Vol. 414 No. 1
86 Mrs. Fennell asked the Minister for Social Welfare if he will outline in respect of his Department (1) the number of Government contracts which are in force, (2) if all contracts are renewed annually and (3) if all contracts are granted as a result of tendering to the most competitive estimate.
There are over 170 contracts currently in force in my Department. These relate to the supply and maintenance of office and computing equipment; consultancy services, mostly in connection with the development of new computer systems; office maintenance, cleaning and hygiene services; security and postal delivery services.
In general, when contracts expire competitive tenders or quotations are sought from suppliers. Some contracts are awarded for a period, e.g. two to four years, while others are awarded on the basis of a specification of service or supply to be delivered. In some cases, a maintenance contract is negotiated with the supplier at the time of purchase of equipment and renewed annually.
All contracts, whether for supply of goods or services, are awarded in accordance with the Department of Finance guidelines on Government contract procedures. These set out the rules for competitive tendering and provide for the award of a contract on the basis of either the lowest suitable tender or the most economically advntageous tender having regard to the circumstances. Where full competitive tendering is not practical, for example for a highly specialised computer requirement, proposals are vetted by a formal interdepartmental committee which operates under the aegis of the Department of Finance.
