I propose to take Questions Nos. 320, 321, 322, 323 and 324 together.
I can confirm that the organisation named by the deputy was selected as the provider of facilitation and note taking for the Convention on Education.
The procurement process which led to the award of this contract for facilitation and notetaking, and the subsequent appointment of the organisation was carried out fully in accordance with EU and national public procurement rules. The process was open, competitive and conducted in a fair and transparent manner.
As the contract was for a value over the EU threshold of €140,000, an above EU threshold procurement process was undertaken with a Request for Tender (RFT) advertised on eTenders, as required, on 22 December 2025. It was open to any supplier of facilitation services registered on eTenders to view and bid if they chose to do so before the deadline of 30 January 2026.
Two bids were received for facilitation and note taking services. Both met the qualification/selection criteria requirements and so progressed to evaluation process where tenders were evaluated against the selection award criteria set out in the attachment.
The successful tenderer was appointed on the basis of their bid being the most economically advantageous, identified in accordance with specific criteria set out in the RFT attached. The identity of the unsuccessful tenderer will not be disclosed as this information is commercially sensitive. No conflicts of interest were declared or identified in the conduct of this procurement with the outcome determined solely by the application of the published evaluation criteria and scoring methodology. The value of the contract awarded was €249,990.
The matters to be deliberated on by the Convention are outlined in their agenda, agreed by Government. The agenda questions were informed by a National Conversation which over 42,000 people participated in. The outputs from this conversation were independently analysed and the themes arising informed the agenda which was brought to Government recently.
The role of the organisation is to facilitate conversations taking place between the participants and to take notes on proceedings. A facilitation company has no influence on participant discussions, outputs or recommendations arising from the Convention. The work of the Convention is led by its Chair, Professor Anne Looney, her Deputy Chairs for each of the four groups which make up the Convention in line with the agenda agreed by Government recently. The Chair and Deputy Chairs are in turn supported by a convention secretariat, who are appointed to advise in their fields of expertise and who support the Chairs and Deputy Chairs in safeguarding the integrity of the Convention’s work.
Selection Criteria
Qualification Criterion 1: Successful Completion of two similar projects in respect of facilitation services using a deliberative democracy model (50+ participants)
Qualification Criterion 2: Experience of Proposed Management Team to manage largescale facilitation (50+ participants)
Qualification Criterion 3: Experience of working with children and young people
Evaluation – Award Criteria
|
Award Criteria
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% Marks
|
Maximum Marks Available
|
Minimum Marks Required
|
|
A. Quality and Suitability (Further detail in Appendix 1 – (for Appendix 1 see Pg 23-27 of RFT)
|
70%
|
700
|
390
|
|
Demonstration of clear understanding of the role, via the proposed approach to delivering high quality services as outlined in Appendix 1 of facilitation in a deliberative democracy model , ensuring equality of voice for all participants, including younger participants and those with additional needs, managing discussions relating to complex policy issues which may include discussions between participants of conflicting viewpoints, including any toolkits proposed;
|
|
250
|
125
|
|
Demonstration of experience and skill as outlined in Appendix 1 in the capturing of thematic issues emerging from forum and plenary discussions (including roundtable), carrying out thematic analysis to identify key trends, themes, and insights as well as experience of drafting final/ feedback reports;
Demonstration of experience, as outlined in Appendix 1, at compiling accurate, succinct and reliable records of discussions/ meetings;,
|
|
150
150
|
75
75
|
|
Demonstration of quality control and assurance processes;
Identification of approach to training and professional standards of personnel;
Identification of the qualified and experienced individuals who would be responsible for delivering the service.
|
|
50
50
50
|
25
25
25
|
|
B. Commitment to Environmental Responsibility & Social Considerations
|
10%
|
100
|
50
|
|
Demonstration of a commitment to environmentally friendly practices and a positive focus on environmental responsibility. (The Department of Education and Youth is committed to environmentally responsible purchasing and green procurement)
A demonstration of a commitment to social considerations in the company practices. (Socially Responsible Public Procurement (SRRP)– up to 5% of marks will be allocated to tenderers that can demonstrate SRRP as outlined in Appendix 1)
|
|
50
50
|
25
25
|
|
C. Cost
|
|
200
|
N/A
|
|
Overall cost of the proposal (Ex VAT)
|
|
200
|
N/A
|
|
Total marks
|
|
1000
|
500
|
Request for Tender
