Provision of Digital editorial and marketing services for publicart.ie

AI-generated analysis of the documents. Check the official notice and any amendments for current submission details.

1. At a glance

2. Scope of Work

The Arts Council is procuring digital editorial and marketing services for the publicart.ie website. The contract is for an initial term of 12 months, with the possibility of one extension of up to 12 months. The total value of the contract, including any extensions, is capped at €120,000 excluding VAT. The services are to be provided by a consultant who will act in good faith and with a professional level of skill, care, diligence, efficiency, and conduct.

The specific activities and responsibilities of the consultant are detailed in Schedule 1 of the specimen contract and include:

• Digital Editorial Services: This likely involves content creation, editing, and management for the publicart.ie website. The nature of the content is not explicitly detailed but would pertain to public art.
• Marketing Services: This encompasses activities to promote the publicart.ie website and its content. This could include digital marketing strategies, social media management, search engine optimisation (SEO), and other promotional campaigns.
• Website Management: While not explicitly stated as a separate item, the provision of editorial and marketing services implies ongoing engagement with the publicart.ie platform, potentially including content updates, performance monitoring, and user engagement strategies.
• Reporting and Analysis: The consultant will be expected to provide insights into the performance of their editorial and marketing efforts, likely through regular reporting.
• Compliance: The consultant must adhere to data protection laws and information security standards as outlined in the tender appendices. This includes completing detailed assessments regarding data processing, storage, and security measures.

The contract is for a fixed fee as set out in Schedule 2, which covers the minimum requirements and the consultant's committed work. The consultant's quality submission is detailed in Schedule 3. The project website, publicart.ie, was developed over the last 18 months.

3. Background & buyer context

The Arts Council, a statutory corporation established under Irish law, is procuring these digital editorial and marketing services for its publicart.ie website. This procurement is part of the Arts Council's ongoing efforts to manage and promote public art in Ireland through its digital platforms. The website, publicart.ie, was developed over the last 18 months, indicating a recent investment in digital infrastructure for this purpose. The procurement is being conducted via a Call for Tender (CFT) process, as the estimated value exceeds €50,000. The Arts Council is the contracting authority.

4. Eligibility & selection criteria

Bidders must meet the following minimum requirements to be considered:

• Turnover requirement: A minimum average annual turnover of €80,000 for each of the last three financial years. Tenderers must declare their satisfaction of this threshold in the Tender Response Document (TRD).
• Insurance:
• Employer's Liability Insurance: €13,000,000 per claim (not required if the Tenderer is self-employed).
• Public Liability Insurance: €6,500,000 per claim (not required if services are provided virtually or the contract is for product supply only).
• Professional Indemnity Insurance: €1,000,000 per claim.
• Cyber Security Indemnity Insurance: €500,000 per claim.
• Certifications: While specific certifications are not mandated as a pass/fail criterion in the provided text, bidders are required to complete detailed Information Security and Data Protection assessments (Appendices 4, 5, and 6). These assessments inquire about alignment with frameworks such as NIST, ISO 27001, Cyber Essentials, Cyber Essentials Plus, or IASME, and other recognised security standards.
• Past experience: Tenderers must detail in the TRD that they have successfully delivered a minimum of two comparable projects. The value or complexity of these projects is not specified.
• Personnel: Key Personnel are mentioned in the contract, but specific minimum experience requirements for named roles are not detailed in the provided tender metadata.
• Geographic / facility constraints: Not specified for this tender.

5. Award criteria & scoring

The award criteria are not explicitly detailed with scoring percentages in the provided text. However, the specimen contract indicates that the tender process involves a quality submission (Schedule 3) and a pricing schedule (Schedule 2). The contract states that the "lowest cost tender that also meets all the minimum requirements of the qualitative award" will be considered. This implies a "Most Economically Advantageous Tender" (MEAT) approach, where both quality and price are evaluated, with price being a significant factor, particularly for tenders meeting minimum qualitative standards. The quality submission is a mandatory component of the evaluation.

6. Submission requirements

Bidders are required to submit the following:

• Tender Response Document (TRD): This document will contain declarations regarding eligibility criteria, including turnover.
• Pricing Schedule: As per Schedule 2 of the specimen contract.
• Quality Submission: As per Schedule 3 of the specimen contract.
• Data Protection Assessment: Completion of Appendix 4 (Specimen Data Protection Assessment).
• Information Security Assessment: Completion of Appendix 5 (Specimen 3rd Party Supplier Information Security Assessment).
• Third Party DPO Infosec Assessment: Completion of Appendix 6 (Specimen 3rd Party DPO Infosec).
• Declarations: Implicitly required, including confirmation of meeting insurance requirements, past experience, and potentially Bona Fides and Tax clearance, though not explicitly listed as separate documents.
• Submission Portal: Bids must be submitted via eTenders. Specific format rules for the submission portal are not detailed here.
• Mandatory site visit: Not specified for this tender.

7. Key dates & process

8. Contract terms that matter

• Term: The contract has an initial term of 12 months, commencing on the Commencement Date.
• Extension: The Arts Council has the right to extend the contract for one or more periods, up to a total of 12 additional months, with a maximum of one such extension.
• Payment: Payment is based on a fixed fee as set out in Schedule 2. The contract does not specify payment frequency or terms beyond this.
• Key SLAs/KPIs: Not explicitly detailed in the provided text, but the consultant's obligations include acting with a professional level of skill, care, diligence, efficiency, and conduct. Performance review is mentioned in Clause 17.
• Liquidated damages or penalty regimes: Not specified in the provided text.
• Termination: Clause 15 outlines termination rights for both parties, including termination for convenience by the Authority with three months' written notice.
• IP ownership: Clause 10 details Intellectual Property rights, stating that the Consultant's intellectual property rights subsisting in all records, documents, data, working papers, etc., brought into being for the performance of the Services shall vest in the Authority.
• Sub-contracting: Clause 7 governs assignment, sub-contracting, and novation. The Consultant may not assign, sub-contract, or novate the Agreement without the Authority's prior written consent.
• Parent-company guarantee or bond requirements: Not specified in the provided text.

9. Risks, red flags & unusuals

• Data Protection and Information Security Focus: The tender places significant emphasis on data protection and information security, with three detailed appendices (Appendices 4, 5, and 6) requiring comprehensive assessments. This suggests a high level of scrutiny regarding how personal data and Arts Council digital assets will be handled. Bidders must be prepared for thorough due diligence in these areas.
• IP Ownership: Clause 10 vests all intellectual property created for the Services in the Arts Council. This is a common clause but should be noted by bidders who may wish to retain rights to their methodologies or developed assets.
• Fixed Fee Structure: The contract is based on a fixed fee (Schedule 2), meaning the consultant must deliver the defined services within this budget. Any work beyond the minimum requirements must be agreed upon separately.
• Limited Extension: While an extension is possible, it is capped at a maximum of 12 months and only one such extension is permitted.

10. SME fit assessment

This tender is likely suitable for small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) with demonstrated expertise in digital editorial and marketing services, particularly within the arts or cultural sector.

• Credible bidders: Firms with a proven track record in website content management, digital marketing strategy, social media engagement, and SEO would be well-positioned. Experience with public-facing websites and an understanding of the cultural landscape would be advantageous. The turnover requirement of €80,000 is modest, making it accessible to many SMEs.
• Consortium or sub-contracting: The contract states that sub-contracting requires the Authority's prior written consent. While not explicitly forbidden, it suggests that the primary bidder should have the core capabilities, with sub-contracting being a secondary consideration. Consortium bids are not explicitly mentioned but would likely require clear articulation of roles and responsibilities.
• Indicative bid-prep effort: Given the detailed Data Protection and Information Security assessments required, bid preparation could be substantial. Estimating 10-20 days of effort for a well-prepared bid, including gathering evidence for the security assessments and developing quality responses, is reasonable.
• Pwin signal: The tender is a Call for Tender (CFT) above €50,000, indicating a competitive process. The Arts Council's emphasis on data protection and information security suggests that bidders with strong compliance frameworks will have an advantage. The fact that the website was developed over the last 18 months might suggest the incumbent provider is not being considered, or that the Arts Council is seeking fresh expertise.

11. Where to dig deeper

• Source RFT filename(s): Not specified in the provided metadata.
• eTenders CFT ID: AC-2026-34
• Contact email or clarification portal: [email protected] and [email protected] (for security/data protection queries). General tender clarifications would typically be via the eTenders messaging system.
• Most important attachments:
• [3. AC-2026-34 Appendix 2 - Specimen Contract.docx] (Specimen Contract)
• [5. Appendix 4 - Specimen Data Protection Assessment.docx] (Data Protection Assessment)
• [6. Appendix 5 - Specimen 3rd Party Supplier Information Security Assessment.docx] (Information Security Assessment)