Tender for The Supply and Delivery of Health and Safety Software Services at Mary Immaculate College (MIC)

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

Mary Immaculate College (MIC) seeks tenders for the provision, implementation, and support of a college-wide, computer-based Health and Safety Management System. The contract encompasses the supply and delivery of this software service.

The core activities and components of the required service include:

• Software Provision: Supply of a Health & Safety Management System software solution.
• Implementation and Setup: Configuration and deployment of the system across the college. This includes data migration if applicable, testing phases (User Acceptance Testing - UAT), and system configuration.
• Training: Delivery of training for administrators, technical staff, and potentially contractors.
• Ongoing Support: Provision of continuous technical support, including adherence to Service Level Agreements (SLAs), system uptime guarantees, and data backup/disaster recovery arrangements.
• User Management & Access Control: The system must facilitate management of users and their access permissions.
• Compliance: The system must support compliance with all relevant Safety, Health & Welfare at Work legislation in Ireland.
• Data Protection & Security: The system must comply with GDPR and applicable Irish/EU data protection legislation. Cloud-based solutions are preferred, and data hosting locations must be clearly identified. Security certifications are also a consideration.
• Environmental Practices: Tenderers must outline their organisation's approach to environmental and sustainability practices.

The Tender Specification Document for the MIC H&S Software System provides further detail on specific technical requirements.

3. Background & buyer context

Mary Immaculate College (MIC), founded in 1898, is a third-level Catholic College of Education and Liberal Arts. It serves over 4,000 full-time and 1,100 part-time students and employs approximately 500 staff across its two campuses. MIC promotes excellence in teaching, learning, and research, fostering student development within a supportive environment. The college respects cultural diversity and strives for equity. This procurement aligns with MIC's operational needs to manage health and safety across its student and staff population and facilities. No incumbent provider is explicitly mentioned in the provided text.

4. Eligibility & selection criteria

Tenderers must meet the following minimum requirements on a pass/fail basis to be considered for evaluation.

• Turnover requirement: Confirmation that the tendering party's turnover exceeded €200,000 (excluding VAT) in each of the last three financial years, or pro-rata for more recently established firms. The firm must have been in existence for at least 6 months.
• Insurance: Confirmation of the following insurances being in place:
• Employer’s Liability: €13 million
• Public Liability: €6.5 million
• Product Liability: €6.5 million
• Cyber Insurance: €1 million
• Other relevant industry insurance if applicable.
• Certifications: Tenderers must provide information demonstrating a commitment to quality assurance, including details of quality assurance policies and systems, and whether they are externally certified. Evidence of compliance with relevant Safety, Health & Welfare at Work legislation is also required.
• Past experience: Tenderers must demonstrate successful delivery of 3 comparable projects within the last three years. Details of similar rollouts for the third-level education sector or equivalent institutions are required.
• Personnel: Tenderers must demonstrate access to at least one Training Personnel. Specific minimum numbers for other roles are detailed in the Tender Specification Document.
• Geographic / facility constraints: Not specified for this tender.

5. Award criteria & scoring

The contract will be awarded based on the Most Economically Advantageous Tender (MEAT), considering both cost and qualitative factors.

A minimum score of 50% is required for each qualitative criterion to remain eligible. Failure to meet the minimum threshold on any criterion will result in elimination. The cost score is calculated based on the lowest cost tender achieving maximum points.

6. Submission requirements

Tenderers must submit their response electronically via the eTenders postbox facility on www.etenders.gov.ie.

• Method statement / response document: Tenderers must use the provided Tender Response Document (TRD). Amendments to the TRD content are prohibited.
• CVs: Not explicitly mentioned with page limits, but key personnel for verification meetings should be available.
• Pricing schedule: Must be completed using the specified template within the TRD.
• Case studies: Details of 3 comparable previous projects are required.
• Declarations:
• European Single Procurement Document (ESPD) is accepted as evidence of compliance with selection criteria, provided information is available on request.
• Declaration of Bona Fides (as per Art. 57 of Directive 2014/24/EU).
• Declaration regarding compliance with relevant statutory obligations.
• Mandatory site visit: Not specified for this tender.
• Submission portal: eTenders postbox facility. Responses must be uploaded as a ZIP file.

7. Key dates & process

The tender validity period is 183 days from the closing date.

8. Contract terms that matter

• Term + extension: Initial 3-year term with an option for two further 12-month extensions, for a maximum of five years.
• Payment terms: Not specified.
• Key SLAs/KPIs: Service Level Agreements (SLAs) are a requirement for ongoing support. System uptime guarantees are also specified.
• Liquidated damages or penalty regimes: Not specified.
• Termination clauses: The Contracting Authority reserves the right to award to the next highest scoring tenderer if the successful tenderer cannot deliver services satisfactorily.
• IP ownership: Not specified.
• Sub-contracting rules: Tenderers must provide information on sub-contractors if applicable.
• Parent-company guarantee or bond requirements: Not specified.

9. Risks, red flags & unusuals

• Estimated value vs. Turnover requirement: The estimated contract value of €50,000 (excluding VAT) is significantly lower than the €200,000 annual turnover requirement. This suggests a potential mismatch or a high bar for a low-value contract, possibly favouring established providers with broader service offerings.
• No guaranteed expenditure: The €50,000 is an indicative maximum spend, with no guaranteed expenditure. This implies the actual usage and spend could be lower.
• Pass/Fail for all selection criteria: All selection criteria are assessed on a pass/fail basis. Failure in any area leads to immediate inadmissibility, requiring meticulous attention to detail in the submission.
• Mandatory TRD: Strict adherence to the provided Tender Response Document (TRD) is required; any amendments may lead to disqualification.

10. SME fit assessment

This tender is open to a range of suppliers, but the selection criteria present a significant hurdle for very small or new businesses.

• Who can credibly bid: A credible bidder will be an established company with a proven track record in delivering health and safety management software. They must demonstrate a minimum annual turnover of €200,000 over the last three years, possess specific insurance coverages, and have successfully completed at least three comparable projects. Experience within the third-level education sector is advantageous.
• Consortium/sub-contracting: SMEs are encouraged to form relationships with other SMEs or larger enterprises to meet capacity requirements. Consortium bids are permitted, provided a single point of contact is appointed.
• Indicative bid-prep effort: Given the detailed TRD, specific insurance and turnover requirements, and the need to demonstrate 3 comparable projects, bid preparation could require 10-20 days of effort for a focused team.
• Pwin signal: The €200,000 turnover requirement for a contract with an estimated maximum spend of €50,000 suggests that the buyer may be seeking a provider with a stable, established business, potentially an incumbent or a firm with a strong existing presence in the education sector. The lack of guaranteed spend might also favour providers who can absorb lower initial volumes.

11. Where to dig deeper

• Source RFT filename: Request for Tender - MIC H&S Software System.pdf
• eTenders CFT ID: Not specified
• Contact email or clarification portal: Messaging facility on www.etenders.gov.ie
• Most important attachments:
• Tender Specification Document - MIC H&S Software System
• Tender Response Document (TRD)
• Appendix (containing Contracting Authority’s Terms and Conditions)