Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Tuesday, 15 July 2014

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform

Pre-Budget Submissions: Discussion

3:10 pm

Ms Mary Rose Burke:

It is an interesting area. Obviously, we are an open global economy and we have to have an open, competitive tender process. However, it is important that the tenders are structured properly and that they take into account various elements - price being one, but not the only one of those. The structure of the tender document should include issues such as corporate social responsibility, whereby people can demonstrate the activities in the community marketplace around employment of people, environment and climate. All those elements can be put into a tender document to balance the ratings that one gives.