Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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They are two separate issues. On page 4 of the report PwC comments on the two-stage process. Many people raised questions and asked whether it was the right process to use. It is one of the things PwC looked at. It said: "The two-stage procurement process used to award the contract for the construction of the children's hospital is a widely used approach and can deliver significant benefit in relation to accelerating project timelines." It did not say that it was the wrong approach. Many of us thought that it might, but it did not say that it was the wrong approach to procurement. It went on to say, however: "The necessary controls required to mitigate the risks and consequences of this approach were not put in place." The PwC report only landed 24 hours ago, but my view is that it has said that there are benefits to using the two-stage approach to procurement but that the execution was appalling.