€22m to be spent on catering services for gardaí policing 2027 Ryder Cup
Gordon Deegan
An Garda Siochána (AGS) is looking to spend up to an estimated €22 million on catering services and venue hire for its members policing events around the country, including the Ryder Cup taking place at Adare Manor in Co Limerick next year.
AGS is seeking to establish ‘Dynamic Panels’ for the provision of venue hire and venue hire with catering services for its members, policing hundreds of events across the country every year.
The tender documentation states that AGS police an average of around 300 planned events, public and private, across Ireland on an annual basis.
The tender states that venue hire and catering services will be required for Garda Members on duty at planned events, both one-off events, for example, the Ryder Cup and recurring events for example, the St Patrick’s Festival.
The tender states that AGS expects to police an additional 130 to 160 events across Ireland between July and December 2026 when Ireland holds the EU Presidency.
The number of Garda members engaged in policing an event ranges from 10 or less to several hundred, and 75 per cent of the events involve 50 or fewer Garda members, the tender reveals.
The tender states that the Panel Agreement will come into effect in mid 2026 for an initial period of two years with the option of extending the Panel Agreement for further periods up to 10 years.
The tender states that the catering services will include the provision of hot meals, breakfast, lunch and dinner and/or meal boxes, such as 'Perishable Breakfast Packs', 'Perishable Snack Packs', 'Perishable Main Meal Packs', and 'Ambient Snack Packs' to be distributed to Garda members on duty.
The tender states that AGS requires inclusive menus with the provision of high-quality hot and cold options, including plated meals, buffets and refreshments with a strong focus on quality assured foods, with a preference for sustainable Irish produce.
The tender specifies that at least 10 per cent of the total value of food to be provided must be organic.
It states that Ireland’s Common Agricultural Policy (CPA) targets 10 per cent of all agricultural areas to be farmed organically by 2030, and the achievement of this target will be supported by the inclusion of organic food in the daily Garda menu.
The tender also states that the creation of menus will take into account the need to reduce fat, sugar and salt and to increase fibre.
It states that panel members “must place due emphasis on the high quality of products with regard to imaginative use of ingredients in the development of menus with regard to price and customer base”.
The tender states that the ‘grab and go’ meal can consist of a sandwich, piece(s) of fresh fruit, a granola bar, packet of crisps and a carton of water.
The tender states that venue hire and catering services will also be required for Garda members on duty at unplanned events, for example, a visit by a high-profile foreign dignitary at short notice, or an unplanned large-scale public gathering.
Those wishing to tender to be part of the ‘Dynamic Panel’ have until May 6th to do so.
