Tommy Broughan (Dublin North East, Labour)
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Question 337: To ask the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources if he will report on the tendering competition for the management of the MANS broadband network including the names of the bidders, their proposals and prices and the criteria by which contract was awarded to the successful company. [25000/04]

Noel Dempsey (Meath, Fianna Fail)
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The Department received five bids from three bidders. These were Axia Broadband Services Ireland Limited which is jointly owned by IAWS Society and Axia Net Media Corporation and which input one base bid and two variant bids, Data Electronics Group Limited and e-Net. Information on the MSE procurement process, including the evaluation criteria, are posted on the website of the Department and may be viewed at http://www.dcmnr.gov.ie.

All bids were assessed against the evaluation criteria which, as the Deputy will appreciate, involved more than a pricing assessment. An MSE project board was established to oversee the evaluation process and a separate evaluation team was set up to independently evaluate the bids.

e-Net emerged as the preferred bidder and negotiations with e-Net were initiated with a view to the award of the management services entity concession agreement. The contract was concluded on 2 July 2004. The maximum access pricing agreed with e-Net will be available very shortly on the company's website, http:// www.e-net.ie.