Pearse Doherty (Donegal South West, Sinn Fein)
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260. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government if he will provide a breakdown, in tabular form, of the amount of money spent by each local authority over the past five years on the procurement of goods and services that will in future be secured by the local government operational procurement centre; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26446/15]

Alan Kelly (Tipperary North, Labour)
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My Department does not hold the information requested. The procurement of products or services by a local authority is a matter for the authority concerned.

Procurement legislation and associated guidance are a matter for my colleague, the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform. Guidelines by the Office of Government Procurement under the aegis of the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform apply to all public sector bodies, including local authorities.

Under the EU Directives on public procurement, public works, supplies and service contracts above certain thresholds must be advertised in the Official Journal of the EU and awarded on the basis of objective and non-restrictive criteria. For contracts below these thresholds, the general requirement is that they be advertised on the national public procurement website or, depending on value, awarded on the basis of a competitive process of direct invitation to an adequate number of suitable suppliers.

Local authorities have been pro-active in achieving spend reduction and procurement efficiencies in the procurement area through the establishment of the Local Authority National Procurement Office at Kerry County Council. The local government sector is also working closely with the Office of Government Procurement to implement the government’s Procurement Reform Programme.