Request for Tender for the Implementation of the Legal Services Division Operating Model

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1. At a glance

2. Scope of Work

This tender seeks consultancy services to develop and implement priority recommendations from the Legal Services Division (LSD) Operating Model Review. The engagement will focus on three key workstreams: Governance and Mandate, Service Delivery, and Functional Processes. The contract duration is approximately six months, with potential extensions of up to three additional two-month periods. The maximum contract value is €58,000, exclusive of VAT.

The successful tenderer will be required to:

• Develop and implement a Governance and Mandate Framework:
• Define the formal LSD Mandate, including its role, responsibilities, and boundaries within Coimisiún na Meán.
• Clarify the distinction between legal advice provision and operational/policy decision-making.
• Identify activities outside the LSD's remit (e.g., FOI administration, procurement execution, conveyancing, employment case handling), while noting potential oversight roles.
• Define responsibilities of the LSD and business partners regarding risk framing, legal defensibility, policy choices, and operational delivery ownership.
• Establish principles for early legal engagement where it adds value, preventing scope creep and inappropriate accountability transfer.
• Develop a legal risk acceptance and escalation framework aligned with the Commission's risk appetite and governance.
• Define key categories of legal risk (procedural, litigation, regulatory credibility, policy).
• Establish legal risk materiality levels with supporting criteria and thresholds.
• Define risk acceptance authorities, including circumstances for accepting legal risks at Director level.
• Strengthen governance, oversight, and management of external legal support engagement for consistency and value.
• Develop and implement a Service Delivery Framework:
• Establish consistent business partnering arrangements between the LSD and client divisions.
• Develop clear criteria for using internal and external legal resources, including a revised framework for when external support is utilized and how it is managed.
• Design and document the End-to-End Legal Service Lifecycle:
• Define processes, governance arrangements, roles, and supporting artefacts for consistent legal service delivery across the organisation.
• Implementation Support:
• Assist Coimisiún na Meán in embedding approved frameworks, processes, and governance arrangements.
• This includes stakeholder engagement, knowledge transfer, and adoption activities.
• The tenderer is not responsible for organisational decisions, framework approvals, or implementation activities owned by Coimisiún na Meán.

The engagement requires close collaboration with the General Counsel, the LSD team, and key organisational stakeholders to translate review recommendations into practical, sustainable, and organisation-wide operating frameworks, governance arrangements, processes, and ways of working.

3. Background & buyer context

Coimisiún na Meán was established on 15 March 2023 under the Online Safety and Media Regulation Act 2022. It has broad responsibilities including implementing the Audiovisual Media Services Directive (AVMSD), acting as Ireland's Digital Services Coordinator under the EU Digital Services Act, administering media funding schemes, promoting media plurality and innovation, supporting public service media, advancing media literacy, and fostering equality, diversity, inclusion, and sustainability in the media sector. The Commission also has statutory responsibilities concerning the Irish language.

The Legal Services Division (LSD) was established in late 2023 to provide legal advice and support across the Commission's regulatory, policy, supervisory, investigative, and corporate functions. As the Commission grows as a regulator, the volume and complexity of legal work are expected to increase significantly due to existing and new legislative frameworks (e.g., Digital Services Act, AI Act, European Media Freedom Act).

An independent Operating Model Review of the LSD was conducted during 2025/2026. This review assessed the current model, benchmarked it against comparable bodies, and identified opportunities for development. The review concluded in June 2026, proposing a future-state operating model with recommendations to strengthen governance, enhance service delivery, improve consistency, and support growth. This procurement is the next phase, focusing on implementing priority recommendations related to Governance and Mandate, Service Delivery, and Functional Processes.

4. Eligibility & selection criteria

Bidders must meet the following minimum requirements to be considered:

• Turnover requirement:
• Average annual turnover of at least €120,000 in each of the last three completed financial years.
• If established for fewer than three years, the minimum turnover must be met for each completed year of trading.
• Insurance:
• Employers' Liability Insurance: €13 million
• Public Liability Insurance: €6.5 million
• Professional Indemnity Insurance: €1 million
• Cyber Liability Insurance: €1 million
• Tenderers must possess these insurances or confirm they can be put in place before the contract commencement date.
• Certifications:
• Not specified for this tender.
• Past experience:
• Successfully delivered at least two consultancy projects within the last five years.
• Projects must involve the design, review, implementation, or transformation of legal operating models, legal service delivery models, governance frameworks, functional processes, or organisational operating models.
• Projects must have been for public sector bodies, regulators, or statutory bodies of comparable scale and complexity.
• Personnel:
• Not specified for this tender in terms of minimum years of experience for named roles, but CVs for nominated individuals are required.
• Geographic / facility constraints:
• Not specified for this tender.

Tenderers must declare compliance and provide supporting evidence upon request. Evidence must be provided within five working days of request.

5. Award criteria & scoring

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

Criterion Weight (%) Minimum Score Required Description