State to spend €770,000 on motorcades of luxury vehicles for foreign dignitaries

The DFA is looking for BMW i7s or their equivalent under the tender

The Department of Foreign Affairs is set to spend €770,000 on motorcades of high-end luxury cars for visiting dignitaries.

The department’s protocol division is currently seeking tenders for a contract to provide a fleet of luxury saloons, MPVs and buses, specifying top-of-the-range BMW i7s or Mercedes EQS.

The vehicles will be used to provide ground transportation services for official and state visits to Ireland by visiting dignitaries, as well as for the presentation of diplomatic credentials and other events.

Based on current and expected future usage, the department expects to spend €770,000 plus VAT on the service over the term of the contract, which is for one year with three possible 12-month extensions.

The successful company will provide access to at least 10 suitable vehicles with appropriately qualified chauffeurs, who will be expected to guarantee discretion in an environment where engagements “may demand a high level of sensitivity and confidentiality”, according to the tender documents.

The vehicles must be high quality, luxury and of a “discreet uniform colour”, and must be no older than seven years. The tender specifies that they must have air conditioning, be impeccably clean, and meet certain emissions standards.

They must also be capable of flying two car-style national flags or pennants, and bottled water should be provided in all saloons at no extra cost, the documents state.

The functions and events that will require motorcades may require “detailed and complex coordination and management, often to tight timelines”, and the successful company will manage these events under the direction of the department.

“In addition to the provision of services to cover small-scale ground transportation services for official and state visits in the general Dublin area, service providers must also be able to cater for occasional large-scale events in or outside the greater Dublin area, where it may be necessary to have two or more separate transport operations or motorcades in different places at the same time,” the tender states.

The BMW i7 is the electric version of the luxury carmaker’s latest iteration of its 7 series, and currently retails for up to €200,000. The Mercedes EQS is also a fully electric saloon that costs around €180,000.

The tender specifies that, “where possible”, all vehicles must be ‘clean’ in line with the EU Clean Vehicles Directive. They must therefore emit less than 50g/km of CO2 up to December 31, 2025, and be zero-emissions thereafter.

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