PROGRAMMES
Local Enterprise Office, Meath provides a number of initiatives to assist individuals
establish & develop viable businesses. We are seeking proposals for the following
programmes / initiatives in 2015 and 2016. A panel will be formed of successful
tenderers who will be called on to request delivery of Meath LEO’s training
programme throughout 2015/2016.
Start Your Own Business Programmes
Business Development Programmes (including Advanced SYOB and
Food Academy Programmes)
Women in Business Initiative – Project Manager
Business Seminars & Short Courses
Student Enterprise Awards Programme
Details on following pages.
Please note Tenders can only be submitted via eTenders - deadline for
submission is 20th January 2015 at 4.00 p.m.
Start Your Own Business Programmes 2015/2016
Many people starting up new businesses have expertise in their chosen profession, but
may lack the business knowledge to run a successful business. The Start Your Own
Business Programmes are designed to help people prepare to set up and/or run their
businesses for growth. The programmes introduce entrepreneurs and owner/managers
to the tools required to develop a sustainable business in a challenging environment
and to develop a range of skills to run a successful business over the longer term.
This Activity Based Learning Programme is designed for clients with a specific
business idea in mind, either just started or about to start their own business.
Aim
Each participant will explore their own business idea using a structured
business planning framework.
Outcome
Participants will have a first draft Business Plan with specific recommendations to
develop the Business Plan further.
Outline
The programme covers the key areas of Business Planning, Marketing, Advertising,
Operations, Finance and Tax, Supports available to start ups, the entrepreneur ,
female entrepreneur, soft skills, other as appropriate.
These courses will run over eight weeks – one full day per week from 10am to
4.30pm (day course) and two evenings per week from 6.30pm to 9.30 pm (evening
course). It is planned to run these courses in February, April, June (day programme
only) September and October of each year, 2015 and 2016.
Business Development Programmes 2015/2016
Local Enterprise Office, Meath provides a number of initiatives to assist individuals
to develop existing businesses. We are seeking proposals for the following
programmes:
Food Academy Programme (in conjunction with LEO Kildare)
This programme is a joint venture between Meath and Kildare Enterprise
Boards in comjunction with Bord Bia and Musgrave Retail. It is a food
marketing programme aimed at pre-start-ups, start-ups and existing small food
businesses. The programme will enable participants to develop and grow their
food business, taking into account the following: Market Background and
Understanding the Consumer; Core Technical Issues; Sales and Development
and Enhancement.
The programme will be delivered over a 3 month duration and will include a
combination of group workshops and one-to-one mentoring. Participants who
complete the programme will be eligible to avail of Bord Bia’s suite of followon programmes at the appropriate stage in market development.
Advanced Start Your Own Business Programme
This programme is aimed at unemployed professionals with a business idea.
Programme Aim: To provide those highly skilled people who are currently out of
work and wish to utilise their existing skills to develop a business idea into a
commercially viable business. It aims
1. To explore how to research and assess new business ideas
2. To help them leverage existing knowledge and skills to exploit market
opportunities
3. Provide assistance with technical and commercial evaluation of their idea
3. To provide a practical understanding of the start-up issues
4. To support developing a business plan
5. To develop an understanding of marketing & sales
6. To develop an understanding of how to plan & manage finance
7. To explore methods of raising business funding
8. To explore the practical legal issues facing new businesses.
9. To raise awareness of the importance of ICT and innovation
Participant Numbers: Min.10 - Max.15
No. of Hours Training: 180 hrs cluster group training plus 50 hours of one-to-one
mentoring per participant.
Women in Business Initiative – Project Manager
Local Enterprise Office, Meath is accepting proposals from suitable contractors to
arrange and run a Woman in Business Initiative for the period 1st January 2015 to
31st December 2016.
The Women in Business Initiative requires an experienced project manager who will
implement, organise and manage the initiative.
The main component of the Initiative is the Business Network, in the format of at
least seven high profile meetings per year (evening) that will focus on a topic specific
to Women in Business, to include dedicated networking. However, any alternative
and additional suggestions to help develop this well established network are also
welcome.
For 2015/2016, we are looking for a project manager who will:
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Identify & book relevant business topics of interest and source key note
speakers of merit.
Identify and book selected venues.
Manage all aspects of publicity for the programme including photographer.
Liaise directly with existing mailing list.
Prepare and circulate agendas prior to meetings.
Encourage and facilitate networking.
Increase attendance at the Women In Business events
Liaise with contacts at Local Enterprise Office
Attend all of the women in business events, introduce the speakers, facilitate
the networking, and register the participants.
Undertake evaluation of each event.
Summarise evaluation findings and report to the LEO.
Applicants will be required to formulate a detailed programme on how the above
requirements can be met. A proven track record in the development and promotion of
women in business is essential.
Business Seminars & Short Courses
A range of Business Seminars and short courses of relevance to entrepreneurs at all
stages will form part of the LEO Meath’s training programme in 2015 and 2016 as
follows:
T1501: Researching Your Business Idea
Content: This one day workshop is designed for anyone who has a new idea
that they would like to explore fully before setting up their business.
The workshop will provide participants with tips and tools for researching
their idea and will cover all types of market research tools including primary
and secondary research.
T1503: Taxation for Beginners
Content: This seminar will address a range of taxation issues for start-up
businesses. Topics covered include; basic principles of taxation, starting a
business, tax compliance (payments & returns), allowances and tax relief,
legal structures and cost of compliance. It will also include use of the
Revenue Online Service.
T1504: Developing and Implementing a PR Campaign to Drive Your
Business.
Content: This seminar is to provide participants with an understanding of how
to develop an effective PR / Media campaign for their business. Participants
will define key messages that they want to send out to their customers and
they will also learn the do’s and don’t of Press Release writing and how to
find an angle that will engage. Having completed the course, participants will
have identified their target media, know how to build a relationship with the
media and evaluate their success.
T1505: Planning and Developing Your Business Website
Content: This seminar is aimed at those who are thinking of building a
business website for their business or would like to optimise their existing one.
The seminar will provide participants with the knowledge and skills to be able
to identify your areas of business most suitable for publication to the web.
You will learn how to design a site “fit for purpose”. How to choose the best
overall design for your web presence along with tips and advice on suitable
online marketing and promotion techniques for micro-enterprises.
T1506: Time Management & Organisational Skills for Owner/Managers
Content: Successful time management and organisational skills are critical for
business success. The aim of this one day workshop is to provide participants with
clear and invaluable guidelines on how to successfully manage their time so that the
majority of time in the day is spent on high priority tasks. Participants will learn how
to manipulate their working day and employ better organisational skills in order to fit
more into their day and be more productive.
T1507: Essential Employment Law
Content: With so many changes taking place in the workplace today, a basic
understanding of employment law is now more essential than ever before. This
intensive one-day seminar delivered by a highly experienced professional in
this field is designed to give participants a full understanding of the main
aspects of employment law that are likely to impact upon you and your
employees. Topics to include contract law, pay and conditions, redundancy,
unfair dismissal and bullying in the workplace.
T1508: Protecting Your Idea or Invention
Content: This one day workshop is designed for anyone who has a new idea or
invention that they would like to protect prior to commercialising it. It deals with all
forms of Intellectual Property Rights, including Patents, Trade Marks, Designs and
Copyright.
The workshop will also deal with the application process involved in obtaining
the IP protection.
T1509: Essential Steps to Achieving More Sales
Content: This one day intensive sales workshop aims to provide participants
with the necessary skills to enhance their personal selling skills and ultimately
increase sales for their business. Participants will be provided with tips and
proven techniques for handling all stages of the sales cycle which will lead to
increased confidence in selling.
T1510: Developing an Effective Email Marketing Campaign
Content: The aim of this workshop is to help participants to:
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Understand the law in relation to sending bulk emails
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Understand how to use email marketing effectively and grab the
recipient’s attention
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Understand how to build an email newsletter or an online brochure.
T1511: Promoting Your Business Using Social Media
Content: The workshop will provide participants with an introduction to some
of the most popular social media channels. It will provide you with advice on
how to identify money making opportunities, assist you with content creation
and will address legal and ethical considerations.
T1512: Search Engine Optimisation
Content: This seminar will provide participants with the required knowledge,
resources and understanding to take any website to page 1 of the search engine
and will provide participants with the skills to take care of their own websites
search engine rankings but will also be able to ensure that competitor’s
websites are not doing better. Topics include search engine ranking,
competition analysis and keyword search.
T1514: Building a Brand for Your Business
Content: This workshop will address the key elements of developing a brand
and why we need to use branding to differentiate our business. It aims to
increase your understanding of what is involved in branding and will
demonstrate how to sharpen your brand in challenging times.
T1515: Developing a Pricing Strategy for Your Product or Service
Content: This workshop is essential for anyone who is starting off in business
and needs to know how to price their product or service correctly. It will deal
with the various pricing models that can be used for different types of
businesses and will provide you with an objective method of pricing your
product or service.
T1516: Managing Your Business Finances
Content: This one day intensive workshop covers all areas of financial
management from cash flow and credit control to appropriate financial
recording systems. Having completed the workshop, participants will have a
good understanding of how to monitor and control their business finances
effectively in order to maximise their profit.
T1523: Basic Book-Keeping & Taxation Course
Duration:
8 weeks
This course will provide participants with an understanding of the
bookkeeping cycle and the way to keep accounts. Participants will acquire the
knowledge and skills to record transactions in a manual accounts system and
draw up daybooks. They will also be able to complete all necessary tax
returns for their business.
T1525: SAGE Instant Accounts Programme
Duration:
2 Days
Content: To provide participants with a working knowledge of the SAGE
Instant accounting software. This bookkeeping system is designed for the
needs of start-ups, sole traders and small businesses who have limited I.T. or
accounting skills.
Student Enterprise Awards Programme.
The Local Enterprise Office Meath (LEO) seeks tenders for the
provision of a programme aimed at Co. Meath’s second-level students,
(incorporating a mentoring service) which will lead to participation in
the Student Enterprise Awards competition 2014/2015 and 2015/2016.
The programme must include:
1. Organisation of a special “Idea Generation Enterprise Day” for up
to 400 students to take place in early/mid September in a local
hotel.
2. The provision of approximately 3 themed in-school workshops (80
minutes duration) in each participating second-level school.
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Key Aim:
The key aim of the programme is to encourage
participation by the county’s secondary level students in the Student
Enterprise Awards competition which is run nationally by the Local
Enterprise Offices. This will be by means of conducting a special “Idea
Generation Enterprise Day” in a local hotel and also by conducting a range
of in-school workshops.
(see www.studententerprise.ie)
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Purpose:
The purpose of the participation in the competition is to
give students the experience of setting up and running a real business, thus
helping to promote an enterprise culture amongst the entrepreneurs of the
future.
The programme will provide students with the practical skills of running
an enterprise from ideas generation to sales and marketing and
communication skills.
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Target Group:
The target group is composed of second-level students
from first year to Leaving Certificate level in County Meath e.g. those
from approximately twelve to eighteen years old. There are three
categories in the competition : Junior (first year students) Intermediate
(second year and Junior Cert students) and Senior (all other students).
Workshops designed as part of the programme should cover at a minimum the
following:
Idea Generation, Sales and Marketing, Communication Skills and Report
Writing.
GENERAL CRITERIA FOR TENDERING
The Tender should include the following
COURSE: Title, Aims & Objectives to be clearly stated.
COURSE CONTENT: Content to be covered and materials provided
METHOD OF DELIVERY: Details of formal training times, one to one tuition, and
project work required etc.
LOCATION: The Local Enterprise Office will book all venues for training
programmes. It is envisaged that most training programme workshops will take place
in Navan.
PRICE: Pricing to be broken down as follows:
 Cost of training design and delivery per module.
 Cost of information manual for all trainees (if additional to delivery.)
 Cost of one to one sessions..
 Evaluation procedure.
 Administration..
 Incidentals and any other costs.
 Should the number of participants increase or decrease from that stated on the
specification, costs for Programme Materials, Certification, Mentoring will be
paid pro-rata.
 Prices quoted to cover the period of 2015/2016
CERTIFICATION: Where applicable details of Certification and associated cost to
be included.
COMPANY
 Company profile, personnel profile and any other relevant information.
 A current Tax Clearance Certificate.
 Current Professional Indemnity Insurance and Public Liability Insurance.
 A liaison person to be nominated who will liaise with LEO Meath
 References to be submitted where requested.
 Submit a list and profile acceptable to the LEO Meath of all trainers who will
be delivering each module.
GENERAL
A contract containing a confidentiality clause must be signed with Local Enterprise
Office, Meath for each training programme delivered.
Where a material change in company ownership takes place within the contract
period, tenders will be reviewed.
Proof of payment must be submitted by successful tendering company of payments
made to third parties for hired trainers, venues, refreshments, advertising, etc. incurred
in the delivering of training programmes, before Local Enterprise Office, Meath can
make payment.
EVALUATION OF TENDERS
Following the evaluation of tenders under the award criteria tenderers may be
required to provide additional details, to verify information supplied, to make a
presentation to Local Enterprise Office, Meath prior to the selection of a preferred
tender. The decision in awarding this contract will be final.
Respondents who have not been successful will be notified after the selection of a
preferred tender.
Issue of this Request for Tender (RFT) in no way constitutes a commitment to award
or enter into any contract with any respondent.
AWARD CRITERIA
The contract will be awarded from the qualifying tenders on the basis of the most
economically advantageous tender applying the following award criteria:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Comprehensiveness.
Quality of proposal.
Expertise
Resources
Price
15%
15%
15%
15%
40%
GENERAL INSTRUCTION
Tenders to whom any of the circumstances outlined in Appendix A (Article 29 of EU
Council Directive 50/92/EEC – coordinating procedures for the award of public
service contracts) apply; will be excluded from this competition.
FREEDOM OF INFORMATION/CONFIDENTIALITY
Local Enterprise Office, Meath, undertakes to use its best endeavours to hold
confidential any information provided by respondents, subject to its obligations under
law, including the Freedom of Information Acts, 1997 and 2003.
Respondents wishing that any of the information supplied in their tender should not
be disclosed should identify this sensitive information clearly and specify the reason
for its sensitivity.
Local Enterprise Office, Meath also requires that all information made available to the
preferred tenderer in the course of this project be treated in strict confidence, unless
indicated otherwise in particular instances.
COSTS INCURRED BY TENDERERS
Local Enterprise Office, Meath will not be responsible for any costs associated with
the preparation of a response to this request for tender.
TAX CLEARANCE CERTIFICATE
(i) Irish Resident Contractors
An Irish resident contractor must be in possession of a valid Tax Clearance Certificate
for the duration of the contract. Where a tender is submitted jointly by a number of
individuals or firms, or by a partnership, each participant will require tax clearance.
All Irish resident tenderers must obtain Tax Clearance Certificates and quote the
Certificate reference number in their tenders. Certificates are available from the Irish
Revenue Commissioners, being the competent authority in Ireland.
In addition, contractors must retain tax reference numbers for any sub-contractors
where payments exceed €650 (including VAT). Where payments exceed €2,600 in
any 12 month period the subcontractor will be required to produce either a current tax
clearance certificate, or a current C2 certificate.
(ii) Non-Resident Contractors
If the contractor is not resident in Ireland, a Statement of Suitability must be obtained
from the Irish Revenue Commissioners, before the contract is awarded. It is not
required for the purposes of responding to this tender document.
(iii) Tax Clearance Certificate/Statement of Suitability
Before the contract is awarded the successful proposer will be required to produce,
within seven working days of being requested, a Tax Clearance Certificate or a
Statement of Suitability, as the case may be.
WITHOLDING (PSWT) TAX
A withholding tax will be deducted from any service related payments made (A nonnational may be able to reclaim this tax by applying to the Irish Revenue
Commissioners).
CONTRACT TERMINATION
Local Enterprise Office, Meath reserves the right to terminate any contract at any
stage. The supplier shall be responsible for the delivery of all services provided for
within the Contract on the basis of the agreed costs. Local Enterprise Office, Meath
retains the right to withhold payment of fees where a supplier has failed to meet its
contractual obligations.
Appendix A:
Appendix A: Extract from Article 29 EU Council Directive 92/50/EEC
(Coordinating procedures for the award of public service contracts):
Article 29
Any service provider may be excluded from participation in a contract who:
(a)
is bankrupt or is being wound up, whose affairs are being administered by the
court, who has entered into an arrangement with creditors, who has suspended
business activities or who is in any analogous situation arising from a similar
procedure under national laws and regulations;
(b)
is the subject of proceedings for a declaration of bankruptcy, for an order for
compulsory winding-up or administration by the court or for an arrangement
with creditors or of any other similar proceedings under national laws or
regulations;
(c)
has been convicted of an offence concerning his professional conduct by a
judgement, which has the force of res judicata;
(d)
has been guilty of grave professional misconduct proven by any means which
the contracting authorities can justify;
(e)
has not fulfilled obligations relating to the payment of social security
contributions in accordance with the legal provisions of the country in which he
is established or with those of the country of the contracting authority;
(f) has not fulfilled obligations relating to the payment of taxes in accordance
with the legal provisions of the country of the contracting authority;
(g)
is guilty of serious misrepresentation in supplying or failing to supply the
information that may be required under this Appendix.
END