National Geodetic Surveying Infrastructure Upgrade

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

The contract requires the provision and installation of geodetic hardware, including antennas, receivers, and ancillary equipment. It also includes geodetic data processing software licensing and ongoing maintenance. The estimated value for these goods over the contract term is €2,000,000.00 (excluding VAT).

The scope of work encompasses:

• Provision and Installation of Geodetic Hardware: This includes new geodetic stations, comprising antennas, receivers, and associated ancillary equipment. The contract specifies a minimum of six new stations requiring ancillary equipment, with the possibility of upgrades for replaced stations.
• Geodetic Data Processing Software: Licensing for software used in geodetic data processing is required.
• Ongoing Maintenance: Maintenance services for both the hardware and software are a key component of the contract.
• Warranty: All provided hardware and software must be covered by a warranty of a minimum of five years.
• Ancillary Equipment: This may include items such as meteorological sensors and power supplies.
• Power and Data Backup: Batteries are required to provide a minimum of 14 hours of power and data backup, with a further specification for backup batteries providing a minimum of 16 hours for specific equipment like monumentation.
• Logging Capacity: The system must support a minimum of 555 universal channels and allow for parallel logging sessions for up to 30 days.
• Incident Response: For power supplies or telecoms, repairs are to be completed in under 1.5 days of formal notification of an incident. Site visits for troubleshooting and repairs are to be conducted within 1 day.

The contract is for a term of 5 years, with the possibility of one or two extensions of up to 1 year each.

3. Background & buyer context

Tailte Éireann, the contracting authority, is procuring this National Geodetic Surveying Infrastructure Upgrade to enhance its geodetic capabilities. The procurement is being conducted under an open procedure, as per EU regulations. The estimated expenditure for the goods over the contract term is €2,000,000.00 (excluding VAT). The contracting authority aims to encourage participation from Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) and encourages larger enterprises to consider how SMEs can be included in their proposals.

4. Eligibility & selection criteria

Tenderers must meet the following minimum requirements to be considered:

• Turnover requirement: A minimum average annual turnover of €1,000,000.00 for the last three financial years, or pro-rata if the firm is more recently established. The firm must have been in existence for at least 6 months.
• Insurance:
• Employer’s Liability: €12.7 million for any one occurrence or series of claims arising out of a single occurrence per insurance year.
• Public Liability: €6.5 million for any one occurrence or series of claims arising out of a single occurrence per insurance year.
• Product Liability: €6.5 million for any one occurrence or series of claims arising out of a single occurrence per insurance year.
• Professional Indemnity: €2 million for any one claim or series of claims arising out of a single occurrence, per insurance year (excluding defence costs).
• Cyber Liability: €2 million for any one occurrence or series of claims arising out of a single occurrence per insurance year.
• 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.

Tenderers must also confirm compliance with all applicable environmental, social, and labour laws.

5. Award criteria & scoring

The contract will be awarded based on the Most Economically Advantageous Tender (MEAT), determined by a combination of price and quality.

The lowest cost tender that also meets all minimum requirements of the qualitative award criteria will receive the maximum score for the price criterion. Submissions exceeding minimum requirements and demonstrating clear understanding, innovative solutions, and added value will gain additional marks in the evaluation.

6. Submission requirements

Tenders must be submitted electronically via the eTenders platform (www.etenders.gov.ie).

• Method statement / response document: Tenderers must follow the RFT format and respond to each element in the order presented.
• CVs: Not specified for this tender.
• Pricing schedule: All Tenderers must complete the Pricing Schedule at Appendix 2. Prices must be all-inclusive (excluding VAT), expressed in Euro, and valid for 6 months from the Tender Deadline.
• Case studies: Not specified for this tender.
• Declarations:
• Electronic Single Procurement Document (eESPD).
• Tenderer’s Statement (Appendix 3), scanned and signed.
• Declaration as to Personal Circumstances of Tenderer (Appendix 4).
• Mandatory site visit: Not specified for this tender.
• Submission portal: www.etenders.gov.ie. File size limit of 250MB per file, with a maximum total limit of 2GB for all documentation. Tenders must be submitted in English.

7. Key dates & process

8. Contract terms that matter

• Term: 5 years, with an option for one or two extensions of up to 1 year each.
• Payment terms: As per the Goods Contract at Appendix 5.
• Key SLAs/KPIs: Not specified for this tender.
• Liquidated damages or penalty regimes: Not specified for this tender.
• Termination clauses: Not specified for this tender.
• IP ownership: Not specified for this tender.
• Sub-contracting rules: Where a group of undertakings submits a tender, a single nominated entity must represent them. The successful tenderer must designate a Prime Contractor responsible for the entire contract, irrespective of subcontractors.
• Parent-company guarantee or bond requirements: Not specified for this tender.

9. Risks, red flags & unusuals

• Estimated Value vs. Turnover: The estimated contract value of €2,000,000.00 over 5 years (€400,000 per year) is twice the minimum annual turnover requirement of €1,000,000.00. This suggests a potential for larger firms to bid, or for SMEs to form consortia.
• Warranty Period: A minimum warranty of five years for hardware and software is a significant commitment and may influence pricing and supplier selection.
• Open Procedure with Limited Detail: While an open procedure is used, specific details on lots, award criteria weighting, and detailed technical specifications are not fully elaborated in the provided extract, requiring bidders to infer or seek clarification.
• SME Encouragement: The explicit encouragement for SME participation and consortia formation indicates a desire for broader market engagement, but also suggests that the full scope might be challenging for a single small entity.

10. SME fit assessment

This tender is structured as an open procedure, suggesting it is open to a wide range of suppliers. However, the requirement for a minimum annual turnover of €1,000,000.00 and significant insurance cover (€12.7m EL, €6.5m PL/Prod, €2m PI/Cyber) indicates that very small or newly established businesses may find it difficult to meet these financial and risk-management thresholds independently.

Consortia and prime/subcontractor arrangements are explicitly permitted. This allows SMEs to combine their capabilities or to partner with larger firms to meet the requirements. Therefore, a credible bidder could be:

• A medium-sized enterprise with a strong track record in geodetic surveying equipment and software.
• A consortium of smaller, specialist firms, each contributing expertise in hardware, software, installation, or maintenance.
• A larger enterprise willing to include SMEs as subcontractors.

The bid preparation effort is likely to be substantial due to the need to detail hardware and software specifications, installation plans, maintenance schedules, and to complete the eESPD and other declarations. The Pwin signal is neutral; there is no clear indication of an incumbent or a preferred supplier. The open procedure and SME encouragement suggest a competitive process.

11. Where to dig deeper

• Source RFT filename: RFT_National Geodetic Surveying Infrastructure Upgrade for Tailte Éireann.pdf
• eTenders CFT ID: GoodsRFT160125
• Contact / Clarification Portal: Messaging facility on www.etenders.gov.ie
• Key Attachments:
• Appendix 1: Requirements and Specifications
• Appendix 2: Pricing Schedule
• Appendix 5: Goods Contract