Provision of Crèche 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

This tender seeks the provision of crèche services for the Houses of the Oireachtas. The procurement is at the pre-qualification questionnaire (PQQ) stage, with selected candidates invited to a formal tendering stage. The specific details of the services, including volumes, locations, and operational requirements, will be published in a separate Description of Services document, referenced as Appendix A.

The PQQ requires bidders to demonstrate their suitability and capacity to deliver crèche services. Key areas of focus include:

• General Information: Confirmation of organisation details, including legal status and SME classification.
• Tax Compliance: Declaration of tax compliance, with options for online verification, tax clearance certificates, or application status.
• Financial Capacity: Confirmation of annual turnover exceeding €150,000 in at least one of the last three years, with a minimum of six months in existence. Bidders must provide turnover figures for specified financial years and evidence of financial standing.
• Insurance: Confirmation of holding Employer’s Liability (€13 million), Public Liability (€6.5 million), and Professional Indemnity (€600,000) insurance. Evidence of current or obtainable insurance levels is required.
• Declaration of Bona Fides, Statutory Obligations, and GDPR: Confirmation of no convictions for specified criminal offences, no breaches of tax/social security obligations, and compliance with various Irish and EU legislation including employment equality, health and safety, and GDPR. A declaration regarding EU Regulation 2022/576 (restrictive measures in the context of Russian actions in Ukraine) is also mandatory.
• Personnel and Skills: Demonstration of access to minimum numbers of skilled personnel, including a Crèche Manager (5 years' experience, NFQ Level 6), Room Leaders (5 years' experience, NFQ Level 5), Childcare Assistants (3 years' experience, NFQ Level 5), and Management staff (5 years' experience in crèche management).
• Vetting Disclosures and Staff Training: Confirmation of appropriate mechanisms for legally compliant vetting processes for all staff and adequate training in childcare legislation, with a continuous professional development plan.
• Health and Safety Management System: Demonstration of Health & Safety systems and procedures in line with relevant legislation, with potential for external certification.
• Compliance and Registration: Confirmation of registration with Tusla (The Child and Family Agency) and information on recent inspection performance.
• Child Safeguarding: Confirmation of compliance with the Children First Act (2015), holding a valid Child Safeguarding Statement, and having read the Houses of the Oireachtas’ Child Safeguarding statement.

3. Background & buyer context

The Houses of the Oireachtas Service is procuring crèche services. This procurement is being conducted via a Pre-Qualification Questionnaire (PQQ) process, indicating an intention to shortlist suitable candidates for a subsequent formal tendering stage. The estimated value of the contract is €5,000,000. The specific policy drivers or programmes underpinning this procurement are not detailed in the provided PQQ document. No information regarding an incumbent provider is present.

4. Eligibility & selection criteria

To be eligible for consideration, bidders must meet the following minimum requirements:

• Turnover requirement: Average annual turnover exceeding €150,000 in one of the last three financial years, or pro-rata if more recently established. The firm must have been in existence for at least six months.
• Insurance:
• Employer’s Liability: €13 million
• Public Liability: €6.5 million
• Professional Indemnity: €600,000
• Certifications:
• Registration with Tusla (The Child and Family Agency).
• Compliance with Children First Act (2015).
• Possession of a valid Child Safeguarding Statement.
• Confirmation of compliance with Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005.
• Confirmation of compliance with relevant employment equality, equal status, and working time legislation.
• Past experience: Demonstration of successfully delivered services of a comparable nature and scale on at least one occasion within the last five (5) years.
• Personnel: Access to a minimum number of skilled personnel, including:
• 1x Crèche manager with at least 5 years' experience in a similar role within the last 3 years and NFQ Level 6 qualification in Childhood Development or Early Childhood Education.
• 2x Room leaders with at least 5 years' experience in a similar role within the last 3 years and NFQ Level 5 Major Award in Early Childhood Care and Education.
• 1x Childcare Assistant with at least 3 years' experience in a similar role within the last three (3) years and NFQ Level 5 Major Award in Early Childhood Care and Education.
• 2x Management staff with at least 5 years' experience in managing a crèche facility.
• Geographic / facility constraints: Not specified for this tender.

5. Award criteria & scoring

This tender is currently at the PQQ stage, focused on pre-qualification. The award criteria and scoring will be applied at the subsequent formal tendering stage. Based on the PQQ document, the qualitative evaluation criteria for the formal tender stage are structured as follows:

A minimum rating of 50% (Acceptable) is required for each individual qualitative criterion (B1 and B2) to avoid elimination. The overall scoring system uses categories from "Exceptional" (90-100%) to "Acceptable" (50-59%). The price/quality split for the formal tender stage is not detailed in the PQQ.

6. Submission requirements

Bidders must complete and submit the Pre-Qualification Questionnaire (PQQ) Response Document. Key submission requirements include:

• Method statement / response document: The PQQ document itself must be completed, with specific sections requiring detailed responses regarding financial capacity, insurance, personnel, experience, and compliance.
• CVs: Not explicitly required at this PQQ stage, but personnel qualifications and experience are detailed in Section A6.
• Pricing schedule: Not required at this PQQ stage.
• Case studies: Not explicitly required at this PQQ stage, but previous experience must be detailed in Section B1.
• Declarations:
• Self-Declaration Form (A5) for Bona Fides, Statutory Obligations, and GDPR.
• Tax Compliance declarations (Option 1, 2, or 3).
• Declaration regarding EU Regulation 2022/576.
• Declaration regarding GDPR compliance.
• Declarations for grouping members if applicable.
• Mandatory site visit: Not specified for this PQQ stage.
• Submission portal: Bidders are recommended to upload the completed response as a Zip file to protect file integrity. The submission deadline is 14 July 2026, 11:00.

7. Key dates & process

8. Contract terms that matter

The provided document is a PQQ, therefore detailed contract terms are not yet defined. However, the PQQ outlines mandatory requirements that will likely form the basis of contract conditions. These include:

• Insurance: Minimum levels of Employer’s Liability (€13 million), Public Liability (€6.5 million), and Professional Indemnity (€600,000) must be maintained.
• Compliance: Strict adherence to Irish and EU legislation, including the Children First Act (2015), Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005, and GDPR, will be a contractual obligation.
• Personnel: Contracted staff must meet specified qualifications and experience levels.
• Vetting and Training: Ongoing compliance with vetting procedures and staff training will be required.
• Tusla Registration: Continued registration with Tusla will be a requirement.
• Child Safeguarding: Maintenance of a valid Child Safeguarding Statement is mandatory.
• Sub-contracting: Rules regarding the use of subcontractors and their compliance with contractual obligations will apply.

9. Risks, red flags & unusuals

• PQQ Stage: The tender is at an early PQQ stage, meaning significant details regarding the scope of services, contract duration, and specific performance metrics are not yet available. This requires bidders to invest in preparation without full visibility of the final contract.
• Tusla Registration Requirement: Mandatory registration with Tusla (The Child and Family Agency) is a specific gate. Bidders not currently registered may face challenges in meeting this requirement within the tender timeline.
• Personnel Qualifications: The specified minimum qualifications for crèche staff (e.g., NFQ Level 6 for Crèche Manager) are detailed, requiring a specific skill profile.
• Tender Validity: While not explicitly stated, a standard tender validity period (often 90-120 days) should be assumed, impacting bidder resource commitment.
• Estimated Value: The €5,000,000 estimated value suggests a significant contract, potentially requiring substantial operational capacity from bidders.

10. SME fit assessment

This tender is structured as a two-stage process, starting with a PQQ. The initial stage is designed to filter candidates based on their financial capacity, insurance, experience, and compliance.

• Who can credibly bid: A credible bidder would be an established crèche service provider with a proven track record in delivering comparable services. They must possess the required insurance levels, meet the personnel qualification and experience criteria, and have robust compliance systems in place, particularly concerning child safeguarding and health & safety. The turnover requirement of €150,000 suggests that very small, newly established businesses might struggle to meet this threshold.
• Consortium/Sub-contracting: The PQQ allows for grouping (consortium) arrangements, where bidders can rely on the capacity of third parties. This opens the door for smaller firms to partner with others to meet requirements they cannot fulfil individually. Sub-contracting is also implicitly permitted, as bidders must confirm their subcontractors are insured and compliant.
• Indicative bid-prep effort: Preparing a comprehensive PQQ response requires significant effort. This includes gathering financial data, insurance certificates, details of past projects, personnel information, and drafting responses to compliance and quality sections. For a small business, this could represent 5-10 days of dedicated work, potentially more if significant data gathering or partnership discussions are needed.
• Pwin signal: The tender is at the PQQ stage, so direct Pwin signals are limited. However, the requirement for specific qualifications and experience, alongside mandatory Tusla registration, suggests a focused market. The Houses of the Oireachtas Service is a high-profile client, which may attract established providers.

11. Where to dig deeper

• Source RFT filename(s): 2. Pre-Qualification Questionaire, Oireachtas Crèche, 23 June 2026.docx
• eTenders CFT ID: Not specified in the provided text.
• Contact email or clarification portal: Clarifications must be submitted by 06 July 2026. Specific contact details are not provided in the PQQ document.
• Most important attachments:
• Appendix A: Description of Services (referenced, but not provided).
• Appendix 1: Houses of the Oireachtas’ Child Safeguarding statement (referenced, but not provided).