Payment Gateway and Merchant Acquiring Services for ESB eCars

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 Entity, Electricity Supply Board (ESB), seeks to establish a framework agreement for the provision of integrated payment gateway and merchant acquiring services. This framework will support the ESB eCars public charging network. The selected service provider will deliver a comprehensive, end-to-end solution encompassing payment processing, settlement, reconciliation, reporting, refund and chargeback management, fraud prevention, transaction monitoring, and technical support.

The scope of services includes:

• Integrated Payment Gateway and Merchant Acquiring: Provision of a unified solution for both gateway and acquiring services.
• Secure Transaction Processing: Handling customer payment transactions across the ESB eCars charging network.
• Multi-Channel Support: Acceptance of payments via EV charge points, mobile applications, web portals, and other digital channels.
• Financial Operations:
• Settlement of funds from payment gateway through to the bank at a transaction level.
• Reconciliation of all transactions.
• Reporting: Detailed transaction-level reporting for both gateway and acquiring services, ensuring traceability from gateway to bank.
• Dispute Management: Capabilities for managing refunds, chargebacks, and transaction disputes.
• Fraud Prevention: Implementation of fraud prevention measures, transaction monitoring, and risk management functionality.
• System Integration: Integration with existing and future charge point management systems and CRM platforms.
• Unified User Interface: A single platform for managing both payment gateway and merchant acquiring services.
• Regulatory Compliance: Adherence to all applicable regulatory, security, and card scheme requirements.
• Account Management & Support: Ongoing account management, technical support, and service performance reporting.
• Scalability: The solution must be scalable to support future growth, evolving business requirements, and the addition of new payment methods.

The framework agreement will serve as the contractual basis for service delivery during its term, subject to the requirements detailed in the tender documentation and subsequent requests.

3. Background & buyer context

Electricity Supply Board (ESB) was established in 1927 and is majority-owned by the Irish Government. It operates across the electricity market, including generation, transmission, distribution, and supply, and is developing electric vehicle public charging infrastructure. ESB's strategy, 'Driven to Make a Difference: Achieving Net Zero by 2040', prioritises sustainability and leadership in the transition to a net-zero future. Procurement processes are aligned with ISO 20400, Sustainable Procurement standards. ESB is a founding member of the Irish Supply Chain Sustainability School. The contract may be entered into by ESB or one of its subsidiaries or affiliates.

4. Eligibility & selection criteria

Bidders must meet the following minimum requirements to be considered:

• Turnover requirement: Not specified for this tender.
• Insurance:
• Public/Products Liability Insurance: Minimum indemnity limit of €6.5 million per claim and in aggregate for Products Liability.
• Employer's Liability Insurance: Minimum indemnity limit of €13 million per claim.
• Cyber Liability: Minimum indemnity limit of €5 million per claim and in annual aggregate.
• Bidders must provide statements from insurers confirming current levels and willingness to provide required cover, or confirmation that required minimum levels are in place.
• Certifications: Not specified for this tender.
• Past experience: Not specified for this tender.
• Personnel: Not specified for this tender.
• Geographic / facility constraints: Not specified for this tender.

5. Award criteria & scoring

The contract will be awarded on the basis of the Most Economically Advantageous Tender (MEAT). The specific award criteria and scoring methodology will be detailed in the Request for Tender (RFT) documents. Applicants who fail any pass/fail criteria during the PQQ stage will not be eligible for evaluation under qualitative criteria and will be eliminated from the procurement process.

6. Submission requirements

Applicants are required to complete and submit a Pre-Qualification Questionnaire (PQQ). The PQQ must be completed in English and all financial information denominated in euro (€), with conversions provided for foreign currencies using the exchange rate from www.oanda.com.

Key submission elements include:

• PQQ Response Document: Completed PQQ form.
• Financial Information: Details of financial standing and resources.
• Insurance Confirmation: Statements from insurers regarding coverage.
• Tax Clearance: Valid tax clearance certificate or access number from Irish Revenue.
• Declarations: Confirmation of understanding and acceptance of PQQ provisions, including no collusion, confidentiality, and disclosure of conflicts of interest.
• Consortium/Entity Reliance: If applicable, details of consortium members and entities being relied upon, including letters of support.

A mandatory site visit is not specified for this PQQ stage. The submission deadline is 27 August 2026, 12:00 noon GMT. Submissions are to be made via the eTenders portal.

7. Key dates & process

8. Contract terms that matter

The framework agreement is envisaged to be for an initial term of 3 years, with an option to extend for up to 4 additional years in one or more increments. The specific terms and conditions, including technical, commercial, financial, safety, and legal requirements, will be detailed in a draft contract provided at the Request for Tender (RFT) stage. These will be based on bespoke terms and conditions. The Contracting Entity reserves the right to require a parent company guarantee, other forms of financial security, resource availability agreements, collateral warranties, or other suitable security arrangements from the successful tenderer.

9. Risks, red flags & unusuals

The procurement is being conducted via a negotiated procedure, allowing for clarification and negotiation with shortlisted bidders. The contract may be entered into by ESB or any of its subsidiaries or affiliates, which could introduce complexity in contract management or party identification. The PQQ stage is focused on pre-qualification, with detailed evaluation criteria and the draft contract to be provided at the RFT stage, meaning significant details are deferred. The requirement for bidders to confirm they can meet potential future security arrangements (parent company guarantee, etc.) at the PQQ stage, without full details, requires careful consideration.

10. SME fit assessment

This tender is likely best suited for established payment gateway and merchant acquiring service providers with significant experience in large-scale, multi-channel payment processing. The insurance requirements, particularly for Cyber Liability, suggest a need for substantial operational scale and financial robustness. Consortium bids are permitted, which could allow smaller, specialised firms to partner with larger entities to meet the requirements. The bid preparation effort for the PQQ stage is moderate, focusing on confirming existing capabilities and insurance. However, the subsequent RFT stage will likely demand significant detail on technical solutions, integration capabilities, and financial capacity, indicating a substantial bid preparation effort for that phase. The Pwin signal is not clear at this PQQ stage, as the incumbent is not named, and the competitive landscape for such services is broad.

11. Where to dig deeper

• Source RFT Filename: TR5690 Pre-Qualification Questionnaire (PQQ) final.docx
• eTenders CFT ID: 531888-2026
• Contact / Clarification Portal: Not specified for PQQ queries, but a Queries Deadline is noted for Q3 2026.
• Key Attachments:
• TR5690 Pre-Qualification Questionnaire (PQQ) final.docx (the primary document)
• ESB Sustainable Leadership Plan (referenced for sustainability alignment)
• Supply Chain Sustainability School Ireland (referenced for sustainability alignment)