Request to Tender (RFT) for The Provision of Legal Services for Adjudication Unit

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

Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) ran this procurement for “Request to Tender (RFT) for The Provision of Legal Services for Adjudication Unit” 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: Request to Tender (RFT) for The Provision of Legal Services for Adjudication Unit
• Estimated Value of Services excluding VAT & Third-Party Outlays - €196, 875
• Legal Services Regulatory Authority may require, whichever is the greater, or the value of the contract if greater than €1.5m
• 5m each and every claim (excluding defence costs) or such other minimum amount as the Law Society/Legal Services Regulatory Authority may require, whichever is the greater, or the value of the contract if greater than €1
• rer shall be required to supply its Tax Clearance Access Number and Tax Reference Number to facilitate online verification of their tax status by
• [2025.03.12 CCPC Legal Services Adj SRFT.docx]
• Multi-Supplier Framework Agreement for the provision of Legal Services to Public Sector Bodies (Central Government Departments are excluded except as set out at 1.5 of the RFT) [PLI134F]
• Nature of the Services Required 12
• Award Criterion A - Quality of Approach & Methodology for Service Delivery and Contract Management 14
• [2025.03.12 CCPC Legal Services Adj SRFT.docx] ](#_Toc180157473)
• Appendix 5: Services Contract 23
• Schedule B: Services: The Specification 41 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.

• 1% to 29% A response where serious reservations exist. This may be because, for example, insufficient detail is provided, and the response has fundamental flaws, or is seriously inadequate or seriously lacks credibility with a high risk of non-delivery.
• Information about the Contracting Authority: The Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (“CCPC”) was established on 31 October 2014 under the Competition and Consumer Protection Act 2014 (“2014 Act”). The CCPC has a mandate to promote competition and consumer welfare across the whole of the economy with a mission to make markets work better both for consumers and businesses. Overview of main functions carried out by the Contracting Authority * + - * General The CCPC is an independent statutory body with a broad statutory remit and the following primary functions: * Investigating and challenging practices that are damaging to consumers and/or the wider economy. * Bringing anti-competitive behaviour and practices that are harmful to consumers to an end. * Taking enforcement actions against traders for breaches of consumer protection law. * Providing information to consumers to help them make informed decisions. The CCPC has a specific role in this regard relating to financial services. * Examining certain mergers and acquisitions to ensure that there is not a substantial lessening of competition in Ireland. * Advising policy-makers in relation to consumer protection and competition matters. * Promoting compliance with a new regulatory regime in the grocery sector aimed at ensuring balance and fairness in commercial relationships. * Responsibility for market surveillance in relation to the safety of products covered by a number of EU Directives. + - * Competition administrative enforcement For many years, the CCPC argued that the Irish competition regime needed increased enforcement powers to be able to deliver for consumers. The Competition (Amendment) Act 2022 gives greater powers to the CCPC and this means that, for the first time, the CCPC can impose administrative financial sanctions for breaches of Irish and EU competition law, subject to Court confirmation
• [2025.03.12 CCPC Legal Services Adj SRFT.docx] policies and procedures The CCPC envisages that the scope of services required will include: * the provision of legal advice and assistance in relation to the development of procedures, structures and processes in order to operationalise the competition administrative enforcement regime in a legally robust manner that adheres to fair procedures; and * the drafting of new CCPC policies and procedures relating to the competition administrative enforcement regime, in a legally robust manner that adheres to fair procedures, in consultation with the CCPC’s Adjudication Unit. By way of example, the CCPC anticipates that it will need to develop guidelines, policies and procedures in relation to the following areas: * Guidelines on conduct of oral hearings * Guidelines on general conduct of proceedings encompassing. * policy on referrals/ withdrawal of referrals * approach to evidence admission * publication and disclosure * approach to orders on consent * approach to court confirmation process 1. Ad hoc legal advice The CCPC requires legal advice and assistance to ensure it is correctly applying the law in relation to, the new competition enforcement function. The CCPC requires up to date consistent advice which can be implemented in the confidence that it is legally robust and will stand up to challenges by third parties. Provision of legal services and advice in respect of administrative law in a competition enforcement environment is likely to be required. Service Delivery Requirements Services to be provided to the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission must be delivered in a timely and responsive manner. Tenderers responding to the SRFT must propose a methodology for ensuring that the Services are delivered by the Service Delivery Team in a timely manner, including the procedures for ensuring service is available as required i.e. continuity of services for the Contracting Authority. The Competition and Consumer Protection Commission requires a robust contract and relationship management arrangement which will include fee estimates, billing, and management information. The successful Tenderer(s) must also provide a reliable mechanism to update relevant staff on legislation developments and

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.; uant to this SRFT insurances of the type and to the level specified below: Type of Insurance Indemnity Limit Employer’s Liability €12.7 million limit for any one claim or series of cl; aims arising out of a single occurrence Public Liability €6.5 million limit for any one claim or series of cl
• 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.
• uant to this SRFT insurances of the type and to the level specified below: Type of Insurance Indemnity Limit Employer’s Liability €12.7 million limit for any one claim or series of cl
• aims arising out of a single occurrence Public Liability €6.5 million limit for any one claim or series of cl
• aims arising out of a single occurrence Professional Indemnity €1.5m each and every claim (excluding defence
• costs or series of claims arising out of a single occurrence Public Liability €6.5 million limit for any one claim or series of cl

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) — 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:
• Appendix 1: Requirements & Specifications 11
• Appendix 2: Tenderer’s Statement 19
• Appendix 3: Management Information Requirement 21
• Appendix 4: Pro Bono and Corporate Social Responsibility 22
• Appendix 5: Services Contract 23
• Appendix 6: Confidentiality Agreement 45

7. Key dates & process

8. Contract terms that matter

Contract duration in the extract: 24 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)
• (Maximum Term including any possible extensions) €196, 875
• Possible Extension Period (Months) 12 Months
• t its discretion, to extend the term for periods of up to 12 Months with a maximum of 2 such extensio
• nfidentiality Agreement to the Contracting Authority within 14 days of receipt of same from the Contracting
• ation proceedings during the Term of this Agreement and for 12 months thereafter
• [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

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 — not clearly specified in extract.
• 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: 2025.03.12 CCPC Legal Services Adj SRFT.docx, Appendix 4: Pro Bono and

[2025.03.12 CCPC Legal Services Adj SRFT.docx, RFT) for The Provision of Legal Services for Adjudication Unit.

• eTenders CFT / notice reference: not specified in extract.
• Clarification contact / portal: [email protected].
• Key attachments to prioritise: RFT) [PLI134F], Appendix 1: Requirements & Specifications 11](#_Toc180157468), Appendix 2: Tenderer’s Statement 19](#_Toc180157474).