Provision of Communications, Marketing and Public Relations Services

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

Loughs Agency ran this procurement for “Provision of Communications, Marketing and Public Relations Services” 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: Provision of Communications, Marketing and Public Relations Services
• It is envisaged that a minimum of 2,200 hours per annum will be required to deliver the services outlined above
• • Time commitments of each team member and their relative contribution to service delivery
• [Comms Marketing and PR Services - Information and Instructions.docx] Call for Tender: Provision of Communications, Marketing and Public Relations Services [ref no CFT2025/102]
• [Comms Marketing and PR Services - Information and Instructions.docx] #_Toc203581716)
• [Comms Marketing and PR Services - Information and Instructions.docx] Loughs Agency is responsible for the conservation, protection and management of the fisheries and marine resources within the Foyle (Northern Ireland) and Carlingford (Ireland) catchment areas. Accordingly, Loughs Agency is funded on a 50/50 basis by DEARA (Northern Ireland) and DECC (Ireland).
• The Agency currently utilises the eTenders.gov.ie (Ireland) eTendering platform.
• [Comms Marketing and PR Services - Information and Instructions.docx] The table below provides details of the documents included in this CfT pack. Please ensure that you follow all instructions.
• [Comms Marketing and PR Services - Information and Instructions.docx] If a Bidder wishes to rely on the capacities of another entity(ies) (eg a parent company) in terms of economic and financial standing and/or technical and professional ability, the Bidder should respond to the relevant question(s) in the CfT clearly indicating that this is the case and providing the required information for that other entity(ies).
• • With regard to criteria relating to educational or professional qualifications, or to relevant professional experience, the capacities of other entities may only be relied upon where those other entities will perform the works or services for which these capacities are required. Therefore, if a Bidder relies on the capacities of other entities for these criteria, if awarded the contract, those other entities will be required to perform the works or services for which their capacities are required.
• [Comms Marketing and PR Services - Information and Instructions.docx] to the eligibility criteria which are relevant to the capacities that the Bidder is relying on the other entity for. For example, if another entity is being relied on solely for economic and financial standing, it will be required to demonstrate that it meets the requirements of the CfT which are relevant to economic and financial standing.
• [Comms Marketing and PR Services - Information and Instructions.docx] If a number of organisations intend to bid as a group (consortium) - eg via joint venture (JV) - the group must appoint a lead entity to submit its bid. 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.

• [Comms Marketing and PR Services - Information and Instructions.docx] Loughs Agency is responsible for the conservation, protection and management of the fisheries and marine resources within the Foyle (Northern Ireland) and Carlingford (Ireland) catchment areas. Accordingly, Loughs Agency is funded on a 50/50 basis by DEARA (Northern Ireland) and DECC (Ireland).
• 5 Excellent Response: * Well-structured delivery model. * Team is clearly named with relevant experience and time commitment. * Senior oversight is evident. * Resource allocation is well thought through and proportionate to service needs. * Demonstrates strong alignment with the Agency’s objectives.
• 5 Excellent Response: * Comprehensive, well-integrated approach to social value. * Includes evidence of existing initiatives and impact, with clear and practical proposals for delivery under this contract. * Demonstrates leadership in social responsibility.
• 4 Very Good Response: * Provides good evidence of existing initiatives and realistic proposals for contract delivery. * Minor detail missing, but overall, a strong approach.

4. Eligibility & selection criteria

• Turnover requirement — — use these verbatim for insurance / turnover. If a category (insurance, turnover) has no entry here, treat it as 'not specified' for THIS tender.
• Insurance — — use these verbatim for insurance / turnover. If a category (insurance, turnover) has no entry here, treat it as 'not specified' for THIS tender.; ontractor will maintain the following insurance cover throughout the Contract period and, where stated, for the specified period after its expiry: * Employer’s Liability Insurance with a minimum of £10 million (€13 million) per incident; * Public Liability Insurance with a minimum of £5 million (€6.5 million) per incident and unlimited in any one
• 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 Additional binding lines surfaced in the deterministic extract:
• — use these verbatim for insurance / turnover. If a category (insurance, turnover) has no entry here, treat it as 'not specified' for THIS tender.
• ontractor will maintain the following insurance cover throughout the Contract period and, where stated, for the specified period after its expiry: * Employer’s Liability Insurance with a minimum of £10 million (€13 million) per incident
• • Public Liability Insurance with a minimum of £5 million (€6.5 million) per incident and unlimited in any one
• • Professional Indemnity Insurance with a minimum of £2 million (€2.5 million) per incident – with cover to be in pla
• The Contractor will ensure that all policies remain in force and are issued by reputable insurers authorised to operate * Professional Indemnity Insurance with a minimum of £2 million (€2.5 million) per incident – with cover to be in pla
• Employer’s Liability Insurance: £10,000,000 / €13,000,000 per incident YES [ ] NO [ ] Public Liability Insurance: £5,000,000 / €6,500,000 per incident and unlimited in any one period of insurance YES [ ] NO [ ] Professional Indemnity Insurance: £2,000,000 / €2,500,000 in aggregate (with cover to be in place

5. Award criteria & scoring

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) — not specified in extract.
• Mandatory site visit — not specified in extract.
• Submission portal and formatting — eTenders portal and PDF electronic copies were referenced. Submission-related source lines:
• Preparing and Submitting your Bid 6
• The Agency currently utilises the eTenders.gov.ie (Ireland) eTendering platform.
• [Comms Marketing and PR Services - Information and Instructions.docx] If a number of organisations intend to bid as a group (consortium) - eg via joint venture (JV) - the group must appoint a lead entity to submit its bid.
• • enters into any agreement or arrangement with any other party that such other party shall refrain from submitting a bid; or
• • enters into any agreement or arrangement with any other party as to the amount of any bid submitted; or
• [Comms Marketing and PR Services - Information and Instructions.docx] Loughs Agency uses the e-tendering portal eTenders.gov.ie as an electronic postbox.

7. Key dates & process

8. Contract terms that matter

Contract duration in the extract: 6 years. Payment cycle, SLA/KPI schedule, and penalty regime were not fully disclosed in the snippets unless listed below.

• VERIFIED PHRASES (deterministic regex extract from the documents — treat as authoritative for numerical claims)
• The Client will pay invoices no later than 30 days following receipt
• [Comms Marketing and PR Services - Information and Instructions.docx] If a Bidder wishes to rely on the capacities of another entity(ies) (eg a parent company) in terms of economic and financial standing and/or technical and professional ability, the Bidder should respond to the relevant question(s) in the CfT clearly indicating that this is the case and providing the required information for that other entity(ies).
• Where a group approach to the delivery of the contract is proposed, all information requested in the CfT must be given in respect of each of the entities making up the group. The Agency reserves the right to request further information regarding such group members if considered relevant, including, without limitation, in relation to financial standing and the structure of the relationship between the relevant entities.
• Furthermore, in the event that false or misleading information comes to light after a Bidder has been awarded a contract, this may be considered as grounds for termination of the contract.
• [Comms Marketing and PR Services - Information and Instructions.docx] You must allow sufficient time to complete your submission before the closing date and time, which is shown on the ‘CfT Core Information’ screen under the heading “TIMELINE FOR RECEIPT OF TENDERS OR REQUESTS TO PARTICIPATE”.
• [Comms Marketing and PR Services - Information and Instructions.docx] The award of this contract will be on the basis of the most economically advantageous tender (MEAT) in terms of quality and price. The weightings to be attributed will be quality 80% and price 20%.
• 5 Excellent Response: * Well structured approach with clear systems and processes. * Gives strong confidence in managing multiple projects and keeping the client informed.

9. Risks, red flags & unusuals

• Qualification gate: the deterministic extract included a turnover threshold line (— use these verbatim for insurance / turnover. If a category (insurance, turnover) has no entry here, treat it as 'not specified' for THIS tender.), which can materially narrow bidder pool composition.
• 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 — mid-sized to large specialist with formal QA/compliance process.
• 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: Comms Marketing and PR Services - Information and Instructions.docx, Abnormally Low

[Comms Marketing and PR Services - Information and Instructions.docx, Clarifications Schedule No.1 28.7.25.pdf.

• eTenders CFT / notice reference: not specified in extract.
• Clarification contact / portal: eTenders message portal (email not surfaced in extract).
• Key attachments to prioritise: Comms Marketing and PR Services - Conditions of Contract.docx, Schedule , Schedule..