James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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552. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government if he or his Department carried out a report or a review on awarding procurement contracts (details supplied) where there had been specific complaints; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24425/16]

James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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553. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government if cost was a key criteria for the recent awarding of contracts for senior alarms; the other criteria used; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24426/16]

James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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554. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government if he or his Department carried out a report or a review on awarding procurement contracts where there had been specific complaints; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24427/16]

James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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555. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government the detail of the recent tendering process for senior alarms; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24428/16]

James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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582. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government if he is satisfied regarding the outcome of the process for procuring the new providers of senior alarms; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24811/16]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos 552 to 555, inclusive and No. 582 together

My Department is responsible for the Seniors Alert Scheme which encourages support for vulnerable older people in our communities by providing grant assistance towards the purchase and installation of personal monitored alarms to enable older persons, of limited means, to continue to live securely in their homes with confidence, independence and peace of mind.

The scheme is administered by local community and voluntary groups with the support of Pobal, an independent company, who took over this role from my Department in September 2015 given that organisation’s significant experience delivering programmes on behalf of Government. This approach was taken in order to reduce the administrative burden for the many hundreds of community and voluntary groups registered under the scheme, who provide an excellent service for the elderly.

The assessment of the tenders for the provision of alarms under the scheme, including the award of contracts, was managed separately by Pobal, following a public advertisement on eTenders on 20 October 2014. The criteria for the tender evaluation process were a matter entirely for Pobal. However, I understand that the evaluation process was comprehensive and objective, and centred around a designated set of procedures and disciplines. The results of the evaluation process were submitted to Pobal senior management, who ultimately signed off on the recommendations therein. This process was conducted in a robust manner consistent with EU and national Procurement Guidelines, and a panel of preferred suppliers was identified.

The tender was broken down into 10 regional lots to ensure that potential SME suppliers were not disadvantaged due to excessively large lot sizes. A panel of regional suppliers was contracted to provide the equipment within specified regional areas while maintaining the benefits of local service provision. In accordance with the Invitation to Tender, a maximum number of three lots was set for which an interested party could tender in their own right.

In addition, it was possible for companies who tendered for three lots independently to tender for up to three other lots under a consortium arrangement. Each regional lot contains a panel of ranked suppliers. The supplier ranked first is the supplier of choice for all local organisations in that lot unless they are unable to meet demand whereby the next ranked supplier will then be chosen to supply the equipment.

Following a meeting in December 2014 between my predecessor and Deputy Brendan Ryan, a question arose as to whether this meeting impacted the procurement process or could render the process void. As a result, the tender process was paused by my Department pending clarification of a number of technical issues in this regard, and legal advice was sought on whether the process was impacted.

In clarifying the technical issues, the focus for my Department was on ensuring that the parameters set out in the Pobal tender competition were in compliance with national and EU procurement guidelines and directives. Having considered the matter fully and taken advice, the process was found to be robust and compliant. It was agreed that Pobal would proceed with the tender process and bring it to a conclusion. The process was duly concluded and contracts awarded.

Under the conditions of the tender, Pobal envisaged carrying out a re-ranking of equipment suppliers by September 2016. This was aimed at ensuring continued fairness from a competitive perspective so that those companies which finished lower down on the initial ranking would have an opportunity to improve their position. However, Pobal have advised that, for operational and strategic reasons, they have decided instead to terminate the supplier framework and undertake a general review of the scheme. The review will identify potential improvements, including technological advances. On completion of the review, a new scheme will be put in place.

It is important to note that there will be no change to the valuable service provided to local community groups and elderly people during the review period. In this regard, Pobal are currently entering into temporary contracts with the existing suppliers to ensure continuity of service for up to twelve months.

I understand that consultation with relevant stakeholders, including local communities, service users and civic organisations, will be a key component of the review of this important scheme, the results of which will inform my Department’s policy on the future direction of the Senior Alerts Scheme.