RTÉ has defended publishing a €150,000 tender request for “tree surgery” services on their grounds.
“Tree surgery” is defined by Oxford dictionary as “the pruning and treating of old or damaged trees in order to preserve them.”
In the description posted to the Government’s e-tender website, the broadcaster said they required “a professional tree management provider to deliver comprehensive tree inspections, hazard assessments, felling, and ongoing maintenance to ensure the safety, health, and sustainability of trees across the Montrose site.”
It was further stated that the estimated value of the contract, excluding VAT, was up to €150,000.
Asked by Gript how many trees were on the RTÉ campus, an RTÉ spokesman declined to give a number, but said it was “many”.
Further asked what specific safety issues were being addressed by this project, the spokesman said the trees could prove hazardous following bouts of bad weather.
“RTÉ regularly requires the services tendered for the maintenance and management of the large number of trees on our Donnybrook site,” he said.
“This can include but is not limited to safety works after storms and bad weather.”
He went on to defend the price of the project, arguing that the contract “covers a five-year period” and that “the price quoted is indicative, not set.”
Asked whether a cheaper alternative was considered, such as in-house maintenance, the spokesperson said it would “not make economic sense” to go with such options.
“This is a specialist service requiring specific equipment and training and does not make economic sense to resource internally,” he said.
While no precise count of how many trees feature on the RTÉ campus, an aerial shot of the station can be viewed below.
