Not going ahead with the existing National Broadband Plan will be one of the options put to the Government when it decides on the future of the project, an Oireachtas committee has heard.
Department of Communications secretary general Mark Griffin said the department was examining all options including the implications of not proceeding with the project as well as alternatives should the government decide not to proceed.
Mr Griffin was before the Public Accounts Committee on Thursday to answer questions on the tender process and the anticipated cost of the scheme.
When pressed by Sinn Fein TD David Cullinane over whether not going ahead with the project was an option that would be put to the government, Mr Griffin replied: "The assessment process will have to deal with that."
He added: "The focus of the work had been on evaluating the bid that has been put to us.
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"In fairness to government it would be important for us to point out the implications of not proceeding, and it would be important to us to do some assessment of what other options might be available if the government decided not to proceed."
He told TDs and senators that the procurement process for the multimillion-euro contract for the roll-out of high speed rural broadband had almost reached a conclusion and that officials were in the midst of assessing the final tender.
Communications Minister Richard Bruton is expected to bring a recommendation about the contract to government shortly.
Asked by Mr Cullinane whether he was confident the project would go ahead, Mr Griffin replied: "Let me put it this way. I'm confident that the project as presented will deliver on all of the government objectives.
"The decision to proceed or not to proceed is a government decision."
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Mr Griffin added: "Our minister will be bringing a recommendation based on the evaluation."
Only one bidder remains in the process for the contract to roll out high-speed broadband to more than 500,000 homes across the country.
It is almost four years since the tender process started.
The cost of the project was originally estimated at between 355 million and 512 million euro, but last month Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said the cost may end up being "many multiples" of what was budgeted.
Former communications minister Denis Naughten stepped down in October amid controversy over the rural broadband plan after it came to light that he held previously undisclosed meetings with the head of the last remaining bidder for the contract.
But a report into the procurement process found it had not been influenced by Mr Naughten or businessman David McCourt, who is part of a consortium bidding for the contract.
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