HIQA spent €141k where procedures ‘did not comply with procurement guidelines’

During 2018, expenditure of €141,000 was incurred by HIQA “in relation to services where the procedures employed did not comply with procurement guidelines”.

That is according to HIQA’s 2018 Annual Report which is published on its website today.

According to the report the reason for the non-compliance was “Pending the finalisation of procurement frameworks by the Office of Government Procurement (OGP) HIQA maintained existing contracts to the value of €43,000 in place. In all instances, as soon as new OGP frameworks were in place HIQA used these to ensure that its procurement was fully compliant.”

The Annual Report further notes that “after it transpired that the successful vendor of a completed procurement competition, could not in fact supply the laptops to the quoted technical specification, it was necessary for HIQA to purchase laptops, to the value of €12,000 from its existing vendor, so as to have equipment for its new hires,” reads the report.

“A second competition was completed as soon as possible and all subsequent purchases were made from the successful vendor from the second competition.”

The report also mentions that the Authority “uses agency staff to carry out a range of work”.

“In all cases agency staff have been procured through contracts established by competitive procurement processes,” according to the Annual Report.  

“During the year there remained in place agency staff through a contract with a supplier that predated the currently procured incumbent.

“As assignments of staff under these legacy arrangements ended, they were replaced by staff from the current procured employment agency. During 2018, expenditure to the value of €86,000 was incurred on such agency staff. All such arrangements have now ceased.”

Elsewhere in the financial accounts section of the Annual Report a surplus of €1,112,528 was recorded in December 2018, this compares to a surplus of €931,708 for the same date in 2017.

Writing in the Annual Report HIQA Chairperson Prof Pat O’Mahony notes “in 2018, our regulation directorate carried out over 1,500 inspections to monitor and regulate the quality and safety of services.”

See HIQA’s Annual Report 2018 here – https://www.hiqa.ie/reports-and-publications/corporate-publication/annual-report-2018