Procurement of vehicles by the Irish Coast Guard
Summary
The Irish Coast Guard operates as a unit within the Department of Transport, staffed by about 86 civil servants who provide administrative support to 44 operational Coast Guard units that are mainly staffed by volunteers. In 2020, the Coast Guard had just under 900 volunteers. 17 of the Coast Guard units perform cliff rescue.
In November 2015, the Department signed a contract for the supply and fit out of vehicles for cliff rescue teams. Under the contract, the Department acquired 18 vehicles between 2016 and 2020, and incurred expenditure of almost €1.4 million. This comprised €809,000 for the supply of the vehicles and a further €568,000 in relation to fit out. The average all-in cost was around €76,500 per vehicle.
A number of changes to the Department’s procurement procedures are required, in particular, in relation to strategic planning for equipment requirements and the enhancement of the Department’s processes and procedures governing the management of procurement and the conduct of individual tendering exercises.
This report makes a number of recommendations in that regard, all of which have been accepted by the Department.