Tom Barry (Cork East, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

229. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the details of the cost, requirements and term of the contract for digital mapping. [23452/13]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

As part of the underpinning of the area based support measures, which deliver some €1.6bn annually to Irish farmers, my Department is required, under relevant EU legislation, to maintain a detailed database of individual land parcels. This is known as the Land Parcel Identification System (LPIS) which currently records, electronically, some 1.3 million individual parcels and which is required to be kept updated, based in particular on individual claims submitted from farmers and the results of inspection activity carried out by my Department for verification purposes. Because of the database's highly specialist nature, it has been necessary, since the inception of area based direct payments which have and will continue to be critical to the development of the Irish agriculture and food industries, to engage an external contractor to assist in this process. The Department's systems in this critical area must meet demanding EU and national audit requirements.

This contract is awarded on the basis of a competitive tendering process in accordance with standard EU Public Procurement Procedures. The most recent tendering process commenced in December 2012 when my Department posted, on the e-tenders website, a 'Request for Tenders for the provisionof Land Parcel Identification System (LPIS) Update and Maintenance'. Following an adjudication process, a contract was awarded to the successful tenderer.

The requirements of the contract can be summarised as follow:

1. Update the LPIS database as requested by applicants under the Single Payment Scheme.

2. Update the LPIS database following annual reviews of land parcels as required under the European Union's Integrated Administrative and Control System, governing the implementation of the Single Payment Scheme and other area related schemes.

3. Update the LPIS database with the results of Ground Eligibility inspections.

4. Carry out an annual Quality Assessment of the LPIS as required under EU legislation.

5. Update the LPIS database as required under the Rural Environment Protection Scheme and the Agri-Environment Options Scheme.

6. Digitising required by the Forest Service.

7. Provide Geographic Information System technical support required by my Department.

It is intended that this contract shall be for a one-year period, with an option to extend, on an annual basis, for a further two years. The estimated total value of the contract is in the region of €1.5m.