Seán Fleming (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

21. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if he will extend the remit of the Office of Government Procurement to cover professional services and medicines purchased on behalf of the State; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5776/15]

Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

The procurement reform programme is an important element of the Government's overall reform agenda and is tasked with delivering increased value for money, more accurate and timely data and improvement in the capacity and capability of procurement across the public service.

The new model for procurement was approved by the Government in September 2012, with common goods and services to be procured by a new central sourcing organisation, the Office of Government Procurement (OGP) and with centralised sectoral sourcing organisations in health, education, local government and defence procuring sectoral-specific goods and services.  Common goods and services account for approximately 60% of the State's public procurement spend.  Instead of public bodies each tendering separately for these common goods and services, the OGP, when fully established, will put in place contracts for these categories that all public bodies will buy from.

With regard to the procurement of professional services and medicines, this is a specialised sector-led activity overseen by the Department of Health.  There are currently no plans to extend the remit of the OGP to cover this area.