Procurement

The Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland (PSI) as a statutory body is governed by Public Procurement Guidelines. Public procurement can be defined as the acquisition, whether under formal contract or not, of works, supplies and services. It ranges from the purchase of routine supplies to formal tendering and placing of contracts for large projects.

When awarding contracts, the PSI adheres to public procurement rules and discharges this function honestly and fairly and in a manner that secures best value for money. Procurement by the PSI is governed by the following principles:

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.
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.
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.

Irish Government Contract Regulations apply all of the above principles and require that competitive tendering should be used throughout. For larger contracts (above the EU thresholds) the rules of the European Procurement Directives apply.

Further information on procurement policy, rules and regulations is available from the following publications:

• 2004 Guidelines on conducting an appropriate competitive process under national rules and revised EU public procurement Directives. A hardcopy version is available on request from procure@finance.gov.ie or www.etenders.gov.ie.
• EU Directive 2004/18/EC http://europa.eu.int/eur-lex/en/index.html.
• Code of Practice for the Governance of State Bodies: http://www.finance.gov.ie/documents/guidelines/codepractstatebod09.pdf

The PSI must also ensure that the Tax Clearance requirements set out in the Department of Finance Circular 44/06 (21 December 2006) regarding payments and the Department of Finance Circular 43/06 as regards Public Sector contracts are fully adhered to.