Provision of Advisory Support to Public Bodies

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 to establish a multi-party framework agreement for the provision of advisory support services to public bodies. The estimated total value over the framework period is €12,400,000.00, excluding VAT. The services are intended to support SEAI's Public Sector Programmes, which aim to assist public bodies in meeting their energy efficiency and greenhouse gas emission reduction targets.

The scope of work encompasses a range of advisory supports, including:

• Energy Management: Providing general and specialist energy management advice to public bodies. This includes supporting the implementation of structured energy management systems, such as ISO 50001 and EnergyMAP.
• Project Pipeline Planning: Assisting public bodies in developing and refining project pipelines to achieve national and EU directive targets. This involves mapping and diagnosing project pipelines from concept through to delivery, including identifying funding requirements and delivery mechanisms.
• Performance Monitoring: Supporting public bodies in monitoring their progress towards energy efficiency and greenhouse gas emission reduction targets, potentially through SEAI's online Monitoring and Reporting (M&R) system.
• Training and Development: Delivering training programmes and support services on energy management, carbon reduction, and behavioural change for public sector personnel. This may include accelerator courses for energy management certification.
• Retro-commissioning and Building Optimisation: Providing support for systematic investigation into building usage and system operations to improve overall building performance and identify energy-saving opportunities.
• Operational and Maintenance (O&M) Schemes: Developing and supporting schemes to help public bodies improve the operation and maintenance of their facilities to reduce energy costs.
• Sector-Specific Support: Providing tailored support to specific sectors and large energy users, including the HSE, Department of Education, OPW, Further and Higher Education sector, and Local Authorities.
• Leadership Engagement: Supporting engagement with sector and public body leadership to drive climate action objectives.
• Networking and Knowledge Sharing: Facilitating networking opportunities, both online and in-person, through platforms like SEAI's Energy Link, and supporting communities of practice.
• ISO 50001 Support: Leading the development and maintenance of ISO 50001 Energy Management Systems within SEAI offices and supporting public bodies in achieving ISO 50001 certification or implementing equivalent energy management programmes.

Services will be delivered through Direct Draw Down (for requirements up to 10 days' work, allocated by rotation) or Mini-Competitions (for requirements exceeding 10 days' work, involving all capable framework members).

3. Background & buyer context

This procurement aligns with Ireland's national climate action objectives. The Government's Climate Action Plan 2019 and subsequent amendments, including the Climate Action and Low Carbon Development (Amendment) Act 2021, mandate public bodies to lead by example in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and improving energy efficiency. The Public Sector Climate Action Mandate requires applicable public bodies to publish climate action roadmaps and implement structured energy management systems. SEAI is tasked with supporting these public bodies in achieving their targets, which include a 51% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions and a 50% improvement in energy efficiency by 2030. This tender seeks expert advisory support to enable public bodies to analyse their current position, plan for future actions, and accelerate investment decisions to meet these critical climate goals.

4. Eligibility & selection criteria

Bidders must meet the following minimum requirements to be considered:

• Turnover requirement: Tenderers must demonstrate a minimum average annual turnover in the area of the services required. Specific figures are not detailed in the provided extract, but the tender documents will specify this.
• Insurance:
• Employer's Liability: €13,000,000 each and every event.
• Public Liability: €6,500,000 each and every event.
• Professional Indemnity: €1,500,000 in the aggregate.
• Other national insurance requirements may apply.
• Certifications: Experience with ISO 50001 Energy Management Systems is a key requirement, with specific mention of the "ISO 50001 SEAI Energy Team" and the need for public bodies with energy spend greater than €2 million per annum to achieve ISO 50001 certification.
• Past experience: Tenderers must demonstrate experience in providing advisory support related to energy management, project pipeline planning, and performance monitoring to public bodies. Specific numbers of projects or value thresholds are not detailed in the provided extract.
• Personnel: Nominated resources must possess the qualifications and expertise required for the services. Replacements must be of equal or better qualifications and require SEAI agreement. Specific minimum years of experience for named roles are not detailed in the provided extract.
• Geographic / facility constraints: Services are to be provided to public bodies in Ireland. Hosting of data or services within the EU/EEA may be a requirement, though not explicitly stated in the provided extract.

5. Award criteria & scoring

The award of contracts under this framework will be based on the Most Economically Advantageous Tender (MEAT). The specific weightings and sub-criteria for scoring will be detailed in the Request for Mini-Tender documents for each individual task awarded. For the initial framework agreement, the award criteria will be outlined in the Call for Tender. The tender documents state that the "lowest cost tender that also meets all of the minimum requirements of the qualitative" criteria will be considered.

6. Submission requirements

Bidders are required to submit the following:

• ESPD: An Economic and Social Participation Declaration (ESPD) must be completed by each consortium member and uploaded by the prime consortium member.
• Pricing Schedule: A Form of Tender including pricing details, as appended in Schedule 1 of the Framework Agreement Terms and Conditions.
• Declarations:
• Tax clearance details, including tax reference number and tax clearance access number (TCAN).
• Bona Fides declarations.
• Conflict of Interest declarations.
• Personnel Information: Details of nominated resources, as set out in the Resource Allocation in Schedule 1.
• Framework Agreement Terms and Conditions: Tenderers are not required to submit a signed copy of the Framework Agreement Terms and Conditions as part of their tender.
• Method Statement/Response Document: Not explicitly detailed in the provided extract, but implied by the need to respond to the Call for Tender.
• CVs: Not explicitly detailed in the provided extract.
• Case Studies: Not explicitly detailed in the provided extract.
• Mandatory Site Visit: Not specified for this tender.
• Submission Portal: Bids must be submitted via eTenders.gov.ie. Specific format rules will be detailed in the tender documents.

7. Key dates & process

8. Contract terms that matter

• Framework Period: 2 years, with an option to extend for up to two consecutive 12-month periods, subject to performance, organisational needs, and budget availability.
• Call-Off Contracts: Contracts awarded under the framework may extend beyond the framework agreement's expiry date.
• Payment Terms: Not specified in the provided extract.
• SLAs/KPIs: Performance will be reviewed based on criteria including satisfactory delivery of services, quality of reports, timeliness, efficiency, and compliance with SEAI's procedural requirements. Framework members may be suspended or excluded for non-compliance.
• Liquidated Damages: Not specified in the provided extract.
• Termination: SEAI may terminate the agreement or suspend a framework member for material breach, repeated defaults, cessation of valid insurance, or failure to hold a valid tax clearance certificate. Either party may terminate with 14 days' notice under specific circumstances (e.g., no queries raised within 14 days).
• IP Ownership: Not specified in the provided extract.
• Sub-contracting: Not specified in the provided extract.
• Guarantees/Bonds: Not specified in the provided extract.

9. Risks, red flags & unusuals

• Multi-Party Framework with Rotation: The framework operates on a rotation basis for Direct Draw Downs, meaning the first-ranked firm is not guaranteed work and subsequent ranked firms are approached sequentially. This can lead to unpredictable work allocation for individual members.
• Mini-Competition for Larger Tasks: While Direct Draw Down is used for smaller tasks, larger or more complex requirements will trigger a mini-competition among all framework members. This means even firms ranked highly may need to re-compete for significant pieces of work.
• SEAI Discretion: SEAI reserves the right to operate outside the framework terms if it considers value-for-money is not being achieved, or to terminate the award procedure at any time.
• Tender Validity: Tenders must be valid for 12 months from the closing date, indicating a potentially lengthy evaluation period.
• No Guaranteed Spend: The maximum value stated (€12,400,000.00) is not a guarantee of spend over the framework's life.

10. SME fit assessment

This tender is structured as a multi-party framework agreement, designed to engage several service providers.

• Who can credibly bid: Small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) with demonstrable expertise in energy management, climate action advisory services, project pipeline development, and performance monitoring can credibly bid. Specialisation in areas like ISO 50001 implementation, building optimisation, or specific public sector areas (e.g., health, education) would be advantageous. The insurance requirements (€13m Employer's Liability, €6.5m Public Liability, €1.5m PI) are substantial and may be a barrier for very small or newly established firms without access to appropriate insurance markets.
• Consortium/Sub-contracting: The tender documents mention that for consortium bids, an ESPD must be completed by each member and uploaded by the prime. This indicates that consortium bids are permitted. Sub-contracting is not explicitly mentioned but is a common practice in such frameworks.
• Indicative bid-prep effort: Preparing a comprehensive tender response, including the ESPD, detailing methodologies, and providing evidence of past experience and personnel qualifications, would likely require significant effort. A rough estimate would be 10-20 days of dedicated work for a small team, depending on the firm's existing documentation and familiarity with public procurement.
• Pwin signal: The framework structure suggests SEAI aims to build a panel of capable providers rather than relying on a single incumbent. The rotation mechanism for direct draw-downs implies a desire for equitable distribution of work among successful framework members. The absence of named incumbent providers in the provided text suggests a competitive landscape for this framework.

11. Where to dig deeper

• Source RFT Filename(s): [Annex 1- Public Sector Framework Agreement.pdf], [Appendix 7 - Background and Further Information.pdf]
• eTenders CFT ID: Not specified in the provided extract.
• Contact Email / Clarification Portal: Not specified in the provided extract.
• Most Important Attachments:
• Framework Agreement Terms and Conditions
• Appendix 7: Background and Further Information