Provision of Landscaping 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 a single economic operator to establish a framework agreement for landscaping services across Galway City. The framework will cover the maintenance of specific roundabouts and verges. While the initial contract is for these defined areas, the framework allows for similar landscaping works to be awarded subsequently.

The scope of work includes:

• Maintenance of specific locations:
• Five roundabouts along the Western Distributor Road.
• Deane Roundabout (R338/Western Distributor Road Junction).
• Browne Roundabout (Seamus Quirke Road).
• Joyce Roundabout (Bohermore Cemetery).
• Skerritt Roundabout (GMIT).
• D’Arcy Roundabout (Seapoint).
• Landscaped bed outside Western Motors at Briarhill.
• Landscaped verge along Lough Atalia (bus garage to Fairgreen Road).
• Southern Verge at Kingston Road.
• Litter Picking: Two litter picks per calendar year, prior to or in conjunction with the first and last seasonal visits. Adequate PPE and sharps kits are required.
• Schedule of Visits: A minimum number of visits per month throughout the season:
• March & April: Two visits per month.
• May to July: One visit per month.
• August: Two visits.
• September to November: One visit per month.
• Additional visits can be requested and will be charged pro-rata.
• Weed Control: Primarily hand weeding, supplemented with organic herbicide. Follow-up inspection visits are required. Manual removal for established Willowherb on specific roundabouts, followed by organic herbicide. Carpet spraying is prohibited. Organic herbicide or similar is to be used in landscaped areas. Noxious weeds (ragwort, thistles, docks) must be sprayed with minimal damage to surrounding vegetation. Written details of products and methods are required with the tender. Granular herbicides are generally not permitted. All herbicides must be applied according to manufacturer’s instructions.
• Specific Site Requirements:
• Skerritt Roundabout: Clean bedding, prune rose bushes (if appropriate), top up fine bark mulch, present a summer seasonal display, overall plant management including phormiums. Grass cutting is under a separate contract.
• Flower bed at Western Motors: Soil improvement, monitor Crocosmia growth, provide alternative planting plan if required, replace failed plants, top up fine bark mulch, prepare for winter (weed treatment, cutting back, bulb planting).
• Joyce Roundabout: Clean bedding, prune shrubs, present a summer seasonal display, prepare for winter.
• Browne Roundabout: Clean bedding, prune rose bushes (if appropriate), present a summer seasonal display, clean and top up gravel, prepare for winter.
• Deane Roundabout: Clean bedding, infill shrubs as miniature hedge, clean and top up gravel and fine bark mulch, prepare for winter.
• Western Distributor Road Roundabouts (1-5): Clean bedding, infill shrubs maintaining height differential and visibility, clean and top up gravel, remove seedlings, cut back dogwood (WD1), prepare for winter.
• D’Arcy Roundabout: Segments clean up, plant summer bedding, replace failed shrubs, top up gravel and fine grade mulch, prepare for winter.
• Verge on Lough Atalia: Replace failing or gaps in Erigeron Sea Breeze, prune shrubs, replace failed shrubs, introduce fine grade bark mulch, prepare for winter.
• Southern Verge at Kingston Road: Dig out and replace with a wildflower/perennial mix requiring minimal maintenance (1-2 hard cuts annually). Exact planting mix to be agreed. Traffic management must consider the narrow and busy road.
• Traffic Management: The contractor is fully responsible for the provision, implementation, and management of all traffic management measures required for safe maintenance works.
• Contractor Familiarisation: Contractors must visit the areas and be familiar with them before pricing the tender.

Grass cutting on Browne and Skerritt roundabouts is handled under a separate contract.

3. Background & buyer context

Galway City Council is procuring these landscaping services to maintain public areas within the city. The procurement is structured as a single-party framework agreement, meaning one economic operator will be selected to be considered for all contracts within the scope of the framework. This approach allows the Council to establish overall terms and conditions for a specified duration, with individual contracts potentially awarded thereafter. The estimated maximum spend under this framework is €216,000 excluding VAT over a maximum period of four years. The Council reserves the right to procure requirements outside of this framework.

4. Eligibility & selection criteria

Tenderers must meet the following minimum requirements to be considered eligible. These are assessed on a pass/fail basis.

• Turnover requirement:
• Confirmation that the tendering party's turnover exceeded €150,000 during each of the last three years.
• Pro-rata turnover is acceptable for more recently established firms, provided they have been in existence for at least 6 months.
• Confirmation of financial standing ensuring the tendering party has the financial capacity to pay its debts as they fall due, supported by a current statement of assets and liabilities.
• Insurance:
• Employer’s Liability: €13 million.
• Public Liability: €6.5 million.
• Certifications:
• Demonstrate compliance with all relevant Health & Safety legislation.
• Demonstrate a commitment to quality assurance, providing details of policies and systems, and whether 3rd party certified.
• Demonstrate operation of an appropriate environmental management system, whether 3rd party certified or in-house.
• Past experience:
• Demonstrate successful delivery of two (2) previous comparable contracts/experience, involving the features as defined in the TRD (Tender Response Document).
• Personnel:
• Demonstrate access to the minimum number of skilled personnel as indicated and outlined in the TRD.
• Proposed team members must have minimum specific qualifications for designing, setting out, and maintaining traffic management plans, including CSCS cards in Signing, Lighting and Guarding, and Temporary Traffic Management Qualifications for Level 3 Roads.
• Geographic / facility constraints: Not specified for this tender.

Tenderers may rely on the resources of other entities to meet these requirements, provided they can prove these resources will be at their disposal.

5. Award criteria & scoring

The framework will be awarded on the basis of the most economically advantageous compliant tender, using a MEAT (Most Economically Advantageous Tender) approach. The award criteria and weightings are as follows:

Quality (Resourcing & Methodology) - 600 Marks:

• Resourcing (300 Marks): Tenderers must demonstrate their proposed team's expertise and experience in Horticulture, Health & Safety, and Traffic Management. Specific qualifications for traffic management personnel are required. The service delivery team, including the Client Relationship Partner, must be listed with their roles described.
• Methodology (300 Marks): Tenderers must provide a detailed methodology for contract management and service delivery, including details of machinery used. They must demonstrate sufficient human and plant resources and a proven methodology.

A minimum score of 300 marks is required for the Quality criterion. Tenders scoring less than 50% in any qualitative sub-criterion are considered unacceptable.

6. Submission requirements

Tenders must be submitted electronically via the eTenders postbox facility on www.etenders.gov.ie.

• Method statement / response document: Tenderers must complete the Tender Response Document (TRD) and provide detailed information as required. Specific page limits are not stated.
• CVs: Not explicitly mentioned with page limits, but key personnel CVs will be assessed as part of the resourcing criterion.
• Pricing schedule: Proposed cost exclusive of VAT must be completed in the Tender Response Document (TRD).
• Case studies: Not explicitly mentioned.
• Declarations:
• Declaration of Bona Fides (as per Art. 57 of Directive 2014/24/EU).
• Declaration regarding compliance with relevant statutory obligations.
• Confirmation of tax compliance with Irish Revenue Commissioners.
• Confirmation of financial standing.
• Confirmation of required insurances.
• Mandatory site visit: Not specified for this tender.
• Submission portal: eTenders postbox facility on www.etenders.gov.ie. Tenders submitted by any other means will not be accepted. Tenderers must allow sufficient time for upload.

7. Key dates & process

The Contracting Authority will endeavour to adhere to this timetable, but it cannot be guaranteed.

8. Contract terms that matter

• Term: Maximum of four (4) years for the framework agreement. Contracts awarded under the framework may extend beyond the agreement's expiry date.
• Payment terms: Not specified in the provided extract.
• Key SLAs/KPIs: Not specified in the provided extract.
• Liquidated damages or penalty regimes: Not specified in the provided extract.
• Termination clauses: The Contracting Authority reserves the right to award a contract to the next highest scoring tenderer if the Framework Member cannot deliver services to satisfaction.
• IP ownership: Not specified in the provided extract.
• Sub-contracting rules: Tenderers must provide information on sub-contractors if applicable.
• Parent-company guarantee or bond requirements: Not specified in the provided extract.

Tenderers must accept the Contracting Authority’s Framework Terms and Conditions and Contract Terms and Conditions as appended.

9. Risks, red flags & unusuals

• Single-Party Framework: This structure means only one economic operator will be selected for the framework. While contracts may be awarded directly or via supplementary tender, the single-party nature limits competition for subsequent work within the framework to the selected entity.
• No Guaranteed Expenditure: The estimated maximum spend of €216,000 excluding VAT is explicitly stated as indicative, with no guaranteed expenditure. This means actual contract awards could be significantly lower.
• Right to Tender Outside Framework: Galway City Council reserves the right to procure similar requirements outside of this framework, reducing the certainty of work for the selected tenderer.
• Tight Award Timeline: The award decision is scheduled for July 2026, with the framework commencement also in July 2026. This suggests a rapid transition from award to commencement, requiring immediate mobilisation.
• Quality Minimum Thresholds: A minimum score of 300 marks is required for the Quality criterion, and any response scoring less than 50% in a sub-criterion is inadmissible. This places significant emphasis on the quality of the resourcing and methodology proposed.

10. SME fit assessment

This tender is structured as a single-party framework, meaning only one supplier will be selected. While SMEs are encouraged to form relationships with other SMEs or larger enterprises to meet capacity requirements, the overall contract will be awarded to a single entity.

• Who can credibly bid: A small to medium-sized enterprise with demonstrable expertise in horticulture, landscaping, and a strong understanding of health and safety and traffic management protocols would be a credible bidder. They must also meet the financial turnover and insurance requirements. The requirement for specific traffic management qualifications (CSCS cards, Level 3 qualifications) suggests a need for specialised personnel.
• Consortium or sub-contracting: Consortiums or joint ventures are permitted. Tenderers can rely on the resources of other entities to meet capacity requirements. Sub-contracting is also mentioned as a possibility.
• Indicative bid-prep effort: Given the detailed requirements for methodology, resourcing, and specific site details, bid preparation could require 10-20 days of effort for a focused team, including site visits, proposal writing, and gathering supporting documentation.
• Pwin signal: The single-party framework structure and the explicit mention of no guaranteed expenditure suggest a competitive process. The emphasis on specific qualifications for traffic management and the detailed site-specific requirements may favour incumbent or highly specialised landscaping firms. The lack of an incumbent being named does not preclude their potential participation.

11. Where to dig deeper

• Source RFT filename: Request for Tender.pdf
• eTenders CFT ID: Not specified in the provided text.
• Contact email or clarification portal: Questions and Answers facility on www.etenders.gov.ie.
• Most important attachments:
• A1 LOCATION MAP 001.pdf
• Appendix A - Single Party Framework Terms and Condition.docx
• Tender Response Document (TRD)