Procurement

How we spend

The Commission for Communications Regulation from time to time awards contracts for the supply of goods and services.  Our aim is to achieve value for money and to provide a quality service to the public.

When awarding contracts, the Commission follows all public procurement rules and discharges this function honestly and fairly.

Underpinning the public procurement rules are four basic principles. These are:

  • Equal Treatment: The principle of Equal Treatment requires that all suppliers be treated equally and with the utmost fairness at every stage of a contract award procedure. This means that the selection of candidates to tender, the receipt of tenders and the treatment of tenders must be carried out in a scrupulously fair manner.
  • Transparency: The principle of Transparency requires that information regarding forthcoming contracts and the rules to be applied should be readily available to all interested candidates. It requires that candidates be informed of the rules that will be applied in assessing their applications for tender lists and the criteria to be used in the evaluation of tenders.
  • Proportionality: The principle of Proportionality requires that the demands placed upon suppliers should be both relevant and directly related to the contract being awarded.
  • Mutual Recognition: The principle of Mutual Recognition requires that the standards, specifications and qualifications in use throughout the EU should receive equal recognition, on condition that the products or services are suitable for their intended purpose.

ComReg’s Corporate Procurement Plan

Find a copy of ComReg’s procurement plan here.

 

Irish Government Contract Regulations apply all of the above principles and require that competitive tendering should be used throughout the public sector.  In addition, they lay down rules in order to ensure a level playing pitch for all suppliers and to ensure that true competition takes place in the award of public contracts. Important aspects of the regulations include rules on tendering such as:

  • Advertising of contracts
  • Tendering timescales
  • Receipt and opening of tenders
  • Confidentiality of information
  • Evaluation of tenders
  • Debriefing of unsuccessful tenderers

For larger contracts (above the EU thresholds) the rules of the European Procurement Directives apply.

Current Tenders – Contract Notice

Details of all current and completed tender competitions, that fall within the national advertising threshold requirements are available on http://www.etenders.gov.ie/ . For tender competitions valued above the EU thresholds, the contract notice is also published on the Official Journal of the European Union (OJEU) Tenders electronic Daily (TED) link: http://ted.europa.eu/TED/main/HomePage.do

Contracts – Contract Award Notice

On completion of a published tender competition,  the Commission publishes an award notice on http://www.etenders.gov.ie/. For larger contracts, above the EU thresholds, the award notice is also published on the OJEU TED: http://ted.europa.eu/TED/main/HomePage.do

Mini Competitions and drawdowns from ComReg Framework Agreements

Mini competitions and drawn downs from ComReg Framework Agreements are generally conducted electronically. The mini-competitions are arranged using etenders.gov.ie and award of these call-off contracts are available on http://www.etenders.gov.ie/contract-awards

 

 

For all tenders published on eTender & OJEU ComReg requires each applicant to declare if any member of its administrative, management or supervisory body or has powers of representation, decision or control has been convicted by final judgement for corruption within the previous 5 years. (Regulation 59 in relation to provision of the eESPD)

Also winning applicants are required to provide a declaration that is signed by an authorised signatory and is witnessed by a practising solicitor/Commissioner for Oaths that they have never been the subject of a conviction for corruption. (Regulation 57 (Exclusion grounds) which apply to Declaration as to Personal Circumstances of Tenderer)

Asset Disposal

ComReg follows the procedure as outlined in S8.34 in the Code of Practice for the Governance of State Bodies in relation to the disposal of assets.

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