Ireland – IT services: consulting, software development, Internet and support – Voluntary Ex Ante Transparency (VEAT) Notice for Award of Contract to Pin Point Alerts Ltd for the provision of a cloud hosted platform designed to provide location based alert services tailored to the needs of the Irish local authority sector.

Cork County Council gives notice to invoke Article 32.2 (b) (ii) for a derogation from public procurement whereby the works, supplies or services can be provided only by a particular economic operator as competition is absent for technical reasons. Cork County Council intends to award a contract to Pin Point Alerts Ltd for 3 years. The maximum value of this contract is €140,000 ex VAT. This contract is for a cloud hosted platform designed to provide location based alert services tailored to the needs of the Irish local authority sector. The platform allows local councils to send targeted alerts and notifications to subscribers based primarily on their location, with additional subscription options for specific points of interest (e.g.,Planning Alerts). The service offers multichannel communication, enabling bulk messaging through SMS, email, app notifications, social media, and APIs. It uses location data and spatial analysis to ensure alerts reach the right audience effectively, rather than flooding all subscribers with every alert issued. Subscribers can register home and work locations to receive alerts even if crossing local authority boundaries and can select the types of available alerts they wish to receive. In addition to the main platform the Council uses a severe weather road alerting add-on that allows staff to quickly trigger an alert to be issued to subscribers on road issues such as flooding and fallen trees during weather events. The platform facilitates maintaining a council's branding and the hosted site adheres to Irish Language requirements and complies with WACG2.1 accessibility guidelines. The platform supports social media automation and integrates with third party data sources such as: weather warnings from Met Éireann, river height data from the Office of Public Works (OPW), bathing water quality from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Property Price Register updates. Alerts can be issued either manually by staff or through automation to keep subscribers informed about important situations in their area of the County. Platform administrators can manage council alerter accounts, issue alerts, and customise system settings. The notification service can integrate with internal council systems such as a CRM which helps to improve operational efficiency as well as timely communication with the public. Additionally, the platform provides data streams that can be integrated into internal council systems, such as GIS layers. The service is free for end users and plays a key role in improving communication between local authorities and the public.