Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Independent)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the way his Department's competitive tendering process for Departmental contracts is designed and implemented; if there is a process as part of the competitive tendering process for construction and ICT projects to ensure that the maximum number of domestic suppliers/contractors are engaged and domestic jobs created; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51267/12]

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

School building projects are tendered in line with public procurement procedures. There are two methods of tendering (the Restricted procedure and the Open procedure). In both procedures there are minimum standards for participation (including previous experience, turnover, insurances, capacity to obtain a bond etc). The minimum standards for participation are stated in the Contract notice/ eTenders advertisement.

For less complex projects of a small to medium scale, the open procedure is generally used and all contractors meeting the minimum standards are entitled to submit a tender (thus facilitating the inclusion of small to medium enterprises and those with no experience in educational projects). For larger or more complex projects, where it is considered that pre-qualification of contractors is warranted, the Restricted procedure is normally used. In the Restricted procedure, there is an intermediary qualification stage during which the numbers of applicants is reduced (or restricted) to a specified amount (normally 10). The criteria for suitability assessment, which are taken from the Department of Finance Capital Management Works Framework, include company turnover, insurances, capacity to obtain a bond, personnel for the project, previous experience, and Health and Safety competence. Guidance on this process and standard questionnaires used by the Department are available on my Department's website.

In any procurement process, my Department adheres to the rules and guidelines set down by the Department of Finance and the EU Commission in relation to public procurement. This includes the Department of Finance Circular 10/10, which aims to remove obstacles to SMEs in tendering for public sector contracts. There is a dedicated website for Irish public tenders (). This website has been developed as part of the Irish Government's Strategy for the Implementation of eProcurement in the Irish Public Sector. The site is designed to be a central facility for all public sector contracting authorities to advertise procurement opportunities and award notices. Contractors seeking to tender for public works contracts in Ireland are advised to register with this website and monitor it for tendering opportunities.