1) Interested parties must register their interest on the eTenders web site (
www.etenders.gov.ie) in order to be included on the mailing list for clarifications. All information relating to attachments, including clarifications and changes, will be published on the Irish Government Procurement Opportunities Portal (
www.etenders.gov.ie) only. Registration is free of charge. The contracting authority will not accept responsibility for information relayed (or not relayed) via third parties;
2) Suppliers should note the following when making their submission:
• There is a maximum upload limit of 2GB per file. Documents larger than this should be divided into smaller files prior to upload.
• In order to submit a document to the electronic postbox, please note that you must click “Submit Response”. After submitting a response, the response may be modified and re-submitted as many times as may be necessary until the RFT deadline has expired. Suppliers should be aware that the “Submit Response” button will be disabled automatically upon expiration of the response deadline.
• Suppliers must ensure that they give themselves sufficient time to upload & submit all required documentation before the submission deadline. Suppliers should take into account the fact that upload speeds vary.
• If you experience difficulty when uploading documents please contact eTenders Support Desk for technical assistance. Email etenders@eusupply. com or Telephone: 353(0)21 2439277 (09:00am – 17:30pm GMT) 5. All queries must be submitted through the messaging facility on
www.etenders.gov.ie.
3) All queries regarding this tender requirement or process must be submitted through the Irish Government Procurement Opportunities Portal
www.etenders.gov.ie as a specific question. Responses will be circulated to those tenderers that have registered an interest in this notice on
www.etenders.gov.ie The details of the person making a query will not be disclosed when circulating the response
4) This is the sole call for competition for this contract/framework.
5) The contracting authority will not be responsible for any costs, charges or expenses incurred by candidates or tenderers.
6) Contract award will be subject to the approval of the competent authorities.
7) It will be a condition of award that the successful tenderer is and remains tax compliant.
8) At its absolute discretion, the contracting authority may elect to terminate this procurement process, the framework agreement or any contract awarded under the framework agreement at any time.
9) Please note in relation to all documents, that where reference is made to a particular standard, make, source, process, trademark, type or patent, that this is not to be regarded as a de facto requirement. In all such cases it should be understood that such indications are to be treated strictly and solely for reference purposes only, to which the words "or equivalent" will always be appended.
10) Without prejudice to the principle of equal treatment, the contracting authority is not obliged to engage in a clarification process in respect of the procurement documents with missing or incomplete information. Therefore, respondents are advised to ensure that they return completed documentation in order to avoid the risk of elimination from the competition.
11) Please note due to the current COVID-19 pandemic, facilitation of all meetings, site visits, clarification meetings, & assessments of samples, etc. (as applicable) is severely impacted. Where possible the Contracting Authority will put in place alternative arrangements such as on-line meetings, etc. Likewise, anticipated dates (closing date for receipt of clarifications or tender submissions) may change. Suppliers will be kept fully up to date at all stages through the eTenders messaging