Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 1 June 2023
25. Deputy Pauline Tully asked the Minister for Health when the current contract for the provision and repair of wheelchairs is due to end; if he will detail the procurement process involved in selecting the company that gets the contract; if a monitoring process is in place to examine the efficiency, value for money and outcomes delivered for wheelchair users by the contract holders; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26725/23]
View answerThe Health Service Executive (HSE) provides a wide range of medical and surgical aids and appliances, including wheelchairs, free of charge to eligible people following assessment by a relevant health professional.
The HSE has a contract in place for managed services for diverse medical equipment, including wheelchairs, provided by the community health services.
These managed services include logistics, decontamination, cleaning, maintenance, repair and end of use.
The current contract for managed services is due to end in September 2023.
However, there is a provision for the HSE to extend these contracts for a period of six months or one year.
The procurement process that the HSE will follow will be in accordance with the procedures and standards set out by the Office of Government Procurement for the undertaking of public procurements.
As part of the preparation for undertaking a new procurement process, the HSE is currently undertaking a review of the functioning of the existing managed services, which will inform the specifications for the new tender process.
The HSE advise that any new tender and subsequent Service Level Agreement with a successful third-party provider will include management reporting and the use of performance indicators to facilitate the monitoring of the contracted performance.
