Procurement
Our mission is to get the best value for money when purchasing the goods and services that we require, maximising the benefits to the CRU and our stakeholders.
What is public procurement?
Public procurement is the process of how public bodies, such as the Commission for Regulation of Utilities (CRU), purchase goods or services from suppliers.
It ranges from:
- the purchase of routine supplies or services
- formal tendering and placing contracts.
We have three objectives:
- Obtain the best value for money
- Ensure compliance with all procurement regulations, for example, EU, national and in house
- Manage contractual risks.
As a public body, the CRU is bound by certain rules:
- Purchases can only be made if provision has been made for the expenditure in the Commission’s budget for the year
- Procurement practices are subject to audit and scrutiny under the Comptroller and Auditor General (Amendment) Act 1993
- EU and national procurement regulations
- Accounting Officers are publicly accountable for expenditures incurred.
Tenders
You can find details of all current and completed CRU tenders on www.etenders.gov.ie.
When a published tender competition has been completed, we publish a contract award notice on www.etenders.gov.ie.
For contracts above the EU thresholds, the contract award notice is also published on ted.europa.eu/TED/main/HomePage.do
Corporate Procurement Plan
Each year, the CRU publishes a procurement plan detailing planned procurements for a three year period.
CRU Corporate Procurement Plan (2022 to 2024)
Prompt Payment Policy
We are committed to paying our suppliers quickly.
To speed up the process, suppliers should make sure that:
- correct invoices are sent to Accounts Payable
- invoices quote a valid CRU Purchase Order Number/Contract Reference.
- your bank account details are provided
- your Irish tax clearance certificate is up to date.
If your contract with CRU is worth €10,000 (inclusive of VAT) or more and falls within a 12-month period, you must produce a valid tax clearance certificate or a C2 certificate.
This is the law. For more information, see www.revenue.ie,
Prompt Payment Quarterly Returns
The payment of invoices is governed by the Prompt Payment of Accounts Act, 1997 as amended by the European Communities (Late Payment in Commercial Transactions) Regulations 2012. The CRU publishes a log of Prompt Payment Quarterly Returns.
Payments over €20,000
The CRU also publishes details of payments for goods and services valued at over €20,000.