Written answers

Tuesday, 14 October 2025

Department of Public Expenditure and Reform

Public Procurement Contracts

Photo of Albert DolanAlbert Dolan (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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374. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform further to Parliamentary Question Nos. 353, 354 and 356 of 17 September 2025, the specific statutory or administrative actor who is responsible for monitoring and evidencing compliance with Circular 05/2023 across the public service; and if his Department considers that responsibility rests with each accounting officer; if he will direct accounting officers to provide standardised quarterly compliance attestations and metrics to his Department and the OGP; and if he will place those returns in the Oireachtas Library and Research Service. [55042/25]

Photo of Albert DolanAlbert Dolan (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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377. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if he will commit to publishing a quarterly compliance dashboard for Circular 05/2023 showing the national compliance rates by obligation and sector; a list of contracting authorities with material non-compliance; the remediation actions and timelines agreed with those bodies and, if not, to set out the reasons. [55046/25]

Photo of Albert DolanAlbert Dolan (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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378. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the escalation and sanction framework available where contracting authorities persistently fail to comply with Circular 05/2023 (e.g. under the public spending code, internal audit, Comptroller and Auditor General observations, or performance agreements with accounting officers); and, if such a framework does not exist, whether he will include one in the forthcoming national public procurement strategy, with a publication timeline. [55047/25]

Photo of Albert DolanAlbert Dolan (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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379. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform further to his reply of 17 September 2025, the way in which the Oireachtas can be assured that Circular 05/2023 is being implemented if his Department does not centrally monitor compliance, if no central compliance statistics are published, and if no escalation pathway is defined; and if he accepts that this constitutes a material oversight gap and the immediate steps he will take to close it. [55048/25]

Photo of Albert DolanAlbert Dolan (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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381. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if his Department will instruct the OGP to introduce an accounting officer compliance certificate (annexed to appropriation accounts) affirming that the Department/Body advertised all contracts at/above Circular 05/2023 thresholds; published all awards ≥€25,000 (including off-platform procurements) on eTenders; and completed all required award-notice fields; and, if not, to set out the reasons. [55050/25]

Photo of Jack ChambersJack Chambers (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 374, 377, 378, 379 and 381 together.

I would like to thank the Deputy for his questions.

As the Deputy is aware, it is the legal responsibility of Departments to ensure that they comply with all public procurement requirements. The annual sanction from myself, as the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, to spend public money stipulates that Accounting Officers must have in place appropriate measures to operate in full compliance with all public procurement obligations.

Secretaries General, as Accounting Officers, explicit responsibilities are established by practice and convention, and under legislation, including the Ministers and Secretaries Act, 1924, the Comptroller and Auditor General (Amendment) Act, 1993, and notably the Public Service Management Act 1997. Secretaries General are personally accountable to the Oireachtas, in particular the Committee of Public Accounts, for ensuring compliance with their obligations to public procurement.

The Deputy should note, accountability and governance in respect of public procurement for certain other sectors is also provided for in legislation, for example the Local Government Reform Act, 2014 for Local Authorities, and the Higher Education Authority (HEA) Act, 2022 for designated higher education institutions.

My Department issues an annual Appropriation Account Circular, which includes a requirement for Accounting Officers to confirm procurement compliance. This includes confirming appropriate focus on good practice and compliance with the public procurement policy framework.

Photo of Albert DolanAlbert Dolan (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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375. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform further to his reply that his Department ‘has no role in monitoring compliance’ to set out whether the eTenders platform currently captures sufficient data to produce central compliance statistics for Circular 05/2023 (e.g. counts of advertisements at/above €50,000 for goods/services, €200,000 for works, €50,000 for works-related services; publication of all awards ≥€25,000 including off-platform procurements; and timely completion of contract-award data fields); if so, to publish those statistics by quarter since Quarter 2 2023; and if not, the technical changes and timeline which are required to enable such reporting. [55043/25]

Photo of Albert DolanAlbert Dolan (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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380. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform to provide, for each quarter since Quarter 2 2023, the number of contract award notices ≥€25,000 published on eTenders ; the proportion where all mandatory data fields were completed; and the number of awards recorded as off-platform competitions subsequently uploaded. [55049/25]

Photo of Jack ChambersJack Chambers (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 375 and 380 together.

My Department has made available on the Open Data Portal, a dataset of Public Procurement information from the eTenders platform, covering the period 01/01/2013 to 30/09/2025.

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The dataset provides comprehensive information on public sector procurement activities in Ireland. This dataset includes detailed records of tender notices, contract awards, procurement procedures, and supplier information. It covers a wide range of sectors and contracting authorities, offering insights into government tendering, transparency, and market opportunities. The dataset will be updated quarterly and adheres to open data standards, making it accessible for analysis, research and reuse.

Photo of Albert DolanAlbert Dolan (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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376. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform to provide copies (or links) of circulars, guidance notes, compliance reminders or buyer alerts issued by his Department/OGP since March 2023 relating to Circular 05/2023 obligations (advertising thresholds, award-notice publication ≥€25,000, completion of award-notice fields); and to provide the dates, recipient lists, and any associated training attendance figure. [55045/25]

Photo of Jack ChambersJack Chambers (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)
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My Department published Circular 05/2023 () on 28 March 2023. The circular was published alongside a dedicated information page www.gov.ie/en/office-of-government-procurement/publications/new-circular-to-assist-smes-in-public-procurement/, which included an informational video and an FAQ . Upon publication of the circular, communications were issued to all Accounting Officers and the Procurement Executive, which included representatives from the Office of Government Procurement, sourcing sector partners in Health, Defence, Education and Local Government. A buyer alert also issued at this time to the Procurement Officer Network, a mailing list made up of public buyers from across the public sector, a copy of this alert is enclosed herewith. My Department does not provide public procurement training to public bodies.

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