Provision of Televised Facilities for the Houses of the Oireachtas

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1. At a glance

2. Scope of Work

The contract covers the management, operation, maintenance, and development of technical facilities for televising and distributing Oireachtas parliamentary proceedings and the Oireachtas TV channel. The estimated value for these services is €13.5 million (excluding VAT) over a four-year term, with an option for a 12-month extension, totalling a potential five-year period.

Key activities and components include:

• Chamber Facilities and Control Rooms: Management of technical facilities within the Dáil and Seanad chambers, including dedicated camera operator positions, control rooms, and associated equipment.
• Audio Services: Provision of audio feeds from chamber and committee room conference systems. This includes routing audio from chamber conference systems, supplying boundary microphones, and routing split audio feeds to Dante Dark88 AoIP interfaces.
• Studio Operations: Management of studio facilities, including the provision of a presenter plus a minimum of two guests in the studio.
• Gallery Staffing: Staffing of committee room galleries with a minimum of one MSO (Master of Studio Operations) and chamber galleries with a minimum of two MSOs. The Dáil chamber gallery is staffed at a maximum of four operators, and the Seanad chamber at a maximum of three operators. Committee rooms require two operators.
• Transmission and Distribution: Management of the Oireachtas TV channel, including the distribution of parliamentary proceedings. This requires a minimum of 24 hours' notice for transmissions.
• Technical Development: Maintenance and development of technical facilities to ensure ongoing operational capability.
• Operational Models: Transition to a skilled operator model within 12 months of contract commencement, and a commercial model that moves to an MSO operation within 12 months.
• Specific Content Production:
• Approximately 15 location interviews for use as video tape inserts.
• Approximately 3 location interviews for monthly studio productions.
• Approximately 9 monthly hour-long procedural highlights.
• Incident Management: Response to outages within specific timeframes:
• Within 2 minutes for critical incidents.
• Within 5 minutes for essential services.
• Within 30 minutes for manager response to outages.
• Notice Periods: Oireachtas Broadcasting Unit (OBU) requires a minimum of 24 hours' notice for specific operational requirements.

3. Background & buyer context

This procurement is for the provision of televised facilities for the Houses of the Oireachtas Service. The current contract for these services is set to expire on 31 December 2026. The procurement is being conducted under EU public procurement regulations, specifically Directive 2014/24/EU, and the Irish European Union (Award of Public Authority Contracts) Regulations 2016. The Houses of the Oireachtas Service has chosen a Single Stage Tendering Procedure involving Negotiation, allowing for discussions with bidders to refine proposals. The estimated expenditure of €13.5 million over the potential five-year term indicates a significant investment in maintaining and developing parliamentary broadcasting capabilities. The tender also references the need to consider TUPE (Transfer of Undertakings) regulations, suggesting a potential transfer of staff from the incumbent contractor.

4. Eligibility & selection criteria

Bidders must meet the following minimum requirements to be considered compliant:

• Turnover requirement: A minimum average annual turnover of €1,200,000 in at least two of the last three financial years. Pro-rata calculations apply if the business has been operating for less than three years.
• Insurance: The successful Tenderer must hold the following insurances for the term of the Services Contract:
• Employer’s Liability: €13,000,000
• Public Liability: €6,500,000
• Professional Indemnity: €6,500,000
• Product Liability: €2,600,000
• Cyber Liability: €3,000,000
• Certifications: Not specified for this tender.
• Past experience: Not explicitly quantified in terms of a minimum number of projects, but the scope implies experience in managing and operating complex broadcast facilities for parliamentary or similar governmental bodies.
• Personnel:
• A minimum of two guests in the studio alongside the presenter.
• Minimum of one MSO for committee room galleries.
• Minimum of two MSOs for Dáil/Seanad galleries.
• Geographic / facility constraints: Services are provided within Ireland. Specific response times are required: "Within 2 minutes of", "Within 5 minutes of", and "Within 30 minutes of" for certain incidents or personnel availability. The operational model transition requires MSO operation to be completed within 12 months.

5. Award criteria & scoring

The contract will be awarded based on Most Economically Advantageous Tender (MEAT), with a split between price and quality.

Criterion Weight (%) Sub-criteria