'This could be the final nail in the coffin' as RSA's €3.7m spend broke rules
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The Road Safety Authority (RSA) had “significant expenditure” that did not comply with public procurement rules in 2023, prompting a note to be added to its annual report from the State’s auditor.
In total, €3.7m was spent on five contracts outside of public procurement guidelines, with the note from Comptroller and Auditor General Seamus McCarthy saying the RSA’s accounts had shown “significant expenditure where the procedures did not comply”.
Sources said the document gives details of five contracts, largely in the area of IT, that were secured without following tendering rules.
Details of the procurement issues have been revealed as the RSA faces crunch meetings on its future.
Transport Minister Eamon Ryan and the junior minister for road safety, James Lawless, are set to meet with the RSA in the coming days to discuss the future of the authority, with sources saying it is “likely” that the authority emerges without its advocacy or driver testing functions, but could possibly lose both.
Indecon, a consultancy firm carrying out a review of the RSA, is understood to have given five separate options to Government, including the stripping of key testing functions.
Sources said the non-compliant procurement could hang heavily over this week’s meetings as ministers grapple with what to do with the RSA. One high-level source said:
Addressing the issue in the report, the RSA is understood to have said that it is “resolute” in its determination to “resolve the area of non-compliance” and that it is “taking steps to resolve its dependence on legacy contracts in technology, platforms and solutions”.
It is understood that one of the contracts is worth nearly €3.2m. The annual report also outlines a loss of €473,000, sources confirmed.
In an interview last month with the , Mr Ryan said there were changes on the way for the RSA. He said:
This would leave the RSA to focus on road safety and advocacy amid growing concerns about the level of deaths on the roads.
Mr Lawless has previously said that it is “reasonably likely” that the RSA emerges a smaller operation, saying that there had been “unacceptable” operational issues.
“There were very significant and unacceptable delays coming on the back of covid and they have been brought back into service levels in terms of waiting times, but they’re still not quite where they need to be. There’s still some delays outstanding.”
Mr Lawless added that the RSA’s remit over driver testing could detract from its “core mission” of “road safety advocacy and awareness campaigns”.
“So we need to have a look and see is the RSA, as currently structured, as currently resourced, really optimising its core mission, which is road safety advocacy? And is everything else where it should be in terms of ownership and agencies and responsibilities?” Mr Lawless said.
The RSA has been contacted for comment.