AT ITS MONTHLY meeting Sligo County Council adopted a motion proposed by Cllr Declan Bree agreeing to invite tenders for the provision of legal services to the County Council in accordance with open public procurement guidelines.
Speaking at the meeting Cllr Declan Bree said “In his report to this Council for the year ended 2011 the Local Government Auditor highlighted the fact that Sligo County Council had not tendered for legal services and he stated that the Council should ensure that it complies with the regulations regarding tendering procedures.
“The Department of the Environment has emphasised that it is very important that the public procurement function is discharged honestly, fairly, and in a manner that secures best value for public money. The Department points out that authorities must be cost effective and efficient in the use of resources while upholding the highest standards of probity and integrity
“It is recognised and accepted that a competitive process carried out in an open, objective and transparent manner can achieve best value for money in public procurement. Essential principles to be observed in conducting the procurement function include non–discrimination, equal treatment, transparency and freedom to provide services.
“To my knowledge this Council has been spending enormous sums of public money for legal services for which the Council never sought tenders. This is surely unacceptable and outrageous in the times we are living in. There is no openness and there is no transparency. It would not be tolerated by other authorities.
“We should be getting value for money. Paying out huge sums of taxpayers money for legal services without any tenders being sought is in my opinion repugnant to the whole concept of public procurement and it is offensive to all those solicitors and law firms who should have an entitlement to submit tenders for the services and who have been denied the right to do so.
Cllr Bree then successfully proposed ‘That this Council having regard to the Statutory Audit Reports of the Local Government Auditor, resolves that Sligo County Council invite tenders for the provision of legal services to the County Council in accordance with open public procurement guidelines.’