1.1.    About Sport Ireland and Sport Ireland Institute
Sport Ireland was established on 1 October 2015 as the statutory agency for the promotion and development of sport in Ireland. Among its statutory functions are encouraging the achievement of excellence in competitive sport, supporting athletes to achieve excellence and facilitating research into all aspects of sport. This tender process is intended to contribute to the delivery of each of these functions.

In respect of high performance sport, Sport Ireland’s remit is primarily focussed on Olympic and Paralympic sports and related international competitions.

The Sport Ireland Institute is an integral component of Sport Ireland and was set up to support Irish athletes in achieving sustained levels of excellence in elite sport through the delivery of world-class services. The Institute coordinates a network of highly experienced, quality assured service providers to help support the high performance environment ensuring that sports and athletes have access to the sports science and medicine supports that they need.

1.2.     Background to services required
The National Sports Policy (NSP) 2018 - 2027  sets out the public policy work for the development of sport in Ireland for this decade including the future for high performance sport. The policy provided the work for the subsequent development, in 2019, of a High Performance Strategy 2020 – 2029 which seeks to “develop a high performance sport system capable of delivering consistent, long-term, repeatable success on the international stage.” Strategic Pillars 2, 3 and 7 of the HP Strategy are particularly relevant to this tender.

The HP strategy acknowledges the need to provide comprehensive support to athletes that goes beyond their sporting involvement. While this means supporting them in aspects of their lives around education, scholarships, and retirement planning of most importance in the context of the current tender is that it also necessitates the provision of appropriate supports