asked the Minister for Health if he will state the amount of each tender received by his Department for the erection of the regional sanatorium at Galway, and the amount of the tender accepted.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Galway Regional Sanatorium.
It is not the practice to disclose the amounts quoted in tenders received for contracts of this nature. I accordingly regret that I am unable to supply the information sought by the Deputy.
Will the Minister say if the tender accepted was the lowest?
In relation to matters such as this, I think I should explain that the consideration of the merits of tenders involves a number of different factors. It involves the ability of the firm, the size of the firm, the size of the job, the ability to find labour, the economic resources and the past record of the particular contractor in my Department. In this particular case the lowest tender was not accepted, but I give that information in order to put it into the proper perspective. My main criterion for my experts is to examine tenders with a view, in the first instance, to the quality of the work and, secondly, in relation to the speed with which the work can be done. The recommendation made to me in relation to the acceptance of this tender was by my experts.
Will the Minister say which of the considerations he mentioned induced his Department to accept a tender which was not the lowest?
The Deputy may not be aware that one of the factors which has motivated most of my actions in relation to the provision of the very necessary accommodation required for these patients has been speed, and in this particular case speed was the main consideration.