Killala Harbour Regeneration, Water Sports and Floating Walkway Feasibility Study

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 consultancy team to conduct a feasibility study for the regeneration and enhancement of Killala Harbour and its surrounding coastal environment. The study aims to develop a strategic framework for future development, focusing on improving recreational, tourism, economic, and community value while supporting sustainable marine activities and enhancing connectivity. The project area is within a sensitive coastal environment designated as a Special Area of Conservation (SAC) and Special Protection Area (SPA), requiring proposals to adhere to environmental stewardship, sustainable development, and climate resilience principles.

The commission comprises three principal elements:

• Harbour Redevelopment and Public Realm Enhancement:

• Undertake a comprehensive topographical survey of the harbour, associated lands, and approach roads, mapping existing infrastructure, access, shoreline features, utilities, and land boundaries.

• Assess opportunities to regenerate the working harbour into an attractive, functional, and accessible public amenity.

• Develop a public realm strategy, improving pedestrian, cyclist, and vehicular movement in line with the Design Manual for Urban Roads and Streets (DMURS).

• Propose enhanced pedestrian and cycling facilities, traffic management, and calming interventions.

• Assess the feasibility of a walkway on the seaward side of the harbour wall.

• Strengthen pedestrian connectivity between Killala town centre and the harbour.

• Prepare a public realm masterplan including paving, street furniture, lighting, wayfinding, landscaping, and placemaking.

• Assess and enhance the existing motorhome service area.

• Formalise and secure existing informal boatyard and vessel storage areas as a managed facility.

• Prepare concept designs, preliminary layout options, indicative capital cost estimates, and outline phasing proposals.

• Undertake Appropriate Assessment (AA) Screening and Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Screening.

• Identify environmental, planning, marine, heritage, and statutory constraints.

• Water Sports Area Development:

• Develop a plan for a water sports hub on land leased by the Killala Community Committee, focusing on accessibility, sustainability, and support for recreational use, clubs, tourism, and events.

• Propose vehicular parking (including accessible spaces), secure storage for clubs, rinse-down facilities, equipment washdown areas, and a Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS) strategy.

• Ensure safe, convenient, and inclusive waterfront access, including universal access and adaptive launch facilities.

• Include public toilet and changing facilities (including accessible provision), public seating, picnic areas, landscaping, biodiversity enhancement, and signage.

• Prepare concept designs, preliminary layout options, indicative capital cost estimates, and potential phasing options.

• Undertake AA Screening and EIA Screening, assessing coastal, flood risk, and climate resilience considerations.

• Identify relevant planning, marine, heritage, and statutory constraints, including Marine Area Regulatory Authority (MARA) consenting.

• Killala Harbour to Ross Beach Floating Walkway Feasibility Study:

• Assess the viability of a floating walkway connecting the water sports area to Ross Beach.

• Review comparable national and international projects.

• Assess potential route alignments, landing locations, and suitability based on marine conditions (tides, currents, wave action, navigation).

• Identify construction methodologies, floating walkway systems, and materials.

• Examine anchoring, mooring, foundation, and restraint requirements.

• Identify landing, access, and interface requirements at both ends.

• Consider accessibility, operational, maintenance, and safety considerations.

• Assess likely capital investment and identify potential funding mechanisms.

• Prepare high-level concept layouts, identify preferred options, and provide preliminary capital and lifecycle cost estimates.

• Assess economic, tourism, recreational, and community benefits.

• Expand upon AA Screening and EIA Screening, assessing environmental, ecological, planning, marine, heritage, and statutory constraints, including coastal processes, flood risk, climate resilience, and sea-level rise.

• Identify navigation, fisheries, aquaculture, and maritime operational constraints.

• Identify additional surveys, assessments, licences, consents, or statutory approvals required for future development, including Part 8 planning and MARA consenting.

The study will culminate in a Strategic Development Framework providing Mayo County Council with a roadmap for future investment and development.

3. Background & buyer context

Mayo County Council is procuring this feasibility study to assess the existing facilities, infrastructure, and development potential of Killala Harbour and its coastal environment. The objective is to create a strategic framework for its future regeneration and enhancement, positioning Killala as a premier coastal, tourism, and recreation destination in North Mayo. This initiative aligns with the council's objective to strengthen the harbour's recreational, tourism, economic, and community value while maintaining its maritime functions. The project area's sensitive ecological status, being within designated SAC and SPA zones, necessitates a focus on environmental stewardship and sustainable development. Mayo County Council is working towards ISO 50001 Energy Management, a commitment incorporated into its tendering processes.

4. Eligibility & selection criteria

To be considered for this tender, bidders must meet the following minimum requirements:

• Turnover requirement: Not specified for this tender.
• Insurance:
• Employer's Liability: €13,000,000
• Public Liability: €6,500,000
• Product Liability: €6,500,000
• Professional Indemnity: €1,000,000
• Environmental Liability Impairment (EIL): €6,500,000 (where risk of gradual pollution or contamination exists)
• Certifications: Not specified for this tender.
• Past experience: Tenderers must demonstrate a minimum of three comparable commissions completed within the last five years. Experience should cover areas such as harbour development, marina or waterfront regeneration, marine infrastructure, and feasibility studies, particularly in environmentally sensitive or designated areas.
• Personnel: Not specified for this tender, but tenderers must demonstrate access to the minimum numbers of skilled personnel stated in the Tender Response Document.
• Geographic / facility constraints: Not specified for this tender.

Tenderers must also confirm compliance with relevant Health & Safety and Environmental legislation and guidelines. They must demonstrate effective and efficient technical resources and systems for service delivery and provide information on quality assurance measures, such as an externally certified system. Firms must have been in existence for at least six months.

5. Award criteria & scoring

The contract will be awarded based on a combination of quality and cost, evaluated against a total of 1,000 marks.

The lowest cost tender meeting all qualitative minimum requirements will receive the maximum score for the cost criterion. The scoring for qualitative criteria ranges from "Outstanding" (90-100%) to "Poor" (1-24%), with less than 50% being unacceptable. In case of a tie, the tender with the highest overall quality score will be awarded. If quality scores are also identical, the tender with the highest score on the highest weighted qualitative criterion will be selected.

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), which includes sections for general information, declarations, financial standing, tax compliance, turnover, insurance, and technical capacity.
• CVs: Details of key personnel involved in previous projects should be included in the "Previous Contracts/Experience" section of the TRD.
• Pricing schedule: Tenderers must complete the provided Pricing Document, ensuring all costs, including customs duties and tariffs, are included.
• Case studies: Details of a minimum of three comparable commissions completed within the last five years must be provided in the TRD.
• 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.
• Confirmation of financial standing.
• Confirmation of insurance being in place.
• European Single Procurement Document (ESPD) is accepted as evidence of compliance with Section 4.3.
• Mandatory site visit: Not specified for this tender.
• Submission portal: Tenders must be submitted electronically via the eTenders postbox facility on www.etenders.gov.ie. Tenderers must click "Submit Response" and allow sufficient time for upload.

7. Key dates & process

8. Contract terms that matter

The contract duration is one year, with a potential for extension at the Contracting Authority's discretion, subject to performance, budget, and business needs. Tenderers must agree to the appended Contract Terms and Conditions. Any reservations must be submitted as a query. If the primary awardee fails to deliver, the Contracting Authority reserves the right to award the contract to the next highest scoring tenderer. Contract management activities, including reporting and performance reviews, are non-billable. Tenderers must nominate a dedicated contract manager responsible for overall delivery and communication.

9. Risks, red flags & unusuals

The indicative budget for this contract is €45,000, which is relatively low for the scope of work described, potentially indicating a need for highly efficient service delivery or a phased approach to future development. The tender requires a minimum of three comparable commissions within the last five years, which may limit the pool of eligible bidders. The award criteria heavily favour cost (70%), with quality at 25% and green procurement at 5%. This weighting suggests that while quality is important, the most economically advantageous tender will likely be the lowest cost option that meets minimum quality thresholds. The requirement for AA and EIA screening within the feasibility study highlights the environmental sensitivity of the project area, which could introduce complexities and potential delays if significant issues are identified.

10. SME fit assessment

This tender is likely suitable for small to medium-sized consultancies specialising in coastal engineering, marine planning, environmental consultancy, and masterplanning. Bidders should possess demonstrable experience in harbour development, waterfront regeneration, and feasibility studies, particularly within environmentally sensitive areas. Consortiums or joint ventures are permitted, allowing SMEs to pool resources and expertise to meet capacity requirements. Tenderers may rely on the resources of other entities to meet selection criteria. The bid preparation effort is estimated to be moderate, requiring detailed responses on experience, technical approach, and pricing. Given the low indicative budget and high cost weighting, the incumbent or a firm with highly competitive pricing and proven efficiency in similar studies would likely have a strong position.

11. Where to dig deeper

• Source RFT filename: RFT Consultant Services Killala Harbour and Ross walkway.docx
• eTenders CFT ID: Not specified
• Contact for queries: Messaging facility on www.etenders.gov.ie
• Key attachments:
• Tender Response Document (TRD)
• Pricing Document
• Contract Terms and Conditions