Telephony 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 provider for comprehensive telephony services for Raidió Teilifís Éireann (RTÉ), encompassing mobile devices, fixed-line connectivity, and potentially unified communications. The contract is structured into three lots, allowing for separate or combined bidding. The initial term is three years, with options for two one-year extensions, potentially extending the contract to a maximum of five years.

The constituent activities and systems include:

• Lot 1: Mobile Devices (Voice & Data) and handsets:

• Provision of mobile devices, primarily iPhones (13, 14, 15 and Pro models) and Samsung (A50 and S series) handsets, along with a small number of iPads.

• Supply of data SIMs for various devices including laptops, iPads, portable broadband routers, and Mi-Fi devices.

• Aggregated mobile voice and data costs/bundles, including voice and data roaming.

• Service Level Agreements (SLAs) for mobile services.

• RTÉ requires a corporate bundle of aggregate usage over all units/users, rather than individual allocations.

• Current domestic mobile data usage is 10-11 TB per month, with an average of 700 GB of roaming data.

• Technical requirements include 4G/5G coverage, upload/download speeds, HD voice support, network resilience, business continuity, QoS, bandwidth reservation, and a technology roadmap.

• The service is critical for day-to-day calls, texts, mobile internet, social media management, Office 365 access, and content delivery for broadcast, including file delivery and direct audio contribution.

• Lot 2: Voice Telecommunications Connectivity (Landline):

• Provision of circuits for voice telecommunications between RTÉ's on-premise PABX solutions and the Public Switched Telephone Network.

• Connectivity to regional sites and capacity for ISDN calls.

• Fixed line broadband services.

• RTÉ's PABX infrastructure is a server-based Mitel MX-One TSE System at Donnybrook, with TSW systems at regional locations.

• Connectivity to Donnybrook is primarily SIP-based, with legacy ISDN circuits. Regional connectivity is ISDN-based, with a planned migration to SIP.

• The Donnybrook PABX handles 4000 DDIs, servicing 1200 IP handsets, 500 analogue connections, 400 digital connections, Primary Rate ISDN cards, and internal production system connections.

• ISDN has historically been used for production circuits for live broadcast and operational requirements. Mobile telephony serves as a backup.

• Lot 3: Unified Communications (Implied):

• While not explicitly detailed as a separate lot in the provided text, the scope implies a potential for unified communications solutions, integrating voice, data, and potentially other collaboration tools.

RTÉ reserves the right to increase or decrease the allocation of services.

3. Background & buyer context

Raidió Teilifís Éireann (RTÉ) is Ireland's national public service media organisation, providing television, radio, and online services. In 2026, RTÉ marks 100 years of public service media. The organisation is a significant broadcaster, producing and commissioning a broad range of content. RTÉ operates multiple television and radio services, alongside digital platforms like RTE.ie, RTÉ Radio Player, and RTÉ Player, which experienced over 155 million streams in 2025. RTÉ Archives maintains a vast collection of audiovisual recordings. The RTÉ Concert Orchestra supports national and international artists. Saorview, Ireland's free-to-air digital television service, is owned and managed by RTÉ, as is its transmission infrastructure via subsidiary 2rn. This procurement is for essential telephony services to support RTÉ's extensive operations across broadcasting, content creation, and public engagement.

4. Eligibility & selection criteria

Bidders must meet the following minimum requirements to be considered:

• Turnover requirement:

• Minimum average annual turnover of €150,000 in each of the last three financial years.

• If a tenderer has been established for less than three years, the annual turnover must equal or exceed €150,000 for each year of establishment.

• Insurance:

• Employers Liability: €13 million

• Public Liability: €6.5 million

• Professional Indemnity: Not specified for this tender (NA in table, but text implies it may be required for specific roles/services if applicable).

• Product Liability: Not specified for this tender (NA in table).

• Cyber and Data protection cover: Not specified for this tender (NA in table).

• Certifications:

• Quality Assurance: Tenderers must demonstrate satisfactory quality assurance procedures. External accreditation (e.g., ISO) is preferred.

• Health, Safety and Welfare at Work (HS&W) Assurance: Tenderers must demonstrate satisfactory HS&W assurance procedures. External accreditation is preferred.

• Past experience:

• Tenderers must demonstrate sufficient recent and relevant experience to deliver a contract of this nature.

• A substantive response is required, not just an ESPD declaration.

• RTÉ will evaluate a maximum of three completed or commenced contracts within the last 3 years.

• Experience of sub-contractors can be relied upon, provided their commitment is demonstrated.

• Personnel:

• Not specified for this tender.

• Geographic / facility constraints:

• Not specified for this tender.

5. Award criteria & scoring

The contract will be awarded to the Most Economically Advantageous Tender (MEAT) based on the following criteria:

Award Criteria