Research Tender in 2 Lots for DCCI

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1. At a glance

2. Scope of Work

This tender seeks to establish two single-party framework agreements for research services, one for each lot. The framework agreements will have a maximum duration of four years. The initial call-off contracts under these frameworks will be for a period of two years, with an option to extend for one to two additional years. The total estimated spend across both lots is €390,000 excluding VAT. Tenderers may apply for one or both lots.

The scope of work is divided into two lots:

• Lot 1: Industry and Economic Research Analysis

• Lot 1(a): Review and update of the current Industry and Economic Research analysis of the design and craft sector. This involves developing rigorous estimates of the scale and prevalence of Ireland’s design and craft sector, with a clear breakdown of craft and design discipline clusters served by DCCI. The research will align with the EU approach for estimating the contribution of different subsectors. Key areas of focus include:

• Profile of the Industry

• Employment in the Sector

• Skills and Demographics Characteristics

• Demand for Irish Products

• Estimation of Gross Value Added (GVA)

• Productivity

• Estimation of Turnover

• Number of companies/entities in operation

• Estimation of Production Value

• Estimation of Costs of Materials

• Multiplier Analysis

• Current and future employment potential

• Broader economic impact for related industries

• Updating key metrics annually for monitoring and reporting.

• Distinguishing between the overall Design and Craft sector, design subsectors, and practitioners within DCCI's remit.

• Utilising NACE codes and potentially the previous study's methodology.

• Defining designers as 'Designer Makers' and 'Professional Designers'.

• Defining craft as objects made predominantly by hand.

• Identifying scenarios for potential opportunities and future positioning of the sector.

• Identifying relevant current and future trends.

• Developing recommendations for market development.

• The research will draw on previous DCCI research (2021) and compare changes.

• Key steps include agreeing Terms of Reference, defining scope, agreeing KPIs, studying data sources, and conducting progress reviews.

• Outputs include a comprehensive Industry and Economic sectoral data report, annual research/revision of KPIs, a market development report, and a clear background methodology document.

• Lot 1(b): Deep dive analysis on economic and innovation impact of the digital design sector using economic, survey and qualitative analysis. This lot focuses on identifying the impact at a sub-sectoral level for digital creative industries, including design sectors, digital games, AR/VR/MR, and content creation sectors. The research will provide a separate dataset as an output, aligning with NACE codes or other data sources. Key objectives include understanding the economic impact, optimising future growth, and establishing a benchmark on the impact of this subsector. The research will align with the Digital Creative Industries Roadmap 2024-2026. Outputs include a data file providing impact data for Digital Creative Industries and estimating future KPI measurement.

• Lot 2: Provision of Annual DCCI Client Economic Survey and Sentiment Tracker Survey. This lot involves conducting an annual survey of DCCI clients to track economic sentiment and gather relevant data. The findings will inform DCCI's strategic plans and programmes.

3. Background & buyer context

The Design and Crafts Council Ireland (DCCI) is the national agency supporting craft and design businesses in Ireland. Funded by the Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment via Enterprise Ireland, DCCI supports over 3,500 registered clients and 68 member organisations. This procurement is driven by the need to update existing economic impact assessments of the design and craft sector, aligning with EU methodologies and informing DCCI's strategic planning, particularly for a new organisational strategy commencing January 2027. The research will provide robust evidence for government, funders, and partners. The procurement also supports the Digital Creative Industries Roadmap 2024-2026 by assessing the economic impact of digital creative sub-sectors.

4. Eligibility & selection criteria

Tenderers must meet the following minimum requirements to be considered eligible:

• Turnover requirement:
• For Lot 1 (a) and (b): A minimum average annual turnover of €80,000 in each of the last three financial years.
• For Lot 2: A minimum average annual turnover of €55,000 in each of the last three financial years.
• If applying for both lots: A minimum cumulative turnover of €136,000 will be requested only if the tenderer is successful in both lots.
• Firms established more recently must have been in existence for at least 6 months and provide pro-rata turnover confirmation.
• Insurance:
• Employer's Liability: €13 million
• Public Liability: €6.5 million
• Professional Indemnity: €1 million
• Certifications: Tenderers must provide information on measures in place to ensure the delivery of a quality service, for example, by way of an externally certified system (e.g., ISO 9001, ISO 27001).
• Past experience: Tenderers must demonstrate successful delivery of two (2) previous comparable experience/projects relevant to the scope of the tender.
• Personnel: Tenderers must demonstrate access to the minimum numbers of skilled personnel stated in the Tender Response Document. Specific roles and minimum years of experience are detailed within the RFT documentation.
• Geographic / facility constraints: Not specified for this tender.

5. Award criteria & scoring

The award criteria will determine the most economically advantageous tender. The evaluation will be based on a combination of price and quality.

Criterion Weighting (%) Sub-criteria