42. Deputy Edward Timmins asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation in relation to capital infrastructure projects the measures being taken to reduce the delays or completely eliminate the need for approvals by State bodies of project details submitted by already approved suppliers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40591/26]

I am not clear what specifically the Deputy is seeking with this question. I will thus answer the question by reference to the procurement rules which apply to the supply of materials for a public works project.

Whilst a supplier may have met certain minimum standards in order to be admitted to a procurement, the materials or building systems that they are putting forward will still need to be assessed by the contracting authority. When assessing the suitability of materials for inclusion on a public works project it is incumbent on the contractor to provide details of those materials and evidence that the materials proposed meet the requirements set down in the contract.

Typically, the minimum requirement is compliance with the Building Regulations but in some cases the contract specification may require a material or system to exceed those requirements. Assessing compliance with the specification will require documentation that certifies that the material or building system proposed is fit for the purpose intended and meets or exceeds the performance characteristics set out in the specification.

Normally, a performance specification is used to define what is considered an acceptable material or building system for the different building elements. It does this by reference to appropriate international or national standards. During the course of the works the contractor will make a submission to propose particular materials or systems that they propose to use and will provide the supporting documentation to confirm that they meet the standards set out in the specification. This process is accounted for within the contract programme and does not normally result in a delay as it occurs well in advance of when the material is required on site.