Written answers
Tuesday, 3 November 2020
Department of Public Expenditure and Reform
Departmental Contracts
Seán Sherlock (Cork East, Labour)
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473. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the number of contracts approved in his Department in 2019 and to date in 2020 without competitive tender; the details of the contracts; the company awarded the contracts; and the full value of the contracts, in tabular form. [33277/20]
Michael McGrath (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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The details requested by the Deputy are set out in the following table.
I wish to advise the Deputy that the procurement processes for these contracts were carried out in accordance with the Office of Government Procurement’s (OGP) Public Procurement Guidelines for Goods and Services which aim to promote an open, competitive and non-discriminatory public procurement regime which delivers the best value for money. They were undertaken under the terms of Article 32 of the Public Sector Procurement Directive, (2004/18/EC), which provides for the awarding of contracts without the use of a competitive procedure in certain circumstances, including, for example: where no suitable tenders have been submitted in response to an open or restricted procedure; where competition is absent for technical reasons; and for reasons of extreme urgency brought about by unforeseeable events.
The Deputy will note that there was an increase in the number of Article 32 procurements in 2020, in comparison with 2019. This was primarily due to the operational impacts of the Covid-19 public health emergency, which has led to major changes in how the Department delivers on its strategic remit.
Details of all contracts / purchases of more than €25,000 (exclusive of VAT) undertaken without a competitive process, and the reasons for doing so, are notified to the Comptroller and Auditor General when preparing the Annual Appropriation Accounts and published in that context.
Contracts over €500 approved without Competitive Tender
| Year | Company Awarded Contract | Details of the Contract | Value of Contract (€) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | A&L Goodbody | Bespoke legal amendments to extant Capital Works Management Framework documentation previously prepared by A&L Goodbody | €12,060 |
| Equinix | To support Government Network connectivity between Public Sector Bodies (PSBs) and telecommunication providers and other third party bodies that PSBs engage directly with | €54,853 | |
| BMF Business Services (Eolas Publications / Conferences) | Publication of Public Service (eInvoicing) Information Article for consumption by Public Sector and Private Sector Bodies | €4,378 | |
| 2020 | Equinix | To support Government Network connectivity between Public Sector Bodies (PSBs) and telecommunication providers and other third party bodies that PSBs engage directly with | €55,000 |
| Linode | Provision of IT Cloud Services to facilitate increased demand for Gov.ie services that have arisen in the context of Covid-19 | €20,000 | |
| AwS | Provision of IT Cloud Services to facilitate increased demand for Gov.ie services that have arisen in the context of Covid-19 | €100,000 | |
| Eir (Security Services) | Provision of IT Security Services to enhance malware detection and prevention systems in response to a National Cyber Security Centre alert on heightened threat levels arising from Covid-19 | €123,000 | |
| The Learning Rooms(SHRC Limited) | Provision of eLearning to meet Covid-19 related training needs | €24,000 | |
| McCann Fitzgerald Solicitors | Provision of legal advices on advisory notes and legal agreements for use with standard form Capital Works Management Framework contracts in response to Covid-19 measures | €29,520 | |
| BMF Business Services (Eolas Publications / Conferences) | Publication of Public Service (eInvoicing) Information Article for consumption by Public Sector and Private Sector Bodies | €4,274 |
Notes:
1 Details of transactions between the Department and other public sector bodies are not included. 2The Department’s procurement policy provides that goods or services with an estimated value of under €500 (excluding VAT) may be purchased directly.
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