Fire Engineering Professional 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

The Electricity Supply Board (ESB) requires fire engineering professional services to support capital works projects across its property portfolio. This procurement aims to establish a multi-supplier framework agreement for these services. The services will be delivered across three geographic lots: Dublin, Ireland North, and Ireland South.

The scope encompasses fire safety engineering consultancy for various refurbishment and upgrade projects, ranging from small works to major capital projects. Projects may involve the retrofit, refurbishment, or upgrade of operational office or commercial premises. Construction costs for larger projects typically range from €500,000 to €1,500,000. Smaller projects have reduced budgets, ranging from €20,000 to €500,000, with fire engineering services required depending on complexity.

The services are structured across five stages:

• Stage 1: Initial Design: Includes taking instructions, attending design team meetings, consulting with authorities, reviewing and advising on design concepts for means of escape, construction, elevations, fire fighting facilities, active fire safety systems, site-wide issues, alternative uses, and multi-occupancy layouts. It also involves advising on managed fire safety solutions, providing information for Fire Safety Certificate applications, and verifying CAD layouts.
• Stage 2: Detailed Design & Planning: Involves advising on detailed design and specification of fire safety elements, developing fire strategies, exploring alternative solutions, and identifying fallback options. This stage includes fire engineering analysis and modelling, advising on materials, liaising on programme, developing fire management plans, assisting with Environmental Impact Assessments, advising on specific functions affecting fire safety, complying with designer duties under the Safety, Health & Welfare at Work Act 2013, preparing Design Risk Assessments, assisting the PSDP, developing detailed design, advising on contractor suitability, reviewing and approving Fire Safety Certificate drawings, and preparing compliance reports and applications.
• Stage 3: Tender, Evaluation, Award: Includes advising on the relative merits of tenders, prices, and estimates, and assisting in the preparation of formal contract documents.
• Stage 4: Construction Stage: Involves advising on the suitability of specified or offered products, verifying construction systems, advising on special inspections or tests, examining contractor proposals, attending site meetings to monitor execution, and preparing snag lists.
• Stage 5: Handover of Works: Requires providing the client with full copies of Fire Safety Certificate application documentation, additional calculations, standards, means of escape layout plans, and details of fire detection, smoke control, suppression, and emergency lighting systems in both hard copy and electronic formats. This stage also includes liaising with tenant teams regarding fit-out and integration of fire systems.

All services must comply with the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005 and demonstrate compliance with current Building Regulations, specifically Part B Fire, and related standards, including BS 9999:2008.

3. Background & buyer context

The Electricity Supply Board (ESB) is a statutory corporation established in 1927, majority-owned by the Irish Government. It operates across the electricity market, including generation, transmission, and supply, and has diversified into gas, telecommunications fibre, and electric vehicle charging infrastructure. ESB has a regulated asset base of approximately €12 billion and holds 30% of the all-island electricity generation capacity, supplying approximately 2.5 million customers.

This procurement aligns with ESB's strategy, 'Driven to Make a Difference: Achieving Net Zero by 2040,' which prioritises sustainability and leadership in achieving net-zero emissions. ESB seeks to procure supplies, services, and works with positive environmental, social, and economic impacts, aligning its procurement processes with ISO 20400, Sustainable Procurement standards. The company has developed a Sustainability Leadership Plan focusing on People, Planet, and Place. ESB is also a founding member of the Irish Supply Chain Sustainability School. The services are required to support Capital Works projects within an ESB Facilities Management led design team structure.

4. Eligibility & selection criteria

To be considered for this tender, applicants must meet the following minimum requirements:

• Turnover requirement: Not specified for this tender.
• Insurance:
• Public/Products Liability Insurance: Minimum indemnity limit of €6.5 million per claim and in aggregate for Products Liability.
• Employer’s Liability Insurance: Minimum indemnity limit of €13 million per claim.
• Professional Indemnity Insurance: Minimum indemnity limit of €1 million per claim and in the annual aggregate.
• Applicants must provide a statement from their insurer(s) confirming these minimum levels are in place or confirmation of willingness to provide them if awarded the contract.
• Certifications: Applicants must be certified by an accredited independent third party as complying with ISO 45001, Safe T Cert, or an equivalent safety management system.
• Past experience: Applicants must submit a minimum of three relevant reference contracts to demonstrate capability for the selected lot(s).
• Personnel: Not specified for this tender.
• Geographic / facility constraints: Not specified for this tender, beyond the defined geographic lots.

5. Award criteria & scoring

The contract will be awarded on the basis of the Most Economically Advantageous Tender (MEAT). The specific award criteria and scoring methodology will be detailed in the Request for Tender (RFT) documents, which will be issued to pre-qualified and shortlisted applicants. Applicants who fail any pass/fail criteria at the PQQ stage will not be eligible for evaluation under qualitative criteria and will be eliminated from the procurement process. The PQQ stage focuses on suitability and capability, with MEAT evaluation occurring at the RFT stage.

6. Submission requirements

Applicants must complete and return the Pre-Qualification Questionnaire (PQQ) in accordance with the provided instructions. Key submission requirements include:

• PQQ Response: The questionnaire must be completed in full, honestly disclosing all relevant and up-to-date information. Additional lines can be added to pro-forma tables if required, but no other parts of the PQQ may be amended.
• Language: The PQQ must be completed in English.
• Financial Information: All financial information must be denominated in Euro (€), unless provided in a certified/audited document in its original currency. In such cases, a conversion to Euro using the exchange rate from www.oanda.com at the PQQ submission deadline must be included, along with a conversion printout for verification.
• Declarations: Applicants must confirm compliance with all provisions of the PQQ and applicable laws. Implicit in the PQQ completion is a declaration of no collusion and adherence to confidentiality requirements.
• Tax Clearance: Applicants must provide their Tax Clearance Access Number and PPSN/Reference Number, or attach a statement confirming they possess a valid tax clearance certificate.
• Consortium/Entities Being Relied Upon: If applicable, the PQQ must be completed separately for each Applicant Member and/or each Entity Being Relied Upon, and submitted together. These will be evaluated as a single application, but each must pass relevant pass/fail criteria.
• Submission Portal: The PQQ Response must be submitted by the specified deadline. The specific submission portal is not detailed in the PQQ document itself but is implied to be via eTenders or a similar official channel.

7. Key dates & process

8. Contract terms that matter

The framework agreements are anticipated to have an initial duration of three years, with an option for ESB to extend for up to a further 48 months in one or more increments. The contract will be procured using bespoke terms and conditions, which will be provided to pre-qualified and shortlisted applicants at the Request for Tender (RFT) stage. While specific contract terms are not detailed in the PQQ, it is noted that the contract will set out technical, commercial, financial, safety, and legal requirements. Applicants must be prepared to contract under Irish law, and the Irish courts will have exclusive jurisdiction over any disputes. The PQQ also highlights that information submitted may be shared with ESB Networks DAC or EirGrid plc, and that ESB Networks DAC is subject to the Freedom of Information Act 2014 in certain circumstances.

9. Risks, red flags & unusuals

• Multi-Lot Structure with Single Lot Application: Applicants can only apply for one of the three geographic lots. This limits the scope of application per bidder and may fragment the supplier pool.
• Two Suppliers Per Lot: ESB intends to appoint two suppliers to each lot, subject to sufficient qualified applicants and economically advantageous tenders. This suggests a competitive framework, but the exact ranking and cascade mechanism for awarding work will be critical.
• No Minimum Volume Guarantee: The framework agreement does not guarantee a minimum volume or value of work, introducing revenue uncertainty for successful bidders.
• Indicative Timetable: The procurement timeline is explicitly stated as indicative and subject to change at ESB's discretion, creating potential scheduling uncertainty for bidders.
• Bespoke Contract Terms: The use of bespoke contract terms and conditions, rather than standard forms, requires careful review by legal counsel at the RFT stage.
• Sustainability Focus: ESB's strong emphasis on sustainability, including alignment with ISO 20400 and their Sustainability Leadership Plan, means bidders must demonstrate robust sustainability credentials and practices.

10. SME fit assessment

This tender is structured as a multi-lot framework for fire engineering professional services. A credible bidder would likely be a specialist fire engineering consultancy with a proven track record in delivering services to large organisations, particularly in the energy or infrastructure sectors. The requirement for three reference contracts and specific insurance levels suggests that very small or newly established firms may find it challenging to meet the eligibility criteria.

Consortium bids are permitted, allowing smaller firms to partner with others to meet the requirements. Sub-contracting is not explicitly mentioned as prohibited but is not a primary focus of the PQQ structure, which requires each Applicant Member and Entity Being Relied Upon to meet criteria. The bid preparation effort for the PQQ stage would involve gathering detailed information on insurance, safety certifications, and past projects, likely requiring several days of dedicated work. The Pwin signal is neutral at this PQQ stage, as the focus is on qualification rather than competitive scoring. The framework structure with two suppliers per lot suggests a competitive environment, but the specific cascade mechanism will influence future Pwin.

11. Where to dig deeper

• Source RFT Filename: TR5680 - Fire Engineering professional services.docx
• eTenders CFT ID: Not stated
• Contact Email: [email protected]
• Key Attachments:
• Pre-Qualification Information and Questionnaire (PQQ)
• Section A: Information and Guidance Notes for Applicant
• Section B: Pre-Qualification Questionnaire