Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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461. To ask the Minister for Health his views that there are question marks over the award by his National Paediatric Hospital Development Board of a mechanical and electrical engineering contract relating to the new children's hospital to a company (details supplied) earlier this year, including basic mathematical errors in calculating their score in the tendering process, which in fact would have put them behind at least one other bidding company; his further views that everything relating to this large public contract was above board, and that their will not be any further delay in the building of the long-awaited hospital as a result. [40335/14]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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The National Paediatric Hospital Development Board (NPHDB) is the statutory body responsible for planning, designing, building and equipping the new children's hospital. The NPHDB has recently completed procurement of design team services for the project, including architect, quantity surveying, mechanical and electrical engineering, civil and structural engineering, project supervisor design process, planning and traffic consultancy services, all procured as separate lots. The NPHDB has confirmed that procurement fully complied with European and Irish procurement laws and also followed the recommendations set out by the Government Construction Contracts Committee of the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform.

Following notification of preferred bidders, statutory standstill periods were observed before appointment. Standstill periods allow time for bidders who are not selected to challenge the procurement process. In notifying bidders, a simple error in addition was made in respect of the scoring of one contract. While this did not affect the outcome of the process, the error was corrected once identified and the post-selection standstill period for this lot extended to ensure certainty of compliance with procurement law and process. No challenge being made to the procurement process for this lot, the NPHDB proceeded with appointment and the relevant contractors are now in place as part of the design team. The design team has begun work on development of detailed plans for the new children's hospital on the site at St. James's, with the aim of submitting a planning application in June 2015.