An Post Digital International Payments (IMT) Partner

AI-generated analysis of the documents. Check the official notice and any amendments for current submission details.

1. At a glance

Buyer Title CPV / category Estimated value Per-year Procedure type Lots Location Contract length Submission deadline Go-live / start | :--------- | :--------------------------------------- | :------------- | :-------------- | :------- | :------------- | :--- | :-------------- | :-------------- | :------------------ | :-------------- | An Post Digital International Payments (IMT) Partner not stated not disclosed not stated not stated 1 Republic of Ireland 7 years + 2 years 2026-08-17 11:00 not stated

2. Scope of Work

This tender seeks a partner to provide a white-label digital international money transfer (IMT) solution, branded as An Post Money and integrated into the An Post Money App for customers in the Republic of Ireland. The solution will be An Post-led in distribution, brand, and customer relationship, with the partner providing platform, transaction processing, payout networks, compliance, and operational servicing.

The partner is expected to deliver capabilities including:

• Digital IMT Platform: 24/7/365 initiation of international money transfers, real-time FX rates with full fee transparency, supporting a minimum of 35 send currencies and 100 destination countries at launch.
• Payout Network: Provision of bank account credit, mobile wallet, and cash pickup options across key corridors, with a minimum standard of same-day settlement.
• White-label Digital Journey: Delivery of a full white-label, An Post Money-branded onboarding and servicing journey within the An Post Money App, without co-branding.
• KYC/AML and Fraud Prevention: Digital KYC/identity verification, AML transaction monitoring and screening, and real-time fraud detection, integrated with An Post Money’s existing biometric identity verification.
• Servicing and Support: Partner-delivered, An Post Money-branded customer support (24/7/365) with a defined escalation path to the An Post Money customer support function (Money Hub).

The solution must adopt an API-first architecture (RESTful APIs with a sandbox environment), provide native iOS and Android SDK or WebView integration, and be cloud-native and modular with EU/EEA data residency. Requirements cover customer-facing functionality, onboarding, KYC, compliance, AML, fraud, technical integration, operational resilience, business continuity, regulatory licensing, commercial terms, and the partnership/service model. Consortium and teamed responses are permitted. This procurement covers Phase 1 for the Republic of Ireland via the An Post Money App only.

3. Background & buyer context

An Post Money, the financial services arm of An Post, identified digital international money transfer (IMT) as a strategic priority following a Payments Strategy review in 2025. The Irish remittance market is undergoing rapid digitalization. An Post Money currently offers in-branch IMT services via a third-party partner but lacks a digital-first, in-app capability. This tender aims to address this gap by appointing a partner to provide this missing digital functionality. An Post is a commercial semi-State entity established in 1984, operating a national postal service and various financial services. The Group generated revenues of €1.050 billion in 2025, servicing approximately 2.5 million delivery points daily and handling €2.7 billion in cash transactions.

4. Eligibility & selection criteria

Bidders must meet the following minimum qualification criteria to be considered:

• Turnover requirement: A minimum average annual turnover of €2,000,000 (exclusive of VAT) for any two of the last three financial year ends. Evidence must be provided via audited accounts or an auditor's statement.
• Insurance: The successful tenderer must hold the following insurances for the contract term:
• Employer’s Liability: €13,000,000
• Public and Products Liability: €6,500,000
• Professional Indemnity: €5,000,000 any one claim
• Cyber Risk / Cyber Liability: €5,000,000 in the aggregate
• Certifications:
• Business Continuity Management System aligned to ISO 22301 (or equivalent), tested annually.
• Information Security Management System certified to ISO/IEC 27001 (or equivalent), with a SOC 2 Type II report (or equivalent).
• Environmental management approach ideally certified to ISO 14001 (or equivalent) or supported by a documented policy.
• Quality Management System certified to ISO 9001 (or equivalent).
• Occupational Health and Safety System certified to ISO 45001 (or equivalent).
• Past experience: Not explicitly quantified as a minimum number of projects in the PQQ, but technical capability and relevant experience are assessed.
• Personnel: Not specified as a minimum requirement in the PQQ.
• Geographic / facility constraints: The solution must be operational and available to An Post Money customers in the Republic of Ireland. Cloud-native solutions must have EU/EEA data residency.

5. Award criteria & scoring

This PQQ stage focuses on pre-qualification and shortlisting. The award criteria will be detailed at the Invitation to Tender (ITT) stage. However, the PQQ outlines the basis for shortlisting, which involves meeting minimum requirements and achieving the highest scores for pre-qualification using selection criteria. These selection criteria are weighted and include:

The overall award will be based on a Most Economically Advantageous Tender (MEAT) principle, with price and quality considered.

6. Submission requirements

The Pre-Qualification Questionnaire (PQQ) must be completed and submitted electronically via the eTenders platform. Key submission components include:

• Questionnaire Completion: All Parts of Appendix 1 (the PQQ) must be completed.
• Declarations:
• Declaration relating to meeting minimum qualification criteria (Part 2).
• Declaration of Eligibility (Part 14), signed by the Applicant and any consortium members/relied-upon entities.
• Applicant’s Statement of Confirmation (Appendix 4), signed.
• Declaration of Going Concern (Appendix 5), provided for the Applicant, each member, and each relied-upon entity.
• Consortium/Sub-contractor Documentation: Appendix 2 (Consortium Submission Requirements) and Appendix 3 (Requirements Concerning Sub-Contractors) must be completed if applicable.
• Financial Evidence: Audited accounts for the three most recent financial years, or an auditor's statement if the most recent year is not audited.
• Tax Clearance: Tax Clearance Access Number and Tax Reference Number will be required from the successful tenderer prior to contract award for online verification.
• Insurance Confirmation: A formal confirmation from the applicant's insurance company or broker will be requested from the successful tenderer prior to award.

7. Key dates & process

8. Contract terms that matter

The contract is intended to take the form of a Single Party Framework Agreement. The initial term is seven (7) years, with an option for An Post to extend for one or more further periods totalling up to two (2) years, resulting in a maximum potential term of nine (9) years. The digital IMT solution is considered a critical or important business service, requiring compliance with DORA, PSD2, PSD3 readiness, and Central Bank of Ireland expectations. This will be reflected in the contract, including service-level impact tolerances, Recovery Time Objectives (RTOs), and Recovery Point Objectives (RPOs). Robust information security, including compliance with ISO/IEC 27001 and SOC 2 Type II, is mandatory. Business continuity and disaster recovery arrangements are required, with a minimum platform availability target of 99.9% on a 24/7/365 basis. Sub-contracting is permitted but at the sole discretion of An Post, who may withhold consent. The prime contractor is fully responsible for the acts and omissions of its sub-contractors.

9. Risks, red flags & unusuals

The tender process is two-stage (PQQ and ITT). An Post reserves the right to shortlist up to five applicants, but may increase this number if there is a small differential in marks. The contract is a Framework Agreement, suggesting potential for future phases or extensions beyond the initial scope, which applicants are encouraged to indicate capabilities for. The PQQ is solely for pre-qualification; full requirements, evaluation criteria, and the form of contract will be provided at the ITT stage. An Post explicitly states it is not subject to EU utilities procurement regime for this tender, conducting it under its own competitive process.

10. SME fit assessment

This tender is open to individual applicants, single entities, consortia, or groupings. Consortium and teamed responses are expressly permitted, and sub-contracting is allowed, provided An Post consents. This structure allows smaller businesses to participate, potentially by forming consortia or acting as sub-contractors to larger prime contractors. The minimum turnover requirement of €2,000,000 per annum for two of the last three years suggests that very small, newly established businesses may struggle to meet this financial threshold unless they can rely on the resources of a parent company or consortium members. The bid preparation effort for the PQQ stage would likely involve significant time for gathering financial data, detailing technical capabilities, and completing all required declarations and appendices. The Pwin signal is moderate; while An Post is a large, established entity, the tender is for a new digital service, suggesting an openness to innovative solutions rather than a guaranteed incumbent advantage.

11. Where to dig deeper

• Source RFT filename: 0048 - Digital International Payments (IMT) Partner - PQQ.pdf
• eTenders CFT ID: Not specified in the provided text.
• Contact / Clarification Portal: eTenders platform.
• Most Important Attachments:
• Appendix 1: Pre-Qualification Questionnaire
• Appendix 4: Applicant’s Statement of Confirmation
• Appendix 5: Declaration of Going Concern