Invitation to tender for the establishment of a panel of up to five commercially experienced food business advisors

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 to establish a panel of up to five commercially experienced food business advisors. These advisors will provide commercially impactful support to Bord Bia's food and drink clients. The objective is to offer 1:1 mentoring and category-specific support, drawing on the advisors' expertise and experience.

The scope of support includes, but is not limited to:

• Market Analysis: Development of market-informed export strategies, competitive analysis, and assessment of market size ("size of the prize").
• Value Proposition Development: Creating value propositions based on customer and consumer understanding, and category data.
• Buyer Pitch Preparation: Assisting clients in preparing presentations for buyer pitches.
• Export Market Access: Identifying routes to export markets and distribution channels.
• Category Management: Delivery of category analysis and other category management supports.

The panel will comprise advisors with diverse disciplines and distinct experience in supporting Irish food companies to scale in markets outside of Ireland. A detailed specification is provided in Appendix A of the tender documents. The contract is for an initial period of 27 months, with an option to extend by a further 12 months, subject to requirement and funding. The estimated maximum expenditure is €205,000 excluding VAT over the term and any extensions. This figure is indicative, and no guaranteed expenditure is stated.

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 headquarters in Dublin and a network of overseas offices, Bord Bia aims to enable the growth and sustainability of Irish producers. This procurement is driven by Bord Bia's objective to provide optimal support packages to its client companies seeking to scale their operations internationally. The agency focuses on insight, reputation building, and fostering an entrepreneurial and skills culture within the industry. The tender aims to build a panel of external advisors to augment Bord Bia's internal capabilities in supporting client export growth.

4. Eligibility & selection criteria

Tenderers must meet the following minimum requirements to be considered eligible. These criteria are assessed on a pass/fail basis.

• Turnover requirement: Confirmation that the tendering party's turnover exceeded €50,000 for each of the last three financial years. Firms established more recently must have been in existence for at least 6 months and provide pro-rata figures.
• Insurance:
• Employer's Liability: €6,500,000 (not required for sole traders with no employees).
• Public Liability: €6,500,000.
• Professional Indemnity: €1,300,000 for each and every claim.
• Product Liability: €6,500,000.
• 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 contract manager.
• Geographic / facility constraints: Not specified for this tender.

Tenderers must also confirm tax compliance and provide evidence of financial standing to demonstrate the capacity to pay debts as they fall due. A Declaration of Bona Fides and compliance with relevant statutory obligations, including Human Rights and Ethical Employment standards, is required.

5. Award criteria & scoring

The contract will be awarded based on the most economically advantageous tender, considering both price and qualitative criteria.

A minimum score of 50% is required for each qualitative criterion to be considered eligible. The lowest cost tender meeting all minimum qualitative requirements receives the maximum cost score. Qualitative criteria are scored on a scale from Exceptional (90-100%) to Acceptable (50-59%). Responses below 50% are ineligible.

6. Submission requirements

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

• Method statement / response document: The mandatory Tender Response Document (TRD) must be used. Tenderers are prohibited from amending any text or content of forms or declarations within the TRD.
• CVs: Not specified for this tender.
• Pricing schedule: Must be completed using the pricing template included in the tender documents and the Form of Tender within the TRD.
• Case studies: Tenderers must reference a case study within Criterion C demonstrating commercial and market-informed direction.
• Declarations:
• European Single Procurement Document (ESPD) is accepted as evidence of compliance.
• Declaration of Bona Fides.
• Declaration regarding compliance with relevant statutory obligations.
• Article 5K Declaration regarding EU regulation 2022/576.
• Declaration of Compliance for Human Rights and Ethical Employment.
• Mandatory site visit: Not specified for this tender.
• Submission portal: eTenders postbox facility. Files must not exceed 2.14 GB, with a one-hour upload limit per file. Tenderers must click "Submit Response".

7. Key dates & process

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

8. Contract terms that matter

The contract will be for an initial period of 27 months, with an option to extend by up to 12 months. Bord Bia requires tenderers to nominate a dedicated contract manager responsible for overall relationship management, reporting, and service delivery. Award of the contract is conditional upon acceptance of Bord Bia's Terms and Conditions, appended to the tender documents. The Contracting Authority reserves the right to award the contract to the next highest scoring tenderer if the successful tenderer cannot deliver services satisfactorily.

9. Risks, red flags & unusuals

The estimated value of €205,000 excluding VAT over a potential 39-month period (€5,256 per month average) suggests a need for highly experienced advisors, but the overall contract value is modest. The requirement for three comparable projects within the last three years, with only one allowed from Bord Bia, aims to broaden the supplier pool but may still favour established firms. The award criteria heavily favour qualitative aspects (70% total) over price (30%), indicating Bord Bia prioritises the quality and suitability of the advice provided. The minimum score of 50% on each qualitative criterion, with a 50% overall minimum for eligibility, means a weak performance in any single area can lead to disqualification.

10. SME fit assessment

This tender is open to commercially experienced food business advisors. Given the requirement for three comparable projects in the last three years and the emphasis on export growth strategy, value proposition development, and category management expertise, viable bidders are likely to be established consultancies or experienced independent consultants with a proven track record in the food and drink sector. Consortium bids are permitted, allowing SMEs to partner with larger entities or other SMEs to meet capacity requirements. The bid preparation effort is moderate, requiring detailed responses to qualitative criteria and the completion of specific templates. The "Pwin" signal is neutral; while Bord Bia encourages SME participation, the experience and insurance requirements suggest a need for a certain level of established capacity.

11. Where to dig deeper

• Source RFT filename: RFT AEG Business Advisors.pdf
• eTenders CFT ID: Not specified
• Contact email or clarification portal: Messaging facility on www.etenders.gov.ie
• Most important attachments:
• Appendix A - Detailed Specification
• Appendix B – Contract Terms & Conditions
• Tender Response Document (TRD)