The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade is responsible for two Votes — Vote 28 (Foreign Affairs) and Vote 27 (International Cooperation). I am very conscious of the need to achieve value for money on all consultant expenditure and commissioning of such work is in full compliance with national and EU procurement regulations. The Department, through Irish Aid (Ireland's official development assistance programme), occasionally commissions outside expertise where the effective management, evaluation and review of the programme necessitates the use of such skills. Elements of the aid programme are highly technical such as the areas of HIV-AIDS, communicable diseases, nutrition, agriculture and others. It is essential if the aid programme is to remain at the cutting edge of development science that it utilises outside expertise from time to time for quality assurance and to provide access to the latest knowledge. Utilising external expertise on a temporary basis can also provide excellent value for money as the skills involved are only utilised on a needs rather than full-time basis.
Consultants are engaged only where specialised knowledge and skills are not available within the Department and where independent appraisal, audit, monitoring and evaluation of programmes and projects are required. Decisions on the need to commission outside expertise are subject to the establishment of appropriate business cases and an approvals process carried out by the Irish Aid Senior Management Group. National and international regulations are fully complied with in subsequent tendering processes. The level of expenditure on consultancy services is constantly monitored to ensure that it does not exceed the level required for the proper management, oversight, monitoring, evaluation and audit of the aid programme.
The following tables set out the details of consultants engaged by the Department in each of the years 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011 and the names of consultants engaged in each year and show the significant reduction in contracts sought since 2010.
|
Year
|
Vote 27 Consultancy Expenditure
|
Vote 27 Number of Consultants
|
Vote 28 Consultancy Expenditure
|
Vote 28 Number of Consultants
|
|
2008
|
€4,429,056
|
87
|
€243,781
|
11
|
|
2009
|
€1,427,091
|
50
|
€41,770
|
3
|
|
2010
|
€1,494,615
|
50
|
€63,083
|
2
|
|
2011
|
€1,778,499
|
45
|
€25, 878
|
3
|
|
Vote 27 Consultants 2008
|
|
Achilles Procurement Services Ltd
|
EFTEC
|
Mary Buckley
|
|
Aine Costigan
|
Eilis Ryan
|
Mary Jennings
|
|
Aisling Swaine
|
Ellen Pieterse
|
Mary Mc Keown
|
|
Amy Rose Mc Govern
|
Ernst and Young
|
Michael Hegarty
|
|
ANJO Consulting LTD
|
European Forum For International Mediation and Dialogue
|
Michael Higgins
|
|
Anne Holmes
|
Frank Murray
|
Mike Kiernan
|
|
Anna Matveeva
|
FSG
|
Mr Jim O’Leary, Dept of Economics
|
|
Anne Gallagher
|
Gail Varian
|
Ms Beni Oburu
|
|
Anne Nolan
|
Gary Campbell
|
Niall Roche
|
|
Aoife Helly
|
Gerald Cawley
|
Neil Kennedy
|
|
Barry Johnston
|
Gernot Premper
|
ODI-Overseas Development Institute
|
|
Brian Barrington
|
Grace Wells
|
Orla Duke
|
|
Brian Mccarthy
|
Gregory Smith
|
Patrick Mcmullin
|
|
Cathy Gaynor
|
Helen O’Neill
|
Paud Murphy
|
|
Catherine Butcher
|
HLSP Ltd
|
Paul Isenman
|
|
Mary Jennings
|
Integra Economic Development Consultants Ltd
|
Paul Murphy
|
|
Clare Mulvaney
|
Intrac
|
Petrus Consulting Ltd
|
|
Diarmuid McClean
|
ITAD Ltd
|
Platinum One
|
|
Danny Rowan
|
J Fitzpatrick Associates
|
Pricewaterhouse Coopers Ltd
|
|
David Lovegrove
|
Jane Salvage
|
Real Events Solutions
|
|
David Weakliam
|
Jennifer Black
|
RGB Consulting
|
|
Debbie omas
|
Joanne Manchester
|
Roberto ED. Martinez
|
|
Declan O Neill
|
John Geraghty
|
Ronan Conroy
|
|
Deirdre Farrell
|
John Grindle
|
Sarah Jones
|
|
Deloitte And Touche
|
John O’ Regan
|
Sean Drysdale
|
|
Development Research Training
|
Kate Dyer
|
Sherry Mclean
|
|
DHR Ltd
|
Kevin Moore
|
SHL Ireland Ltd.
|
|
Diarmuid McClean
|
Laura Spring
|
Siobhan Wardick
|
|
Dr Barry Ryan
|
Margaret Fitzgerald
|
Vincent McCarthy
|
|
Vote 28 Consultants 2008
|
|
Art Agnew
|
Hugh Swift
|
Dr Tom Hardiman
|
|
Bianconi Research Ltd. (trading as RITS)
|
Sysnet
|
Cornwell Consulting
|
|
PA Consulting
|
E Delaney and Associates;
|
Long Road Productions
|
|
Farrell Grant Sparks
|
Millward Brown IMS
|
|
|
Vote 27 Consultants 2009
|
|
Aidan Mulkeen
|
ITAD Ltd.
|
|
Alan Fitzgibbon
|
James Saunderson
|
|
Amal Abordan
|
Jim Cannon
|
|
Beni Karuga
|
Jim Kinsella
|
|
Bernard Mc Loughlin
|
Johnny O’Regan
|
|
Bernard Wood
|
Karen O’Shea
|
|
Cathy Gaynor
|
Kevin Farrell
|
|
Channel Research
|
Kevin Moore
|
|
Ciara Eustace
|
Lorraine Whitty
|
|
Clare Herbert
|
Marcel Grogan
|
|
CR2 Social Development
|
Margaret Fitzgerald
|
|
Deirdre Farrell
|
Mary Buckley
|
|
DHR Communications and Davis Event Consultancy
|
Mary Jennings
|
|
Dr Colm Regan
|
Mary Mc Keown
|
|
Dr. Diarmuid O’Donovan
|
Matthias Fiedler
|
|
Dr. Kamal Kar
|
Mike Kiernan
|
|
Eleanor O’Gorman
|
Mokoro
|
|
ESRI
|
Partners
|
|
Fitzpatrick Associates
|
Peter McEvoy
|
|
Gerald Cawley
|
Real Event Solutions
|
|
Helen O’Neill
|
Rowan Oberman
|
|
Howard Dalzell
|
Ruth O’Doherty
|
|
Hunter Mc Gill
|
Tara Shine
|
|
Institute Of Public Administration
|
e Circa Group, Europe
|
|
INTRAC
|
UTILINK Ltd
|
|
Vote 28 Consultants 2009
|
|
Bianconi Research Limited (Trading as RITS)
|
J O Regan
|
|
Long Road Productions
|
|
|
Vote 27 Consultants 2010
|
|
Aodh O’Connor
|
Marcel Grogan
|
|
Benedicta Namuddu Karuga (Oburu)
|
Marie Smith
|
|
Bernard Mc Loughlin
|
Martin Greene
|
|
Cathy Doran
|
Mary Buckley
|
|
Cathy Gaynor
|
Mary Jennings
|
|
Chuck Lathrop
|
Mary Mc Keown
|
|
Cooney and Associates
|
Mary T Fanning-Walk Tall Consulting
|
|
DHR Communications
|
Mazars
|
|
Eamon O’Brien and Associates
|
Mokoro
|
|
Eamonn O’Reilly
|
Morina O’Neill
|
|
Eilis Murray And Patricia Hunt
|
Niall Roche
|
|
Emma Warwick
|
Nigel Sutton
|
|
Ernst and Young
|
Pamala Uwakwe
|
|
Francois Grunewald
|
Paul Isenmann
|
|
Fred Tottenham
|
Peter McEvoy
|
|
Helen Labanya
|
Philip Regan
|
|
INTRAC
|
Pieternella Pieterse
|
|
IOD PARC
|
Real Events
|
|
James Saunderson
|
Rodney Rice
|
|
Jim Cannon
|
SPN and MLC Consulting
|
|
Jim Fitzpatrick
|
SUAS
|
|
Jim Kiely
|
e Policy Practice
|
|
John Coughlan
|
Tierney and Associates
|
|
John Shiels
|
Tony Taffee
|
|
Johnny O’Regan
|
Tribal Consulting
|
|
Luis Bran
|
UCG
|
|
Vote 27 Consultants 2010
|
|
Bianconi Research Ltd.(Trading as RITS)
|
Mr. Tony Taaffe
|
|
Vote 27 Consultants 2011
|
|
80:20:00
|
Kevin Moore
|
|
Aisling Swaine
|
Lauren Bari
|
|
Bernard Mc Loughlin
|
Lizzie Downes
|
|
Bernie Crawford
|
Marcel Grogan
|
|
Carole Pretorius
|
Marie Therese Fanning
|
|
Caroline Burke
|
Mary Brady
|
|
Cathal Higgins
|
Mary Buckley
|
|
Cathy Gaynor
|
Mary Corbett
|
|
Cathy Roche
|
Mike Williams
|
|
Consultores HODI Lda
|
NUI Maynooth
|
|
CPW Consulting
|
Pat Mc Mullin
|
|
Deirdre Farrell
|
Paud Murphy
|
|
DHR Communications
|
Paul Sheane
|
|
Eilis Murray
|
Philip Regan
|
|
ERSI
|
Pirternella Pieterse
|
|
Fitzpatrick Associates
|
Rachel Kavanagh
|
|
Fred Tottingham
|
Rodney Rice
|
|
Humanitarian Policy Ltd
|
Ruth O Doherty
|
|
IOD PARC
|
Samia Saad
|
|
ISOS
|
Stefanie Meredith
|
|
ITAD
|
University College Dublin
|
|
James Saunderson
|
Valid International
|
|
John Geraghty
|
|
|
Vote 28 Consultants 2011
|
|
Bianconi Research Limited (now ISAS)
|
Mr. Tony Taaffe
|
|
B Connected Ltd.
|
|
