Brian Hayes (Dublin South West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The Deputy is correct, we have ambitious targets for procurement. If we are to reduce public expenditure, public sector procurement has a key role. A recent report from Accenture, which the Government accepted, shows that over a three year period between €250 million and €630 million can be saved by better public procurement. What has happened to date, and I believe I mentioned this at the last committee meeting, is that with the national procurement service established we set up frameworks for things such as energy, postal costs, State advertising, to manage print services and so forth. We have these frameworks but we have not had the buy-in to date from all of the public sector to use them where the discounts are available. The first decision the Government took in July this year was on a mandate to ensure that the centralised frameworks were put in place and are being used. We have told all public sector procurers, of which we have too many and I am on record for saying that, that these frameworks are in place, they are huge value for money and we are now telling people to use them or explain to us why they are not being used.

Second, as the Minister said recently, we will shortly make an announcement about a new head of procurement, and the procurement section will be under the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform. We will be able to drive the process because we now have the tools to do it.

I will see if I can organise a meeting with the Deputy on the question of Garda cars. My understanding is that the task of the NPS was simply to establish a framework and the Garda would decide what it would do on the basis of value for money. It is never the task of the NPS to make those decisions. Its task is to cut out the administration, get more discount through the frameworks and to ensure that the public sector providers use those frameworks. Enormous savings can be made here and I am confident that we are getting our act together in this regard now that the mandate is in place.

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