Vol. 463 No. 8
59 Mr. Sargent asked the Minister for Finance the location of advertisements seeking tenders for the proposed Government web site; if he has satisfied himself that all tendering procedures were adhered to; and the organisation that got the contract. [7533/96]
It is assumed that the Deputy is referring to the contract for Advice on Structures and Design of Internet Web Pages for the Irish Civil Service and for their Development. An invitation to tender was issued on Monday, 5 February 1996 with a closing date of 16 February. A notice to this effect was included in the tenders section of the computer industry electronic publication “ITs Monday” on 5 February and received widespread circulation in the Internet service community.
The invitation was issued to all companies who responded to the notice in "ITs Monday" and to a number of companies who had already expressed interest in the contract as a result of the widespread awareness in the industry of the Government's intention to establish a web site. A total of 69 invitations were issued and 22 tenders were received. After a thorough evaluation process, the contract was awarded to Ireland On-Line, which was the most economically advantageous tender under a defined set of qualification and award criteria.
I am completely satisfied that all tendering procedures were adhered to.
