A multiphase programme to review, provide proposals and support, for development of existing business systems, processes and operations for DCDE Early Learning and School Age Child Care Division
Value
€400k
Deadline
03 Feb
03 Feb 2026
Value
€400k
Deadline
03 Feb
Programme to enhance business systems for DCDE Early Learning and School Age Child Care Division
Programme to enhance business systems for DCDE Early Learning and School Age Child Care Division
Bidder profile
Firms with experience in public sector consultancy and operational improvements in child care services.
Risks & flags
- Eligibility certainty
- Two-step process
- Technical ambiguity
Briefing
AI-generated analysis of the documents. Check the official notice and any amendments for current submission details.
1. At a glance
| Field | Detail |
|---|---|
| Buyer | Department of Children Disability and Equality |
| Title | A multiphase programme to review, provide proposals and support, for development of existing business systems, processes and operations for DCDE Early Learning and School Age Child Care Division |
| CPV / category | services |
| Estimated value | 400000.00 |
| Per-year (if multi-year) | not stated |
| Procedure type | not stated |
| Lots | not stated |
| Location | Ireland |
| Contract length | 6 months |
| Submission deadline | 2026-02-03T14:00:00+00:00 |
| Go-live / start | not stated |
2. Scope of Work
Department of Children Disability and Equality ran this procurement for “A multiphase programme to review, provide proposals and support, for development of existing business systems, processes and operations for DCDE Early Learning and School Age Child Care Division” as an operational contract requiring implementation and sustained service execution. The extracted pack showed qualification-stage material with references to later ITT technical depth; practical activity therefore centred on building, integrating, and operating the specified service stack with compliant reporting and handover obligations where stated. Constituent activities and named work elements in the supplied extracts:
- Title: A multiphase programme to review, provide proposals and support, for development of existing business systems, processes and operations for DCDE Early Learning and School Age Child Care Division
- The Early Years Platform disburses over €1 billion annually and €3.25b since its launch in 2019 when it was introduced to support the National Childc
- ty estimates that the expenditure on the Services to be covered by the proposed Services Contracts may amount to some €400,000 (excl
- rer shall be required to supply its Tax Clearance Access Number and Tax Reference Number to facilitate online verification of their tax status by
- tion (the “Services Contract”) will be issued for a term of 12 months (“the Term”)
- [RFT - Multiphase programme to review, provide proposals and support.docx] Request for Tenders dated
- Prior to and as a condition of award of any Services Contract, the successful Tenderer shall be required to designate a single entity who will carry overall responsibility for the Services Contract (the “Prime Contractor”), irrespective of whether or not tasks
- [RFT - Multiphase programme to review, provide proposals and support.docx] from any other person will NOT be accepted, acknowledged or responded to.
- Prior to and as a condition of award of any Services Contract, the successful Tenderer shall be required to designate a single entity who will carry overall responsibility for the Services Contract (the “Prime Contractor”), irrespective of whether or not tasks are to be performed by a subcontractor or other consortium member (the “Subcontractor”).
- No publicity regarding this Competition or any Services Contract pursuant to this Competition is permitted unless and until the Contracting Authority has given its prior written consent to the relevant communication.
- The terms “Registrable Interest” and “Relative” shall be interpreted as per Section 2 of the Ethics in Public Office Acts 1995 and 2001, copies of which are available at www.irishstatutebook.ie. The Contracting Authority will, at its absolute discretion, decide on the appropriate course of action, which may in appropriate circumstances include eliminating a Tenderer from this Competition or terminating any Services Contract entered into by a Tenderer.
- [RFT - Multiphase programme to review, provide proposals and support.docx] the appropriate course of action, which may in appropriate circumstances include eliminating a Tenderer from this Competition or terminating any Services Contract entered into by a Tenderer. Non-binding monetary references in the source were treated as context only and were not used as qualification thresholds.
3. Background & buyer context
The buyer context reflected a formal Irish public-procurement route, with pre-qualification used to control entry into the tender stage.
- Title: A multiphase programme to review, provide proposals and support, for development of existing business systems, processes and operations for DCDE Early Learning and School Age Child Care Division
- [RFT - Multiphase programme to review, provide proposals and support.docx] Request for Tenders dated
- [RFT - Multiphase programme to review, provide proposals and support.docx] from any other person will NOT be accepted, acknowledged or responded to.
- [RFT - Multiphase programme to review, provide proposals and support.docx] the appropriate course of action, which may in appropriate circumstances include eliminating a Tenderer from this Competition or terminating any Services Contract entered into by a Tenderer.
4. Eligibility & selection criteria
- Turnover requirement — not specified for this tender
- Insurance — not specified for this tender
- Certifications — not specified for this tender
- Past experience — not specified for this tender
- Personnel — not specified for this tender
- Geographic / facility constraints — not specified for this tender
5. Award criteria & scoring
| Criterion | Weight (%) | Sub-criteria | Pass/fail threshold |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quality | not stated | Methodology / implementation detail not stated in extract | not stated |
| Price | not stated | Pricing basis not stated in extract | not stated |
| The documents indicated a staged process (qualification, then tender). Any explicit MEAT split is captured above where a numeric line was visible; otherwise it remained not specified in the provided text extract. |
6. Submission requirements
- Method statement / response document (template/page limits) — not specified in extract.
- CVs (page count, named roles) — not specified in extract.
- Pricing schedule (format/template) — expected at ITT stage.
- Case studies (number/value range) — client references/comparable project evidence was referenced.
- Declarations (ESPD/Bona Fides/Tax/COI) — ESPD/declaration/statement-of-confirmation language was present.
- Mandatory site visit — not specified in extract.
- Submission portal and formatting — eTenders portal and PDF electronic copies were referenced. Submission-related source lines:
- Appendix 3A: Schedule C – Declaration of non-notifiable foreign financial contributions (valued between €200,000 and €999,000 in the last three years preceding the declaration)
- 2022/2560 and where the notifying party has been in receipt of foreign financial contributions which are valued between €200,000 and €999,000 in the last three (3) years preceding the declaration
- For reporting of foreign financial contributions which are of a value between €200,000 and €999,000 in the last three (3) years preceding the declaration
- Appendix 3A: Schedule D – Declaration of non-notifiable foreign financial contributions (valued between €1,000,000 and €3,999,000 in the last three years preceding the declaration)
- 2022/2560 and where the notifying party has been in receipt of foreign financial contributions which are valued between €1,000,000 and €3,999,000 in the last three (3) years preceding the declaration
- For reporting of foreign financial contributions which are of a value between €1,000,000 and €3,999,000 in the last three (3) years preceding the declaration, to include all non-notif
7. Key dates & process
| Milestone | Date |
|---|---|
| RFT issued | not specified |
| Clarification deadline | not specified |
| Mandatory site visit | not specified |
| Tender deadline (date + time) | 2026-02-03T14:00:00+00:00 |
| Expected award | not specified |
| Contract start | not specified |
| Go-live / mobilisation | not stated |
| Date surfaced in documents | 2026-02-03T14:00:00+00:00 |
| Date surfaced in documents | February 2026 |
| Date surfaced in documents | January 2026 |
| Date surfaced in documents | Acts 1995 |
8. Contract terms that matter
Contract duration in the extract: 6 months. Payment cycle, SLA/KPI schedule, and penalty regime were not fully disclosed in the snippets unless listed below.
- Title: A multiphase programme to review, provide proposals and support, for development of existing business systems, processes and operations for DCDE Early Learning and School Age Child Care Division
- VERIFIED PHRASES (deterministic regex extract from the documents — treat as authoritative for numerical claims)
- 2022/2560 and where the notifying party has been in receipt of foreign financial contributions which are valued between €200,000 and €999,000 in the last three (3) years preceding the declaration
- 2022/2560 and where the notifying party has been in receipt of foreign financial contributions which are valued between €1,000,000 and €3,999,000 in the last three (3) years preceding the declaration
- tion (the “Services Contract”) will be issued for a term of 12 months (“the Term”)
- e right to extend the Term for a period or periods of up to 6 months with a maximum of 2 such extension or e
- e right to extend the Term for a period or periods of up to 6 months with a maximum of 2 such extensions per
- for a period or periods of up to 6 months with a maximum of 2 such extensions per
9. Risks, red flags & unusuals
- Numeric qualification gates were only partially visible, so eligibility certainty required full pack review.
- The two-step process (PQQ then ITT) shifted effort to compliance evidence early, with competitive scoring detail potentially deferred.
- Technical and contractual granularity appeared ITT-dependent, increasing ambiguity at qualification stage for non-incumbent bidders.
10. SME fit assessment
This competition looked most accessible to firms with established public-sector tender capability, documented financial capacity, and direct operational experience in the relevant service category.
- Credible bidder profile — specialist operator with compliant procurement governance and evidencable experience.
- Consortium / sub-contracting — allowed or addressed in the extracts (Appendix references and reliance provisions).
- Indicative bid-prep effort — 6 to 12 working days for evidence collation, form completion, and review cycles at PQQ level.
- Pwin signal — strongest for bidders with reusable qualification artefacts, comparable references, and low-friction mobilisation capability.
11. Where to dig deeper
- Source RFT/PQQ filenames: RFT - Multiphase programme to review, provide proposals and support.docx, Appendix 3A: Schedule C – Declaration of non-notifiable foreign financial contributions, Appendix 3A: Schedule D – Declaration of non-notifiable foreign financial contributions.
- eTenders CFT / notice reference: not specified in extract.
- Clarification contact / portal: eTenders message portal (email not surfaced in extract).
- Key attachments to prioritise: RFT - Multiphase programme to review, provide proposals and support.docx] Request f, RFT Requirements, RFT. ALL TENDERERS MUST RETURN, with their Tender, a scanned signed copy of the Ten.
Can you bid?
Required certifications
- Tax Clearance
Minimum turnover
€400,000
Scoring
Most Economically Advantageous Tender
Lots (1)
Review, provide proposals, and support the development of business systems, processes, and operations for the Early Learning and Care and School Age Childcare Division.
Documents (4)
RFT - Multiphase programme to review, provide proposals and support.docx
194.7 KB · RFT / Invitation to Tender
CFT 7215911 Clarifications 26012026.docx
78.4 KB · Clarification / Addendum
espdRequest-7215911.pdf
70.9 KB · ESPD (European Single Procurement Document)
TRD - Multiphase programme to review, provide proposals and support.docx
212.2 KB · Tender Response Template
Original notice text
This tender seeks a contractor to review and support the development of business systems and processes for the Department of Children Disability and Equality's Early Learning and School Age Child Care Division over a 6-month period.
AI analysis updated 4 months ago
Value
€400k
Deadline
03 Feb
Location
Early Learning and Care and School Age Childcare Division of the Department of Children, Disability and Equality
Procedure
Open
Clarification
20 Jan 2026
eTenders ID
7215911
Ask AI
Knows this tender's documents
Example only — sign up to ask about this tender