Press Release

Civic Regeneration Forum united on challenging decision

20th October 2005

Members of the city’s Civic Regeneration Forum will present a united challenge to Lord Rooker seeking a review of the Department of Finance Personnel’s procurement position on the preferred bidder status for the electronic Human Resource (e-HR) contract.

Speaking after the convening of an emergency meeting of the group Mayor, Cllr Lynn Fleming said that immediate action was essential.

“On behalf of the Civic Regeneration Forum I have issued a letter to the Minister, Lord Rooker seeking clarification on issues relating to the procurement process for this contract. Members of the forum felt the decision was simply unacceptable and flawed and that assurances must be given as to the equity and transparency of the process. Members of the forum also intend to meet with the Secretary of State and a special meeting of Derry City Council has been convened to consider the options for challenging the legality of the decision so far”.

Members of the forum also stressed that decisions that were Belfast centric did not provide equal opportunities for other regions to benefit from investment. The issues of deprivation and targeting social need must become a common factor in all procurement decisions along with a commitment from Government Department’s to recognise existing regional development strategies and the need to address regional economic deficits.

John Meehan, Deputy Town Clerk of Derry City Council concluded,

“The challenge from the Civic Regeneration Forum is to ensure that the procurement process is robust and that the present position, in relation to the preferred bidder status, is independently reviewed. This decision, if unchallenged, has the potential to undermine future investment strategies for the North West and other regions. As value for money is core to all these procurement decisions it is important that business cases are evaluated to provide the best return for public money”.

Ends

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