The office managing the Tuam excavations is seeking the services of a public relations firm, offering a contract worth an estimated €130,000.
Posted on the Government procurement platform, eTenders, the Office of the Director of Authorised Intervention, Tuam (ODAIT) requested services for the delivery of “learning, development and upskilling training programmes” for ODAIT personnel and contractors.
The ODAIT was established under the Institutional Burials Act 2022, and is responsible for recovering and analysing, memorialising and burying the human remains recovered from the site of the former Mother and Baby institution in Tuam, Co. Galway.
“Acknowledging the significant scientific challenges, ODAIT will, to the extent possible, identify and individualise (re-association of commingled remains into separate individuals) those human remains and establish the circumstances and cause of death,” the document says about the contracting authority’s mandate.
With ODAIT’s work centred around “key stakeholder groups” and “intense media interest in ODAIT’s work at local, national and international levels,” the services of a stakeholder relations and public relations firm are sought to help develop the skills of ODAIT staff and contractors.
Anticipated forms of media and audiences include Irish and international media outlets; local communities including those adjacent to the excavation site; families; survivors and their advocates; and public representatives.
“Effective training” is required to build trust in ODAIT’s reputation, the document reads, to ensure that the office’s message is clear and respectful as the excavation proceeds.
The office estimates that the expenditure on the services may amount to some €130,000 (excl. VAT) over contract’s duration, which is listed as 30 months.