Ireland's Transport Authority Builds a €2 Million Visual Toolkit for Its Next Wave of Cycling and Rail Projects

Ireland's National Transport Authority (NTA) has awarded a primary contract and established a six-member framework agreement for visualisation services, covering everything from photography to AI-assisted 3D modelling, worth up to €2,047,000 over four years. Six engineering and design firms, AtkinsRéalis, AECOM, Egis, Arup, Typsa, and Brady Shipman Martin, will compete for future work under the panel, with two Dublin walking and cycling schemes already lined up as the first projects.

Introduction

Before a single road is repainted or a cycle lane laid, the public needs to see what a transport scheme will actually look like. Ireland's National Transport Authority has formalised how it sources that visual work, awarding a contract and framework agreement for services ranging from architectural photography to AI-generated illustrations, supporting public transport, walking, and cycling projects across the country.

It is a relatively modest contract in monetary terms, but it underpins the public-facing communication of nearly every major transport project the Authority funds going forward.

Why This Contract Matters

Public transport and active travel schemes increasingly rely on realistic visualisations, 3D renders, photomontages, and animations, to help residents and planning authorities understand proposed changes before construction begins. Rather than tendering visualisation work project by project, the NTA has now built a standing panel of six firms it can call on as needed, alongside one contract for the highest-ranked, most economically advantageous bidder.

For the winning firms, all established engineering, planning, or design consultancies already active in Irish infrastructure, this framework offers a stream of visualisation work directly tied to the country's growing pipeline of active travel and public transport schemes.

Contract Timeline

• Previous procurement notice referenced in this process
• Winners selected: 10 June 2026 (recorded for the lead contract winners)
• Contracts concluded: 29 June 2026 (all six firms)
• Contract award notice published: 14 July 2026 (OJ S 133/2026)
• Contract and framework term: 4 years

Contract Overview

The NTA ran a single open procedure, structured to achieve two outcomes at once: a direct contract with the single most economically advantageous tenderer, and a multi-party framework agreement, with reopening of competition, among the six highest-ranked bidders. All six shortlisted firms, AtkinsRéalis, AECOM, Egis Engineering Ireland, Arup, Typsa, and Brady Shipman Martin, were awarded a place, with individual contract numbers ("Contract 1" through "Contract 6") suggesting a ranked order, AtkinsRéalis and AECOM appear to occupy the top positions, since their winner selection dates were separately recorded in the notice.

Nine tenders were submitted electronically for the process, meaning three bidders were shortlisted for the framework but ultimately did not make the top six.

Key Contract Details

Project Scope

The framework covers visualisation and ancillary services across eight categories: photography, photomontages, 3D visualisation, illustrations and collages, animation, schematic mapping, artificial intelligence (AI) applications, and any other services specific to a firm's particular expertise, including emerging technologies. Two reference projects are already confirmed as the first drawdowns: 3D illustrations for the Coolock to Clontarf walking and cycling scheme, and 3D photomontages with video animation for the Ringsend to City Centre walking and cycling scheme, both in Dublin.

The Authority retains sole discretion over when and how services are drawn down under both the direct contract and the framework agreement, allowing it to match specific visualisation needs, from simple photography to complex AI-assisted renders, to whichever panel member is best suited for a given project.

About the Contracting Authority

The National Transport Authority is an Irish public body responsible for funding and overseeing public transport, walking, and cycling infrastructure projects nationally. Its remit spans everything from small-scale active travel schemes to large bus and rail projects, all of which increasingly require public-facing visual communication as part of planning and consultation.

About the Winning Companies

The six framework members are a mix of large multinational engineering consultancies and smaller specialist design firms. AtkinsRéalis and AECOM are large, internationally established engineering and infrastructure consultancies with significant Irish operations. Arup, also large, is a well-known global engineering and design firm with a long history in Irish public infrastructure. Egis Engineering Ireland (formerly JB Barry and Partners) and Typsa Limited are medium-sized engineering consultancies, while Brady Shipman Martin, a small Dublin-based landscape architecture and urban design practice, rounds out the panel. None of the winning bids involved subcontracting.

Procurement Analysis

Procedure: A single open procedure was used to establish both a direct contract and a six-member framework agreement simultaneously, a structure that lets the Authority secure a lead supplier while retaining a wider competitive panel for future drawdowns.

Competition: Nine tenders were submitted electronically, meaning competition for the six framework places was reasonably strong, with three bidders unsuccessful.

Evaluation criteria: Quality carried the larger weighting at 60%, with price at 40%, reflecting the creative and technical judgement involved in evaluating visualisation and design work over a simple cost comparison.

Framework structure: The agreement is a framework with reopening of competition, meaning individual projects drawn down under the framework will see the six panel members compete again at the point of need, rather than being assigned automatically.

GPA status: The contract falls under the World Trade Organization's Government Procurement Agreement, meaning it was, in principle, open to qualifying international bidders.

Additional Procurement Facts

• The estimated framework value was €1,489,600, but the Authority reserved the right to spend up to €1,690,000 at the initial estimate stage; the final published framework ceiling in the results notice is €2,047,000.
• The procurement was not financed with EU funds.
• No dynamic purchasing system was used.
• Disputes or review requests fall to the High Court of Ireland.
• The Authority did not report a specific strategic procurement aim (such as environmental or social objectives) for this contract.

Market and Industry Perspective

Visualisation and public consultation materials have become a standard, almost mandatory, part of transport infrastructure planning in Ireland and across Europe, particularly as active travel and cycling schemes face public scrutiny during planning stages. By establishing a standing six-firm panel rather than tendering each project separately, the NTA mirrors a broader trend among public transport bodies toward pre-qualified supplier panels for recurring, specialised service needs.

The inclusion of artificial intelligence as an explicit service category signals that the Authority expects AI-assisted visualisation tools to play a growing role in how future transport schemes are communicated to the public.

Economic Significance

At up to €2.05 million over four years, this is a modest contract by infrastructure standards, but it plays an outsized role in shaping public perception and support for transport projects, since visualisations are often the primary way residents and stakeholders engage with proposed schemes before construction begins.

Future Procurement Opportunities

With two Dublin walking and cycling schemes already confirmed as initial drawdowns, and a four-year framework term ahead, the six panel members can expect further mini-competitions as additional NTA-funded projects, likely including larger bus and rail schemes, require visualisation support.

Opportunities for Suppliers

Design, engineering, and visualisation firms working in Irish public infrastructure should note that panels of this kind, covering a broad span of skills from traditional photography to AI-assisted rendering, are likely to recur as transport bodies formalise their communication and consultation requirements. Firms that can demonstrate strength across multiple visualisation categories, rather than a single specialism, appear best positioned to compete for a place on future panels.

What Businesses Should Watch

• How the six framework members perform in future mini-competitions as more NTA-funded projects require visualisation support.
• Whether AI-assisted visualisation tools become a larger share of drawdown requests over the four-year term.
• Whether other Irish public bodies establish similar multi-party visualisation panels for their own infrastructure programmes.

Procurement Intelligence Commentary

This contract reflects how public transport bodies are formalising a service category, visual communication and public consultation materials, that has become essential to modern infrastructure planning but was previously often sourced ad hoc. By combining a direct contract with a six-member competitive panel, the NTA balances continuity for its highest-ranked supplier with ongoing competitive pressure across the full panel for future work.

The explicit inclusion of AI as a service category is a notable signal: transport authorities are beginning to formally anticipate AI-assisted visualisation as a distinct capability worth procuring for, rather than treating it as an incidental tool within traditional design services.

Supplier Takeaways

• Public transport bodies increasingly formalise visualisation and consultation services into standing multi-firm panels rather than one-off tenders.
• Quality was weighted well above price (60% to 40%) in this award, rewarding creative and technical capability over pure cost.
• Breadth across visualisation categories, from photography to AI-assisted rendering, appears to be a competitive advantage for panel placement.
• Frameworks with reopening of competition mean panel membership alone does not guarantee work; firms must continue competing project by project.

Key Takeaways

• The NTA awarded a contract and established a six-member visualisation services framework worth up to €2,047,000 over four years.
• Winners are AtkinsRéalis, AECOM, Egis Engineering Ireland, Arup, Typsa, and Brady Shipman Martin.
• Nine tenders were submitted electronically for the six available places.
• Award criteria weighted quality at 60% and price at 40%.
• Two Dublin walking and cycling schemes are already confirmed as the first projects to draw on the framework.

Conclusion

This contract will not make headlines on its own, but it shapes how the Irish public will see, and understand, transport and active travel projects for years to come. By formalising a six-firm visualisation panel alongside a direct contract with its top-ranked bidder, the NTA has secured both continuity and ongoing competition for a service that increasingly determines whether the public engages with, or resists, new infrastructure proposals.

Frequently Asked Questions

What services does this framework cover? Photography, photomontages, 3D visualisation, illustrations and collages, animation, schematic mapping, AI-assisted visualisation, and related emerging-technology services.

Why were six firms selected instead of one? The NTA structured the procurement to award a direct contract to its highest-ranked bidder while also establishing a six-member framework, giving it a wider pool of pre-qualified suppliers to draw on for different projects.

What projects will use this framework first? Two Dublin walking and cycling schemes: Coolock to Clontarf, and Ringsend to City Centre, are already confirmed as initial drawdowns.

Is this contract funded by the EU? No. The notice confirms the project is not financed with EU funds, though it is governed by EU Directive 2014/24/EU and covered by the WTO's Government Procurement Agreement.

Contract Details

Source: EU Official Journal, Notice publication number: 485950-2026, OJ S 133/2026, published 14 July 2026.

Detail	Information
Contracting authority	National Transport Authority (Ireland)
Framework winners	AtkinsRéalis, AECOM Ireland, Egis Engineering Ireland, Arup, Typsa Limited, Brady Shipman Martin
Contract subject	Visualisation and ancillary services, CPV 79960000
Procedure type	Open procedure
Legal basis	EU Directive 2014/24/EU
Estimated value (ex-VAT)	€1,489,600
Maximum framework value	€2,047,000
Contract/framework duration	4 years
Bids received	9 (submitted electronically)
Award criteria	60% Quality / 40% Price
Framework type	Multi-party, with reopening of competition
Covered by GPA	Yes
Review organisation	The High Court of Ireland
Contracts signed	29 June 2026

Source: EU Official Journal, Notice publication number: 485950-2026, OJ S 133/2026, published 14 July 2026.