Grace Boland (Dublin Fingal West, Fine Gael)
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2699. To ask the Minister for Health if her Department conducts regular benchmarking, or market testing, to ensure that the rates paid for legal services, solicitors and barristers, represent value for money for the taxpayer; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [41524/25]

Jennifer Carroll MacNeill (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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My Department uses procurement processes to ensure value for money in the provision of services. Service providers are invited to submit tenders in response to clearly defined set of requirements. Successful tenderers are selected on the basis of the most economic advantageous proposal which includes cost, quality and other relevant factors to specific requirements. Contracts are monitored by the relevant business units.

Grace Boland (Dublin Fingal West, Fine Gael)
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2700. To ask the Minister for Health to detail the procurement processes used when engaging external legal firms and barristers, including whether panels are used; how often these are refreshed; the criteria used for selection and performance review; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [41542/25]

Jennifer Carroll MacNeill (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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Procurement processes used when engaging legal firms vary by requirements. My Department uses Requests for Quotes, Open tendering procedures, direct drawdown from framework agreements and where appropriate, direct awards.

The specification of requirements determines the details of the procurement processes used and the selection criteria. This includes formation of panels where appropriate. Service providers are invited to submit tenders, for a fixed term, in response to a clearly defined set of requirements. Pricing is submitted as part of the competitive tender process and forms part of the overall evaluation.