Paid Partner Call: Ireland Logistics Workforce Study 2027–2032

PAID CALL FOR SPECIALIST PARTNERS

Porsena OÜ is preparing a tender submission for a live Irish public contract.

The Irish Department of Transport requires an 18-month research and consultancy study of the logistics and supply-chain workforce in Ireland. The study will analyse current and future labour demand and supply, forecast skills gaps for 2027-2032 and support policy and workforce planning.

The estimated total contract value is EUR 100,000 excluding VAT. The contract has not yet been awarded.

PROJECT SCOPE

The study will:

- Analyse employment and workforce trends in Ireland's logistics and supply-chain sector
- Assess current and future labour demand and supply across key occupations
- Focus primarily on Transportation and Storage while including relevant occupations in other sectors
- Forecast occupational and skills gaps for 2027-2032
- Examine career pathways and education and training provision
- Assess job quality, recruitment, retention and workforce sustainability
- Develop practical policy and workforce-planning recommendations
- Follow relevant EGFSN methodologies and reporting standards
- Produce a final report, executive summary, data outputs and presentation materials

PORSENA'S ROLE

Porsena OÜ will act as the lead tenderer, consortium coordinator and main contact with the Department.

Porsena will lead:

- Overall methodology and research architecture
- Contract and project management
- Desk research and evidence synthesis
- Digital research systems and document control
- Integration of qualitative and quantitative evidence
- Quality assurance and model review
- Main report authorship and editing
- Policy conclusions and recommendations
- Workshop design and leadership
- Final presentation and knowledge transfer

Our strength is structured execution. We convert complex requirements into clear work plans, controlled research processes and usable outputs. We work quickly, adapt to new evidence and integrate specialist contributions into one coherent result.

The specialist partners will retain responsibility for the technical quality of their agreed work packages. Porsena will provide central coordination, common research frameworks, templates, review processes and integration.

WE ARE SEEKING TWO SPECIALIST PARTNERS

Applicants may apply for either role. Organisations or research teams that can cover both roles may also contact us.

Applicants do not need to match every desirable criterion. We welcome applications from consultancies, universities, research institutes, professional associations, training networks, sector organisations and qualified expert teams.

The essential requirement is the practical ability to complete the core tasks of the selected role.

ROLE 1: IRELAND LOGISTICS WORKFORCE ENGAGEMENT PARTNER

Planned specialist fee: EUR 15,000 excluding VAT.

Ireland-based organisations are strongly preferred. Organisations based elsewhere may apply if they already have relevant Irish networks and can deliver the required Irish research within the available budget.

Main responsibilities:

- Map relevant logistics and supply-chain employers
- Identify education and training providers, professional bodies and sector organisations
- Design a practical stakeholder-engagement and sampling plan
- Conduct interviews, focus groups or comparable qualitative research under an agreed research guide
- Map entry routes and career pathways for priority occupations
- Examine recruitment, retention, job quality and workforce sustainability
- Produce a clear written synthesis suitable for citation in the main report
- Support the Dublin validation workshop where required
- Respond to comments and complete agreed revisions

Strong candidates may demonstrate some or all of the following:

- Knowledge of Ireland's logistics, transport, freight, distribution or supply-chain sector
- Access to Irish employers, education providers or sector bodies
- Experience with interviews, focus groups, surveys or stakeholder consultation
- Experience with workforce, skills, careers, training or employment research
- Experience with Irish or European public-policy studies
- Strong written English
- Named experts who are available after contract award

A candidate with excellent Irish sector access but more limited experience in one secondary area is still encouraged to apply. Porsena can support research design, documentation, synthesis and final reporting.

Indicative payment structure:

- 30% after approval of the fieldwork design
- 40% after completion of the main fieldwork
- 30% after acceptance of the final synthesis and revisions

Domestic travel and fieldwork logistics must be discussed before appointment. The final arrangement will be fixed before tender submission.

ROLE 2: LABOUR-MARKET FORECASTING AND SKILLS-GAP MODELLING PARTNER

Planned specialist fee: EUR 15,000 excluding VAT.

This partner can be based in Ireland or elsewhere in Europe. Irish labour-market experience is preferred, but it is not essential if the applicant has strong occupational forecasting and modelling experience.

Main responsibilities:

- Prepare a transparent model specification
- Define variables, data sources, assumptions and limitations
- Develop a baseline forecast and at least two alternative scenarios for 2027-2032
- Estimate demand, supply and likely gaps by occupation or occupational group
- Conduct sensitivity tests on important parameters
- Produce clear occupation-level tables and explanatory notes
- Provide machine-readable outputs in Excel or CSV
- Prepare a complete methods annex
- Support technical integration with the qualitative evidence
- Provide a technical briefing for the Dublin validation workshop
- Respond to review comments and complete agreed revisions

Strong candidates may demonstrate some or all of the following:

- Labour-market or workforce forecasting
- Occupational demand-and-supply analysis
- Econometrics, statistics or scenario modelling
- Skills-gap or education-and-training analysis
- Reproducible data workflows
- Experience with Irish, UK or European labour-market data
- Public-sector research or consultancy assignments
- Transport or logistics knowledge as an advantage
- Clear communication of technical findings to non-technical audiences

A candidate with strong labour-market forecasting experience but limited logistics experience is still encouraged to apply. Porsena and the Ireland engagement partner will supply sector evidence and support interpretation.

Indicative payment structure:

- 30% after approval of the model specification
- 40% after delivery of draft results
- 30% after acceptance of final tables, methods annex and revisions

Travel arrangements for any required Dublin workshop will be agreed with the selected partner before tender submission.

PARTNER SELECTION

We are looking for reliable specialist delivery partners, not general project participants.

Selection will focus on:

- Relevant experience
- Quality and relevance of previous work
- Strength of the proposed experts
- Technical approach
- Practical capacity to complete the work
- Ability to cooperate within an integrated consortium
- Availability during the expected project period

Quality and practical fit will be more important than offering the lowest price.

The planned fee for each work package is EUR 15,000 excluding VAT. Final milestones and contractual terms must comply with the official tender requirements.

HOW TO APPLY

Please provide:

- Legal organisation name and country
- Role or roles for which you are applying
- Short description of your relevant capabilities
- Up to three relevant projects or assignments
- Names and short CVs of the proposed experts
- Short explanation of your proposed approach
- Availability for the expected project period
- Information about access to Irish stakeholders or Irish data, where relevant
- Confirmation that the planned fee is workable
- Confirmation that any agreed work or travel in Ireland is feasible

Please respond by 5 August 2026.

Suitable candidates may be invited to a short online meeting before the deadline. Partner selection will be completed promptly so that legal details, CVs and mandates can be included in the tender submission.

Public contract notice:
https://ted.europa.eu/en/notice/-/detail/508833-2026