Séamus Kirk (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if his attention has been drawn to the impact which the managed Print Services Framework will have on 300 Buisnesses which are excluded from the tendering process; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40552/12]

Brian Hayes (Dublin South West, Fine Gael)
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An open competition was held in July 2011 to establish a Framework for the provision of Managed Print Services (MPS) to the public sector. The Request for Tender for MPS was advertised, in accordance with the EC Procurement Directives, on e-Tenders and in the Official Journal of the European Union (OJEU). 15 tender responses were received, of which seven tenderers were selected to be Framework Members. The Framework Agreement for MPS was established on 8 February 2012. The Framework Agreement will be in place for two years, with an option to extend for a further two years.

Four of the successful tenderers are indigenous small and medium enterprises (SMEs) (MJ Flood, Bryan S Ryan, Hibernian Business Equipment and Ergo). The Framework Members have also indicated in their tender submissions that they will use a further 11 indigenous SMEs in the delivery of MPS.

MPS is a unique office print solution, where a supplier provides an all inclusive service based on an on-going per click charge, that includes the provision of print/imaging devices at no capital cost to the public sector body. The supplier, in effect, provides the full infrastructure required for all day-to-day office printing. Research carried out by the National Procurement Service (NPS) has indicated that such an approach gives best value to the Irish public sector. Some of the smaller suppliers do not have the resources to provide such infrastructure themselves, but they can have roles within the supply networks of the seven Framework Members.

The majority of public sector bodies currently have ad-hoc print arrangements in place. A typical Government office has multiple print and imaging devices such as photocopiers, scanners and faxes. These devices can potentially come from a wide range of different suppliers with separate supply and servicing arrangements. The ratio of print devices to staff is often in the region of 1:2 and in some cases as low as 1:1 where a large number of staff have their own desktop printer.

Circular 6/12 specifies that the MPS Framework is mandatory from 1 September 2012. However, it is important to note that this Framework is only mandatory where a public sector body opts for an MPS solution. If a public sector body simply wishes to purchase a printer or a photocopier they do not have to use the MPS Framework. It is a matter for each public sector body to determine which route offers the best value for their organisation.