asked the Minister for Finance if, in order to help decentralisation, he will take steps to ensure that Government Departments will invite tenders on a regional or provincial basis, and in the case of the Department of Defence on a command area basis, and thus provide a wider and more even distribution of employment and, at the same time, giving smaller manufacturers an opportunity of tendering within their capacity.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Tenders for Government Contracts.
The restriction of tendering as proposed by the Deputy would be a departure from the well-established and sound procedure of securing competition from the widest practicable field for commodities required for the public service. Such a departure would be neither economical nor justifiable. Moreover, under the present procedure small manufacturers are not excluded from tendering within their capacity. The answer to the Deputy's question is, therefore, in the negative.