Provision of Grant Management System and Related Services to City of Dublin ETB Youth 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 to establish a single-party framework agreement for the provision, implementation, hosting, support, and ongoing maintenance of a modern, cloud-based Grant Management System (GMS) for City of Dublin ETB Youth Services. The system will manage youth services funding schemes, including application, assessment, approval, award, monitoring, reporting, and compliance processes. The objective is to replace manual processes with a configurable, user-friendly solution that improves the experience for applicants, funded organisations, administrators, and management.

Key activities and system functionalities required include:

• Online Applicant Portal: For organisations to register, update profiles, and submit grant applications.
• Scheme Management: Support for multiple schemes, calls, and application types via configurable workflows and role-based access.
• Configurable Forms and Workflows: Ability for City of Dublin ETB Youth Services to configure application forms, eligibility checks, guidance text, budget tables, review forms, email templates, award letters, and reporting forms without vendor dependency.
• Bilingual Support: Provision for English and Irish content for applicants and guidance.
• Internal Workflows: Facilitation of completeness checks, finance reviews, liaison/development officer reviews, scoring, approvals, award communications, post-award monitoring, and reporting.
• Reporting and Dashboards: Generation of dashboards and exportable reports for operational monitoring, departmental reporting, audit requirements, and management oversight.
• Data Protection and Security: Robust arrangements for data protection, security, audit trails, support, hosting, continuity, and accessibility.
• Data Migration: Migration of relevant data and documents from current systems as agreed during implementation.
• Hosting: The solution is expected to be Software as a Service (SaaS) or an externally hosted managed service, requiring no local software installation or hosting infrastructure for the ETB or applicants.
• Implementation: Includes project planning, implementation plan, project governance, testing, training, data migration, hyper-care, and service desk arrangements.
• Account Management: Nomination of a dedicated, non-billable account manager responsible for the relationship, performance reporting, dispute resolution, and continuous improvement discussions.
• Audit Log Retention: A preference for a minimum of 12 months for audit log retention.

The system must support the full grants lifecycle for various schemes including UBU Your Place Your Space, Local Youth Club Grant Scheme, General Grant, Activity/Seasonal Grants, Development Grants, Training Grants, Bursary Grants, Youth Night/Oíche na hÓige, and resilience-related funding.

3. Background & buyer context

City of Dublin Education and Training Board (City of Dublin ETB) was established on 1st July 2013 under the Education and Training Boards Act, 2013. It is the state education and training authority for Dublin, employing over 3,000 staff and serving over 34,000 individuals across the city through various educational institutions and training centres. City of Dublin ETB is responsible for the provision, coordination, administration, and assessment of Youth Services in Dublin city. This procurement is driven by the need to modernise and streamline the administration of youth sector grant and funding processes, moving away from manual, spreadsheet-based systems towards a more efficient and user-friendly digital solution. The establishment of a single-party framework agreement is intended to leverage efficiencies and maximise cost savings over the duration of the agreement.

4. Eligibility & selection criteria

To be considered eligible for evaluation, bidders must meet the following minimum requirements:

• Turnover requirement: Confirmation that turnover exceeded €150,000 during one of the last three years, or pro-rata for more recently established firms.
• Insurance:
• Employers Liability: €12.7m minimum indemnity.
• Public Liability: €2.6m minimum indemnity.
• Cyber Liability / Cyber Insurance: €1m minimum indemnity.
• Professional Indemnity: €1m minimum indemnity.
• Policies must include Ireland within their territorial limits and jurisdiction.
• Certifications:
• ISO 27001 certification or equivalent is preferred.
• Cyber Essentials Plus or equivalent certification is preferred.
• Confirmation of proposed system meeting WCAG 2.2 Level AA standards and supporting compliance with the Official Languages Act.
• Past experience: Demonstration of successful delivery of three (3) previous comparable contracts within the past three (3) to five (5) years.
• Personnel: Access to minimum levels of manpower and skills as detailed in the specification.
• Geographic / facility constraints: Not specified for this tender.

Tenderers must also confirm tax compliance with the Irish Revenue Commissioners and complete the Declaration of Bona Fides. Evidence of self-declared information must be provided within seven (7) calendar days of request, prior to award.

5. Award criteria & scoring

The framework will be awarded on the basis of the Most Economically Advantageous Tender (MEAT), considering the following criteria:

Tenderers must achieve a minimum score of 60% for the "Technical / Functional Fit" and "Non-Functional, Security and Technical Architecture" criteria to proceed.

6. Submission requirements

Bidders must submit their proposals using the specified documents:

• Tender Response Document (TRD): To be completed with company overview, legal compliance, financial capacity, and technical capacity details. A page limit of 60 A4 pages applies for the "Technical / Functional Fit" section and 30 A4 pages for the "Non-Functional, Security and Technical Architecture" section.
• Pricing Schedule: A separate document (Appendix 3a) detailing costs.
• European Single Procurement Document (ESPD): Appendix 8, to be completed and signed.
• Declaration of Bona Fides: Included within the Tender Response Document.
• Insurance Confirmation: Formal confirmation from an insurance company or broker will be requested from the successful tenderer prior to award.
• Tax Clearance: Confirmation of tax compliance and provision of Tax Clearance Access Number and Tax Reference Number.
• Site Visit: Not specified as mandatory.
• Submission Portal: All submissions must be made via www.etenders.gov.ie.

7. Key dates & process

The Contracting Authority reserves the right to extend these timelines.

8. Contract terms that matter

• Contract Type: Single-party framework agreement.
• Duration: Initial 6 years, with two optional 2-year extensions, totalling a maximum of 10 years. Contracts awarded under the framework may extend beyond the framework expiry date.
• Payment Terms: Invoices to be submitted monthly for costs incurred in the preceding month, quoting a Contracting Authority purchase order number.
• Performance Monitoring: Continuous monitoring based on cost competitiveness, quality of service, and turnaround time. Specific KPIs to be agreed.
• Account Management: A dedicated, non-billable account manager is required.
• Termination: The Contracting Authority may terminate the agreement for material breach, failure to perform obligations, insolvency, or cessation of business by the framework member, with notice periods specified for certain breaches (e.g., 14 days' notice for termination by either party under specific conditions, 30 days for remediable breaches).
• Intellectual Property: Not specified.
• Sub-contracting: Not specified.
• Guarantees/Bonds: Not specified.

9. Risks, red flags & unusuals

• Single-Party Framework: This structure concentrates risk and reliance on one supplier. While it offers potential efficiencies, it also means the Contracting Authority has no competitive tension for individual contract awards under the framework.
• No Guaranteed Expenditure: The estimated value of €1.5m is indicative, and the Contracting Authority reserves the right to procure outside the framework, meaning no guaranteed business volume for the successful bidder.
• Long Contract Duration: The potential 10-year term for a cloud-based system requires careful consideration of long-term vendor viability, pricing stability, and technology evolution. The justification for this length relates to the complexity of implementation and ongoing development.
• Acceptance of Framework Terms: Tenderers must accept the Contracting Authority's Framework Agreement terms as appended, with any reservations to be raised as queries. This is a critical pre-condition.
• Minimum Scores: The requirement for minimum scores (60%) in specific award criteria means that even a low-cost bid can be disqualified if it fails to meet technical thresholds.

10. SME fit assessment

This tender is structured as a single-party framework agreement, suggesting a preference for established suppliers with proven track records in delivering complex, cloud-based GMS solutions. A small to medium-sized enterprise (SME) could potentially bid if they possess:

• Specialised Expertise: Deep experience in grant management software, cloud hosting, and public sector integration.
• Financial Capacity: Ability to meet the €150,000 turnover requirement and hold the specified insurance levels.
• Technical Capability: Demonstrated success in delivering at least three comparable projects within the last 3-5 years.
• Certifications: Possession of or a clear roadmap to achieving ISO 27001 and Cyber Essentials Plus equivalent certifications would be advantageous.

Consortium bids or sub-contracting arrangements are not explicitly prohibited and could enable SMEs to pool resources and expertise to meet the requirements. The bid preparation effort is likely significant, requiring detailed responses to technical specifications, pricing schedules, and legal declarations, potentially spanning several weeks for a dedicated team. The "single-party" nature and the emphasis on proven experience suggest a strong incumbent advantage if one exists, or a preference for a supplier with a mature, well-established GMS product.

11. Where to dig deeper

• Source RFT Filename: CFT8596615 - Grant Management System CDYS - Call for Tender CFT.pdf
• eTenders CFT ID: CFT8596615
• Contact for Queries: Questions and Answers facility on www.etenders.gov.ie
• Key Attachments:
• Appendix 3 – Tender Response Document (TRD)
• Appendix 3a – Pricing Schedule
• Appendix 5 – Contracting Authority’s Framework Agreement
• Appendix 8 – European Single Procurement Document (ESPD)