2 no. Compact Road Sweepers

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

This procurement seeks the supply of two compact road sweepers. The contract involves the provision of these specific vehicles to Kilkenny County Council.

The core activities and requirements for the successful bidder include:

• Supply of Equipment: Delivery of two new compact road sweepers.
• Delivery Timeline:
• Undertaking to deliver the first machine within 30 days of the official order.
• Undertaking to deliver the second machine within 90 days of the official order.
• Inability to deliver the new sweeper within 90 days inclusive of the official order will result in disqualification or contract termination.
• Warranty: A minimum of a two-year full warranty is mandatory. Warranty details must be provided at the tender stage.
• Specifications: The detailed technical specifications for the road sweepers are provided in Appendix 1 of the accompanying Specifications Document. Tenderers must ensure their proposed machines meet these requirements.
• Environmental Aspects: Due consideration must be given to any green or environmental elements specified in the tender documentation.
• Contract Management: The successful tenderer must nominate a dedicated contract manager. This individual will be the primary point of contact, responsible for overall contract delivery, maintaining a good working relationship, providing performance reports, attending review meetings, and proactively suggesting improvements and cost savings. Contract management activities are non-billable.
• Aftersales Support: Minimum aftersales support is required, detailed in the specifications document.

3. Background & buyer context

Kilkenny County Council is the contracting authority for this procurement. The council is responsible for the provision of local government services within County Kilkenny. This procurement is for the acquisition of essential operational equipment to support the council's road maintenance and cleaning functions. The tender is being conducted under an open procedure at a national level, indicating a standard procurement process for public bodies in Ireland. The indicative budget for this contract is €200,000 ex VAT.

4. Eligibility & selection criteria

Bidders must meet the following minimum requirements to be considered for evaluation:

• Turnover requirement:
• Tenderer's turnover must have exceeded €250,000 in one of the last three years.
• Pro-rata turnover is acceptable for more recently established firms.
• The firm must have been in existence for at least 6 months.
• Insurance: Confirmation of the following insurances being in place is required:
• Employer’s Liability: €13 million
• Public Liability: €6.5 million
• Product Liability: €6.5 million
• Certifications: Not specified for this tender.
• Past experience: Not explicitly detailed as a minimum number of projects, but references for each project are required, and feedback from referees is a pass/fail criterion.
• Personnel:
• Nomination of a dedicated contract manager is required.
• Key personnel assigned to the contract must be available for potential verification meetings.
• Geographic / facility constraints: Not specified for this tender, beyond the requirement for data centres to be located within the European Economic Area (EEA) if applicable to the service (not directly applicable to equipment supply).

5. Award criteria & scoring

The contract will be awarded based on the Most Economically Advantageous Tender (MEAT), considering both cost and quality. The total maximum marks available are 1,000.

• Cost: The lowest cost tender meeting all minimum qualitative requirements receives maximum marks. Other tenders are scored proportionally using the formula: (Lowest Cost / Tender Cost) * Max Marks.
• Delivery Time: Assessed based on Appendix 2 of the specifications document.
• Qualitative Criteria Scoring: Responses are scored on a band system from 1 (Excellent, 81-100%) to 6 (No response, 0%). Minimum marks required for Delivery Time is 50.
• Tie-break: In case of a tie, the tender with the highest quality score wins. If quality scores are identical, the tender with the highest score on the highest weighted qualitative criterion wins.

6. Submission requirements

Tenderers must submit their responses electronically via the eTenders postbox facility on www.etenders.gov.ie.

• Method statement / response document: Tenderers must use the provided Tender Response Document (TRD). Personalisation or amendment of the TRD is prohibited.
• CVs: Not explicitly required in the provided text, but key personnel must be available for verification meetings.
• Pricing schedule: Must be submitted using the specified format, likely within the TRD or a separate pricing document as indicated. Failure to use the template may result in elimination.
• Case studies: Not explicitly required.
• Declarations:
• Declaration of Bona Fides (Art. 57 of Directive 2014/24/EU).
• Declaration of compliance with statutory obligations.
• European Single Procurement Document (ESPD) - electronic or separate attachment.
• Declaration regarding International Procurement Instrument (2022/1031) and Regulation 2022/576.
• Mandatory site visit: Not applicable.
• Submission portal: www.etenders.gov.ie. Tenders must be uploaded as a ZIP FILE. Tenderers must associate their company with the competition on eTenders before submission.

7. Key dates & process

8. Contract terms that matter

• Term: Not explicitly stated, but the tender validity period is 6 months from the submission deadline.
• Extension: Not specified.
• Payment terms: Not specified, but standard prompt payment legislation will apply.
• Key SLAs/KPIs: Not detailed, but contract management duties imply performance monitoring.
• Liquidated damages: Not specified.
• Termination clauses: The Contracting Authority reserves the right to terminate if commercial arrangements become uncompetitive due to external factors (e.g., customs union changes). Termination will follow contract terms.
• IP ownership: Not applicable to equipment supply.
• Sub-contracting rules: Tenderers may rely on the resources of other entities, but must prove they will have these resources at their disposal. If a subcontractor's capacity is relied upon and the subcontract value exceeds 10%, they must also meet exclusion and selection criteria.
• Parent-company guarantee or bond: Not specified.

9. Risks, red flags & unusuals

• Indicative Budget vs. Value: The indicative budget of €200,000 ex VAT is provided, but the "Value" field on eTenders is marked as "not disclosed". This could indicate potential flexibility or a need for bidders to propose based on their assessment of the market.
• Delivery Timeline Constraint: The strict 30-day and 90-day delivery windows for the two sweepers are critical. Failure to meet the 90-day deadline for the second machine is grounds for disqualification or termination, presenting a significant risk for bidders with longer lead times.
• Pass/Fail Referee Feedback: Feedback from nominated referees is a pass/fail criterion. Negative feedback could lead to disqualification, irrespective of other bid strengths.
• TRD Strictness: The prohibition on amending or personalising the Tender Response Document (TRD) is absolute. Any deviation may lead to elimination.
• Award Criteria Weighting: The 90% weighting for cost is very high, suggesting price will be the dominant factor in the award decision, provided minimum quality and delivery requirements are met.

10. SME fit assessment

This tender is open to all eligible economic operators, including SMEs.

• Who can credibly bid: A credible bidder would be a supplier of new road sweepers with a proven track record in supplying similar equipment to public sector bodies or large organisations. They must demonstrate the financial capacity to meet the turnover requirement and possess the necessary insurance cover. Crucially, they must be able to guarantee delivery within the specified 30 and 90-day windows and provide a minimum two-year warranty.
• Consortium/Sub-contracting: Consortiums and joint ventures are permitted. Tenderers can rely on the resources of other entities to meet capacity requirements.
• Indicative bid-prep effort: Bid preparation would involve:
• Gathering financial statements and insurance certificates.
• Identifying and obtaining confirmation from referees.
• Completing the TRD, including technical specifications, warranty details, and pricing.
• Ensuring compliance with all declarations and ESPD requirements.
• This could require 5-10 days of effort for a well-prepared bidder.
• Pwin signal: The high weighting on cost (90%) suggests a competitive market where price is paramount. The strict delivery timelines and warranty requirements act as significant gates. There is no explicit mention of an incumbent, but the clear specifications and delivery demands suggest a standard equipment procurement.

11. Where to dig deeper

• Source RFT filename: [2A Request for Tender Contract Open Procedure (RFT) 2025 Template Clean.docx]
• eTenders CFT ID: Not explicitly stated in the provided text.
• Contact for Queries: Messaging facility on www.etenders.gov.ie.
• Most Important Attachments:
• Appendix 1 of Specifications Document (Detailed technical requirements).
• Appendix 2 of Specifications Document (Delivery timelines and contract commencement details).
• Tender Response Document (TRD) (Mandatory format for submission).