Feargal Quinn (Independent)

I refer to the national procurement service and the control it exerts over public bodies in the seeking of tenders. Last month, three local authorities, Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown, South County Dublin and Fingal county councils, were criticised for awarding a €750,000 contract for the supply of library books to a British company. While the reasons for awarding the contract are understandable, it means an Irish company which tendered at a price only 1% or approximately €7,000 higher than the winning tender lost out and ten people will lose their jobs. I am not certain if those figures are correct.

I understand we do not have the freedom to award contracts to companies on the basis that they are Irish. In conversation with people in France I learned that French public bodies are a little smarter than their Irish counterparts. Apparently, they do not require contracts worth below a certain threshold - perhaps €25,000 - to go to public tender. This allows them to break down a contract into a series of small tenders valued below the threshold. While they are acting in a self-interested manner, it is also a smarter approach than that which is taken here. I would like to draw attention to the fact that while we want best value for money, we want to maintain jobs in Ireland as well. Whenever we have the chance, perhaps we could act in a smarter way by reducing the amount of tenders to the amount that does not necessarily apply under European rules. It is something we should take into account.