The provision of Legal Services to the Guardian ad litem National Service (Regulation 10 Excluded)

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

Department of Children Disability and Equality ran this procurement for “The provision of Legal Services to the Guardian ad litem National Service (Regulation 10 Excluded)” as an operational contract requiring implementation and sustained service execution. The extracted pack showed qualification-stage material with references to later ITT technical depth; practical activity therefore centred on building, integrating, and operating the specified service stack with compliant reporting and handover obligations where stated. Constituent activities and named work elements in the supplied extracts:

• Title: The provision of Legal Services to the Guardian ad litem National Service (Regulation 10 Excluded)
• es that the aggregate expenditure on the Services to be covered by the proposed Framework Agreements may amount to some €18-25m (excl
• The conclusion of a Framework Agreement with a Framework Member does not guarantee the award of any Services Contract
• rer shall be required to supply its Tax Clearance Access Number and Tax Reference Number to facilitate online verification of their tax status by
• rk Member shall promptly supply its Tax Clearance Access Number and Tax Reference Number to facilitate online verification of their tax status by
• By supplying these numbers the Framework Member acknowledges and agrees that the Contracting Authority has the permission of the
• Legal Services to the Guardian ad litem National Service
• 1.1 Minister of Children Disability and Equality (the “Contracting Authority”) is issuing this request for tenders (“RFT”) as a central purchasing body for use by the Framework Clients (defined below). The Office of Government Procurement (the “OGP”) is an office within the Department of Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform tasked with sourcing goods and services on behalf of the public service. References to the Contracting Authority will be deemed to include the OGP. (The Contracting Authority invites tenders (“Tenders”) from economic operators (“Tenderers”) for appointment to a multi-supplier framework agreement for the provision of the services as described in Appendix 1 to this RFT (the “Services”).
• 1.2 The basis for the requirement for the provision of legal advice and representation is the Child Care (Amendment) Act 2022, 35D which outlines in 35D (1) that in proceedings in the High Court, and under Section 25 of the Mental Health Act 2001 the Minister shall provide, or arrange for the provision, to the Guardian Ad Litem of legal advice and legal representation for the proceedings for which the Guardian Ad Litem is appointed and that in proceedings in the District Court the Minister on request Guardian Ad Litem shall provide or arrange for legal advice and may provide or arrange for legal representation In summary, the Services comprise: A framework for the provision of Legal Services for the Guardian ad litem National Service – an Executive Office of the Department of Children, Disability & Equality. It is anticipated that this Framework will be established mid 2026 in order to align with the commencement of the service. The Framework will provide access to external legal service providers capable of delivering legal services to Guardian ad litem “G
• [Multi-Supplier Framework RFT - GAL Legal Panel.docx] an Executive Office of the Department of Children, Disability & Equality. It is anticipated that this Framework will be established mid 2026 in order to align with the commencement of the service. The Framework will provide access to external legal service providers capable of delivering legal services to Guardian ad litem “GAL” authorised by the Guardian ad litem National Service under section 35L of the Child Care (Amendment) Act 2022 on a fee-per-task model. Framework suppliers may be required to deliver a range of legal services, including but not limited to: providing legal advice to Guardians ad litem, and representing the Guardian ad litem in matters relating to public child care proceedings or the Mental Health Act “MHA” 2001 where relevant. All services must be delivered in a manner that is proportionate, efficient, and consistent with statutory obligations and the best interests of the child.
• 1.4 It is anticipated that a minimum of 10 and a maximum of 40 members (each a “Framework Member”) will be appointed to the Framework Agreement. The following entities (each a “Framework Client”) may award (or “call off”) contracts (each a “Services Contract”) under the Framework Agreement in accordance with the rules set out in the form of Framework Agreement set out at Appendix 5. The Contracting Authority is also a Framework Client. 1. The Minister of Children, Disability & Equality acting through the Guardian ad litem National Service. For the avoidance of doubt, no other public bodies or contracting authorities are eligible to draw down from this Framework.
• 1.7 The Contracting Authority estimates that the aggregate expenditure on the Services to be covered by the proposed Framework Agreements may amount to some €18-25m (excl. VAT) over the Term and any possible extensions. Tenderers must understand that this figure is an estimate only based on current and future expected usage. Non-binding monetary references in the source were treated as context only and were not used as qualification thresholds.

3. Background & buyer context

The buyer context reflected a formal Irish public-procurement route, with pre-qualification used to control entry into the tender stage.

• 1.8 Contracting Authority policy seeks to encourage participation on a fair and equal basis by Small and Medium Enterprises (“SME”s) in this Competition. SMEs that believe the scope of this Competition is beyond their technical or business capacity are encouraged, subject to paragraph 2.5, to explore the possibilities of forming relationships with other SMEs or with larger enterprises. Through such relationships they can participate and contribute to the successful implementation of any Services Contracts that may result from this Competition and therefore increase their social and economic benefits. Larger enterprises are also encouraged, subject to paragraph 2.5, to consider the practical ways that SMEs can be included in their proposals to maximise the social and economic benefits of any Services Contracts that may result from this Competition.

4. Eligibility & selection criteria

• Turnover requirement — — use these verbatim for insurance / turnover. If a category (insurance, turnover) has no entry here, treat it as 'not specified' for THIS tender.
• Insurance — — use these verbatim for insurance / turnover. If a category (insurance, turnover) has no entry here, treat it as 'not specified' for THIS tender.; mum levels of insurance required are not likely to exceed the following insurances: Type of Insurance Indemnity Limit Employer’s Liability €13,000,000 Public Liability €6,500,000 Product Liability Not Applicable Professional Indemnity €1,500,000 per claim 2
• Certifications — not specified for this tender
• Past experience — not specified for this tender
• Personnel — not specified for this tender
• Geographic / facility constraints — not specified for this tender Additional binding lines surfaced in the deterministic extract:
• — use these verbatim for insurance / turnover. If a category (insurance, turnover) has no entry here, treat it as 'not specified' for THIS tender.
• mum levels of insurance required are not likely to exceed the following insurances: Type of Insurance Indemnity Limit Employer’s Liability €13,000,000 Public Liability €6,500,000 Product Liability Not Applicable Professional Indemnity €1,500,000 per claim 2

5. Award criteria & scoring

6. Submission requirements

• Method statement / response document (template/page limits) — Appendix 1 questionnaire/PQQ response was required.
• CVs (page count, named roles) — not specified in extract.
• Pricing schedule (format/template) — expected at ITT stage.
• Case studies (number/value range) — client references/comparable project evidence was referenced.
• Declarations (ESPD/Bona Fides/Tax/COI) — ESPD/declaration/statement-of-confirmation language was present.
• Mandatory site visit — not specified in extract.
• Submission portal and formatting — eTenders portal and PDF electronic copies were referenced. Submission-related source lines:
• 2022/2560 and where the notifying party has been in receipt of foreign financial contributions which are valued between €200,000 and €999,000 in the last three (3) years preceding the declaration
• ~~For reporting of foreign financial contributions which are of a value between €200,000 and €999,000 in the last three (3) years preceding the declaration~~
• 2022/2560 and where the notifying party has been in receipt of foreign financial contributions which are valued between €1,000,000 and €3,999,000 in the last three (3) years preceding the declaration
• ~~For reporting of foreign financial contributions which are of a value between €1,000,000 and €3,999,000 in the last three (3) years preceding the declaration, to include all non-notif
• Appendix 1: Requirements and Specifications
• Appendix 4: Declaration as to Personal Circumstances of Tenderer

7. Key dates & process

8. Contract terms that matter

Contract duration in the extract: 12 months. Payment cycle, SLA/KPI schedule, and penalty regime were not fully disclosed in the snippets unless listed below.

• VERIFIED PHRASES (deterministic regex extract from the documents — treat as authoritative for numerical claims)
• 2022/2560 and where the notifying party has been in receipt of foreign financial contributions which are valued between €200,000 and €999,000 in the last three (3) years preceding the declaration
• 2022/2560 and where the notifying party has been in receipt of foreign financial contributions which are valued between €1,000,000 and €3,999,000 in the last three (3) years preceding the declaration
• 1 In consideration of payment by the Contracting Authority of the sum of €2.00, the receipt of which is hereby acknowledged by the Framework Member, the Framew
• NOW IT IS HEREBY AGREED in consideration of the sum of €2.00 (the receipt of which is hereby acknowledged by the Contractor) as follows:
• 4 It is anticipated that a minimum of 10 and a maximum of 40 members (each a “Framework Member”) will be appointed to the Framework Agreement
• The conclusion of a Framework Agreement with a Framework Member does not guarantee the award of any Services Contract
• Contract(s) respectively and recover from the Framework Member any loss resulting from any such termination

9. Risks, red flags & unusuals

• Qualification gate: the deterministic extract included a turnover threshold line (— use these verbatim for insurance / turnover. If a category (insurance, turnover) has no entry here, treat it as 'not specified' for THIS tender.), which can materially narrow bidder pool composition.
• The two-step process (PQQ then ITT) shifted effort to compliance evidence early, with competitive scoring detail potentially deferred.
• Technical and contractual granularity appeared ITT-dependent, increasing ambiguity at qualification stage for non-incumbent bidders.

10. SME fit assessment

This competition looked most accessible to firms with established public-sector tender capability, documented financial capacity, and direct operational experience in the relevant service category.

• Credible bidder profile — mid-sized to large specialist with formal QA/compliance process.
• Consortium / sub-contracting — allowed or addressed in the extracts (Appendix references and reliance provisions).
• Indicative bid-prep effort — 6 to 12 working days for evidence collation, form completion, and review cycles at PQQ level.
• Pwin signal — strongest for bidders with reusable qualification artefacts, comparable references, and low-friction mobilisation capability.

11. Where to dig deeper

• Source RFT/PQQ filenames: Multi-Supplier Framework RFT - GAL Legal Panel.docx, RFT - GAL Legal Panel.docx] Request for Tenders dated 10/04/2026, RFT - GAL Legal Panel.docx] Part 1: Introduction.
• eTenders CFT / notice reference: not specified in extract.
• Clarification contact / portal: eTenders message portal (email not surfaced in extract).
• Key attachments to prioritise: Appendix 1: Requirements and Specifications, Appendix 2: Pricing Schedule, Appendix 3: Tenderer’s Statement.