Jonathan O'Brien (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein)
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73. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the number of contracts tendered to businesses in each of the years 2011 to 2017 and to date in 2018. [46276/18]

Jonathan O'Brien (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein)
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74. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the number of contracts tendered to businesses of 50 employees and less in each of the years 2011 to 2017 and to date in 2018. [46277/18]

Jonathan O'Brien (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein)
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75. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the number of contracts tendered to businesses in each of the years 2011 to 2017 and to date in 2018 disaggregated by the value of the contracts awarded. [46278/18]

Joe McHugh (Donegal, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 73 to 75, inclusive, together.

I refer to the Deputy’s PQ46276, 46277 and 46278 on the number of contracts tendered to businesses in each of the years 2011 to 2017 and to date in 2018; the contracts tendered to businesses of 50 employees and less and the number of contracts disaggregated by the value of the contracts awarded.

Tenders for goods and services for a value greater than €25,000 and for works at €50,000 are published on the e-tenders website and can be viewed at the following link: . The Office of Government Procurement (OGP) also undertakes tenders for goods and services on our behalf. The Department does not collate information on contracts tendered to businesses with 50 employees and less.

The specific information sought in relation to Small and Medium Enterprises and tenders under the threshold values of €25,000 or €50,000 is not collated centrally by the Department and would involve a disproportionate administrative burden to do so.

Jonathan O'Brien (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein)
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76. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the number of procurement officers in his Department charged with the responsibility of preparing, tendering and awarding procurement contracts. [46279/18]

Jonathan O'Brien (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein)
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77. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the annual cost of procurement officers in his Department charged with the responsibility of preparing, tendering and awarding procurement contracts. [46280/18]

Joe McHugh (Donegal, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 76 and 77 together.

I refer to the Deputy’s PQ46279 and 46280 on the number of procurement officers and the annual cost of these officers with responsibility of preparing, tendering and awarding procurement contracts in the department.

The Department does not employ whole time procurement officers. Procurement is undertaken throughout the department by officers within the business units responsible for the relevant services or through the Office of Government Procurement who source goods and services on behalf of public bodies.

Information is not collated on the resources employed in each procurement activity either within this department or on our behalf by the Office of Government Procurement.