Arkphire

Oct 4, 2022

The Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage awarded more than 120 public contracts for consultancy, works and services of over €25,000 in value in 2021, worth a total of €23.2m. Department data show that it agreed 123 contracts with private and state companies in 2021, ranging up to €4.2m in value to for the tender awarded to Arkphire to develop IT infrastructure disaster recovery capabilities to ensure business continuity. Other valuable contracts included €1.1m to German firm Leonardo to supply, install and commission a dual-polarisation weather radar system at Shannon Airport , with a €33,000 paid to the company for maintenance of the Doppler weather radar at the airport. Some €1.3m was awarded to Bord na Móna to manage infrastructure and restoration works at designated and non-designated raised bogs over a period of two years, while MCG Cleaning Services was paid €949,000 for cleaning services at the Custom House, Met Éireann headquarters and other locations. Germany engineering firm KISTERS was paid €648,000 to develop a flood integrated communication system for Ireland, and mobile service provider Three Ireland was paid €454,000 for mobile phones and data billing services. Dundrum's BEC Consultants was paid €1.1m for its expertise as part of a national survey of fens, one of six services contracts attained by the company, including monitoring coastal habitats and snails, assessments of woodland and grassland sites. The Department of Housing paid Bord Na Mona €1.3m for bog restoration services last year. (Pic: Eamonn Farrell/RollingNews.ie) G Russell Plant Hire of Laois was awarded three contracts worth c.€225,000 for the development of boardwalks, parking and fencing at bogs and restoration of the Girley Bog Natural Heritage Area in Co Meath. Some €300,000 was paid to Prewil Ltd, trading as DC Kavanagh, for the supply and delivery of ballot papers for referendums over three years. Spanish company Hydrometeorological Innovative Solutions was awarded a contract to develop a multi-hazard early warning system for Met Éireann, worth €570,000 over two years. Elsewhere, the department paid Belgian firm SYS-INFOR €134,000 for weather balloons for Valentia Observatory, while €106,000 was paid to Citywest-based IT company Ward Solutions for a two-year firewall. More than €60,000 was paid to Dell for a new server, and Microsoft Ireland was paid €68,000 for cloud support services. Photo: Minister for Housing Darragh O'Brien.