Greenway Feasibility: 2026 Shannon Harbour to Banagher, Co Offaly

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 engineering consultancy services to assess the feasibility and viability of extending an existing greenway. The project involves evaluating the potential extension of the greenway from Shannon Harbour to the urban setting of Banagher Town in County Offaly.

The scope of work encompasses:

• Feasibility and Viability Assessment: Conducting a comprehensive study to determine the practical and economic feasibility of the proposed greenway extension. This includes evaluating potential routes, environmental impacts, land acquisition requirements, and construction costs.
• Engineering Consultancy Services: Providing all necessary engineering expertise to support the feasibility assessment. This may include preliminary design, route analysis, site investigations, and technical evaluations.
• Project Management: Managing the consultancy services throughout the project lifecycle, ensuring timely delivery and adherence to quality standards.
• Reporting: Producing detailed reports on the findings of the feasibility study, including recommendations for the proposed greenway extension. This will likely involve technical reports, cost estimates, and risk assessments.
• Stakeholder Consultation: Engaging with relevant stakeholders, which may include local communities, landowners, environmental agencies, and other public bodies, to gather input and address concerns.
• Compliance and Regulatory Review: Ensuring that the proposed extension complies with all relevant planning, environmental, and safety regulations.

The services are to be performed in accordance with the Standard Conditions of Engagement for Consultancy Services (Technical) and any other documents identified in Schedule A of the contract. The consultant will be responsible for performing the services with the skill, care, diligence, efficiency, and professional conduct reasonably expected from a consultant with suitable qualifications and experience.

3. Background & buyer context

This procurement is initiated by Offaly County Council to explore the potential development of a greenway extension. The project aligns with broader initiatives to enhance recreational infrastructure and promote sustainable tourism within County Offaly. The specific focus on the Shannon Harbour to Banagher route indicates a strategic interest in developing connectivity along the Shannon River corridor. While no specific national or regional programme is explicitly cited, such projects typically contribute to objectives related to active travel, rural development, and improved public amenities. The tender seeks to establish the foundational engineering and feasibility groundwork before any potential future construction phases.

4. Eligibility & selection criteria

Bidders must meet the following minimum requirements to be considered:

• Turnover requirement: Not specified for this tender.
• Insurance:
• Professional Indemnity Insurance: Minimum €1.5 Million cover on an "Each and Every claim" basis.
• Public Liability Insurance: Minimum €6.5 Million cover in respect of any one accident.
• Employer's Liability Insurance: Minimum €13 Million cover in respect of any one accident.
• Excess: A maximum excess of €10,000 is permitted for property damage in any one incident. For Public Liability, the excess is capped at 2% of turnover or €5,000, whichever is greatest. No excess is permitted on Employer's Liability Insurance.
• Certifications: Not specified for this tender, beyond general professional conduct.
• Past experience: Bidders must provide a maximum of 6 certificates of satisfactory delivery of services of a similar nature. Specific requirements include:
• A minimum of at least one example of a project where the safety of road users was improved.
• A minimum of four examples of design works for roads projects, with two on the National Road Network and two on the Regional Road Network.
• A minimum of at least one example of a project where the Consultant acted on behalf of a Local Authority and secured planning for a Local Authority Project.
• A minimum of at least one example of a project where the Consultant reviewed existing vehicular movements, manoeuvres, and safety of all road users on a site.
• Personnel: Not specified for this tender.
• Geographic / facility constraints: Not specified for this tender.

5. Award criteria & scoring

The award criteria are not explicitly detailed with scoring percentages in the provided documents. However, the tender process will follow a standard evaluation methodology. The contract will be awarded based on the most economically advantageous tender (MEAT), which typically involves a balance of quality and price. Bidders will be assessed on their technical proposal, which will include their understanding of the scope, proposed methodology, and the experience of their team, against the stated eligibility and selection criteria. The pricing submitted will also be a significant factor in the award decision.

6. Submission requirements

Bidders are required to submit the following:

• Tender Response: A comprehensive response detailing their understanding of the project, proposed methodology, and team structure.
• Pricing Schedule: A detailed breakdown of costs associated with the proposed services.
• Certificates of Satisfactory Delivery of Services (Appendix B1): A maximum of 6 certificates demonstrating previous experience on similar projects, adhering to the specific criteria outlined in the eligibility section.
• Letter of Undertaking re Insurance (Appendix C): A letter from an insurance undertaking confirming their ability to provide the required insurance cover.
• Letter from Entity being Relied Upon (Appendix D): If relying on a third party for economic or technical capacity, a letter confirming their commitment and the form of guarantee or warranty to be provided.
• Declarations: This will include the European Single Procurement Document (ESPD), Bona Fides declarations, Tax Clearance, and Conflict of Interest declarations.
• Submission Portal: Tenders must be submitted electronically via the eTenders platform. Specific formatting rules for electronic submissions will be detailed in the Instructions to Tenderers.
• Mandatory Site Visit: Not specified for this tender.

7. Key dates & process

8. Contract terms that matter

• Contract Structure: The contract will be based on the Standard Conditions of Engagement for Consultancy Services (Technical) (COE-1 v.2j), incorporating specific details from Schedules A and B, and other identified documents.
• Payment Terms: Payment is due within 30 days of the consultant supplying a valid invoice, provided a current tax clearance certificate is held. Stage fees are paid upon due completion of services for each stage. Percentage fees are applied to the estimated project costs at award.
• Key SLAs/KPIs: Not explicitly detailed in the provided extract, but performance will be evaluated based on skill, care, diligence, efficiency, and professional conduct.
• Liquidated Damages/Penalties: Not explicitly detailed in the provided extract. However, the contract notes that breach may cause financial losses for which the consultant is liable.
• Termination: The Client may terminate the contract for cause (e.g., breach, insolvency) or at will. Termination at will requires at least 14 and at most 28 days' notice.
• IP Ownership: The Consultant grants the Client a royalty-free, perpetual, non-exclusive, irrevocable licence to reproduce and use all documents and deliverables arising from the services. For specific documents listed in Schedule A, there is an absolute assignment of all rights to the Client.
• Sub-contracting: Sub-contracting is not permitted unless agreed or requested by the Client. If sub-contracting occurs, the sub-consultant must provide a collateral warranty to the Client. The Consultant remains responsible for the acts and omissions of sub-consultants.
• Parent Company Guarantee/Bond: Not specified for this tender.

9. Risks, red flags & unusuals

• Lack of Value Disclosure: The absence of an estimated contract value is a common feature in early-stage feasibility studies but requires bidders to price based on their own assessment of effort.
• Detailed Experience Requirements: The specific breakdown of required past project experience (road safety, national/regional roads, local authority projects, traffic review) is prescriptive and may limit the pool of eligible bidders to those with a very specific track record.
• Standard Conditions of Engagement: The use of the Office of Government Procurement's Standard Conditions of Engagement (COE-1 v.2j) means bidders should be familiar with its detailed clauses on performance, liability, payment, and termination.
• Insurance Requirements: While standard, the specific figures for Public Liability (€6.5M) and Employer's Liability (€13M) are substantial and require careful verification by insurers.
• No Explicit Award Criteria: The absence of detailed scoring weights for award criteria means bidders must infer the relative importance of quality versus price, with MEAT suggesting a balanced approach.

10. SME fit assessment

This tender is likely best suited for small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) that specialise in civil engineering, transport planning, and feasibility studies, particularly those with demonstrable experience in road design and local authority projects.

• Credible Bidders: Viable bidders would typically be established engineering consultancy firms with a proven track record in delivering similar feasibility and design projects for public sector clients. They would need to possess the specific experience outlined in the selection criteria, particularly concerning road user safety and local authority engagement.
• Consortium/Sub-contracting: While the tender documents state that sub-contracting is not permitted unless agreed or requested by the Client, and the Consultant remains responsible for sub-consultants, SMEs might consider forming a consortium with other firms to meet the experience requirements if they cannot fulfil them individually. However, the primary consultant must meet the core eligibility.
• Indicative Bid-Prep Effort: Preparing a compliant bid, especially with the detailed experience requirements and standard contract conditions, could require 5-10 working days for a dedicated bid team, including gathering project evidence, drafting the technical response, and obtaining insurance undertakings.
• Pwin Signal: The tender is open to competition, but the specific experience requirements could favour firms that have previously worked on similar greenway or road infrastructure projects for Irish local authorities. The absence of an incumbent is not stated, but the detailed nature of the experience criteria suggests a focus on demonstrated capability rather than a sole-supplier framework.

11. Where to dig deeper

• Source RFT Filename: 2. 2026_Invitation To Tender_Shannon Harbour_Banagher_Ph0-1 .pdf
• eTenders CFT ID: Not specified in the provided documents.
• Contact / Clarification Portal: Not specified in the provided documents.
• Most Important Attachments:
• 2. 2026_Invitation To Tender_Shannon Harbour_Banagher_Ph0-1 .pdf
• 3. 2026_Conditions of Engagement_Shannon Harbour_Banagher_Ph0-1.docx
• Appendix B1: List of Previous Works.docx
• Appendix C: Letter of Undertaking re Insurance.docx