OPW pulls tender for €600,000 PR contract

The State agency embroiled in controversy concerning the taxpayers' spend of €335,000 on a bike shelter for Leinster House has pulled a tender process for a new €600,000 PR contract - only hours after advertising it.

On Thursday morning, the OPW placed a notice on the e-tenders website inviting organisations "to submit proposals for advising and supporting the OPW’s communications, digital communications and public relations (PR) work".

The duration of the contract was to be for three years and the tender documentation stated that the estimated spend between €400,000 and €600,000.

The tender advised that "tenderers must understand that this figure is an estimate only based on current and future expected use".

In the documentation, the OPW told bidders to address four items and one was "to outline the opportunities and challenges facing the OPW with respect to its public profile and reputation".

The documentation stated that "this should demonstrate an understanding of the OPW’s current operating environment, its remit, Government policy, key messages and complexity of its role".

The tender came less than 24 hours after the chairman of the Office of Public Works (OPW), John Conlon, faced a grilling from politicians at the Oireachtas Finance Committee on the bike shelter spend where he revealed the €1.4m outlay on the new security check-point on Merrion Street Upper.

However, in response to a press query on the new contract, the OPW press office confirmed shortly after 6.30pm on Thursday evening that the OPW "is not proceeding with the Communications Request For Tender (RFT) and is reviewing its communication support requirements".

No reason was provided by the OPW in the statement for the u-turn on the tender process for the PR contract.

The statement added that "the OPW, like all government bodies, utilises the services of PR/Digital marketing companies to provide specialist expertise as required. The current communications contract is due to expire on 26 November 2024".

The tender earlier stated that the "deliverables" under the contract included "strengthening the brand and reputational management for the OPW".

The now abandoned tender stated that "as well as traditional PR services, digital media is a core aspect of the OPW’s overarching communications strategy as it provides a means of making complex information accessible to a wider public, communicating key messages for campaigns and highlighting various aspects of the OPW’s work".

The PR firm was to help the OPW deepen awareness and understanding of its key role and its operating environment while incorporating the challenges presented in carrying out its statutory functions.

The PR firm was to provide corporate communications, working with the OPW press office, prepare for and respond to media to increase awareness of OPW’s activities and to build a positive reputation for the OPW’s expertise and achievements.

The tender - now to be withdrawn - stated that "corporate PR is a vital tool to strategically plan and proactively highlight the expert leadership role the OPW plays in several sectoral areas such as heritage management and conservation, climate change analysis and insights, as well as data management and modelling to address flood risk".

Reporting by Gordon Deegan