Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 22 January 2026
339. Deputy Albert Dolan asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation the statutory, administrative, or policy basis under which public bodies are required to report on procurement contracts with a value in excess of €10 million, including reference to any relevant legislation, Government decisions, circulars, or provisions of the Public Spending Code (details supplied). [5353/26]
Amharc ar fhreagra340. Deputy Albert Dolan asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation to clarify when and by whom the €10 million threshold for reporting on procurement contracts was established; whether this threshold is specified in the Public Spending Code itself or in associated guidance; and whether it is mandatory or discretionary in nature. [5354/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 339 and 340 together.
The Public Spending Code came into effect in September 2013. As outlined in Circular 13/13: “The Public Spending Code: Expenditure Planning, Appraisal & Evaluation in the Irish Public Service-Standard Rules & Procedures”, the objective of the code is to ensure that best value is achieved by the state for the resources it has at its disposal.
The Quality Assurance Process of the Public Spending Code is made up of five steps.
Step 2 of the process relates to a threshold of €10 million.
‘The organisation’s Finance Unit should publish summary information on its website of all procurements in excess of €10m, related to projects in progress or completed in the year under review. A new project may become a “project in progress” during the year under review if the procurement process is completed and a contract is signed. Departments should also publish details of the website references where its agencies have placed information on procurements over €10m.’
The latest publication of the Quality Assurance Process of the Public Spending Code was published in 2019.
