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Provision of a Cloud-Based Grant Management System

Issued by The Arts Council · via eTenders — Ireland (national public procurement portal)

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Published
4 Sept 2026
Closes
2 Oct 2026, 16:00 UTC
Bid opening
2 Oct 2026, 16:30 UTC
Value
EUR 1,800,000
Reference
AC-2026-24
Location
Ireland
Sector
IT & Telecom
Type
services

Details

The objective of this procurement is to secure a modern, cloud-hosted, configurable off-the-shelf Grant Management System capable of supporting the full grant lifecycle for applicants, assessors, panellists, and Arts Council staff. The solution will provide a secure and accessible digital platform for application management, assessment workflows, award administration, post-award monitoring, reporting, and integration with the Arts Council’s existing Finance Management System. The organisation's strategic preference is for a solution that requires minimal custom development and can be configured using standard platform functionality. The replacement programme will be delivered through a phased implementation approach centred on the successful completion of a Proof of Concept (PoC) using a live Arts Council funding programme. This approach is intended to validate vendor capability, system performance, user experience, and organisational readiness before progressing to full production deployment. The Arts Council is seeking a long-term technology partner capable of delivering a proven solution while supporting a structured, low-risk transition from the existing environment. The new system must support bilingual service delivery (Irish and English), modern digital user experiences, robust security controls, workflow automation, management reporting, and interoperability with current and future finance platforms. The solution should also align with public sector best practice, including cloud-first principles, accessibility requirements, data protection obligations, cybersecurity standards, and emerging NIS2 requirements.

Contracting authority: The Arts Council

Procurement type: Services

Procedure: Competitive with negotiation

Contract involves: A Public Contract

CPV codes: 72000000-IT services: consulting, software development, Internet and support; 48900000-Miscellaneous software package and computer systems; 48219300-Administration software package; 72268000-Software supply services; 72263000-Software implementation services; 72261000-Software support services; 72416000-Application service providers

Estimated value: EUR 1,800,000

Contract duration: 10 years

Awarded in lots: No

Evaluation: Most Economically Advantageous Tender (MEAT)

Clarification period ends: 25/09/2026 12:00

Tender opening: 02/10/2026 17:30

EU funding: No

Directive: Directive: 2014/24/EU (Classic)

Region (NUTS): IE061

Tenders are submitted through etenders.gov.ie, which requires supplier registration.

Context for bidders

We hold 3 notices from The Arts Council, going back to September 2026 — 3 of them still open. They buy mostly in Financial & Professional Services and IT & Telecom. There are 75 open IT & Telecom tenders in Ireland. This one closes in 7 days.

Documents

Before you bid on this tender

A quick checklist to help you decide whether to bid and prepare a compliant submission for this it & telecom opportunity. Always verify the details on the official source.

  • Confirm the exact closing date and time (and time zone) on the official portal — deadlines are strict and can be revised by a corrigendum.
  • Read the full notice and every attached document, including the scope, specifications and any bill of quantities or terms of reference.
  • Check the eligibility criteria — prior similar experience, annual turnover, certifications and registrations — and make sure you qualify before investing effort.
  • Prepare any earnest-money deposit (EMD) or bid security and the required formats early; missing or wrongly-formatted documents are a common cause of rejection.
  • Note how bids must be submitted (online or physical), in what format, and whether a digital signature or portal registration is required.
  • Watch for corrigenda and clarifications right up to the deadline — requirements and dates can change.
Common bidding mistakes to avoid →Writing a winning proposal

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