Provision, Operation and Management of Family Homeless Hub In Carlow Town

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 a provider to establish, operate, and manage a family homeless hub in Carlow Town. The service will offer temporary accommodation and associated support for families, including adults and children. The nominated location(s) must be within Carlow Town.

The contractor will be responsible for:

• Property Provision: Identifying and securing suitable properties. This includes providing detailed design layouts, room measurements, and proposed bed and furniture configurations for each unit. Formal legal evidence of title (freehold or leasehold) for each proposed facility is required, confirmed by a solicitor's letter. Properties must comply with fire and building regulations, and planning regulations, including a minimum liveable floor area of 5 square metres per bed space.
• Accommodation Management: Managing single, couple, and family occupancy units. This involves detailed premises details, including the number of rooms, maximum capacity, and breakdown by room type (single, double, family, other). Catering and recreational facilities on-site must be described.
• Operational Management: Ensuring 24/7 service provision, including staff on-site to client ratios. This encompasses managing vacancies, turnaround times for maintenance and cleaning, and a maximum time period per vacancy.
• Service User Engagement: Developing and implementing methodologies for supporting diverse service user needs, including those with low threshold/high support needs, on a 24/7 basis. This includes strategies for engaging with families with specific needs such as homelessness, safeguarding children, mental health, disability, domestic abuse victims, social and physical wellbeing, addiction, financial hardship, households at risk, and prison aftercare.
• Support Services: Providing services to families on a 24/7 basis. This includes managing cooking facilities, cleaning and laundry services, and systems for collecting weekly service charges, with policies for non-payment or arrears.
• Neighbourhood Management: Implementing strategies to promote good estate management and 'neighbourhood' practices, including high standards of cleanliness and hygiene within accommodation rooms, communal areas, and external spaces.
• Communication and Inclusion: Addressing potential language barriers, communication difficulties, and providing culturally appropriate training for staff. This includes strategies for dealing with deaf or visually impaired clients.
• Transition Management: Managing the transition from the current service provision to the new service, considering the existing resident population and the urgency of the transition.
• Exclusion and Withdrawal: Outlining any exclusions that may apply, notification procedures for the Council, warning procedures, and the length of exclusion/barring periods. Permanent exclusions are not permitted. A methodology for withdrawing services as instructed by Carlow County Council must also be detailed.
• Out-of-Hours Service: Detailing the 'Out of Hours' service that can be delivered to families outside of normal working hours (evenings and weekends).
• Compliance: Ensuring compliance with fire standards, building regulations, and planning regulations. This includes providing a Fire Certificate, Opinion of Compliance, and the latest Fire Risk Assessment Report.

3. Background & buyer context

This procurement is initiated by Carlow County Council to address the need for family homeless accommodation within Carlow Town. The tender seeks to secure a provider capable of delivering a comprehensive service that includes the provision of suitable properties, their operation, and ongoing management. The initiative aligns with the Council's responsibility to provide essential support services to vulnerable families within its jurisdiction. The specific nominated location for the hub is to be provided by the tenderer, subject to client approval. The tender aims to ensure a high standard of temporary accommodation and support for families experiencing homelessness.

4. Eligibility & selection criteria

Bidders must meet the following minimum requirements to be considered:

• Turnover requirement: A minimum average annual turnover of €750,000 in each of the past three financial years. For new entities, this turnover must be achieved for each year of trading. For consortia, this condition can be met by the group as a whole.
• Insurance:
• Employer's Liability: €13,000,000
• Public Liability: €6,500,000
• Professional Indemnity: €1,000,000 (Tenderers do not need to have this in place at submission but must be able to obtain it if successful). Policies must have jurisdiction in Ireland.
• Certifications: Not specified for this tender.
• Past experience: Tenderers must demonstrate successful delivery of two previous contract examples of similar nature, scale, and complexity within the last five years. These examples must include client reference details.
• Personnel: Tenderers must self-certify that they have sufficient numbers of personnel with relevant expertise for contract delivery. CVs demonstrating team members' expertise, professional qualifications, and relevant experience are required.
• Geographic / facility constraints: Nominated properties must be located within Carlow Town. Properties must meet specific planning, fire, and building regulation standards.

5. Award criteria & scoring

The contract will be awarded based on the Most Economically Advantageous Tender (MEAT). Bidders must achieve a minimum of 50% of the marks available for each qualitative award criterion. Failure to meet this threshold for any criterion will result in elimination.

The detailed scoring for the qualitative criteria is outlined in the tender documents, covering aspects such as organisational structure, business continuity, staff expertise, service user engagement, 24/7 service delivery, transition management, vacancy management, out-of-hours service, exclusion policies, service withdrawal methodology, family cooking facilities, estate management, cleanliness standards, communication strategies, and inter-agency collaboration.

6. Submission requirements

Tenderers must submit the following:

• Tender Response Document (TRD): Fully completed in the specified format, addressing all requirements in Appendix 1 of the CFT. Responses must demonstrate approach and methodology, not just affirmation. Information outside response boxes will not be considered.
• Pricing Schedule: Not explicitly detailed in the provided extract, but implied as part of the tender submission.
• Case Studies: Details of two previous contract examples demonstrating similar nature, scale, and complexity, including client reference details.
• Declarations:
• Tenderers' Statement (Appendix 3 of CFT), signed and on headed notepaper.
• Declaration as to Personal Circumstances (Appendix 4 of CFT).
• Electronic European Single Procurement Document (eESPD) submitted via www.etenders.gov.ie.
• Tax Clearance Access Number and Tax Reference Number for online verification.
• CVs: Demonstrating team members' expertise, professional qualifications, and relevant experience.
• Supporting Documentation:
• Detailed design layout of each proposed facility.
• Formal, legal evidence of title (freehold or leasehold) for each facility, confirmed by a solicitor's letter.
• Copies of Fire Certificate, Opinion of Compliance with Fire Certificate, and latest Fire Risk Assessment Report.
• Opinion of Compliance from an Architect/Engineer regarding Building Regulations.
• Current DAC, if relevant.
• Copy of planning report summarising relevant class-use/established use.
• Organisational chart relevant to the services.
• Business continuity plan.
• All relevant Policies (e.g., estate management, cleanliness).
• Submission Portal: Via eTenders (www.etenders.gov.ie).
• Mandatory Site Visit: Not specified for this tender.

7. Key dates & process

8. Contract terms that matter

• Term: The contract duration is not specified, but prices must remain valid for 180 days from the tender deadline. There is a right to extend the term for up to 12 months, with a maximum of two such extensions.
• Payment terms: Invoices are deemed accepted if no queries are raised within 14 days.
• Key SLAs/KPIs: Not explicitly detailed in the provided extract, but implied through the award criteria focusing on service delivery and operational standards.
• Liquidated damages or penalty regimes: Not specified for this tender.
• Termination clauses: Either party may terminate with 14 days' notice in circumstances where no queries are raised within a specified period. Specific breach termination clauses allow for 30 days' notice if breaches are capable of remedy.
• IP ownership: Not specified for this tender.
• Sub-contracting rules: Tenderers must provide full details of any third-party subcontractors and their proposed roles. If relying on subcontractors to meet selection criteria, each must complete a separate eESPD. Subcontractors whose share of services exceeds 10% of the contract value must not be prohibited economic operators.
• Parent-company guarantee or bond requirements: Not specified for this tender.

9. Risks, red flags & unusuals

• Property Nomination and Approval: The requirement for tenderers to nominate properties and provide solicitor confirmation of title, subject to client approval, introduces a risk of property suitability not aligning with the Council's requirements, potentially impacting the timeline or feasibility for some bidders.
• Unspecified Contract Value and Duration: The absence of an estimated contract value and a defined contract length makes it difficult for bidders to accurately assess the scale and long-term commitment required, potentially impacting resource allocation and pricing strategy.
• Detailed Operational Requirements: The extensive list of operational and service delivery requirements within the award criteria, particularly concerning service user engagement and 24/7 support, demands a high level of detail and demonstrable experience, potentially favouring established providers.
• Tight Transition Timeline: The emphasis on managing the transition from current services to new provision, considering the urgency, suggests a need for a rapid mobilisation plan, which could be a challenge if property acquisition or setup is complex.
• MEAT with High Price Weighting: The 70% weighting for price, combined with significant qualitative requirements, suggests a need for a highly competitive price while still meeting stringent service standards. This balance can be challenging to achieve.

10. SME fit assessment

This tender is likely most suitable for established providers with significant experience in operating homeless accommodation services, particularly those catering to families. The requirement for nominated properties with confirmed legal title, coupled with detailed operational plans and a strong track record, suggests a need for substantial organisational capacity and financial standing.

• Credible Bidders: Small businesses may find it challenging to meet the turnover requirement of €750,000 annually for the past three years, especially if they are new to this specific service area. The need to provide two detailed contract examples of similar scale and complexity within the last five years also points towards more experienced entities.
• Consortium/Sub-contracting: The tender explicitly allows for consortia and the use of subcontractors. This provides an avenue for SMEs to participate by partnering with larger organisations or by subcontracting specific elements of the service where they possess expertise. However, if relying on a consortium member or subcontractor to meet selection criteria, they must also submit a separate eESPD.
• Indicative Bid-Prep Effort: Preparing a compliant bid would likely require significant effort, potentially 15-25 days, due to the detailed property proposals, operational plans, policy documentation, and reference requirements.
• Pwin Signal: The tender does not explicitly name an incumbent. However, the detailed requirements and the need for property ownership/long-term lease suggest that organisations with existing property portfolios or strong relationships with property owners in Carlow Town may have an advantage. The high weighting on price could also indicate a competitive market.

11. Where to dig deeper

• Source RFT Filename(s): TRD Emergency Accommodation Carlow Town Aug 2026.docx
• eTenders CFT ID: NAT-26-2781
• Contact / Clarification Portal: Via eTenders.gov.ie
• Most Important Attachments:
• Appendix 1 - Requirements and Specifications
• Appendix 3 - Tenderers’ Statement
• Appendix 4 - Declaration as to Personal Circumstances