Written answers

Thursday, 18 April 2019

Department of Public Expenditure and Reform

Public Procurement Contracts

Photo of Bernard DurkanBernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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100. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the degree to which public procurement procedures are being observed in full by all State bodies and agencies; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18273/19]

Photo of Paschal DonohoePaschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael)
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The EU Procurement and Remedies Directives govern the way public authorities purchase goods, works and services. The rules are transposed into Irish law and apply to tenders for public contracts whose monetary value exceeds certain thresholds. It is a matter for individual contracting authorities to ensure that their public procurement function is discharged in line with the standard accounting and procurement rules and procedures. Under Section 19 of the Comptroller and Auditor General (Amendment) Act, 1993, each Accounting Officer is personally responsible for the safeguarding of public funds and property under his or her control; for the regularity and propriety of all the transactions in each Appropriation Account bearing his or her signature; and for the efficiency and economy of administration in his or her Department. Public procurement practices are subject to audit and scrutiny under the Comptroller and Auditor General (Amendment) Act 1993, and the Local Government Reform Act 2014.

The Office of Government Procurement (OGP) has responsibility for developing and setting out the overarching policy framework for public procurement in Ireland. In this regard, the OGP has progressed the National Public Procurement Policy Framework which enables a more consistent approach to public procurement across the public sector by setting out the procurement procedures to be followed by public bodies. The framework supports contracting authorities when awarding contracts for works, goods and services, enables public bodies to adopt procedures to meet their public procurement requirements, and facilitates compliance with EU and National procurement rules.

The OGP’s Public Procurement Guidelines for Goods and Services, launched in 2018 and updated in 2019, are a comprehensive interpretation of the public procurement directives designed to improve consistency and promote best practice in the application of the public procurement rules. However, as set out above, while the guidelines facilitate and enable compliance with public procurement rules, it is the responsibility of each contracting authority to ensure they adhere to these rules.

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