Voluntary Ex-Ante Transparency (VEAT) Notice for Award of Contract to Mintel for provision of industry knowledge, expertise and insight to guide and inform marketing strategies.

Dublin City Council gives notice to invoke Article 32.2(b) (iii) for a derogation from public procurement whereby the works, supplies or services can be provided only by a particular economic operator for the protection of exclusive rights, including intellectual property rights. Dublin City Council intends to award a contract to Mintel Group Ltd. for 4 years. The maximum value of of this contract is £30,622 ex VAT. Mintel provide industry knowledge, expertise and insight to guide and inform marketing strategies for the following sectors: Food & Drink, Finance, Lifestyles, Retail, and Leisure. They provide access to thousands of market research reports covering nearly all aspects of consumer spending and providing a comprehensive view of markets, consumers, products, and competitive landscapes, including the following industry data: information on consumer purchasing habits and buyer behaviours; market data to support retail conversations; information on new launches and product positioning; cross category trends; insight into effective advertising campaigns; data to inform sales and R&D for launches or pitches, and more. The Mintel subscription includes the following services and resources: a dedicated Irish report schedule including 27 Irish reports published annually; surveys on these reports from a panel of 2,000 Irish consumers; access to all archived reports; access to the Irish Consumer Confidence Tracker report published every quarter since 2020; access to analyst presentations covering reports or trending topics, either in-person or online; a dedicated account manager to support user queries and requests beyond the Irish market. Each report combines consumer research and drivers, product innovation and/or competitive analysis as well as market size to give the end user a complete view of the market or markets they are researching. Mintel reports are available in multiple languages and contain the following features: executive summaries with key takeaways; multiple formats to allow the end user to download data in PowerPoint, PDF and Excel; interactive databooks to allow the end user to explore detailed consumer demographic data; infographic overviews to facilitate fast and easy-to-digest visual summaries. Mintel is an essential resource in a suite of digital business resources provided by Dublin City Libraries via the Business Information Centre, Central Library, ILAC Shopping Centre, Dublin 2 to support economic growth in Dublin as Ireland’s capital city and economic engine. In the context of all the features combined as outlined above, Mintel is a unique and essential resource. Dublin City Council intends to award a contract directly to Mintel Group Ltd. under Article 32(2)(b)of Directive 2014/24/EU which states that the negotiated procedure without prior publication may be used where the works, supplies or services can only be supplied by a particular economic operator for (iii) the protection of exclusive rights, including intellectual property rights.