The Office of Public Works (OPW) has launched a €300,000 tender for the development of a comprehensive visitor experience plan and enhanced wayfinding and interpretation scheme at Scattery Island in County Clare. Published on 2 September 2025 with applications due 26 September 2025, this 36-month open procurement procedure targets interpretive design consultancy teams with capabilities in heritage site development. The project encompasses five distinct stages from preliminary design through handover and maintenance, requiring expertise in visitor interpretation, wayfinding systems, and heritage site enhancement. With OPW’s substantial procurement history showing €1.2B in total contract awards and established relationships with design and engineering consultants, this opportunity suits firms specializing in heritage tourism development and interpretive design services.
Understanding the Tender Framework
This procurement operates under an open procedure, published on 2 September 2025 with applications due 26 September 2025, providing a 24-day window for bid preparation. Tender opening occurs on the same day as the deadline, 26 September 2025. The contract carries document ID 00570783-2025, sourced through TED (Tenders Electronic Daily).
The 36-month contract duration provides substantial time for comprehensive project development across all specified stages. The evaluation criteria are listed as unknown in the basic documentation, indicating detailed evaluation methodology will be specified in the full tender documents. English language requirement for offers reflects Ireland’s procurement practices and project communication needs.
The contract is not financed with EU funds, indicating direct OPW funding for this heritage site development project. The service-based nature requires multidisciplinary expertise spanning interpretive strategy, design consultation, project management, and technical implementation services.
Understanding the Buyer Organization
The Office of Public Works (OPW) operates as Ireland’s state agency responsible for public building management and heritage services, functioning as a body governed by public law with primary activity in general public services. The organization maintains contact through desmond.lowry@opw.ie and phone +353 46 942 2753, with additional information available at https://www.gov.ie/en/organisation/office-of-public-works/.
The procurement context reveals substantial organizational activity from OPW. The organization currently has 8 open tenders worth €320K total, with 7 similar open tenders worth €320K, indicating focused activity in comparable consultancy services. Historical data shows 603 renewals worth €2.4B and 819 contract awards totaling €1.2B, demonstrating OPW operates as a major procurement entity within Ireland’s public sector.
The organization has completed 372 similar contract awards worth €651M, with 245 similar renewals worth €397M, showing established patterns in consultancy and design services procurement. This data indicates successful suppliers face strong potential for future projects and contract renewals based on performance.
OPW’s supplier base shows established relationships with diverse consultancy providers. Top contractors include MOTT MACDONALD IRELAND (€21M across 4 contracts), JACOBS ENGINEERING (€6.1M across 5 contracts), and DBFL CONSULTING ENGINEERS (€5.7M across 4 contracts). Contractor data shows primarily Irish suppliers (308 contracts worth €635M) with some UK (34 contracts worth €16M), German (2 contracts worth €570K), and Greek suppliers (1 contract worth €30K).
The broader market context shows 4.7K other buyers with similar projects totaling €36B, positioning this procurement within a substantial international market for heritage and interpretive design services.
Comprehensive Service Requirements
The tender specifies comprehensive visitor experience development for Scattery Island in County Clare. The project requires appointment of an interpretive design consultancy team to deliver a complete visitor interpretation project including development of a Visitor Experience Plan and design and implementation of a Wayfinding and Interpretation Scheme.
The project structure encompasses five distinct stages with specific deliverables. Stage (i) covers Preliminary Design including development of an Interpretative Strategy and Concept Design. Stage (ii) addresses Detailed Design development. Stage (iii) handles Tender Action, Evaluation, and Award processes. Stage (iv) covers Technical Design for Construction/Fitout and Contract Administration including fitout and production supervision, installation and snagging. Stage (v) manages Handover and Maintenance activities.
Performance location is specified as Dublin, though the project focuses on Scattery Island in County Clare. This indicates project management and coordination will be Dublin-based while implementation occurs at the heritage site location. The comprehensive scope requires suppliers to demonstrate capabilities across multiple disciplines including interpretive strategy, design consultation, project management, technical implementation, and maintenance planning.
The documentation specifies that responses must be uploaded as a ZIP FILE, indicating specific technical submission requirements. The full suite of requirements is contained within the tender documents, suggesting detailed technical specifications and performance requirements beyond the basic scope description.
Market Positioning and Competition Analysis
The interpretive design consultancy market for heritage sites demonstrates specific competitive characteristics based on documented procurement history. OPW’s established contractor base shows relationships with major engineering and design consultancy firms capable of complex heritage and interpretive projects. The project’s comprehensive scope from strategy through implementation requires suppliers with multidisciplinary capabilities.
Market entry requires suppliers to demonstrate expertise in heritage site interpretation, visitor experience planning, wayfinding system design, and project implementation across the specified five-stage process. The 36-month duration indicates substantial project commitment requiring established operational capabilities and project management expertise.
The €300,000 contract value indicates opportunities for mid-scale consultancy projects with comprehensive scope requirements. The multi-stage structure suggests suppliers need capabilities spanning strategic planning, design development, procurement management, technical implementation, and ongoing maintenance support.
Strategic Analysis Based on Documentation
Success factors emerge from the documented requirements and procurement history. The comprehensive five-stage approach requires suppliers to demonstrate capabilities across the complete project lifecycle from initial strategy development through final handover and maintenance. The 24-day application window requires suppliers to have established capabilities and documentation ready for comprehensive bid preparation.
The established pattern of contract awards (372 similar awards worth €651M) and renewals (245 renewals worth €397M) suggests successful suppliers face strong potential for ongoing relationships and future heritage project opportunities. The average contract values ranging from €77K to €7M among top contractors indicate diverse project scales and specialization opportunities within OPW’s procurement portfolio.
The heritage site focus indicates suppliers must understand cultural heritage interpretation, visitor engagement strategies, and implementation within sensitive historical environments.
Actionable Guidance
Based on the documented requirements, interested suppliers should verify their capabilities across the complete five-stage project process including interpretive strategy development, detailed design, procurement management, technical implementation, and maintenance planning. The heritage site context requires demonstrated experience in cultural heritage interpretation and visitor experience development.
The comprehensive scope suggests suppliers should prepare multidisciplinary team proposals demonstrating expertise in interpretive design, wayfinding systems, project management, and technical implementation. Evidence of successful heritage site projects and visitor experience development will be important evaluation factors.
The 26 September 2025 deadline requires preparation of English-language bid documentation within the 24-day window, submitted as ZIP file format. Suppliers should contact OPW directly at desmond.lowry@opw.ie for detailed specifications and requirements not included in the basic tender notice.
Market Context and Related Opportunities
This procurement operates within a substantial international market for heritage and interpretive design services, as indicated by the 4.7K similar buyers with €36B total project value. The substantial renewal activity (245 renewals worth €397M) indicates ongoing heritage development creating sustained business opportunities beyond this specific tender.
The documented contractor relationships demonstrate opportunities for established design and engineering consultancy firms specializing in heritage and interpretive projects. Companies like MOTT MACDONALD, JACOBS ENGINEERING, and DBFL CONSULTING represent successful partnerships with contract values ranging from €1.5M to €7M average, indicating consistent procurement patterns in the heritage development sector.
This tender represents an opportunity for qualified interpretive design consultancy teams to establish or strengthen relationships with Ireland’s primary heritage services agency while demonstrating capabilities in comprehensive visitor experience development and heritage site interpretation.
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PS: This analysis is based on publicly available tender documentation and data provided by the contracting authority. While we strive to provide accurate information, users are responsible for verifying all details against official tender documents before making any procurement decisions.
