National Rules in Ireland – the Government Contract Regulations
The Department of Finance is responsible for setting policy for the public sector.
Policy and best practice is promoted through the Irish Government Procurement Guidelines or "Green Book".
The Guidelines require that competitive tendering is to be used for all procurements within the public sector, unless exceptional circumstances apply.
They lay down the rules to be applied and aim to provide a level playing pitch for suppliers and to ensure true competition.
While the Green Book does not apply directly to commercial state bodies such as the Electricity Supply Board, Aer Rianta and Bord Gais Eireann, they are nevertheless required to operate a competitive tendering regime to observe the general principles of the guidelines and corporate governance rules.