As part of the call for proposals for funding under the Labour Market Activation Fund, an extensive Request for Tender (RFT) document was published. A paper was also commissioned from Forfás which provided extensive guidance to tenderers in preparing proposals for education and training provision which would meet the specific requirements detailed in the RFT document.
The public meeting on the 18th March was organised in order to allow interested parties the option of seeking information or clarification on the content of the published documents. The large number of attendees arriving for this meeting necessitated, for reasons of safety, the holding of an additional meeting for those who did not wish to attend the first session. These sessions took place in accordance with the principles of good procurement practice.
An additional information resource provided for prospective tenderers was a question and answer facility made available on the public procurement e-tenders website for the entire duration of the tendering process. In the main, the questions and answers arising under the principal themes covered at the information sessions on the 18th March were subsequently posted on this website. In addition, there was a continued opportunity for any prospective tenderer to pose any additional questions they wished and have them answered fully in the public domain. Almost one hundred questions were asked and answered on the e-tenders site, covering all aspects of the process in detail.
I am satisfied that more than sufficient information and clarification was provided, in addition to the two principal published documents, to guide all prospective tenderers, whether they attended the public briefings or not, in submitting proposals for support under the Activation Fund.
