Andrew Doyle (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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Question 190: To ask the Minister for Finance the reason for the choice of a non-Irish printer to print 2.5 million copies of a PAYE information booklet for Budget 2009. [46515/08]

Martin Mansergh (Tipperary South, Fianna Fail)
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The Government Supplies Agency (GSA) is a Business Unit of the Office of Public Works, which provides a central procurement service for Government Departments, Offices and Agencies. The GSA was requested by the Revenue Commissioners in August 2008 to arrange the provision of 2.5 million copies of a 16-page PAYE information booklet.

The estimated value of the job was greater than €50,000 but was below the threshold at which the contract must be publicised in the Official Journal of the European Union. In accordance with the Public Procurement Guidelines issued by the Department of Finance, the contract was advertised on the Government's e-tenders website as part of a formal tendering process. The tender documents stated that the contract would be awarded to the tenderer submitting the lowest suitable tender. Fourteen tenders were received, the lowest of which was from Howitt Ltd. of Nottinghamshire, England. This tender complied with all the requirements of the tender competition, and the firm was considered to be capable of satisfactorily carrying out the work. On this basis the contract was awarded to Howitt Ltd.

All public procurement is subject to the fundamental EU Treaty principles of non-discrimination, transparency, freedom of movement, and freedom to provide goods and services. The GSA is not permitted to discriminate on the grounds of nationality in its assessment of tenders.