Divided Dáil: Polling cards tender issued as talks of second election escalate

The Government has launched a tender for millions of polling cards, as talk of a second general election has heightened.

The tender request for millions of polling information cards suitable for a general election was issued yesterday by the Office of Government Procurement, on the day Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny met Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin about forming a government.

Tender documents, seen by the Irish Examiner, are calling for interested companies to submit their offers by April 20.

The documents state that any successful bid “will be issued for a term of two years and may be extended further”.

In what may be a significant deadline, the successful tendee is called on to deliver the polling cards to a freight company in Co Offaly by June 30.

“The service(s) is for the initial supply of four million polling information cards in two sorts. Subsequent supplies of four million polling information cards in two sorts may be ordered within the two-year period of this contract”.

“The quantities of cards in continuous stationery and sheet format within subsequent supplies of four million may vary,” the tender states.

The text for the cards will be supplied by the department while a purchase order for the successful bidder will be raised by the OPW’s election services department.

According to the documents, the contract will be awarded on the basis of the lowest price, the tender documents state.

The Department of the Environment stated last night such a tender is “standard practice” after the holding of an election.

“It takes time to restock some items.

“The request for tenders for the supply of polling information cards now is part of the replenishment process and would have issued irrespective of the government formation process following the Dáil election,” a statement to the Irish Examiner states.