DR2602 - Direct Award for the Provision of NDLS Front Office Network Services

Description

The Road Safety Authority is responsible for providing the Driver Theory Test Services (DTTS) and the National Driver Licence Service (NDLS) in Ireland. On 8 July 2020, a contract was awarded to SGS Ireland Ltd (SGS) for the provision of a network of front offices to support the NDLS in Ireland. This contract is due to expire in December 2026. In accordance with this contract, SGS currently performs all front office operations of the NDLS, i.e. secure processing of driver licence applications, registration, document validation and payment processing (NDLS FO Services). These operations include 34 customer centres nationwide as well as staff and front-office technology to verify applicants. In March 2026, the RSA commenced a procurement process for the provision of DTTS and NDLS under a new, amalgamated contract which will comprise front office, back office, DTTS and other elements of the NDLS (OJEU reference: OJ S 61/2026). It is envisaged that the new, amalgamated NDLS contract will be awarded to the preferred tender in Q3 2027 and that a transitional period of at least 18 months will then be required to transition to the new contract. In order to bridge the gap between the expiry of the NDLS FO Services contract in December 2026 and the commencement of the new amalgamated contract, RSA has to award an interim contract to perform the essential and important NDLS FO Services. The duration of this interim contract will be for a short interim period of approximately 28 months with a 6 month termination clause to facilitate the completion of the procurement process for the new amalgamated contract and to allow for a transitional period. RSA intends to award this interim contract to SGS as it considers that, due to technical, legal and operational constraints, it is not possible for another entity to perform the NDLS FO Services for such a short period of time.