The contract value thresholds that determine the scope of EU public procurement law were amended as of 1 January 2016.
The old thresholds will continue to apply to procurements in
Ireland until the new EU Directives, which update EU public
procurement law, are transposed into Irish law. The deadline for
transposition is 18 April 2016. In October 2015, the Minister for
Public Expenditure and Reform, Minister Howlin, stated that he
expected that transposition of the new Directives would take place
"by April 2016".
The new thresholds include very minor increases in value and
therefore are unlikely to have the effect of removing contracts
from the scope of public procurement law.
We set out below a table summary of the old and new thresholds.
| Old threshold (ex VAT) | New threshold (ex VAT) | |
| Concessions - Directive 2014 / 23 | €5,186,000 | €5,225,000 |
| Public Sector - Directive 2014 / 24 replacing Directive 2004 / 18 | ||
| Supply and Services Contracts – Central Government | €134,000 | €135,000 |
| Supply and Services Contracts – Sub-Central Government | €207,000 | €209,000 |
| Works Contracts | €5,186,000 | €5,225,000 |
| Social Services (new 'Part B' services) | €750,000 | €750,000 (no change) |
| Utilities - Directive 2014 / 25 replacing Directive 2004 / 17 | ||
| Supply and Services Contracts | €414,000 | €418,000 |
| Works Contracts | €5,186,000 | €5,225,000 |
| Social Services (new 'Part B' services) | €1,000,000 | €1,000,000 (no change) |
The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.