Brendan Griffin (Kerry, Fine Gael)
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470. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills to review the criteria used by Bus Éireann to tender bus routes to ensure that displacement of private operators by bodies in receipt of State subsidies will not occur; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [5003/16]

Damien English (Meath West, Fine Gael)
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Bus Éireann, which operates the School Transport Scheme on behalf of my Department, is obliged to tender all works, goods and services in line with the European Directives on public procurement. The basic principle of public procurement is that there should be a competitive process and this approach applies to procurement by all public sector bodies, and includes school transport services performed by contractors under the School Transport Scheme.

The tendering process is a competitive process which allows Bus Éireann to achieve the procurement objectives in terms of value for money, access to the contracts for all interested parties, transparency on how the contracts are awarded, and equality of treatment. The rules of the competition and the selection and award criteria were clearly outlined as to how the contracts would be awarded and all interested parties were provided with the same opportunity and the same information. In this way the procurement process is carried out in an fair, open and transparent manner complying with all applicable EU Procurement Law, domestic legislation and government regulations.

The experience of the driver assigned to perform the service is one of the award criteria, and while previous experience with the company is taken into account Bus Éireann is not permitted to conduct a process which provides an incumbent operator with an unfair advantage.

Bus Éireann has further confirmed that, on the basis of legal advice, the recipient of Government funding cannot be automatically excluded from participating in a public procurement tender competition.

Generally a five-year contract is awarded to the successful tenderer. This provides security for the duration of the contract to the contractor as well as stability, in terms of familiarity with transport arrangements, for the families, schools, and children concerned.