144   Purpose and application of Part

(1988 Act, s 107)

(1)  The purpose of this Part is to provide the Board with a role under the State’s complaints mechanism, in connection with competitive neutrality principles, as contemplated by the Competition Principles Agreement, so far as they are applicable to public authorities. Other bodies (including the Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal and the Department of Local Government) may also have roles under the complaints mechanism.

(2)  This Part applies only to a complaint that a public authority has failed to comply with competitive neutrality principles in relation to a tender bid made by the authority in response to an invitation for tenders.

(3)  However, this Part does not apply to a complaint so far as it is the subject of a direction under section 24G (3) of the Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal Act 1992.