Public Procurement Contracts

584. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Defence the extent to which contracts with external contractors in the years 2022 to 2025 exceeded national or EU procurement thresholds requiring competitive tendering; and if she will provide a breakdown by year and value band. [26789/26]

585. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Defence the number and total value of contracts awarded through the Office of Government Procurement frameworks in each of the years 2022 to 2025; and the policy basis for using such frameworks instead of standalone tender processes. [26790/26]

586. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Defence the breakdown of expenditure on external contractors in each of the years 2022 to 2025 by category of service, including but not limited to consultancy, legal services, communications, policy development, and research, in tabular form. [26791/26]

587. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Defence the projects, programmes, or policy initiatives to which external contractor expenditure related to in each of the years 2022 to 2025; the cost attributable to each project; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [26792/26]

588. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Defence whether his Department conducted any assessment comparing the cost of using external contractors with the cost of delivering the same work internally; and if so, the findings of such assessments. [26794/26]

589. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Defence the value-for-money or post-project evaluation mechanisms applied to expenditure on external contractors in the years 2022 to 2025; whether any formal evaluations were completed; and if he will provide details. [26795/26]

590. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Defence whether any internal audit, external audit, or Comptroller and Auditor General review has examined expenditure on external contractors by her Department in the years 2022 to 2025; and if so, the findings and dates of such reviews. [26796/26]

591. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Defence the number of external contractors engaged by his Department in each of the years 2022 to 2025; the total value of payments made to each contractor in each year; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [26799/26]

592. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Defence the extent to which contracts with external contractors in the years 2022 to 2025 exceeded national or EU procurement thresholds requiring competitive tendering; and if he will provide a breakdown by year and value band. [26801/26]

593. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Defence the breakdown of expenditure on external contractors in each of the years 2022 to 2025 by category of service, including but not limited to consultancy, legal services, communications, policy development, and research; and if he will provide a detailed table. [26803/26]

595. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Defence the approval process required within his Department before engaging external contractors, including the grade level at which approval is granted and any expenditure thresholds that trigger additional oversight. [26811/26]

596. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Defence whether his Department has a formal policy governing the use of external contractors; the circumstances in which such contractors may be engaged; and the measures in place to ensure reliance on external services does not substitute for internal capacity. [26812/26]

1019. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation the proportion of public contracts awarded on a lowest price only basis compared to most economically advantageous tender criteria, in each of the past five years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23634/26]

1020. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation whether he accepts that awarding contracts primarily on lowest price increases the risk of cost overruns, contract variations and delayed delivery; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23635/26]

1021. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation whether his Department sets or recommends minimum weightings for quality, risk and delivery criteria in tender evaluations; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23636/26]

1022. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation the number of tenders identified as abnormally low and rejected in each of the past five years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23637/26]

1023. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation whether his Department tracks the variance between initial tender price and final outturn cost on public capital projects; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23638/26]

1024. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation whether he will revise procurement guidance to place greater emphasis on whole of life cost, delivery certainty and risk management rather than upfront price; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23639/26]

2208. Deputy Johnny Guirke asked the Minister for Health the national tendering process that is currently in place for new endoscopy infrastructure within the public system; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [20737/26]

379. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation the engagements he and his Department have had with European institutions and other member states regarding the revision of Public Procurement Directives; when these will be completed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17222/26]

380. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation for a comprehensive update regarding any and all ongoing reviews, updates or strategies relating to public procurement being worked by his Department; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17223/26]

95. Deputy Cian O'Callaghan asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation his view on what is termed ‘The 1% Clause’ in public sector contracts, namely that a company, if found to be just 1% liable, can be held 100% liable for the financial fallout of a defect in a project; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15382/26]

96. Deputy Cian O'Callaghan asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation if his Department has conducted research on the impact of joint and several liability on public sector infrastructure projects; its effects on legal costs and professional indemnity insurance costs; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15383/26]

224. Deputy Tony McCormack asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade her plans to introduce a local participation mechanism in Ireland's defence procurement process to ensure Irish SMEs are included; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [14526/26]

269. Deputy Tony McCormack asked the Minister for Defence if she will ensure a local procurement requirement is implemented during the Government’s negotiations on Ireland’s military radar system with the French Government; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [14529/26]