Public procurement notice: Prior Information Notice Without Call For Competition
Published: 2025-07-08
Buyer: Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII)
Country: IE
Region: IE061
Contract type: Works
CPV classification: 34600000 | 34620000 | 34630000 | 34640000 | 45210000: Building construction work
Estimated value: 9500000000 EUR
Submission deadline: 2025-08-04

Technical requirements: MetroLink will provide a high speed, high capacity, high frequency, modern and efficient public transport service for passengers travelling along the Swords/Airport to City Centre corridor in Dublin, which will be capable of integration with other modes of public transport. Further information on MetroLink is available at www.metrolink.ie

MetroLink will be procured under a series of public works and services contracts:  

Programme Delivery Partner (“PDP”) Contract:
The PDP Contract shall support Transport Infrastructure Ireland (“TII”) through providing capability and capacity to support the TII organisational structure in post-contract, construction and delivery (including contract management functions such as fulfilling role of “Project Manager” and “Supervisor” under the M401/M402 Main Civils Infrastructure Contracts and performance of the statutory function of Project Supervisor Construction Stage under the M401/M402 Main Civils Infrastructure Contracts and the M500 Contract).

M401/402 Main Civils Infrastructure Contracts: 
Two NEC4 Engineering and Construction Contract (ECC) contracts will be let for the civil engineering and infrastructure works including track alignment preparation, stations and structures including bridges and tunnels. Further detail on the scope of the two M400 Main Civils Infrastructure Contracts is as envisaged below: 

1.	Southern Section M401 – Charlemont to Northwood:
•	Bored tunnels and portals, evacuation / intervention shafts; and
•	Below ground station excavations at Charlemont, St Stephen’s Green, Tara, O’Connell, Mater, Glasnevin, Griffith Park, Collins Avenue, Ballymun, Northwood up to 35m deep including shell and core structures.

2.	Northern Section M402 - Northwood to Estuary:
•	M50 viaduct, surface route (retained cut, cut and cover) and at-grade sections;
•	Broadmeadow river viaduct;
•	Estuary Station Park and Ride Facility (bulk earthworks and site preparation);
•	Preparation of the Dardistown Depot site and access road;
•	Bored tunnels and portals, evacuation / intervention shafts; and
•	Stations excavations and associated logistics including Dardistown, Dublin Airport, Fosterstown, Swords Central, Seatown and Estuary.

M500 Contract 
An availability-based design, build, finance, operate and maintain (“DBFOM”) contract to appoint a project company (“M500 Contractor”) who will carry out design and construction, raise finance in respect of such construction, and subsequently provide the integrated operation and maintenance of the public passenger transport service. The M500 Contractor will be responsible for the design, manufacture, supply and installation of the metro rolling stock, signalling system (at Grade of Operation 4 – an automated railway), a railway depot and maintenance facility, metro control centre building(s) together with the installation of all line-wide trackwork, overhead contact system, power and communication systems, mechanical and electrical systems including tunnel and station ventilation, people movement systems and the fit out and finishes in sixteen stations plus urban realm works. The M500 Contractor will be required to procure financing in respect of the abovementioned works, and following completion of the works, the M500 Contractor will be responsible for the operation and maintenance of the MetroLink system as a whole. 

TII proposes to award an Early Services Agreement to the preferred tenderer for the M500 Contract, pursuant to which the preferred tenderer will be required to provide early services related to, inter alia, railway systems integration prior to financial close. 

In advance of the award of the M400 Main Civils Infrastructure Contracts and the M500 Contract, TII intends to award a series of enabling works framework agreements (the “M100 Contracts”) and a DPS purchasing system to deliver enabling works to include the removal and/or relocation of existing utilities, archaeology, heritage items (for storage/replacement) and buildings from site and undertaking other monitoring  and survey activities.

Separate Periodic Notices were published for the M100 Contracts on 19th May 2025:  
•	Civils Enabling Works Framework TED Reference: 320539-2025 - Planning
•	Utilities Framework TED Reference: 319450-2025 - Planning
•	Enabling Works and Specialist Heritage Works Framework TED Reference: 321121-2025 - Planning
•	Independent Monitoring and Surveying Qualification System TED Reference: 321586-2025 - Planning
•	Archaeology Services Qualification System TED Reference: 321984-2025 - Planning

This Global PIN is further to other previous publications concerning this project including: 
•	TED Reference: 518372-2024, released on 29 of August 2024, related to the M400 Main Civils Infrastructure Contracts. 
•	TED Reference: 509146-2024, released on 26 August 2024, related to the PDP Contract.
•	TED Reference: 557522-2023, released on 15 September 2023, related to the M500 Contract.
•	TED Reference: 208843-2022, released on 19 April 2022, related to the M500 Contract.
•	TED Reference: 536230-2019, released on 12 November 2019, related to MetroLink as a whole.
•	MetroLink Programme Delivery Partner (PDP) Contract.
•	MetroLink M401/402 Main Civils Infrastructure Contracts (comprising design and delivery of metro tunnels, station box structures, shafts, river and road crossings, surface and other civil works). 
•	MetroLink M500 Contract (a DBFOM contract comprising design and delivery of rail systems and other works, station fit-out, rolling stock, commissioning, park and ride, financing of such works and integrated operation and maintenance of the public passenger transport service).

MetroLink will provide a high speed, high capacity, high frequency, modern and efficient public transport service for passengers travelling along the Swords/Airport to City Centre corridor in Dublin, which will be capable of integration with other modes of public transport. Further information on MetroLink is available at : https://www.metrolink.ie/

MetroLink will be procured under a series of public works and services contracts:  


Programme Delivery Partner (“PDP”) Contract:
The PDP Contract shall support Transport Infrastructure Ireland (“TII”) through providing capability and capacity to support the TII organisational structure in post-contract, construction and delivery (including contract management functions such as fulfilling role of “Project Manager” and “Supervisor” under the M401/M402 Main Civils Infrastructure Contracts and performance of the statutory function of Project Supervisor Construction Stage under the M401/M402 Main Civils Infrastructure Contracts and the M500 Contract).


M401/402 Main Civils Infrastructure Contracts: 
Two NEC4 Engineering and Construction Contract (ECC) contracts will be let for the civil engineering and infrastructure works including track alignment preparation, stations and structures including bridges and tunnels. Further detail on the scope of the two M400 Main Civils Infrastructure Contracts is as envisaged below: 

1.	Southern Section M401 – Charlemont to Northwood:
•	Bored tunnels and portals, evacuation / intervention shafts; and
•	Below ground station excavations at Charlemont, St Stephen’s Green, Tara, O’Connell, Mater, Glasnevin, Griffith Park, Collins Avenue, Ballymun, Northwood up to 35m deep including shell and core structures.

2.	Northern Section M402 - Northwood to Estuary:
•	M50 viaduct, surface route (retained cut, cut and cover) and at-grade sections;
•	Broadmeadow river viaduct;
•	Estuary Station Park and Ride Facility (bulk earthworks and site preparation);
•	Preparation of the Dardistown Depot site and access road;
•	Bored tunnels and portals, evacuation / intervention shafts; and
•	Stations excavations and associated logistics including Dardistown, Dublin Airport, Fosterstown, Swords Central, Seatown and Estuary.


M500 Contract 
An availability-based design, build, finance, operate and maintain (“DBFOM”) contract to appoint a project company (“M500 Contractor”) who will carry out design and construction, raise finance in respect of such construction, and subsequently provide the integrated operation and maintenance of the public passenger transport service. The M500 Contractor will be responsible for the design, manufacture, supply and installation of the metro rolling stock, signalling system (at Grade of Operation 4 – an automated railway), a railway depot and maintenance facility, metro control centre building(s) together with the installation of all line-wide trackwork, overhead contact system, power and communication systems, mechanical and electrical systems including tunnel and station ventilation, people movement systems and the fit out and finishes in sixteen stations plus urban realm works. The M500 Contractor will be required to procure financing in respect of the abovementioned works, and following completion of the works, the M500 Contractor will be responsible for the operation and maintenance of the MetroLink system as a whole. 

TII proposes to award an Early Services Agreement to the preferred tenderer for the M500 Contract, pursuant to which the preferred tenderer will be required to provide early services related to, inter alia, railway systems integration prior to financial close. 

In advance of the award of the M400 Main Civils Infrastructure Contracts and the M500 Contract, TII intends to award a series of enabling works framework agreements (the “M100 Contracts”) and a DPS purchasing system to deliver enabling works to include the removal and/or relocation of existing utilities, archaeology, heritage items (for storage/replacement) and buildings from site and undertaking other monitoring  and survey activities.
The PDP Contract and the M400 Main Civils Infrastructure Contracts will be procured in accordance with the European Union (Award of Contracts by Utility Undertakings) Regulations 2016 (SI 286/2016) (Utilities Regulations).

The M500 Contract will be procured in accordance with the European Union Regulation (EC) 1370/2007.

This is a periodic indicative notice (PIN) used only for information and the purposes of market consultation. This is not a call for competition and therefore no tender documents are available. 

No competitive process will result from this PIN; any future competitions will be subject to appropriate advertisement via the Official Journal of the European Union (OJEU) and on www.etenders.gov.ie.

The information contained in this PIN may be subject to change due to the impact of governance, assurance and regulatory changes. Insofar as is permitted by law, TII shall not be liable for any losses incurred by any party as a result of reliance on the information contained/linked herein.

Any expenditure, work or effort undertaken by organisations or service providers in response to this Global PIN is a matter solely for themselves and costs will not be reimbursed. 

Interested parties are permitted to register their interest in any or all of the packages at this stage. Expressions of Interest and responses to the Market Sounding Questionnaire(s) must be received via the eTenders portal or supplychainmetrolink@tii.ie as follows:

•	For the PDP contract, Expressions of Interest must be received by 17:00hrs (BST) on Friday 25th July 2025, confirming a designated representative, e-mail address and contact number from their firm.

•	For M401/402 and M500 contracts, Expressions of Interest must be received by 17:00hrs (BST) on Friday 8th August 2025, confirming a designated representative, e-mail address and contact number from their firm.  Parties responding will be provided with a Market Sounding Questionnaire, which must be returned by 17:00hrs (BST) on Tuesday 30th September 2025.

TII reserves the right, at its discretion to request some or all interested parties to engage further with prospective candidates participating in the Market Sounding, including by requesting further information either in writing or by way of one-to-one meetings.

The purpose of these meetings is to allow TII to further develop and finalise its procurement strategy for the MetroLink PDP Contract, M401/M402 Main Civils Infrastructure Contracts and the M500 Contract. It is expected that these clarification meetings will focus on those key issues raised by participants. 

Participation or non-participation in any engagement during the consultation process will not prejudice participation in any future tender competition related to the MetroLink programme. 
 
This PIN is open for SMEs to register their interest in the same way as other parties, even where they intend to participate as a sub-contractor or part of a consortium bid. There will be further information on the approach to SME participation on MetroLink during the market sounding period. 

The anticipated contract start-dates mentioned at section 3.1.3 are as follows: 
•	PDP – from Q1 2026.
•	M400 – from Q1 2027.
•	M500 – from Q2 2027 for Preferred Bidder and from Q1 2028 for Contract Award.
In relation to the value in section 2.1.3 : The Delivery cost summary is presented in Box 4-5 of the MetroLink Preliminary Business Case on the National Transport Authority website.  
MetroLink - Preliminary Business Case - National Transport
This shows a P50 Management Base target (Central Cost Forecast) of €9.50B (costed at 2021).