Public Authorities and Utility Undertakings (Contract Preparation and Award Criteria) Bill 2019
Public bill · Private Member · Introduced
The proposed law would change how public bodies and utility companies judge bids for contracts, so they focus on the best overall value rather than price alone. It would allow social, environmental, human rights and equality factors to be built into buying decisions, while still letting officials depart from those rules in limited cases if they give a clear written reason. It also extends human rights duties to people carrying out state functions on a contract basis, requires government guidelines on social considerations, and adds yearly reporting to the Oireachtas on how the rules are working.
Formal long title
Bill entitled an Act to give further effect to Directive 2014/24/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 26 February 2014 and to Directive 2014/25/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 26 February 2014 and for those purposes to provide for contract award criteria in public contracts, to promote the use of social considerations and the best price-quality ratio and to establish a procedure for departing from best price-quality ratio, to ensure that section 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights Act 2003 applies to persons carrying out functions for or on behalf of organs of State, to provide for the issuing of guidelines concerning social considerations, to require annual reporting to each House of the Oireachtas concerning certain matters and to provide for matters connected therewith.
Last updated 30 January 2025
- First StageSeanad
- Second StageSeanad
- Public Authorities and Utility Undertakings (Contract Preparation and Award Criteria) Bill 2019: Second Stage Seanad
- Public Authorities and Utility Undertakings (Contract Preparation and Award Criteria) Bill 2019: First Stage Seanad