Regulatory Information and Data Management System

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 Approved Housing Bodies Regulatory Authority (AHBRA) seeks a contractor to develop, implement, and support a Regulatory Information and Data Management System. This system will serve as an integrated digital platform to enhance AHBRA's regulatory operations, improve data management, facilitate audit compliance, and enable advanced regulatory analysis.

The contractor will be responsible for the end-to-end lifecycle of this system, encompassing design, development, implementation, and ongoing support. Key functionalities required include:

• AHB Organisation & Contact Management: A system to manage details of Approved Housing Bodies and their associated contacts.
• Email Integrations: Functionality to integrate with email systems for communication tracking and management.
• Case Management: A workflow system to manage regulatory cases, investigations, and related activities.
• Communications Management: Tools for managing official communications with AHBs and other relevant parties.
• AHB Web Portal: A dedicated portal for Approved Housing Bodies to interact with AHBRA, submit information, and access relevant data.
• Bespoke Data Management and Analytics: Capabilities for custom data handling, reporting, and analytical insights derived from the system's data.

The project timeline includes specific milestones:

• Workflow mapping and system architecture agreed: 1 month post-contract award.
• Initial Out-of-the-Box (OOB) system design and implementation: 3 months post-contract award.
• Acceptance testing completed and initial system operational: 4 months post-contract award.
• Additional bespoke modules developed and implemented: 6 months post-contract award.

The system must adhere to accessibility standards, including WCAG 2.1 AA and EN 301 549. Development practices must be secure, adhering to ISO 27001 (or equivalent) standards. User sessions should expire after a defined period, with administrative access for AHBRA to manage users, associations, and password resets.

3. Background & buyer context

This procurement is initiated by the Approved Housing Bodies Regulatory Authority (AHBRA) to establish a modern Regulatory Information and Data Management System. The project aligns with the need for AHBRA to enhance its regulatory oversight capabilities through digital transformation. The current system, or lack thereof, necessitates an integrated digital platform to support regulatory operations, improve data management, and facilitate compliance and analysis. The contract is for a term of twenty-four (24) months, with the possibility of up to two (2) extensions of twelve (12) months each. AHBRA aims to encourage participation from Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) and larger enterprises are encouraged to include SMEs in their proposals.

4. Eligibility & selection criteria

Bidders must meet the following minimum requirements to be considered:

• Turnover requirement: A minimum average annual turnover of €400,000 for each of the three (3) financial years immediately preceding the RFT publication date, for which audited accounts are available. This can be met by the lead applicant, combined consortium members, or by reliance on group members.
• Insurance: The successful Tenderer must hold the following insurances for the term of the Services Contract:
• Employer’s Liability: €12.7 million limit per claim/series of claims.
• Public Liability: €6.5 million limit per claim/series of claims.
• Professional Indemnity: €5 million limit per claim/series of claims (excluding defence costs).
• Cyber Liability (including loss of data): €2 million limit per claim/series of claims.
• Certifications: Tenderers must declare adherence to ISO 27001 (or equivalent) for secure coding practices.
• Past experience: A minimum of two (2) previous contract examples (public or private sector) delivered within the last five (5) years. These contracts must be of similar scale, scope, and complexity to those detailed in Appendix 1, demonstrating engagement in similar services. Referee contact details are required for each example.
• Personnel: Not specified for this tender.
• Geographic / facility constraints: Not specified for this tender.

5. Award criteria & scoring

The contract will be awarded based on the Most Economically Advantageous Tender (MEAT).

Tenderers must achieve a minimum score of 60% for each qualitative award criterion. Failure to meet this threshold for any criterion will result in elimination.

6. Submission requirements

Tenders must be submitted electronically via the eTenders platform (www.etenders.gov.ie).

• Method statement / response document: Tenderers must follow the RFT format and respond to each element in order. Specific response documents are not explicitly named with page limits, but the "TRD" (Tenderer Response Document) is referenced for technical and professional ability details.
• CVs: Not specified for this tender.
• Pricing schedule: Must be completed as per Appendix 2. Prices must be all-inclusive (excluding VAT), expressed in Euro, and remain valid for six (6) months from the Tender Deadline.
• Case studies: Two (2) previous contract examples demonstrating similar scale, scope, and complexity must be provided in the TRD, including referee contact details.
• Declarations:
• European Single Procurement Document (eESPD) - electronic version.
• Tenderer's Statement (Appendix 3) - scanned signed copy on letterhead.
• Declaration as to Personal Circumstances of Tenderer (Appendix 4).
• Tax Clearance Access Number and Tax Reference Number (for verification).
• Mandatory site visit: Not specified for this tender.
• Submission portal: www.etenders.gov.ie. File size limits apply: 250MB per file, 2GB total. Tenders must be submitted by clicking the "Submit" button.

7. Key dates & process

8. Contract terms that matter

• Term: 24 months.
• Extension: Up to two (2) extensions of 12 months each, subject to AHBRA's obligations at law.
• Payment terms: As per the Services Contract at Appendix 5. Invoices are deemed accepted if no query is raised within 60 calendar days.
• Key SLAs/KPIs: Not specified in the provided extract, but implied by the need for system operational status and support.
• Liquidated damages or penalty regimes: Not specified in the provided extract.
• Termination clauses: AHBRA may terminate at 14 days if a situation continues for 60 calendar days.
• IP ownership: Not specified in the provided extract.
• Sub-contracting rules: Consortia and prime/subcontractor arrangements are permitted. A single nominated entity must represent the group. The successful Tenderer must designate a Prime Contractor responsible for the Services Contract. Subcontractors may need to submit separate eESPDs.
• Parent-company guarantee or bond requirements: Not specified in the provided extract.

9. Risks, red flags & unusuals

• Estimated value vs. Turnover requirement: The estimated contract value of €270,000 is significantly lower than the minimum annual turnover requirement of €400,000. This suggests a potential mismatch or that the €270,000 is a conservative estimate of initial spend, with potential for much higher spend over the contract term and extensions.
• Tight Mobilisation Timeline: While not explicitly stated, the phased implementation (e.g., 4 months for initial operational status) following contract award suggests a need for rapid mobilisation.
• Mandatory Requirements: The strict Pass/Fail assessment of Mandatory Requirements means any failure to meet these will lead to immediate elimination, regardless of qualitative scores.
• SME Encouragement: AHBRA actively encourages SME participation, including through consortia with larger enterprises. This indicates a desire for broader market engagement.

10. SME fit assessment

This tender is structured for a medium-sized specialist software development and implementation company. A credible bidder would likely have:

• Size/Specialism: A proven track record in developing and implementing complex data management and regulatory systems, with demonstrable expertise in case management, portal development, and data analytics.
• Certifications: ISO 27001 compliance is a key indicator of capability.
• Financials: The €400,000 annual turnover requirement suggests a business of a certain scale, capable of handling projects of this nature and complexity.
• Consortium/Sub-contracting: The tender explicitly allows for consortia and sub-contracting, opening avenues for SMEs to participate by partnering with other firms to meet the turnover or expertise requirements. SMEs could potentially act as specialist subcontractors to a larger prime contractor.
• Indicative bid-prep effort: Given the detailed requirements, selection criteria, and the need to provide multiple contract examples with referee details, bid preparation could require 10-20 working days for a dedicated team.
• Pwin signal: The tender is open procedure, suggesting no incumbent is guaranteed. The clear MEAT award criteria with a significant weighting on qualitative aspects indicates that technical solution and understanding of requirements are paramount, not just price. The SME encouragement suggests a competitive field is anticipated.

11. Where to dig deeper

• Source RFT filename: RFT - AHB Data Management System to AHBRA 24072026.pdf
• eTenders CFT ID: Not specified in the provided text.
• Contact email or clarification portal: Messaging facility on www.etenders.gov.ie.
• Most important attachments:
• Appendix 1: Requirements and Specifications
• Appendix 2: Pricing Schedule
• Appendix 5: Services Contract