Provision of Integrated Marketing Campaign Services

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 a single supplier to provide integrated marketing campaign services for Samaritans Ireland. The contract duration is five months. The estimated value for the entire contract term is €140,000, inclusive of all costs, media spend, and VAT. This figure is for guidance and does not represent a commitment to spend.

The scope of work encompasses the development and execution of an integrated marketing campaign. While specific campaign objectives are not detailed in the provided metadata, the service provider will be responsible for:

• Campaign Strategy Development: Creating a comprehensive marketing strategy aligned with Samaritans Ireland's goals.
• Creative Development: Designing and producing campaign assets across various media.
• Media Planning and Buying: Identifying target audiences, planning media channels, and executing media buys.
• Digital Marketing: Implementing digital components of the campaign, potentially including social media, search engine marketing, and online advertising.
• Campaign Management: Overseeing the execution of the campaign, monitoring performance, and making adjustments as needed.
• Reporting and Analysis: Providing regular reports on campaign performance, including reach, engagement, and impact.

The contract is for a fixed term of five months. Tenderers must acknowledge that the Contracting Authority is not obligated to purchase any minimum value of services. The successful tenderer will be required to confirm acceptance of the Services Contract terms, which are not negotiable.

3. Background & buyer context

Samaritans Ireland is procuring integrated marketing campaign services through an open procedure under the European Union (Award of Public Authority Contracts) Regulations 2016. The organisation aims to engage a suitable company to deliver these services. The estimated value of the contract is €140,000 for the five-month term. Samaritans Ireland encourages participation from Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) and suggests that larger enterprises consider how SMEs can be included in their proposals. The tender process is designed to encourage participation on a fair and equal basis.

4. Eligibility & selection criteria

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

• Turnover Requirement: Tenderers must demonstrate an average annual turnover of €150,000 for any one of the three preceding financial years. Evidence required is a letter from an accountant/auditor confirming turnover for the previous three years, on the accountant's/auditor's letterhead.
• Insurance: The successful tenderer must hold the following insurances for the contract term:
• Employer’s Liability: €13 million (for any one claim or series of claims arising out of a single occurrence).
• Public Liability: €3.5 million (for any one claim or series of claims arising out of a single occurrence).
• Professional Indemnity: €2.5 million (for any one claim or series of claims arising out of a single occurrence).
• Cyber Liability/Data protection: €1 million (for any one claim or series of claims arising out of a single occurrence).
• Past Experience: Tenderers must demonstrate successful delivery of two (2) similar contracts. These contracts must be comparable in nature, scale, and complexity to those detailed in Appendix 1 of the RFT.
• Personnel: Not specified for this tender.
• Geographic / Facility Constraints: Not specified for this tender, beyond the implication of operating within the Republic of Ireland for insurance purposes.

Tenderers must also declare that no mandatory grounds for exclusion apply, or provide evidence of reliability if such grounds do apply. If relying on the capacity of subcontractors, these entities must also meet relevant criteria and submit declarations.

5. Award criteria & scoring

The award of the contract will be based on a combination of quality and price. Only tenders meeting minimum compliance requirements will proceed to full evaluation.

The total weighting for Quality Award Criteria is 55%. The weighting for Price is not explicitly stated but is implied to be the remaining 45% to reach 100%. Minimum marks required to pass each quality criterion are specified.

6. Submission requirements

Tenderers must submit their bids electronically via the eTenders.gov.ie platform. The submission must be a single zip file containing the following:

• Tender Response Document (TRD): This document will contain the qualitative award response and supporting documentation for selection criteria. It must be in PDF format and not contain embedded files.
• Selection Criteria Supporting Documentation: Specifically, evidence for Economic & Financial Standing (Turnover) must be included.
• Award Criteria Appendices/Attachments: Any additional documents requested for award criteria evaluation.
• Completed and Signed Tenderer’s Statement: This must be printed on the Tenderer’s letterhead and signed.
• Completed, Signed, and Witnessed Declaration as to Personal Circumstances: This declaration must also be submitted.

The pricing schedule must be submitted as a separate document within the zip file, not attached to the Tender Response Document. A specific folder structure is required within the zip file for the selection and award criteria documentation. Tenderers must ensure they allow sufficient time for upload, noting a 250MB file size limit per file and a 2GB total limit.

7. Key dates & process

The Contracting Authority reserves the right to alter these timelines.

8. Contract terms that matter

The Services Contract will operate for a fixed term of five months. There is no mention of extension options. Payments will be made in accordance with the Services Contract at Appendix 5. Prices quoted must remain valid for five months from the tender deadline. Price adjustments are permitted only on the first anniversary of the contract's effective date and subsequent anniversaries, based on the percentage change in the Consumer Price Index published by the Central Statistics Office. Any price increase request must be supported by verifiable evidence and agreed in writing by the Contracting Authority. The successful tenderer must comply with all applicable environmental, social, and labour laws. Indemnification is required for failure to comply with Council Directive 2001/23/EC (transfer of undertakings). Obligations under the Protection of Employees (Temporary Agency Work) Act 2012 must be considered.

9. Risks, red flags & unusuals

• Short Contract Term: The five-month contract duration is unusually short for an integrated marketing campaign, suggesting a specific, time-bound project or a pilot phase. This may limit the pool of potential bidders or require a focused, rapid deployment strategy.
• Estimated Value vs. Turnover Requirement: The estimated contract value of €140,000 is significantly lower than the €150,000 annual turnover requirement. This suggests that the turnover requirement is a standard gate for financial stability rather than directly proportional to the contract's scale, potentially favouring larger, established agencies.
• No Minimum Spend Commitment: Tenderers are explicitly warned that the Contracting Authority is under no obligation to purchase any minimum value of services, despite the estimated value.
• Non-Negotiable Contract Terms: The Services Contract terms are stated as non-negotiable. Any attempt to amend them may lead to disqualification.
• SME Encouragement with High Turnover Gate: While SMEs are encouraged, the €150,000 turnover requirement may present a barrier for very small businesses.

10. SME fit assessment

This tender is likely best suited for established marketing agencies with a proven track record in integrated campaign delivery. The €150,000 annual turnover requirement acts as a significant filter, excluding many smaller businesses unless they operate as part of a consortium or as subcontractors.

• Credible Bidders: Agencies with experience in developing and executing multi-channel marketing campaigns, particularly those with a strong digital component, are well-positioned. Experience in the not-for-profit or public sector would be advantageous.
• Consortium/Sub-contracting: The RFT explicitly allows for consortia and the use of subcontractors. SMEs that do not meet the turnover requirement individually are encouraged to form relationships with other SMEs or larger enterprises to bid. Larger enterprises are also encouraged to include SMEs in their proposals.
• Indicative Bid-Prep Effort: Preparing a compliant bid, including the Tender Response Document, supporting documentation for selection criteria, and declarations, will likely require 10-20 days of effort for a dedicated bid team, depending on the complexity of the required information and the availability of pre-prepared materials.
• Pwin Signal: The tender does not explicitly name an incumbent. However, the combination of a relatively low estimated value for the overall contract term and a higher-than-expected turnover requirement might suggest that the Contracting Authority is seeking a well-resourced, established provider rather than a startup. The encouragement for SMEs to partner suggests a desire for broader market engagement.

11. Where to dig deeper

• Source RFT Filename: SAMSIRE001 - Integrated Marketing Services - RFT.pdf
• eTenders CFT ID: Not specified in the provided text.
• Contact / Clarification Portal: Messaging facility on www.etenders.gov.ie
• Key Attachments:
• Appendix 1: Requirements and Specifications
• Appendix 2: Pricing Schedule
• Appendix 3: Tenderer’s Statement
• Appendix 5: Services Contract