Invitation to Tender for Media Services in Japan

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

Bord Bia seeks a strategic agency partner to manage the marketing of Irish food and drink within Japan, targeting relevant trade audiences. The appointed agency will collaborate with Bord Bia's Tokyo-based team and its central marketing team in Ireland. The contract duration is 36 months, with a potential for one 12-month extension. The estimated maximum expenditure for the services over the contract term, including any extensions, is €488,000 excluding VAT. This figure is indicative, and no guaranteed expenditure is stated.

The scope of work includes:

• Media Planning and Delivery: Developing and executing creative, innovative, and effective media plans tailored to the Japanese market.
• Audience and Market Understanding: Demonstrating a strong understanding of target audiences and the media landscape in Japan.
• Content Translation: Translating insights into engaging and impactful content across various channels.
• Collaboration: Working collaboratively with Bord Bia (Tokyo and Ireland) and any partner agencies.
• Performance Measurement: Establishing a clear framework for Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), measurement, and performance reporting across owned, earned, and paid media.
• Language Fluency: Confirming fluency in both English and Japanese.
• Operational Presence: Maintaining a strong operational presence in Japan.
• Trade and Consumer Initiatives: Supporting trade and consumer-facing initiatives as required.

A specific task within the award criteria requires tenderers to outline a high-level media and communications approach for Irish Dairy Trade Marketing in Japan. This approach must demonstrate understanding of the Japanese B2B dairy landscape, highlight the quality, consistency, security, and sustainability credentials of Irish dairy supply, and illustrate how messaging would be activated across relevant media channels with creativity and localisation. This task requires a concise, strategic response of no more than 8 slides, focusing on quality of thinking.

3. Background & buyer context

Bord Bia, the Irish Food Board, is the government agency responsible for promoting Ireland's food, drink, and horticulture industry globally. With a network of overseas offices, including one in Tokyo, Bord Bia aims to enable the growth and sustainability of Irish producers. This procurement is driven by Bord Bia's objective to enhance the promotion of Irish food and drink in the Japanese market, specifically targeting trade audiences. The agency's mission involves insight generation, reputation building, and fostering an entrepreneurial culture within the industry.

4. Eligibility & selection criteria

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

• Turnover requirement: Confirmation that the tendering party's turnover exceeded €550,000 for each of the last three financial years. For recently established firms, the firm must have been in existence for at least 6 months, with pro-rata turnover figures provided.
• Insurance:
• Employer's Liability: €13 million (or foreign equivalent). Not required for sole traders with no employees.
• Public Liability: €6.5 million (or foreign equivalent).
• Professional Indemnity: €1.3 million for each and every claim (or foreign equivalent).
• Product Liability: €6.5 million (or foreign equivalent).
• Certifications: Not specified for this tender.
• Past experience: Evidence of successful delivery of three (3) previous projects of comparable scope and complexity within the last three (3) years. Only one of these projects can have been with Bord Bia.
• Personnel: Not specified for this tender, beyond the requirement for a nominated dedicated contract manager and key personnel for potential verification meetings.
• Geographic / facility constraints: A strong operational presence in Japan is required.

Tenderers may rely on the resources of other entities to meet these requirements, provided they can prove these resources will be at their disposal.

5. Award criteria & scoring

The contract will be awarded on the basis of the most economically advantageous tender, considering the following criteria:

Qualitative criteria (B, C, D) require a minimum score of 50% to be considered eligible. Responses scoring less than 50% in any qualitative criterion will be deemed ineligible.

6. Submission requirements

Tenderers must use the provided Tender Response Document (TRD) and adhere to its format. Key submission components include:

• Tender Response Document (TRD): This is the mandatory template for the submission.
• General Information: Company details, contact person, company overview, and information on subcontractors/consortium members.
• Financial and Economic Standing: Confirmation of tax compliance, turnover figures for the last three years, and confirmation of financial capacity.
• Insurance: Confirmation of required insurance types and levels.
• Declarations:
• Declaration of Bona Fides (as per Art. 57 of Directive 2014/24/EU).
• Declaration regarding compliance with relevant statutory obligations (Irish, EU, or equivalent).
• Article 5K Declaration regarding EU regulation 2022/576 on restrictive measures.
• Declaration of Compliance for Human Rights and Ethical Employment.
• Technical Capacity: Evidence of previous project experience.
• Pricing Schedule: Completed and signed pricing template within the TRD.
• Proposed Methodology: Detailed response to Criterion C, including a specific 8-slide response to the Irish Dairy Trade Marketing task.
• Resources: Information on the proposed team structure and personnel for Criterion D.
• Mandatory Site Visit: Not specified for this tender.
• Submission Portal: Tenders must be submitted electronically via the eTenders postbox facility on www.etenders.gov.ie.

7. Key dates & process

The tender validity period is 9 months from the closing date.

8. Contract terms that matter

• Contract Length: 36 months, with a potential for one 12-month extension at Bord Bia's discretion, subject to performance, budget, and business needs.
• Payment Terms: Not specified in the provided extract.
• SLAs/KPIs: Tenderers must outline a clear framework for KPIs, measurement, and performance reporting.
• Liquidated Damages: Not specified in the provided extract.
• Termination: Bord Bia reserves the right to award the contract to the next highest scoring tenderer if the successful tenderer cannot deliver services to satisfaction.
• IP Ownership: Not specified in the provided extract.
• Sub-contracting: Tenderers may use subcontractors, but must ensure they are subject to equivalent human rights standards.
• Guarantees/Bonds: Not specified in the provided extract.

9. Risks, red flags & unusuals

• Indicative Value vs. Contract Length: The estimated maximum spend of €488,000 over 36 months (potentially 48 months with extension) suggests a relatively modest annual budget (€10,167 per month average, excluding VAT). This may limit the scope or scale of services expected from larger agencies.
• Specific Market Focus: The tender is exclusively for media services in Japan, requiring a deep understanding of that specific market and a strong operational presence there. This narrows the potential bidder pool.
• Sustainability Criterion: A specific award criterion (10% weighting) focuses on championing sustainability, requiring tenderers to demonstrate innovative and sustainable proposals.
• Methodology Task: The requirement to provide an 8-slide response to a strategic brief on Irish Dairy Trade Marketing in Japan as part of Criterion C is a significant, focused task that demands strategic thinking and market insight.
• No Guaranteed Expenditure: The tender explicitly states there is no guaranteed expenditure under the contract, meaning the actual spend could be significantly lower than the €488,000 maximum.

10. SME fit assessment

This tender is open to a range of agencies, but the specific market focus (Japan) and the nature of the work (strategic media services for food and drink promotion) suggest that specialist agencies with established expertise in the Japanese market will be best positioned.

• Credible Bidders: Agencies with proven experience in international marketing, specifically within the food and beverage sector in Japan, are likely to be strong contenders. The turnover requirement of €550,000 annually suggests that small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) with a solid track record in export markets could be eligible. Agencies with existing relationships or operational bases in Japan would have an advantage.
• Consortium/Sub-contracting: Consortiums and joint ventures are permitted. SMEs are encouraged to form relationships with other entities to meet capacity requirements. Sub-contracting is also allowed, provided subcontractors meet human rights standards.
• Indicative Bid-Prep Effort: Preparing a compliant bid will require significant effort. This includes developing a detailed methodology, addressing the specific dairy marketing task (8 slides), outlining resources, and compiling all required declarations and financial information. A realistic estimate for bid preparation could range from 10-20 days for a dedicated team, depending on existing proposal templates and market knowledge.
• Pwin Signal: The tender is an open procedure, suggesting it is not exclusively for an incumbent. However, the requirement for a strong operational presence in Japan and the specific market focus may favour agencies already active in that region. The relatively modest estimated value might also indicate a focus on efficiency and value for money, potentially favouring agile, specialist firms over large, overhead-heavy organisations.

11. Where to dig deeper

• Source RFT Filename: [Final - ITT - Media Services in Japan (2).pdf]
• eTenders CFT ID: Not specified in the provided text.
• Contact / Clarification Portal: Queries should be submitted through the messaging facility on www.etenders.gov.ie.
• Key Attachments:
• Appendix A (Detailed specification of requirements)
• Tender Response Document (TRD)
• Pricing template (within TRD)