The Provision Fertiliser Supplies to Coillte Nurseries 2026 – 2030

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 economic operators for the supply and delivery of specific fertiliser products to three Coillte nurseries located in County Carlow, County Wicklow, and County Donegal. The contract will operate as a multi-party framework agreement, with call-off contracts awarded via mini-competitions or, in urgent circumstances, a cascade procedure.

The scope of work involves:

• Supply of Named Fertiliser Products: Bidders must supply specific, brand-named fertiliser products as detailed in the bidding schedule for two distinct lots:
• Lot 1: Fertiliser for Ballintemple Nursery (Co. Carlow) and Mucklagh Nursery (Co. Wicklow). Indicative annual quantities include:
• Sulfa Can +5% S (Gouldings): 11 Tonne
• 9-10-21 +SOP: 29 Tonne
• Kieserite Magnesium Sulphate (15% Mg / 20% S): 11 Tonne
• OMEX Bio 15: 550 Litre
• OMEX CAL Max: 490 Litre
• OMEX Novo K: 500 Litre
• OMEX liquid Nitrogen (26% N + 2% S): 150 Litre
• Patentkali: 10 Tonne
• Richgraze + 5% K in sulphate form + trace elements: 25 Tonne
• Richland + 5% K in sulphate form + trace elements: 65 Tonne
• Sulphate of Potash: 15 Tonne
• YaraBela Axan 27% N+ 3% S: 50 Tonne
• Yaramila Complex (12-4.8-14.9 + 8% S): 85 Tonne
• Lot 2: Fertiliser for Killygordon Nursery (Co. Donegal). Indicative annual quantities include:
• YaraBela Axan 27% N+ 3% S: 9 Tonne
• Sulfa Can +5% S (Gouldings): 5 Tonne
• 8-5-18 +Boron +S (P in DAP form) / K in SOP form): 5 Tonne
• Kieserite Magnesium Sulphate (15% Mg / 20% S): 9 Tonne
• Sulphate of Potash: 12 Tonne
• Yaramila Complex (12-4.8-14.9 + 8% S): 15 Tonne
• Delivery: Guaranteed delivery within a maximum of 3 working days from receipt of an official purchase order. Deliveries must occur within normal working hours to the specified nursery locations. All delivery dockets must include a valid purchase order number and a clearly marked product label. Carriage charges must include all delivery and applicable charges.
• Stock Management: Tenderers must hold or have access to sufficient stock to manage drawdowns and confirm expected delivery times upon order.
• Ordering System: Tenderers must provide details of their ordering systems, including any online systems or alternative methods to purchase orders, and a designated email address for purchase orders.
• Product Quality Assurance: The successful tenderer accepts liability for defective products and must comply with sale of goods and supply of services legislation. They are responsible for the safe delivery of potentially hazardous goods, warranting that all transportation, delivery, unloading, distribution, and use are to the highest industry standards. The supplier must warrant the product is fit for purpose and advise Coillte on implications of use, method of use, and potential hazards.
• Account Management: A dedicated account manager must be nominated to act as the primary point of contact, responsible for service delivery, relationship management, dispute resolution, feedback, and proactive improvement suggestions. Contract management activities are non-billable.
• Training Compliance: Suppliers may be required to maintain training compliance records via Coillte's Training Records Management System (TRMS) Web Portal, uploading certificates for operators and sub-contractors. Specific training requirements apply for static crane operations, manual handling, and first aid.
• Continuity of Supply: Tenderers must detail their plan to ensure continuity of supply, particularly for products impacted by global events.

3. Background & buyer context

Coillte CGA is a commercial company managing over 445,000 hectares of land in Ireland, operating in forestry, land-based businesses, renewable energy, and wood panel products. The company contributes significantly to the Irish economy, supporting over 12,000 jobs and exporting wood products globally. Coillte focuses on sustainable management of natural resources to maximise financial, social, and environmental potential. This procurement aligns with Coillte's commitment to sustainable practices and managing its estate to benefit future generations. The tender establishes a multi-party framework for fertiliser supplies to Coillte's nurseries, indicating a strategic need for reliable and cost-effective sourcing of these essential materials for its forestry operations.

4. Eligibility & selection criteria

Bidders must meet the following minimum requirements to be considered for this tender. These are assessed on a Pass/Fail basis.

• Turnover requirement: Applicants must declare evidence of a minimum average annual turnover of €500,000. This turnover must have been achieved during the last three financial years or pro-rata if the company is more recently established.
• Insurance: Applicants must confirm they can produce evidence of the following minimum insurance cover levels:
• Employer's Liability: €13,000,000
• Public Liability: €6,500,000
• Professional Indemnity: €1,000,000
• Certifications: Not specified for this tender.
• Past experience: Applicants should have experience of working on at least 1 contract of a similar nature and scale within the last 5 years.
• Personnel: Not specified for this tender.
• Geographic / facility constraints: Not specified for this tender, beyond the delivery locations in Co. Carlow, Co. Wicklow, and Co. Donegal.

Additionally, bidders must complete sections on Tax Compliance, Declaration of Bona Fides, Conflict of Interest, Product Supply, Declaration RE: Statutory Obligations, and Coillte Terms & Conditions. Sub-contractors must also provide evidence of current tax compliance.

5. Award criteria & scoring

The award of contracts under the framework will be determined by the Most Economically Advantageous Tender (MEAT). The evaluation process involves two stages: Selection Criteria (Pass/Fail) and Qualitative Criteria (Weighted).

Failure to achieve the minimum 60% score in either B1 or B3 will result in elimination from further assessment.

For mini-competitions to award call-off contracts, the criteria and weightings are:

6. Submission requirements

Bidders must submit their responses via the SMS Proactis system. The submission must include:

• Applicant Summary: Completion of the applicant summary section.
• Tax Compliance: Evidence of current tax compliance for the applicant and any sub-contractors.
• Financial Capacity: Declaration of minimum turnover (€500,000).
• Insurance: Confirmation of ability to produce evidence of required insurance levels.
• Declarations:
• Declaration of Bona Fides.
• Conflict of Interest declaration.
• Product Supply confirmation.
• Declaration RE: Statutory Obligations.
• Unreserved acceptance of Coillte Terms & Conditions.
• Qualitative Criteria Response: Detailed responses to demonstrate compliance with Organisation Structure and Resources (B1) and Previous Contractual Experience (B3).
• Pricing Schedule: Submission of pricing for all items the supplier can supply, in Euro, exclusive of VAT. Blank fields or "0" should be used for unavailable products.
• CVs: Not explicitly mentioned, but implied for key personnel in relation to B1.
• Case Studies: Not specified.
• Mandatory site visit: Not specified.
• Submission Portal: All submissions must be made through the SMS Proactis system.

7. Key dates & process

8. Contract terms that matter

• Term: Initial contract term of 2 years, with an option to extend for a further 1+1 years, totalling a maximum of 4 years. Extensions are subject to business requirements and contractor performance.
• Payment: Not specified beyond pricing being exclusive of VAT.
• SLAs/KPIs: Service Level Agreements (SLAs) will be negotiated and agreed post-award. Performance will be measured against the specification. Failure to meet the 3-day delivery timeline will result in non-consideration for evaluation.
• Liquidated damages: Not specified.
• Termination: Coillte reserves the right to suspend and/or terminate any contract for poor performance or breach of terms. Coillte may recoup costs associated with making good any loss or damage incurred upon termination.
• IP ownership: Not specified.
• Sub-contracting: Allowed, but sub-contractors must also provide evidence of current tax compliance.
• Guarantees/Bonds: Not specified.

9. Risks, red flags & unusuals

• Multi-Party Framework with Mini-Competitions: The structure involves an initial framework award, followed by annual mini-competitions for call-off contracts. This means the price awarded in the initial framework may not be the final price, as mini-competitions will re-evaluate price (60%) and delivery (40%).
• Brand-Named Products Only: The requirement for only named brand products significantly restricts the supplier pool and may limit competitive pricing.
• Indicative Quantities: Quantities are stated as indicative and subject to revision upwards or downwards annually, introducing demand uncertainty for suppliers.
• No Guaranteed Expenditure: The estimated value is for indicative purposes only, with no guaranteed expenditure.
• Urgent Cascade Procedure: While mini-competitions are the default, an urgent cascade procedure exists for unforeseen requirements, allowing direct award to ranked framework members if time does not permit a mini-competition.
• Potential for Contract Collapse: The tender notes that "In the event of a product losing registration the tender may be collapsed." This introduces a risk of contract termination if a key product becomes unavailable.

10. SME fit assessment

This tender is structured as a multi-party framework, suggesting Coillte aims to establish a panel of approved suppliers. The requirement for specific brand-named products may favour established distributors or manufacturers.

• Credible Bidders: A viable bidder would likely be a company with a proven track record in fertiliser supply, capable of meeting the €500,000 turnover requirement and holding significant insurance cover. Experience in supplying to large organisations or in the agricultural/forestry sector would be advantageous.
• Consortium/Sub-contracting: Sub-contracting is permitted, provided sub-contractors meet tax compliance requirements. This allows smaller firms to potentially participate by partnering with larger entities or by supplying specific products they specialise in.
• Indicative Bid-Prep Effort: Preparing a compliant bid will require significant effort, particularly in detailing organisational structure, past experience, and ensuring all documentation (tax clearance, insurance) is up-to-date. Estimating 10-15 days of dedicated effort for a small business would be reasonable.
• Pwin Signal: The tender is open procedure, but the brand-name requirement and the framework structure suggest Coillte may favour established suppliers. The "Open Procedure with negotiation" indicates potential for dialogue. The absence of an incumbent name makes it harder to assess Pwin.

11. Where to dig deeper

• Source RFT Filename: ITT Provision of Fertiliser Supply Final.pdf
• eTenders CFT ID: 8975237
• Contact for Queries: [email protected]
• Key Attachments:
• Appendix 1 - Selection Criteria and Award Criteria
• Coillte Terms and Conditions (link provided)
• Pricing Schedule