David Cullinane (Waterford, Sinn Fein)
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103. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the person or body the Educational Procurement Service, EPS, is accountable to; if the EPS is accountable to him, the details of the systems, practices and procedures in place to facilitate the accountability of the EPS; the processes and procedures that are in place for him and his Department to review the decisions of the EPS; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2337/17]

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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Under the Government’s Procurement Reform programme, led by the Office of Government Procurement (OGP), the Education Procurement Service (EPS) acts as the Education Sector hub. It is responsible for providing a service which facilitates the sourcing and tendering for Laboratory Equipment, Veterinary & Agriculture and Library for all of the public sector, and other education strategic procurements for the Education Sector. It is also responsible for representing the Education sector with OGP and promoting the OGP model across the Education sector.

The service provided by EPS facilitates the establishment of framework agreements, the completion of mini competitions and supports the public sector bodies through the sourcing and procurement process, enabling the organisations to make strong procurement decisions. EPS role as sourcing and procurement organisation is that of an expert advisor, it is not the decision maker in these activities. Procurement decisions around scope, product definition, requirements etc. are taken by the public sector bodies as are the decisions around evaluation and approval of the suppliers based on their responses to the particular procurement activity.

The EPS originated in the Higher Education sector, and the bulk of its work on the above categories is targeted toward that sector. Where the EPS undertakes procurement processes on behalf of the Higher Education sector, the EPS is answerable to that sector concerning the procurement process. Where it procures on behalf of other Public Sector Bodies, it is answerable to those bodies.

The Department works closely with the EPS to ensure that its processes and procedures are correct and in line with Government policy.