Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 24 June 2026
157. Deputy Albert Dolan asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation further to evidence given by officials of the Office of Government Procurement before the Committee of Public Accounts on 10 July 2025 (details supplied), whether the Office of Government Procurement has since completed any assessment of compliance with these requirements; and, if so, to provide the findings. [47964/26]
View answer158. Deputy Albert Dolan asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation given that officials of the Office of Government Procurement informed the Committee of Public Accounts on 10 July 2025 that contracting authorities are required under legislation and Government policy to publish contract award notices, that evidence suggested not all organisations were doing so, and that no penalties exist for non-compliance, whether he is satisfied that the current arrangements provide an effective mechanism to ensure adherence to these requirements. [47993/26]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 157 and 158 together.
Individual Accounting Officers are responsible for ensuring that their public procurement functions are discharged in accordance with the standard accounting and procurement rules and procedures, and they are publicly accountable for all related expenditure.
My department provides the overarching procurement policy framework and guidance. However, it does not monitor, audit, or directly enforce compliance.
In May 2026, the Department launched enhanced functionality on the eTenders platform. Included in the changes were supports to improve compliance, particularly in the Publication of Contract Award Notices.
One change provides alignment between eForms Contact Notices and Contract Award Notices. This functionality has been created to try and alleviate some of the administrative burden placed on buyers when publishing eForms. This update will take values inserted into a Contract Notice and pre-fill these across to the associated Contract Award Notice.
Another change introduces CAN publication to Mini Competitions. The Mini Competitions created under a Framework Agreement, require the publication of a Contract Award Notice (Circular 05/2023). This was previously done by publishing a Standalone Contract Award Notice. This new functionality has enabled the system to create a task “Publish Contract Award Notice” which will appear once the system award has been completed.
These and other additional changes can be found at: www.etenders.gov.ie/epps/viewInfo.do?section=statistics
