Michael Moynihan (Cork North West, Fianna Fail)
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832. To ask the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources the status of the public procurement process underway regarding the national broadband plan and its associated timetable; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7199/16]

Alex White (Dublin South, Labour)
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On 22 December 2015, the Department formally launched a major Government procurement process for the State intervention to deliver a high-quality high speed broadband infrastructure to over 750,000 premises in Ireland. The formal procurement commenced with the publication of the Pre-qualification Questionnaire (‘PQQ’) and Project Information Memorandum.  These set out the criteria by which potential bidders will be shortlisted for tender. Five responses to this phase of the competitive tender process by prospective bidders were received by the deadline of noon, 31 March 2016.  The original deadline was 29 February but at least one bidder sought an extension to the deadline.  The five responses are now being assessed in line with the criteria set down by the Department with a view to short listed qualified bidders proceeding to the next stage of procurement.

The second stage in the procurement process will be a formal Invitation to Participate in Dialogue (ITPD) to those bidders who were shortlisted following the PQQ evaluations. It is anticipated that the second stage (ITPD) of the process will commence by the end of Q2 2016.

The third stage of the procurement process involves the issue of final tender documentation, which follows the ITPD process. Following the submission of final tenders by bidders, the Department will select a winning bidder or bidders for the two lots / one lot as set out in the Intervention Strategy document. The Department will then enter into formal contract negotiations with the winning bidder(s).

The technical, economic, legal and procurement aspects of the process are highly complex, and the Exchequer funding is significant. It is also governed by EU State Aid Guidelines and Irish procurement law. It therefore requires careful planning to ensure that the Intervention meets the standards that have been set for the programme. These standards follow very extensive stakeholder consultation and analysis by the Department. The contract will be for a 25 year term and aims to conclusively address broadband deficits in Ireland, and particularly rural Ireland.

The Department will engage with the winning bidder(s) on the optimum rollout strategy, and on the sequencing of the network deployment. The aim is to maximise efficiencies during network build, while also prioritising areas as appropriate. The Department is currently considering how the network deployment could be prioritised across the Intervention Area.

The ambition of the Department is to ensure the rollout of the network happens as quickly as possible.  This must of course be balanced against the need for a robust procurement process and an outcome that can deliver effectively for citizens, so as to ensure that every premises in Ireland has access to services, and that no further interventions are required.