Jonathan O'Brien (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein)
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This difficulty seems to be coming to the fore the more I probe into it with different officials. If an organisation does not accept the lowest bid, it can create legal issues. One official from the Department of Health said the Department could end up on the steps of the Four Courts if it does not accept the lowest bid. If the evaluators know the lowest bid is simply not going to cut it, then what recourse is there?

In a case like that, an organisation should be able to say that it will not accept the lowest bid and outline the reasons without fear of legal action hanging overhead. How do we balance that?