Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 29 November 2016
411. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the frequency that Government agency and Department contracts for taxi services are required to be renewed or reviewed; the regulations and guidelines his Department provides on such contracts; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37680/16]
View answerThe regulations which govern the procurement of taxi services by Government Bodies are contained in Statutory Instrument 284 of 2016. Regulation 33(2) states that "the term of a framework agreement shall not exceed 4 years, other than in exceptional cases".
The Office of Government Procurement established a Framework Agreement for taxi services in the Greater Dublin Area, which commenced on April 1st 2015. The Framework was established for an initial period of one year, renewable annually at the discretion of the Contracting Authority to a maximum duration of 4 years. The Framework was subsequently extended by one year from April 1st 2016. A decision has not been finalised in regard to the possibility of a further extension from April 1st 2017. The OGP, prior to publishing a tender for taxi services to replace the existing Framework, will engage with market operators to ensure that any future tender competitions are appropriate to the market.
