Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 25 January 2022
428. Deputy Sean Sherlock asked the Minister for Social Protection the engagement she has had with trade unions and stakeholders on the local employment tender in 2022; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [3040/22]
View answerMy Department is procuring a new Local Area Employment Service over two distinct phases.
Phase one of the process for procuring new employment services involved seven counties in the Midlands and North West currently without a Local Employment Service. Contracts were signed last month and services are in the process of being mobilised.
Phase two of the process has now commenced, with the publication on 21 December last of a request for tender for seventeen lots covering 19 counties. Services for this phase will begin in July 2022.
As the request for tender for phase two was published in December and is still live, due to procurement requirements it is not possible to engage with stakeholders in relation to an ongoing procurement process in 2022.
Prior to the issuing of the request for tender in December 2021, however, my Department had numerous engagements with stakeholders, including SIPTU and Forsa. This included over 140 separate engagements with stakeholders. Since the conclusion of the Phase 1 process, my Department has engaged with the relevant stakeholders including both SIPTU and Forsa with a focus on learning from the first phase of procurement with a view to incorporating feedback into the second phase of procurement.
I trust this clarifies the position for the Deputy.
