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Tender Process

Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 20 February 2019

Wednesday, 20 February 2019

Questions (81)

Brendan Howlin

Question:

81. Deputy Brendan Howlin asked the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence the status of the tender process for the replacement of the CASA maritime patrol aircraft; when it is expected that a preferred aircraft will be identified; the sum of money allocated for the replacement in the 2019 Estimates; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8581/19]

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Written answers

My priority as Minister with Responsibility for Defence is to ensure that the operational capability of the Defence Forces is maintained to the greatest extent possible so as to enable the Defence Forces to carry out their roles as assigned by Government.

The White Paper on Defence provides for the replacement of the two CASA 235 Maritime Patrol Aircraft with consideration of their replacement with larger more suitable aircraft, which would enhance maritime surveillance and provide a greater degree of utility for transport and cargo carrying tasks.

A public tender competition for the replacement of the CASA Maritime Patrol Aircraft is underway in my Department at present. The tender competition is being carried out as a two stage restricted procedure in accordance with EU Directive 2009/81/EC, which is a specific Directive relating to the award of contracts in the field of defence and security. A Request for Proposals (Stage 1) was published on the Official Journal of the European Union (OJEU) in May 2018, followed by a Request for Tenders (Stage 2) which issued in November 2018. Tenders when submitted will be assessed against the award criteria set out in the published Request for Proposals, i.e. on the basis of the most economically advantageous tender. It is expected that the tender competition will be completed by mid 2019.

It would not be appropriate for me to comment further on at this stage or to divulge the budget allocation for this project for expenditure in 2019 pending the outcome of the tender competition as this information is commercially sensitive and the procurement process has not yet been completed.

In accordance with the National Development Plan, the capital allocation for Defence has been increased to €106 million for 2019, an increase of €29 million. The NDP provides for a total of €541 million over the period 2018 to 2022. This level of capital funding will allow the Defence Organisation to undertake a programme of sustained equipment replacement and infrastructural development across the Army, Air Corps and Naval Service as identified and prioritised in the Defence White Paper and builds on the significant investment programme over recent years. The replacement of the Air Corps CASA 235 Maritime Patrol Aircraft is among the projects included for funding.

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