Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 16 November 2023
115. Deputy Patrick Costello asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Defence further to Parliamentary Question No. 195 of 7 November 2023, to provide the tendering notice publication number for the relevant tender competitions; the steps that were taken to ensure for Israeli companies that at all steps in the supply chain were not outside of the green line; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50426/23]
View answerThe expenditure of €6,073,768 set out in the reply to PQ Ref 48042/12 dated 7 November was incurred in respect of six separate contracts.
• One contract for travel services related to UNIFIL in Lebanon was below national thresholds.
• One contract for ground handling charges at Ben Gurion Airport was below national thresholds.
• One competition to procure Ground Surveillance Radar equipment was held in 2013. This was a two stage restricted competition conducted in accordance with the provisions of the Defence and Security Directive 2009/81/EC and as such was not conducted on an electronic platform as there was no legal requirement to do so at that time.
• An Artillery Fire Control System was in procured in 2005. Prior to the introduction of the Defence and Security Directive 2009/81/EC, certain categories of military equipment were exempt from public procurement competitive publication, and as such an exempt procurement. There was no legal requirement to publish this competition on an electronic platform at that time.
• Orbiter 3 Unmanned Air Systems were in procured in 2005. Prior to the introduction of the Defence and Security Directive 2009/81/EC, certain categories of military equipment were exempt from public procurement competitive publication, and as such an exempt procurement. There was no legal requirement to publish this competition on an electronic platform at that time.
• Engineering Equipment was procured in 2021 through an open competition conducted under the Public Procurement Directive 2014/24/EU. The Request for Tender was published on E-Tenders under RFT ID No: 187830.
The principle of competitive tendering for Government contracts is used by the Department of Defence and the Defence Forces for the acquisition of goods and services. This is an EU law requirement. Central to those procedures is the requirement to allow fair competition between suppliers through the submission of tenders following advertising of the tender competition on the e-tenders site and on the Official Journal of the European Union (OJEU), where appropriate.Such tender competitions are open to any company or country, subject to the terms of all UN, OSCE and EU arms embargos or restrictions. There are no such restrictions or embargos in place on Israel or Israeli companies.
The Department of Defence carries out its procurement functions in accordance with the legal rules in place and is obliged to follow the established procurement principles for the selection of economic operators with regard to the award of contracts.
