Award of a contract without prior publication of a call for competition in the Official Journal of the European Union in the cases listed below
- The works, supplies or services can be provided only by a particular economic operator for the following reason
- absence of competition for technical reasons
Explanation
The justification for the direct award is that set out in Regulation 32(2)(b) of the European Union (Award of Public Authority Contracts) Regulations 2016. As set out in the Recitals to Directive 2014/24, this includes a situation where there is a necessity to use “specific know-how, tools or means which only one economic operator has at its disposal”.
TII is satisfied that competition is absent for technical reasons as RODA is the only economic operator who can perform the required services for the eMOS Project.
RODA have been the core technical advisors since the commencement of the eMOS Project, and the Commission represents a continuation of the services that RODA have provided since the outset of the Project. In order to perform the Commission, an alternative service provider would require not just the necessary specialist technical knowledge in intelligent transport systems, but more fundamentally, would require extensive knowledge, expertise and know-how associated with the development of the eMOS Project to date (since the Commission reflects the continuation of that ongoing project). RODA have been, and continue to be, critical in the delivery of the Project.
By virtue of their embedded knowledge, technical expertise and accrued know-how associated with the Project (which is available only to RODA), no other economic operator could perform the Commission without unacceptably high risk to the delivery of the eMOS Project.
Accordingly, RODA and its specialised team who are embedded in the project:
- Possess the unique combination of technical expertise, in-depth knowledge of the project interdependencies and of the specific institutional and legislative framework within which the project must be delivered, including the interface between the project development and the existing control centre functions, along with the development of a new speed limit regulatory regime to support the project.
- Possess an in-depth knowledge of the bespoke traffic management solution for the Project developed through the iterative competitive dialogue process. Have developed extensive relationships with the large and varied range of key stakeholders who are essential to the Project’s delivery.
- Have participated on behalf of TII on EU committees and working groups responsible for the development of European regulations and standards relating to c-ITS and implementing them in an Irish context.
TII is dependent on RODA to deliver the eMOS Project as it does not have the equivalent expertise, or specialist knowledge or know-how in-house.
TII is satisfied that there is no reasonable alternative economic operator with the required expertise, knowledge and accumulated Project specific know-how, apart from RODA.
TII is also satisfied that the parameters of the Commission are not artificially narrowed. The requirements of the Commission represent the needs of TII for the purposes of the delivery of the eMOS Project. By virtue of embedded knowledge, technical expertise and know-how which is available only to RODA, TII is satisfied that no other economic operator could perform the Commission.
The procurement is covered by the Government Procurement Agreement
: yes