ITT 27/2025 - ICT Appointment for Castlewellan FP Tree Tops Access Linkages

This tender provides a clear project description and outlines key eligibility and technical requirements. However, the critical absence of actual tender documents, mandatory exclusion grounds, financial requirements, and evaluation criteria in the provided information severely compromises its completeness, fairness, and transparency for potential bidders.

The tender states it's an 'open competition' and 'below threshold,' implying adherence to basic procurement principles. However, the lack of specified mandatory exclusion grounds and financial requirements in the provided information, coupled with the complete absence of tender documents, makes it impossible to fully assess legal compliance. Bidders cannot properly understand their obligations or the contracting authority's requirements without the full documentation.

The project description, scope (RIBA Stages 2-3), and the type of contract (NEC Professional Services – Short Contract) are clearly stated. The eligibility and technical requirements are also reasonably clear in terms of what expertise is sought.

This is the weakest aspect. While basic information is present, the tender is critically incomplete due to the absence of actual tender documents, mandatory exclusion grounds, financial requirements, and evaluation criteria. This makes it impossible for bidders to prepare a compliant and competitive offer.

The 'open competition' procedure suggests an intent for fairness. However, the severe incompleteness of the provided information, particularly the absence of evaluation criteria and full tender documents, creates a significant barrier to fair competition. Bidders cannot understand the playing field, which could disadvantage smaller or less experienced firms who rely heavily on clear documentation. There is no explicit tailoring for a specific company, but the lack of information could implicitly favor those with prior knowledge or connections.

From the contracting authority's perspective, launching a tender without providing the actual documents or key requirements (like evaluation criteria) is highly impractical and will likely lead to numerous bidder queries, non-compliant bids, or a lack of bids. For bidders, it is impractical to prepare a submission based solely on the summary provided.

The provided data (title, reference, organization, value, CPV, description, extracted requirements) appears internally consistent. The CPV code aligns with the description and technical requirements.

No specific green procurement, social, or innovation criteria are mentioned in the provided information. This is a missed opportunity, especially for a public body.