Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 5 November 2019
156. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the public procurement contracts and projects in which a person (details supplied) was involved; the final value of each project; the original estimates for each contract and project by year in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44369/19]
View answerThe Office of Government Procurement (OGP), an office within my Department, has responsibility for developing and setting out policy for public procurement in Ireland.
The OGP sets out the procurement procedures to be followed by public bodies, provides procurement solutions, advice, guidance and systems for public bodies and promotes good practice and proactive engagement with the public sector through new governance and oversight structures.
The OGP and its sector partners put in place framework agreements and contracts through which public sector bodies can buy the goods and services that they need. The State buys a wide range of goods and services and, therefore, the sourcing model is broken down into 16 categories. The OGP categories are: ICT & Office Equipment; Professional Services; Marketing, Print & Stationery; Utilities; Fleet & Plant; Managed Services; Travel & HR Services; and Facilities Management, Maintenance. The OGP’s sector partners in Health, Education, Defence and Local Government are responsible for the other eight categories: Medical Professional Services; Medical & Diagnostic Equipment & Supplies; Medical, Surgical & Pharmaceutical Supplies; Minor Building Works & Civils; Plant Hire; Veterinary & Agriculture / Library Book Purchase; Laboratory, Diagnostics & Equipment; and Defence & Security.
The operational procedures of the OGP are managed by the Chief Procurement Officer (CPO) and his management team. The CPO was appointed in 2013 and directs the operations of OGP under the terms of his appointment. The Framework Agreements established by the OGP are signed by the CPO on behalf of the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform. The OGP commenced sourcing operations in 2014 and since that time has put a range of framework agreements and contracts in place. To date, the OGP has established in the order of 370 framework agreements and standalone contracts and has conducted over 2,500 mini-competitions under framework agreements on behalf of its public service clients.
It should be noted that contracts following standalone tenders or mini-competitions under OGP frameworks agreements and the management of same are the responsibility of the Contracting Authority in question.
A full list of all the OGP Frameworks currently in place is available on the OGP website https://ogp.gov.ie/schedule-of-frameworks-and-contracts/ .
