Willie Penrose (Longford-Westmeath, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

295. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government the steps he will take to scrap the proposal to create one single library supply tendering consortium, by way of the national library procurement plan for the whole country (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21347/16]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

The provision of public library services is a matter for each local authority in its capacity as a library authority, under the Local Government Act 2001. This includes the procurement of books and other services. My Department does not have a direct role in these matters. Local authorities must adhere to national and EU requirements when undertaking procurement processes. These requirements do not exclude Irish companies from tendering for such contracts.

I understand that the Local Government Management Agency (LGMA) is working with the Educational Procurement Service (EPS) on a collaborative engagement for library category procurement under the new Office of Government Procurement centralised model. A Working Group is currently being established by the LGMA to oversee the process and it will consider the options for the addition of a social inclusion clause as part of the tender preparation.

It is planned to go to tender in the Autumn in order to have a national procurement in place for 2017.