4. Deputy Cian O'Callaghan asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation if he will take action to address the issue of special purpose vehicles being used to avoid future liability in public construction contracts; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27625/26]
Topics / Public Procurement Contracts
A subject heading for parliamentary questionsPublic Procurement Contracts
439 questions from 40 TDs, between 22 January 2025 and 22 October 2026.
439
questions
433 written, 6 oral
40
TDs have asked
9
parties and groups
Independents counted together
20
departments asked
Questions per month
The record holds no questions for August, when the Dáil does not sit.
Jan 2025Oct 2026
Show as a table
| Month | Questions |
|---|---|
| January 2025 | 2 |
| February 2025 | 56 |
| March 2025 | 21 |
| April 2025 | 1 |
| May 2025 | 74 |
| June 2025 | 55 |
| July 2025 | 38 |
| August 2025 | 0 |
| September 2025 | 56 |
| October 2025 | 13 |
| November 2025 | 26 |
| December 2025 | 3 |
| January 2026 | 2 |
| February 2026 | 17 |
| March 2026 | 3 |
| April 2026 | 23 |
| May 2026 | 9 |
| June 2026 | 2 |
| July 2026 | 9 |
| August 2026 | 0 |
| September 2026 | 12 |
| October 2026 | 17 |
Who asks, by party
The party each TD belonged to on the day, in alphabetical order. Parties differ a lot in size, and members of the Government answer questions rather than ask them, so this shows who raised it, not how much a party cares about it.
The TDs who asked most
Members of the Government answer questions rather than ask them. Each question counts once.
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295
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31
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14
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9
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9
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8
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8
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6
Asked of
Debated under the same heading
Debates whose official heading is exactly these words.
The questions
6. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation the reforms planned or under consideration to improve value for money, risk allocation and cost control in public procurement for State-funded projects; whether changes to tender evaluation criteria, including the weighting applied to price versus quality and delivery capacity, are being examined…
582. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Defence the number of external contractors engaged by her 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. [26787/26]
583. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Defence the procurement method used for each contract with external contractors in the years 2022 to 2025, including the number of contracts awarded following open tender, restricted tender, framework call-off, and direct award; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [26788/26]
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]