Written answers
Tuesday, 7 November 2023
Department of Education and Skills
Schools Building Projects
Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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489. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the reason for the high turnover threshold of €1.5 million in order to qualify to tender for the tender entitled "Term Maintenance, Refurbishment and Upgrade construction Works to Educational Facilities in various regional and urban location (divided into lots and sub lots) within a National Framework", thus disqualifying a large number of small, highly competent small building firms from tendering and reducing the competition on the market, and thus raising prices; whether she intends revising these limits; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [47843/23]
Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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The level of turnover stipulated in the Term Maintenance, Refurbishment and Upgrade Construction Works Framework Suitability Questionnaire has been calculated using the Construction Works Management Framework (CWMF) Guidance Document GN 2.3.1.3 ‘Guidance Note Suitability Criteria for Works Contractors: Minimum Standards’ using the multiplier range of the annualized turnover of the capital value of the contract for Building projects, taking in to account the estimated value of the call-off contracts, the short duration for completion of the works contracts and taking into consideration the complexity level of works taking place in an existing school live environment.
It is further noted, that the suitability questionnaire for the tender (section 3.3a Evidence of Turnover) permits the applicant to be a consortia or joint venture where at least one of the entities being relied upon must have a minimum individual average turnover of €750,000, in addition to the aggregate for the Applicant as a whole of €1,500,000, thus allowing smaller building firms to come together to jointly apply for inclusion in the Framework.
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