Cullen's PR adviser deal may have breached rules
Mr Cullen has stated that only three firms were invited to tender for a longer term communications consultancy contract for the Department of the Environment after a short-term contract was awarded to Monica Leech Communications in July 2002 without going to tender. Yet public procurement guidelines state quite clearly that at least five companies should be invited to tender for such contracts.
The Irish Examiner understands only one of the two other companies invited to tender for the longer term contract in November 2002 submitted a bid.
This afternoon, Environment Minister Dick Roche will be questioned in the Dáil about the appointment of Ms Leech and other consultants during Mr Cullen's time in the department.
Fine Gael's Fergus O'Dowd is to query if public procurement guidelines were adhered to and will seek clarification on the requirements of advisers to sign declarations of interest.
The stipulation that at least five companies be invited to tender are based largely on EU directives and in this country are contained in two documents.
The Public Procurement Booklet, first published in 1994, says: "Once the requirement for a consultancy engagement has been established, the principal steps to be taken are to ensure that at least five firms, where possible, are invited to tender for each consultancy engagement initiated."
Guidelines for Engagement of Consultants in the Civil Service, published in 1999, says: "Where a restricted tendering procedure is used the minimum requirement for these projects is that, at the least, five firms are invited to tender, except in circumstances where this is clearly not feasible."
The firms invited to tender, Monica Leech Communications, Drury Communications and Carr Communications, had previously worked for the department. But numerous other PR companies have worked with the Government and know what is required - as Mr Cullen acknowledged last week.
