Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

In line with public financial procedures and public procurement guidelines, it is the responsibility of all public bodies to ensure that they have effective financial management, public procurement and risk management processes in place. This applies to all areas of public spending, including in respect of consulting contracts.

The Office of Government Procurement, OGP, in my Department supports procurement compliance by providing procurement solutions, advice, guidance and systems for public bodies. The OGP has also established central buying arrangements for common goods and services to provide for consistent implementation of policy objectives, help deliver value for money, administrative savings and efficiencies for buyers and suppliers, and improve risk management. It is the responsibility of each contracting authority to manage its procurement contracts, ensure compliance with all national and EU procurement rules and procedures, and ensure adherence to the terms and conditions within these contracts.

With regard to sensitive information, the OGP’s contracts and standardised template documents contain substantive provisions to address confidentiality and conflict-of-interest matters. The tenderer’s statement, a formal document in the tendering process, constitutes acceptance of the request for tender conditions, the contract terms and conditions and the confidentiality agreement. As per these conditions, suppliers are required to carry out a conflict-of-interest check and ensure that any conflicts arising in the course of the contract are raised with the client. In such circumstances, the client has grounds to terminate the contract immediately. Within my Department and in line with these guidelines, these templates are utilised by staff when procuring services above the EU threshold.

On the broader point the Deputy made about expertise within the public sector, this matter is dealt with in our new strategy, Better Public Services 2030, which includes workforce of the future as one of its three pillars. This reflects a strong focus on ensuring that our staff are appropriately skilled for the future.

See this speech in context