Provision of Managed Logistics and Transport 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

The Contracting Authority, St. Vincent's University Hospital, seeks a service provider for a fully managed logistics and transport service. The service requires dedicated vehicles, trained and Garda-vetted personnel, robust operational management, and service continuity arrangements to ensure uninterrupted delivery across hospital sites. The service must integrate with hospital operations, ensuring timely, accurate, confidential, and secure deliveries and collections.

The procurement is divided into two lots:

• Lot 1: Transport between the Medical Records Building and St Vincent's University Hospital locations. This lot focuses on the secure, high-frequency transport of physical medical records, clinical charts, and associated administrative files. Strict confidentiality, chain-of-custody tracking, and physical security are paramount for this lot.
• Lot 2: Transport between St Vincent's University Hospital Satellite locations and the Main Hospital site. This lot covers the transport of administrative documents, clinical supplies, equipment, and other operational materials between affiliated locations and the main St. Vincent's University Hospital site.

The service provider will be responsible for:

• Providing dedicated vehicles for the exclusive use of the service.
• Ensuring all personnel are trained and Garda vetted.
• Implementing robust operational management systems.
• Maintaining comprehensive service continuity arrangements.
• Ensuring deliveries and collections are on time, to the correct destination, and comply with agreed operational procedures.
• Maintaining the highest standards of confidentiality and security for all transported items.
• Complying with environmental, social, and labour law obligations.
• Meeting the minimum fleet requirement of two (2) dedicated vans for the service.
• Meeting the Clean Vehicles Directive requirements, with a minimum of 38.5% of the contracted fleet to be "clean vehicles" (zero-emission or low-emission) for the duration of the contract term.
• Ensuring critical clinical deliveries are made within 30 minutes and priority deliveries within 1 hour.

3. Background & buyer context

St. Vincent's University Hospital is procuring these managed logistics and transport services through an open procedure under the European Union (Award of Public Authority Contracts) Regulations 2016. The estimated expenditure for these services over the initial four-year term, including potential extensions, is €840,000 (excluding VAT). The estimated value for Lot 1 is €400,000 and for Lot 2 is €440,000 over the four-year term. The Contracting Authority aims to encourage participation from Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) and encourages larger enterprises to consider how SMEs can be included in their proposals.

4. Eligibility & selection criteria

Bidders must meet the following minimum requirements to be considered:

• Turnover requirement: Minimum average annual turnover of €300,000 over the last three (3) financial years.
• Insurance:
• Employer’s Liability: €13,000,000 per occurrence
• Public Liability: €6,500,000 per occurrence
• Product Liability: €6,500,000 (third party)
• Professional Indemnity: €1,000,000 per claim
• Certifications: Not specified for this tender.
• Past experience: Minimum of one (1) year in total of active experience in providing managed logistics, courier, or transport services, preferably within a healthcare, clinical, or highly regulated environment.
• Personnel: Not specified for this tender.
• Geographic / facility constraints: Critical clinical deliveries within 30 minutes, priority deliveries within 1 hour.

5. Award criteria & scoring

The award criteria and scoring mechanism are not detailed in the provided extract. However, the tender documents state that the Contracting Authority does not bind itself to accept the lowest priced or any tender. The evaluation will be conducted in accordance with the Award Criteria at part 3.3 of the RFT. The specific weighting for price versus quality is not stated.

6. Submission requirements

Tenders must be submitted electronically via the ‘electronic tenderbox’ on www.etenders.gov.ie by the Tender Deadline.

• Method statement / response document: Tenderers must follow the format of the RFT and respond to each element in the order set out. Appendix 8 is the Tenderer’s Response Document.
• CVs: Not specified for this tender.
• Pricing schedule: Tenderers must complete the Pricing Schedule at Appendix 2. Prices must be all-inclusive, expressed in Euro (exclusive of VAT), and remain valid for 120 days from the Tender Deadline.
• Case studies: Not specified for this tender.
• Declarations:
• Electronic European Single Procurement Document (eESPD).
• Tenderer’s Statement (Appendix 3), signed and scanned.
• Declaration as to Personal Circumstances of Tenderer (Appendix 4).
• Tax Clearance Access Number and Tax Reference Number for online verification.
• Declaration of no conflict of interest.
• Mandatory site visit: A site visit to Elm Park Dublin 4 D04 T6F4 is organised for 16/07/2026 between 10:00 and 12:00. Tenderers must confirm attendance by contacting Jefferson DaSilva at [email protected]@svuh.ie by 14/07/2026, 17:00.
• Submission portal: www.etenders.gov.ie. File size limit of 250MB per file, with a maximum total limit of 2GB. Tenders must be submitted in English and in MS Office and/or PDF format.

7. Key dates & process

8. Contract terms that matter

• Term: The contract will be for four (4) years, with an option for the Contracting Authority to extend for up to one (1) additional year on the same terms.
• Payment terms: Payments will be made in accordance with the Services Contract at Appendix 5. Invoices are deemed accepted if no queries are raised within 14 days.
• Price adjustments: Prices are fixed for the first 36 months. Increases or decreases are permitted only on the first anniversary of the Effective Date and subsequent anniversaries, based on the percentage change in the CSO Consumer Price Index (Transport component).
• Termination: The Contracting Authority may terminate the contract without liability by serving 30 days' written notice.
• Sub-contracting: The successful Tenderer must designate a single entity as the Prime Contractor, irrespective of subcontracting.
• Parent-company guarantee or bond: Not specified for this tender.

9. Risks, red flags & unusuals

• Dual Lot Structure: The tender is split into two lots, requiring independent evaluation and separate contracts. Tenderers can bid for one or both.
• Clean Vehicles Directive: Lot 1 is subject to the Clean Vehicles Directive, mandating a minimum of 38.5% "clean vehicles" in the contracted fleet. This may require specific vehicle types or investments.
• Site Visit Confirmation Deadline: The deadline to confirm attendance for the site visit (14/07/2026) is very close to the visit date (16/07/2026), requiring prompt action from interested parties.
• SME Encouragement: While not a red flag, the explicit encouragement for SMEs and larger enterprises to collaborate suggests a desire for broader market participation, which could influence bid strategy.
• Foreign Subsidies Regulation: Tenderers must comply with Regulation (EU) 2022/2560 on Foreign Subsidies, potentially requiring prior notification or declaration of foreign financial contributions depending on value thresholds.

10. SME fit assessment

This tender is structured to be accessible to SMEs, particularly those with experience in logistics, courier, or transport services, especially within healthcare or regulated environments.

• Credible bidders: SMEs with at least one year of relevant experience and the capacity to meet the €300,000 average annual turnover requirement are well-positioned. The requirement for two dedicated vans per service is manageable for many SMEs.
• Consortium/Sub-contracting: The tender explicitly allows for consortia and the use of subcontractors. SMEs that find the full scope challenging can partner with other SMEs or larger enterprises. Larger enterprises are also encouraged to include SMEs in their proposals.
• Indicative bid-prep effort: Preparing a compliant bid, including completing the eESPD, pricing schedule, and response document, will likely require several days of focused effort, potentially 5-10 days for a well-prepared SME.
• Pwin signal: The tender does not indicate a strong incumbent advantage or a sole-supplier framework. The split into two lots and the emphasis on SME participation suggest a competitive process. The specific requirements for Lot 1 (medical records) may favour bidders with established secure transport protocols.

11. Where to dig deeper

• Source RFT filename: [SVUH-26039 Request for Tenders - Provision of Managed Logistics and Transport Services SVUH_final.docx]
• eTenders CFT ID: Not specified in the provided text.
• Contact email / clarification portal: Queries must be directed via the messaging facility on www.etenders.gov.ie.
• Most important attachments:
• Appendix 1: Requirements and Specifications
• Appendix 2: Pricing Schedule
• Appendix 5: Services Contract