The Department engages consultants (individuals or organisations) to provide intellectual or knowledge based services (e.g. expert analysis and advice) including the delivery of reports, studies, assessments, recommendations and proposals that contribute to decision making or policy making. The Department procures consultancy services only where specialised knowledge and/or skills are not available within the Department or where a particular need arises that cannot be addressed within the resources available.
The procurement of these services is essential to support the Department in providing high quality service to the public in a cost effective and efficient manner and is governed by a comprehensive regulatory, legal and procedural framework. The Department implements strict governance procedures in the procurement of such services.
The majority of expenditure on consultancy expertise is to support the Department in implementing a multi-annual service delivery modernisation and transformation programme involving business process, organisational and technological change. These programmes are supported by the procurement of separate external development services (IT external service provision) as well as engagement of consultants to provide strategic technical advice. Further technical consultancies relate to the on-going development of the Department’s extensive information technology systems. A breakdown of the annual expenditure on consultancy and also IT external service provision for previous years is available on the Department’s website at http://www.welfare.ie/en/Pages/Procurement-Policy.aspx.
Total expenditure on the engagement of consultants by my Department for the years 2011 to 2014 is set out as follows and details of providers involved are included in the following tables.
|
Year
|
Number of Providers Engaged
|
Total
|
|
2014 (provisional)
|
14
|
€1,327,125
|
|
2013
|
14
|
€1,119,061
|
|
2012
|
15
|
€1,084,659
|
|
2011
|
16
|
€893,056
|
It is the Department’s policy to develop and sustain in house expertise, insofar as practicable and that skills transfer from consultants to Departmental staff takes place as an integral part of consultancy engagements. The purpose of this is to increase the knowledge and expertise of Departmental staff and to reduce and, if possible, eliminate further dependence on consultants in the areas concerned. The Department’s information systems division has also put in place training and mentoring programmes that build on the internal capacity and capability to deliver and support solutions on the Department’s information technology platform.
I am satisfied that the engagement of consultants contributes to decision making and policy formulation, and provides valuable support for the Department’s service delivery modernisation and reform programmes, and that procurement of consultants is compliant with best practice in realising value for money.
Year 2014 (provisional)
|
Contractor
|
Purpose
|
€
|
|
ESRI
|
SWITCH Research Programme
|
€250,000
|
|
|
Analysis & Measurement of Deprivation & Poverty
|
€55,978
|
|
|
Profiling of “Stock” Live Registrants
|
€16,873
|
|
|
Evaluation Research (BTEA)
|
€9,809
|
|
|
Action Learning, Behavioural Economics & Payments Migration
|
€2,000
|
|
Accenture
|
Review and redesign of front-line learning and development programmes
|
€237,636
|
|
Haywood Associates
|
Business Object Model - Technical Development Advice
|
€224,340
|
|
Naked Objects Group Ltd
|
Business Objects Modelling Advice & Expertise
|
€200,857
|
|
|
Premier Support for Developers
|
€36,720
|
|
Microsoft
|
Support to Technical Architecture Group
|
€19,590
|
|
|
IS Internal Audit Services
|
€23,616
|
|
Deloitte & Touche
|
Provision of Security Partner Services
|
€28,246
|
|
Centre for Economic and Social Inclusion
|
Advice in relation to External Service Delivery - Employment Services
|
€50,978
|
|
OECD
|
Youth Guarantee Advice
|
€50,000
|
|
Axiom Consulting
|
Culture & Values Report on Organisation Development
|
€47,880
|
|
Irish Research Council
|
Social Inclusion Research Innovation Awards
|
€40,101
|
|
Mel Cousins & Associates
|
Evaluation of Fund for EU Aid for the Most Deprived (FEAD)
|
€16,000
|
|
Geary Institute
|
Social Inclusion Research Innovation Awards
|
€7,960
|
|
Rits
|
Confidential Forensic Investigation Services
|
€6,541
|
|
Mike Byrne
|
Tender Evaluation - Contracting of External Employment Services
|
€2,000
|
Year 2013
|
Contractor
|
Purpose
|
€
|
|
Naked Objects Group Ltd
|
Business Objects Modelling Advice & Expertise
|
€234,463
|
|
|
Business Object Model - Technical Development Advice
|
€168,181
|
|
|
SWITCH Research Programme
|
€150,000
|
|
|
Analysis & Measurement of Deprivation & Poverty
|
€69,979
|
|
|
Profiling of “Stock” Live Registrants
|
€16,873
|
|
ESRI
|
Evaluation Research (BTEA)
|
€9,809
|
|
Centre for Economic and Social Inclusion
|
Advice in relation to External Service Delivery - Employment Services
|
€140,989
|
|
Haywood Associates
|
Business Object Model - Technical Development Advice
|
€87,871
|
|
Axiom Consulting
|
Culture & Values Report on Organisation
|
€74,812
|
|
|
IS Internal Audit Services
|
€48,688
|
|
Deloitte & Touche
|
Provision of Security Partner Services
|
€6,540
|
|
Accenture
|
Mobile Opportunity Exploration
|
€33,388
|
|
Mercer Ireland Ltd
|
Long-term Pensions Policy Research
|
€18,450
|
|
|
Review of Best International Practice regarding In-Work Supports
|
€10,000
|
|
|
GRO Legislation Review
|
€4,720
|
|
Mel Cousins & Associates
|
Guidance documentation for deciding & appeals officers
|
€2,400
|
|
Microsoft
|
Support to Technical Architecture Group
|
€11,515
|
|
Irish Research Council
|
Social Inclusion Research Innovation Awards
|
€11,103
|
|
TOR Financial
|
Models of National Employment Based Pension Systems
|
€9,900
|
|
PricewaterhouseCoopers
|
Provision of Financial Advisory Services (for Payment Services Evaluation)
|
€7,380
|
|
Irish Nutrition & Dietetic Institute
|
Update of the Diet Supplement Diet Cost Report
|
€4,000
|
Year 2012
|
Contractor
|
Purpose
|
€
|
|
Naked Objects Group Ltd
|
Business Object Model - Technical Development Advice
|
€199,260
|
|
|
Business Objects Modelling Advice & Expertise
|
€108,486
|
|
|
SWITCH Research Programme
|
€150,000
|
|
ESRI
|
Analysis & Measurement of Deprivation & Poverty
|
€81,494
|
|
KPMG
|
Actuarial Review of Social Insurance Fund
|
€153,750
|
|
OECD
|
OECD Review of Long Term Pension Policy
|
€130,000
|
|
|
IS Internal Audit Services
|
€39,541
|
|
Deloitte & Touche
|
Security Partner to provide ongoing Information Security Support
|
€27,675
|
|
Indecon
|
Evaluation of the JobBridge National Internship Scheme
|
€59,557
|
|
Accenture
|
FÁS ICT Applications Systems Review
|
€44,772
|
|
Creative Inc.
|
Design Work for Intreo
|
€24,777
|
|
PricewaterhouseCoopers
|
Review of Pension Charges
|
€24,600
|
|
Language
|
Intreo Corporate Identity
|
€21,990
|
|
Ernst & Young
|
Security Partner to provide ongoing Information Security Support
|
€7,623
|
|
Rits
|
Confidential Forensic Services
|
€4,654
|
|
Compass Point
|
Developing architecture for Intreo
|
€4,600
|
|
Technical Guidance Ltd
|
Review of Pension Charges
|
€1,230
|
|
Daniel Finn
|
Pathways to Work – Consultation
|
€650
|
Year 2011
|
Contractor
|
Purpose
|
€
|
|
Naked Objects Group Ltd
|
Business Object Model - Technical Development Advice
|
€144,644
|
|
|
Business Objects Modelling Advice & Expertise
|
€92,104
|
|
|
SWITCH Research Programme
|
€150,000
|
|
ESRI
|
Analysis & Measurement of Deprivation & Poverty
|
€48,001
|
|
Accenture
|
Business Process Improvement
|
€186,563
|
|
PA Consulting Group
|
Payments Strategy
|
€111,142
|
|
Irish Research Council for the Humanities and Social Sciences
|
Social Inclusion Research Innovation Awards
|
€50,000
|
|
Price Waterhouse Cooper
|
National Pensions Framework Implementation
|
€36,300
|
|
|
IS Audit Consultancy/Computer Audit Assistance
|
€14,792
|
|
Deloitte & Touche
|
Confidential Forensic Investigation Services
|
€7,109
|
|
Dept. of Enterprise, Trade & Employment
|
Administrative Burden Review
|
€14,000
|
|
Trinity College
|
Poverty Research Initiative Awards
|
€9,788
|
|
Patrick Oliver Ryan
|
Gender Recognition Advisor Group
|
€7,000
|
|
UCD
|
Poverty Research Initiative Awards
|
€6,650
|
|
NUI Maynooth
|
Poverty Research Initiative Awards
|
€6,500
|
|
NUI Galway
|
Poverty Research Initiative Awards
|
€5,000
|
|
Eleanor Ashe
|
Poverty Research Initiative Awards
|
€1,750
|
|
Dr. Mary Mulcahy
|
Poverty Research Initiative Awards
|
€1,422
|
|
Net Affinity Ltd
|
Poverty Research Initiative Awards
|
€291
|
