Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)

Does the Taoiseach's Department, and indeed all Departments, operate a standard scale of fees for consultancy work? Is there a tendering process operated for such work in the same way as for Government contracts? Is there a particular threshold over which his Department is obliged to put consultancy work out to tender? Can he tell us whether there has been any comparison done between comparable in-house work in Departments and consultancy secured labour in order that we would have some idea of the cost benefit analysis, the standard of the work, whether the competency exists within the Department and whether it is necessary to opt for consultancy work?

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