Open Competition for Provision of Research Data Collection

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

Maynooth University ran this procurement for “Open Competition for the Open Competition for Provision of Research Data Collection” 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:

• Minimum requirement to remain eligible in the competition: Data and other insights collected using the platform should be recognised by academic journals for the purposes of publication
• Terms and Conditions Any contract arising from this public procurement competition will use the standard Office of Government Procurement Services Contract, a copy of which is included with this Request for Tenders.
• We are seeking tenders for an online research platform that connects researchers with participants for the purpose of research data collection.
• Maynooth University have a requirement for an online platform that provides access to a diverse pool of users, from which to recruit research participants, to take part in tasks such as survey completion. The platform should integrate with survey software. Data collected from participants should be trustworthy and of a quality suitable for publication in peer-reviewed academic journals. Participants would be paid a monetary amount for their participation in tasks, and the online platform should also support the approval and payment of participants.
• Please note that in this request, the user is the academic staff member or other researcher using the platform and their use is mainly for the purpose of data collection.
• Specifically, the requirements for the platform are as follows:
• 1. Individual users of the platform should be supported in having their own account with the platform, with assurance of survey and data security and privacy.
• 2. The platform should offer a pool of participants across a range of countries, to enable sampling using screening criteria, and to support cross-country research.
• [437 RFT Data Collection.docx] the platform should be supported in having their own account with the platform, with assurance of survey and data security and privacy.
• 3. The platform should provide assurance of the quality of research participants and should allow the user to select participants using a quality measure.
• 4. The platform should be easy to use
• 5. The platform should facilitate recruitment of participants in a reasonable, short timeframe. 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.

• MU was formally established as an autonomous university in 1997. Yet, it traces its origins to the foundation of the Royal College of St. Patrick in 1795, drawing inspiration from a heritage that includes over 200 years of education and scholarship. The University has grown from 982 students in 1980 to 16,110 in 2023/24. Maynooth University has over 1,300 staff, of which 560 are academic staff. Today, MU is a place of lively contrasts – a modern institution, dynamic, rapidly-growing, research-intensive and engaged, yet grounded in historic academic strengths and scholarly traditions. With over 16,000 students, including over 1,800 taught postgraduates and 530 research postgraduates from more than 90 countries, Maynooth offers a range of programmes at undergraduate, postgraduate and doctoral level in the humanities, science and engineering, and social sciences, including business, law, and education. The University also offers a range of international programmes and partnerships.
• [437 RFT Data Collection.docx] , postgraduate and doctoral level in the humanities, science and engineering, and social sciences, including business, law, and education. The University also offers a range of international programmes and partnerships.
• Maynooth’s unique collegial culture fosters an interdisciplinary approach to research, which its world-class academics bring to bear in tackling some of the most fundamental challenges facing society today. The University’s research institutes and centres consolidate and deliver this impact as vibrant communities of learning, discovery and creation. Research at Maynooth is very much central to its teaching and the University prides itself on placing equal value on its research and teaching missions
• • 1. Funding Dependency The supplies/services offered in this tender shall be contingent on continued funding approvals from government planning agencies, other relevant authorities and University capital budget committees.

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.; The levels relevant to this procurement being as follows: Insurance Type Level Required Employers Liability €13m Public Liability €6.5m Professional Indemn
• 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.
• Turnover Requirement: €200,000 Financial Year*
• The levels relevant to this procurement being as follows: Insurance Type Level Required Employers Liability €13m Public Liability €6.5m Professional Indemn

5. Award criteria & scoring

6. Submission requirements

• Method statement / response document (template/page limits) — Appendix 1 questionnaire/PQQ response was required.
• 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:
• Contact for Queries Questions and Answers facility on www.etenders.gov.ie
• Administrative Deadline for receipt of completed Questionnaires 20th August 2025 at 12:00
• Submission of completed Questionnaires Tender Postbox facility on www.etenders.gov.ie ONLY
• Please note that information relating to this Qualification Questionnaire, including clarifications and changes, will be published on the Irish Government Procurement Opportunities Portal www.etenders.gov.ie. Registration is free of charge and there is no charge for documents. Please note that Maynooth University cannot accept responsibility for information relayed (or not relayed) via third parties.
• Candidates should note that applications to this Tender cannot be submitted after the administrative deadline. Please see ‘Candidate Instructions’ below for more information.
• 6. The platform should integrate with survey software that host questionnaires, whereby the platform would allow the user to add a URL to their study. There should be a straightforward mechanism for users to access data on their survey software site, following completion of a survey that uses the platform to recruit participants.

7. Key dates & process

8. Contract terms that matter

Contract duration in the extract: 12 months. 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)
• , monthly) * The recruitment is for a 15 minute study * Participants should each be paid €3.00 (
• , monthly) * The recruitment is for a 15 minute study * Participants should each be paid €3.00 (or closest equivalent available to your company, please specify amount paid in
• [insert number]calendar days either Party may terminate at 14 days notice
• breach(es) (if the breach(es) are capable of remedy) within 30 days after receipt of a request in writing f
• For the Term and for a period of 12 months thereafter (and save in respect of publ
• re parts of the contract may be performed that are in force 7 days prior to the deadline for receipt of Te
• [437 RFT Data Collection.docx]

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: 437 RFT Data Collection.docx, 437 TRD Data Collection.docx, xxxx Sample Services contract.docx.
• eTenders CFT / notice reference: not specified in extract.
• Clarification contact / portal: [email protected].
• Key attachments to prioritise: RFT Data Collection.docx] ![A picture containing text Description automatically, RFT, RFT Data Collection.docx] Any agreement contract arising from this public procure.