Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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Question 230: To ask the Minister for Finance if the Government will sign a contract with a consortium including a company (details supplied) for the provision of a tetra digital radio system for An Garda Síochána; the value of the contract; the parties involved; and when the contract is expected to be signed. [4194/07]

Michael McDowell (Dublin South East, Progressive Democrats)
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An InterAgency Group chaired by my Department has conducted an EU Procurement competition for the provision of national digital radio services to the non-commercial public sector. Following a detailed evaluation of the proposals received, my Department announced Tetra Ireland as the preferred bidder. Tetra Ireland is a consortium comprising eircom, Sigma Wireless and Motorola. Tetra Ireland must now undertake a Service Performance Evaluation at its own risk and cost to prove its capability to deliver the service solution it proposed. It is envisaged that this evaluation should be completed in approximately 6 months. Any award of contract is dependent on Tetra Ireland concluding both this evaluation and contract discussions to the satisfaction of the InterAgency Group and my Department.

Any contract arising from these exercises will not have a particular value. Rather, it will establish a drawdown facility that will be available to all non-commercial public bodies to use at their discretion. The costs to individual public bodies will be directly related to their level of take-up and the usage they make of the radio services.