Provision of Waste Management Services Nationwide

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 a qualified and experienced company to provide nationwide waste management and recycling services for An Post. The contractor will be responsible for the collection, transportation, treatment, recycling, recovery, and disposal of waste generated across An Post's operations. This includes providing, maintaining, and managing appropriate waste receptacles and associated equipment. The service must be cost-efficient, competent, sustainable, and innovative, prioritising waste minimisation, maximising recycling and recovery, supporting circular economy principles, improving environmental performance, and ensuring legislative compliance.

The scope encompasses the following:

• Waste Streams:
• Non-Hazardous Waste: General Waste, Dry Mixed Recyclables (DMR), Cardboard, Plastics, Confidential Waste, Compost, Waste cooking oil and grease (including drums), Grease trap clean and removal, Wood, Pallets, Metal, Glass, Textiles, Bulky waste.
• Hazardous & Clinical Waste: Sharps and Syringes, Batteries, Clinical Waste (Human and/or animal), Chemicals, paints and related hazardous substances, Oil and fuel spill waste, and other hazardous waste streams that may arise.
• Equipment Provision: The contractor will provide, maintain, and replace suitable receptacles and associated equipment, including:
• Wheelie bins (lockable and non-lockable) in sizes from approximately 140L to 1,100L.
• Compactors and/or balers for larger locations.
• Static and portable packers.
• Skips of various capacities.
• Standard bags for street and external waste collection.
• Desk-side recycling trays.
• 87 "Slim Jim" bins or equivalent.
• Clinical waste bins.
• Sharps containers.
• Spill kits, spill bins, and containment products.
• Chemical waste drums.
• Compost caddies and organic waste containers.
• Service Requirements:
• Scheduled and un-scheduled collection, transportation, treatment, recycling, and disposal of various waste streams.
• Provision of suitable receptacles for different waste types.
• Robust environmental reporting.
• Continuous improvement initiatives.
• Proactive contract management across all locations.
• Locations: The service will cover an indicative list of 164 current An Post locations nationwide. This list is subject to change during the contract term.
• Contract Flexibility: An Post reserves the right to add, remove, or amend locations, waste streams, collection frequencies, equipment requirements, and associated services during the contract term. Detailed specifications will be provided at the Tender (ITT) stage.

3. Background & buyer context

An Post is an Irish state-owned postal service company. This procurement is for the provision of nationwide waste management services across its extensive network. An Post operates 889 post offices and approximately 107 Delivery Service Units (DSUs) nationwide. The company generated revenues of €1.021 billion in 2024, servicing around 2.47 million delivery points daily and handling €2.7 billion in cash transactions. An Post has a stated commitment to integrating sustainable procurement, having achieved ISO 14001 certification in 2020. This tender aligns with An Post's objectives to improve environmental performance, increase recycling and recovery rates, and minimise waste sent for disposal.

4. Eligibility & selection criteria

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

• Turnover requirement: A minimum average annual turnover of €1,200,000 (exclusive of VAT) for any two of the last three financial year ends. If an applicant is a subsidiary relying on its parent company for this requirement, the parent company must provide the necessary details.
• Insurance: The successful tenderer must hold the following insurances for the contract term:
• Employer's Liability: €13,000,000
• Public and Products Liability: €6,500,000
• Motor Insurance: €6,500,000
• Certifications: Applicants are expected to demonstrate possession of relevant licences and permits. Specific certifications mentioned as desirable or potentially required include:
• Management System certified as compliant with EN ISO 9001 (or equivalent).
• Management System certified as compliant with EN ISO 14001 (or equivalent).
• Management System certified as compliant with EN ISO 50001 (or equivalent).
• Business Continuity Management System (BCMS) certified to or aligned with ISO 22301, SOC 2 Type II, or ISO 27001.
• Past experience: The PQQ structure indicates a requirement for at least three contract examples, each weighted at 10 marks, suggesting a need for demonstrable experience in similar waste management services. Specific minimums for the number or value of past projects are not explicitly stated as a pass/fail gate in the provided text, but scoring will be based on this.
• Personnel: Not specified for this tender.
• Geographic / facility constraints: Not specified for this tender, beyond the nationwide scope of service.

An Post will shortlist up to 3 applicants who meet the minimum requirements and achieve the highest scores based on the selection criteria.

5. Award criteria & scoring

The award criteria are not fully detailed in the provided PQQ extract, which focuses on pre-qualification. However, the PQQ does outline scoring weights for various criteria that will likely be used in the subsequent tender stage. The overall award will be based on a split between price and quality (MEAT - Most Economically Advantageous Tender).

The following scoring weights are indicated for the pre-qualification stage, which are likely indicative of the tender stage evaluation:

A minimum score of 60% is required for most criteria, with a 40% minimum for Business Continuity.

6. Submission requirements

The PQQ requires applicants to submit specific documentation to demonstrate their suitability. The exact format and content for the full tender stage will be detailed in the Invitation to Tender (ITT). For the PQQ stage, submissions must include:

• Completed Questionnaire: The applicant must complete the provided Pre-Qualification Questionnaire (PQQ).
• Declarations:
• Bona Fides declarations.
• Tax clearance status verification (Tax Clearance Access Number and Tax Reference Number).
• Conflict of Interest declarations.
• Financial Information: Details of annual turnover for the last three financial years, meeting the minimum requirement. If relying on a parent company, their financial details must also be provided.
• Insurance Details: Confirmation of the ability to meet the specified insurance requirements.
• Past Experience: Details of at least three comparable contract examples.
• Management Systems: Evidence of compliance with relevant management system standards (e.g., ISO 9001, ISO 14001, ISO 50001, ISO 22301, ISO 27001).
• Consortium Information: If applicable, details regarding the roles and responsibilities of consortium members.
• Submission Portal: Submissions are to be made via eTenders. Specific format rules will be detailed in the ITT.
• Mandatory Site Visit: Not specified for this PQQ stage.

7. Key dates & process

The process involves a pre-qualification stage (PQQ) followed by a tender stage (ITT). An Post will shortlist up to 3 applicants from the PQQ stage.

8. Contract terms that matter

The provided PQQ document outlines general contract principles and definitions. Specific contract terms, including duration, payment schedules, SLAs/KPIs, penalties, termination clauses, IP ownership, and sub-contracting rules, will be detailed in the full contract documentation provided at the Invitation to Tender (ITT) stage. Key points from the PQQ include:

• Contractor Responsibility: The prime contractor is fully responsible for the work of its sub-contractors as if it were their own.
• Sub-contracting: While not detailed in the PQQ, sub-contracting is a scored criterion, indicating it will be a significant aspect of the contract.
• Flexibility: An Post reserves the right to amend locations, waste streams, collection frequencies, and equipment requirements during the contract term.
• Compliance: The contractor must ensure full compliance with all applicable waste management legislation.

9. Risks, red flags & unusuals

• Nationwide Scope: The requirement for nationwide service across 164 locations presents a significant logistical challenge, potentially favouring larger, established waste management companies with extensive infrastructure.
• Contract Flexibility: An Post's explicit right to add, remove, or amend locations, waste streams, and service requirements during the contract term introduces a degree of uncertainty for bidders regarding the final scope and volume of work. This requires a flexible pricing and operational model.
• PQQ Focus: The current document is a Pre-Qualification Questionnaire (PQQ), meaning detailed service specifications, contract terms, and award criteria will be provided later in the Invitation to Tender (ITT) stage. Bidders must be prepared for further detailed requirements.
• Shortlisting Limit: An Post intends to shortlist a maximum of 3 applicants, indicating a competitive pre-qualification stage.

10. SME fit assessment

This tender is structured as a PQQ, indicating a pre-qualification process to identify suitable candidates before the main tender stage.

• Who can credibly bid: The requirement for a minimum annual turnover of €1.2 million for two of the last three years, coupled with the nationwide service requirement across 164 locations, suggests that this tender is primarily aimed at medium to large-sized waste management companies with established national infrastructure, operational capacity, and experience in managing complex, multi-site contracts. Smaller, regional operators may find the turnover threshold and nationwide coverage challenging unless they form a consortium.
• Consortium or sub-contracting: The PQQ includes "Sub-Contracting" as a scored criterion (5% weight), implying that sub-contracting is permitted and will be evaluated. Consortium bids are also implicitly possible, as the PQQ asks for details regarding consortium members and their roles.
• Indicative bid-prep effort: For the PQQ stage, bid preparation would involve gathering financial data, detailing past projects, compiling information on management systems, and completing the questionnaire. This could require 5-10 working days for a company with its documentation readily available. The full ITT stage will demand significantly more effort.
• Pwin signal: The nationwide scope and the potential for large-scale operations suggest that incumbent national waste management providers are likely to be strong contenders. The explicit mention of An Post's ISO 14001 certification and sustainability focus indicates that bidders with strong environmental credentials and reporting capabilities will have an advantage.

11. Where to dig deeper

• Source RFT filename: 0038-Waste Management Services_PQQ_03.07.2026.pdf
• eTenders CFT ID: Not specified in the provided text.
• Contact email or clarification portal: Not specified in the provided text.
• Most important attachments:
• Pre-Qualification Questionnaire (PQQ) document itself.
• The "Specification" document (referenced but not provided in full).
• Any appendices detailing the questionnaire sections.