The Provision of Health Checks for Irish Rail Staff

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

Iarnród Éireann-Irish Rail (IE) is procuring a nationwide employee health screening programme. The service will support over 5,300 employees across multiple sites, operating across day, night, and shift-working environments. The successful provider will manage the planning, administration, delivery, follow-up, and reporting of the programme.

Key activities include:

• Appointment Management: Operating an online and telephone-based appointment booking system.
• Screening Coordination: Coordinating screening schedules across more than 20 locations.
• Participation Monitoring: Providing regular updates on appointment uptake to encourage participation.
• Clinical Screening: Conducting individual 20-to-30-minute appointments.
• Sample Collection: Performing VENOUS BLOOD DRAW for laboratory analysis. Finger prick testing is not acceptable.
• Health Assessments: Including blood pressure, BMI, waist circumference, cholesterol and lipid profile, HbA1c (diabetes screening), PSA testing for men over 40.
• Wellbeing Questionnaires: Covering mental health, cancer awareness, cardiovascular risk, lifestyle, exercise, nutrition, and musculoskeletal health.
• Health Education & Support: Providing health education and behavioural support through motivational interviewing and personalised wellbeing discussions.
• Signposting: Directing employees to internal IE wellbeing programmes and external healthcare supports.
• Abnormal Findings Management: Timely follow-up contact from a qualified nurse or doctor for employees with results outside normal clinical ranges, including mental health concerns.
• Reporting: Providing personalised written results, recommendations, and GP referral letters where appropriate.
• Anonymised Reporting: Supplying anonymised, aggregated reports to IE on workforce health trends by location and gender, while preserving employee anonymity.

The service must be clinically robust, accessible, and employee-focused, promoting early intervention and positive health outcomes.

3. Background & buyer context

Iarnród Éireann-Irish Rail (IE) is a designated activity company operating in the transport sector. This procurement is governed by the Utilities Directive (2014/25/EU) and the European Union (Award of Contracts by Utility Undertakings) Regulations 2016. IE is undertaking this procurement as part of its ongoing commitment to employee health, wellbeing, and early intervention. The service aims to support IE's broader Health & Wellbeing Strategy. The procurement process is being managed through a two-stage pre-qualification questionnaire (PQQ) followed by an invitation to tender (ITT).

4. Eligibility & selection criteria

• Turnover requirement: A minimum average annual turnover of €80,000 (exclusive of VAT) for the last three audited financial year ends. Evidence required via signed auditor’s statement and audited accounts. Reliance on parent company or consortium members for turnover is permitted, subject to specific documentation and declarations.
• Insurance: Not specified for this tender.
• Certifications: Applicants must provide details of their Quality Management System (QMS) and Environmental Management System (EMS). Certification to recognised international standards such as ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 (or equivalent) is required. Applicants must submit their current Quality Management Policy/Statement and Environmental Policy/Statement.
• Past experience: Applicants must provide five examples of relevant contracts completed in the last five years. These contracts must be of similar size, scale, and complexity to the requirements outlined in the contract notice and scope of services. Details on the number of resources and their qualifications involved in each contract are required.
• Personnel: Not specified for this tender, beyond the requirement for appropriately qualified clinical personnel to conduct screenings and follow-ups.
• Geographic / facility constraints: The service must be nationwide, supporting over 5,300 employees across multiple sites throughout Ireland.

5. Award criteria & scoring

The award criteria will be detailed in the Invitation to Tender (ITT) stage. However, the PQQ outlines the weighting for Technical/Professional Ability selection criteria, which will form part of the overall evaluation:

The PQQ does not specify the price/quality split for the ITT stage, nor an overall minimum scoring threshold.

6. Submission requirements

The PQQ submission requires completion of the Questionnaire in Appendix 1 and associated appendices. All electronic copies must be in PDF format.

• Questionnaire: Must be completed in full, covering:
• Part 1: Applicant Details and General Information
• Part 2: Information/Declaration re Minimum Qualification Criteria
• Part 4: Technical/Professional Ability: Relevant Experience
• Part 5: Technical/Professional Ability: Company Resources
• Part 6: Quality Management Systems
• Part 8: Organisational Sustainability
• Part 9: Declaration of Eligibility
• Appendices:
• Appendix 2: Consortium Requirements (if applicable)
• Appendix 3: Sub-Contractors (if applicable)
• Appendix 4: Applicant’s Statement of Confirmation
• Supporting Documentation:
• Audited accounts for the last three financial years for turnover verification.
• Signed auditor’s statement for turnover verification.
• Details of QMS and EMS, including ISO 9001/14001 certifications (or equivalent).
• Signed Quality Management Policy/Statement and Environmental Policy/Statement.
• Details of five relevant contracts completed in the last five years.
• Declarations: Declaration of Eligibility (Part 9) must be completed by the Applicant, all consortium members, and all proposed sub-contractors.
• Submission Portal: Via the e-tenders portal only.

7. Key dates & process

8. Contract terms that matter

The contract duration is three years, with an option for IE to extend for two additional years on a yearly basis at its discretion. The specific form of contract will be provided at the ITT stage. Applicants proceeding to the ITT stage will be required to comply with the contract's insurance requirements and possess a Tax Clearance Certificate from the Revenue Commissioners of Ireland at the time of contract award. Sub-contracting is permitted but not for the entire obligations of the contractor, and any sub-contracting requires IE's sole discretion and consent.

9. Risks, red flags & unusuals

The most significant red flag is the very low minimum turnover requirement of €80,000 per annum. This is substantially below what would typically be expected for a nationwide health screening programme for over 5,300 employees, involving clinical services, blood sample analysis, and complex logistics. This low threshold may indicate:

• A potential incumbent advantage, where the current provider may have established efficiencies that allow them to operate profitably at this turnover level.
• A risk that the tender is not fully costed or that the scope may be reduced in the ITT stage.
• A potential for a large number of bidders to be shortlisted, increasing competition but also potentially leading to a less experienced pool of candidates. The reliance on specific ISO certifications (9001 and 14001 or equivalent) is standard, but the absence of specified insurance requirements in the PQQ is unusual for a healthcare service and may be detailed later in the ITT.

10. SME fit assessment

This tender is likely open to small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) that specialise in occupational health screening and have a demonstrable track record. The low turnover requirement of €80,000 per annum suggests that smaller, focused providers could meet the financial threshold. However, the scale of the service (nationwide, 5,300+ employees, venous blood draws, lab analysis) requires significant operational capacity and clinical expertise.

• Viable Bidders: Firms with established nationwide mobile or clinic-based health screening services, possessing the necessary clinical staff (nurses, phlebotomists, doctors), laboratory partnerships, and robust IT systems for booking and reporting. Experience in corporate or public sector health programmes is essential.
• Consortium/Sub-contracting: Consortiums and sub-contracting are explicitly allowed. This enables smaller firms to partner with others to meet experience or resource requirements, or to subcontract specific elements like laboratory analysis.
• Bid-Prep Effort: Moderate to high. While the PQQ is focused on qualification, compiling five detailed case studies, providing financial evidence, and outlining QMS/EMS and sustainability plans requires significant effort.
• Pwin Signal: The low turnover requirement and the potential for a broad shortlist suggest a competitive process. The absence of an incumbent mention in the PQQ means their strength is unknown, but the low financial hurdle could favour established players or those with highly efficient operating models.

11. Where to dig deeper

• Source RFT Filename: [9718 PQQ - Health Checks.docx]
• eTenders CFT ID: Not specified
• Contact Email / Clarification Portal: Via the e-tenders portal.
• Key Attachments:
• Appendix 1: The Pre-Qualification Questionnaire to be Completed
• Part 9: Declaration of Eligibility
• Section 5.1: Minimum Qualification Criteria