Mr. David Moloney:

I thank the Deputy. It is a basic principle of public procurement that competitive tendering should be used except in justifiably exceptional circumstances. Notwithstanding this, the procurement rules do provide flexibility to contracting authorities in times of extreme urgency arising from events that are unforeseeable by the contracting authority. Of course, the Covid pandemic is an example of such an unforeseeable event. The OGP has been very involved in helping and advising the various contracting authorities on this and has issued notes and guidance on it. Of course, the use and justification for non-competitive procurement is a matter for each contracting authority to decide. For example, the health sector would decide how to implement it within the health sector but the OGP is available to all public bodies to offer advice. Any time non-standard procurement is used it is notified. Contracts valued at more than €25,000 are notified to the Comptroller and Auditor General and published in the appropriation accounts of the bodies concerned.

Since the start of the pandemic, we have been very involved in working with HSE and others in trying to address the issues the Deputy has raised. The chief procurement officer, Mr. Paul Quinn, is with me and he can give more detail on the operation on the ground of these experiences.