Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 4 October 2011
276 Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the companies who tendered for the Referendum Commission project awarded to a company (details supplied); where was the tender advertised and the length of time for which it was advertised; and the basis on which the tender was awarded to the company. [26964/11]
Amharc ar fhreagraMy Department does not have any direct responsibility in relation to the Referendum Commission, other than to sponsor the budgetary requirement. All financial commitments will be authorised by the Referendum Commission and discharged by the Office of the Ombudsman. I am advised by the Office of the Ombudsman of the following:
In accordance with Department of Finance Public Procurement Guidelines, the Office of the Ombudsman (the Office), on behalf of a possible future Referendum Commission, published a Prior Information Notice (PIN) on the national procurement website, www.eTenders.gov.ie, on 21st October 2010, concerning a proposal to engage the services of a suitably qualified provider for the provision of marketing/project management/communications consultancy services as part of a campaign by a Referendum Commission to inform voters throughout Ireland of any referendum proposal that may be put to the people. The PIN was also published in the Official Journal of the European Union (OJEU) on 26th October 2010. A total of 154 parties registered an interest in the PIN on e-Tenders.
The Office subsequently published a related request for tenders (RFT) for the provision of marketing management consultancy services to the Referendum Commission for forthcoming referendums on e-Tenders on 5th August 2011. The RFT was published in the OJEU on 10th August 2011. A total of 54 parties registered their interest on e-Tenders.
The closing date for receipt of tenders was 12 noon on 2nd September 2011. A total of four tenders were received from the following:
Murray Consultants, Lattin Hall, Golden Lane, Dublin 8
DDFH&B, 3 Christchurch Square, Dublin 8
McConnells, 46 James Place, Dublin 2
Language Communications, 28 Great Strand Street, Dublin 2
The Referendum Commission considered all four tenders on the basis of the award criteria set out in the RFT, as follows:
|
e-Tenders |
|
|
Understanding of the issues and tasks associated with the role |
200 |
|
Expertise and experience |
200 |
|
Availability for the duration of the Referendum Commission campaign |
150 |
|
Capacity to deliver on time to the deadlines required |
150 |
|
Fees and proposed cost structure |
200 |
The Referendum Commission awarded the contract to a consortium led by Murray Consultants on 9th September 2011.
