed out by a preferred bidder to the satisfaction of the Department before the contract with the Minister can be signed. That is the significant piece of work that has to be concluded after determining the preferred bidder. In its tender, the bidder identifies its solution to the deployment plan, subcontractors, how it will build this network and how it will operate it. The bidder identifies parties that will deliver on that work for it. In the period after identifying the preferred bidder and before a contract is concluded, the bidder must follow through on those commitments and put those contracts in place. That is the significant piece of work that will have to be done.