Written answers
Tuesday, 18 October 2005
Department of Agriculture and Food
Departmental Expenditure
9:00 pm
Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)
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Question 633: To ask the Minister for Agriculture and Food the amount paid to a consultancy company (details supplied) in respect of each year since 2000; the details of each of the contracts and services provided; the nature of the controls applied in the procurement process or processes; if she has satisfied herself that value for money has been achieved in each case; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29458/05]
Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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The Department has availed of subscription services from the company for access to independent research. The Department has used this subscription service as a source of information in relation to the Department's ICT strategy, individual products and project specific technology issues. Given the scale and complexity of the Department's ICT, the budgets involved, and the long-term implications of decisions taken, access to quality independent advice is regarded as essential. While the company also provides consultancy the Department has not purchased any consultancy from the company.
Details of the contracts are set out in the following table.
Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)
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Question 634: To ask the Minister for Agriculture and Food the amount paid to a consultancy company (details supplied) in respect of each year since 2000; the details of each of the contracts and services provided; the nature of the controls applied in the procurement process or processes; if she has satisfied herself that value for money has been achieved in each case; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29473/05]
Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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I refer the Deputy to the following table. The vast majority of items in the table relate to contracted software development resources rather than consultancy.
| Year | Amount Paid | Service/Contract | Controls/Procurement Process | VFM Comment |
| â'¬ | ||||
| 2000 | 36,568.46 | The Department commissioned the company to assist in the development and production of its eGovernment strategy. All Government Departments were required to produce such strategies in 2000. | The company was awarded this contract following a competitive tendering process. The tender chosen was lowest priced received. | The Department's eStrategy was developed and delivered to the Department of the Taoiseach on time and within budget. |
| 2000 | 13,827.45 | The company was requested to make recommendations regarding the setting up of an IT security unit within the Department. | The company was requested to undertake the work as they were already familiar with the IT security issues facing the Department, having carried out audit work for the Department. | Work was completed on time and within cost. The recommendations were accepted and the IT security unit was successfully established shortly afterwards. |
| 2001 | 56,985.84 | In 2001, the company was commissioned to provide expertise in technical architecture design, specifically in the area of our Java programming and J2EE environments. This was a requirement of the IT strategy. | Public tendering process | Work was completed on time and within cost. This provided vital software and standards that would protect the Department's investment. The software provided allows for competing vendors to supply different modules of the Department's technical infrastructure. |
| 2001 | 5,472,053 | Re-engineering of existing geographical information and area aid payments system into a single integrated system | Open EU procurement tender | This work was to provide the controls necessary to underpin the payment of approximately €1.5 billion per annum in EU direct farmer payments. The system was delivered on schedule and provides an excellent service. |
| 2001 | 53,138.53 | Provision of computer programmers to assist with the development of a corporate customer system | The tender was advertised on the eTenders public procurement website. Responses to tenders were evaluated based on pre-determined selection and award criteria. Short-listed candidates were interviewed. The tender was awarded to most economically advantageous tender response. | The majority of the IT work required to develop this key corporate software asset was carried out by in-house staff. The Department is satisfied that very good value for money was achieved. |
| 2002 | 127,437.30 | In 2001, the company was commissioned to provide expertise in technical architecture design, specifically in the area of our Java programming and J2EE environments. This was a requirement of the IT strategy. | Public tendering process | Work was completed on time and within cost. This provided vital software and standards that would protect the Department's investment. The software provided allows for competing vendors to supply different modules of the Department's technical infrastructure. |
| Year | Amount Paid | Service/Contract | Controls/Procurement Process | VFM Comment |
| â'¬ | ||||
| 2002 | 151,240.32 | In 2002, The company was asked to provide expertise to build a multi-project method of secure access to systems within DAF. This was to be built upon their own security modules. | As The company had provided the technical framework for the J2EE environment and had prepared the technical architecture design for that environment, they were commissioned to undertake the building of a system to provide secure access for all our staff to all new IT systems with the flexibility to move seamlessly and efficiently between these systems. This was a force majeure measure as other projects were being delayed, with potential cost implications, due to the lack of such a secure access facility and issues had been raised during EU certification audit. Also, the essential skills and expertise were not available within the Department and the underlying environment had been designed and built by the company. | The Department now had a secure method of access to all systems for its internal staff. The system was now capable of handling multi-application access. This meant less coding and time savings for future developers. This increased security had been an essential requirement which had been identified by the certifying body during part of the annual accreditation audit of the Department as an EU paying agency |
| 2002 | 5,776,499 | Continued re-engineering of geographical information and area aid payment system including maintenance of previously developed facilities | Open EU procurement tender of 2001. | This work was to provide the controls necessary to underpin the payment of approximately €1.5 billion per annum in EU direct farmer payments. |
| 2002 | 227,913.68 | Provision of computer programmers to assist with the development of a corporate customer system | The tender was advertised on the eTenders public procurement website. Responses to the tender were evaluated based on pre-determined selection and award criteria. Short-listed candidates were interviewed. Tender details were also submitted to the Government contracts committee and approval was received to award it the most economically advantageous tender response. | The majority of the IT work required to develop this key corporate software asset was carried out by in-house staff. The Department is satisfied that very good value for money was achieved. |
| 2003 | 1,503,356 | Maintenance of geographical information and area aid payment system and provision of internet access to farmers | Open EU procurement tender of 2001. | This work was to provide the controls necessary to underpin the payment of approximately €1.5 billion per annum in EU direct farmer payments. |
| 2004 | 21,888.90 | Essential security modifications, based on an independent external review, to the Department's access control system for internet based applications. | The company were requested to undertake the work, as The company had written the access control application and had the essential skills and expertise, which were not available within the Department. Work period 27 days. | The modifications were delivered on time and within budget. |
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