Wasteful spending on public projects has come under the spotlight in recent months but what about the cost of public sector waste itself?
The Government is set to spend an estimated €7 million on shredding unwanted material.
The Department of Public Expenditure is seeking tenders from contractors to provide “high-quality” nationwide confidential shredding services for the public sector.
The aims and objectives of the framework proposed, which may result in multiple contractors covering different provinces, include establishing “a cost-effective and efficient shredding service which complies with current law, and supports the objective of improving environmental performance”, the tender document reads.
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The Department of Public Expenditure estimates that the overall cost of the services over the four-year contract term could amount to €7 million, excluding VAT.
“Tenderers must understand that this figure is an estimate only based on current and future expected usage,” the document notes.
The confidential shredding services sought will include shredding of paper and “non-paper items”, according to the tender, including SIM cards, video or audio tapes, cassettes, film, CDs, DVDs, floppy disks, USB flash drives and corporate or branded clothes and uniforms.
Laptop or server hard drives, mobile phones, and tablet devices such as iPads are also included in the lengthy list of non-paper items that may require “shredding”.
Services are to be provided both on- and off-site depending on the requirements of the client.
The disposal of X-rays and the destruction of State exam papers and materials associated with the State Examinations Commission are specifically noted as not being included within the scope of the tender.
Once a supplier is chosen, the shredding services are to be available to Ministers, departments and local authorities while the HSE, An Garda Síochána, the Defence Forces and the Irish Prison Service may also avail.
Schools, both primary and secondary, and third-level institutions are also included in the list of clients that will be able to procure the shredding services at their own discretion.
The competitive procurement process was launched on Friday, two days after it was revealed that €6.7 million was spent by the Arts Council on a proposed new IT system that has since been abandoned. Criticism from the Opposition over spending controls has been in full force since it was revealed last year that a bike shelter at Leinster House cost more than €335,000.
The “high-quality confidential shredding services” to be provided by the successful contractor will include collection, transportation, destruction, recycling and disposal of the confidential materials for clients, the tender document notes.
The Department of Public Expenditure did not respond to a request for comment on the estimated cost.
