Grace Boland (Dublin Fingal West, Fine Gael)
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2703. To ask the Minister for Health if her Department makes use of capped fee arrangements, fixed-fee briefs, success-based fee models or other such arrangements in its legal engagements; if not, the reason such options are not considered; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [41596/25]

Jennifer Carroll MacNeill (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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Legal services are procured through open procedures and Request for Quotes (RFQs) in line with public procurement rules. These procedures do not involve negotiation of fees after the tender process has concluded.

Service providers are invited to submit tenders in response to a clearly defined set of requirements. All bidders are evaluated against pre-established criteria. Pricing is submitted as part of the competitive tender process and forms part of the overall evaluation.

The successful tender is selected on the basis of overall value for money which includes cost, quality and other relevant factors.

Grace Boland (Dublin Fingal West, Fine Gael)
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2704. To ask the Minister for Health whether any legal engagements have exceeded their initial estimated or approved cost in the past three years; if so, the number of such cases and total overrun; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [41614/25]

Jennifer Carroll MacNeill (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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My Department operates a devolved procurement function whereby each business unit is responsible for the procurement of their own goods, services and related contracts.

Estimated contract values are an indication of the expected value of work at the time the contract was awarded. For procurement tenders in respect of legal engagements, where my Department acted as the contracting authority, and where the contract has been completed and costs finalised, in each year since July 2022, five contracts were in excess of estimated costs and the total overrun for these contracts was €63,815.45.