Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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103. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform when comprehensive policy and operational guidelines will be published to assist buyers and suppliers better understand the 2014 procurement directives; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32224/16]

Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael)
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At the end of March 2014, following extensive negotiations over three years, the Official Journal of the European Union (OJEU) published three new procurement directives. Two of the Directives, relating to procurement by public sector contracting authorities and utilities entities replace the EU procurement directives of 2004. These were transposed into Irish law by way of Statutory Instrument last May. The third directive creates a new regulated regime for the award of concession contracts. This Directive establishes a new regime for concession type contracts so the transposition process has taken longer; it is intended that this will be completed by end 2016.

The Office of Government Procurement is in the process of developing revised public procurement guidelines for goods and services which will reflect the recently transposed new EU Directives but which also update the national rules on public procurement. The revised guidelines will be aimed primarily at contracting authorities but they will also be useful to suppliers in understanding the public procurement process. Finally, the Capital Works Management Framework (CWMF) for works and works related services is also being updated to reflect the changes in the new Directives.