An Garda Síochána is set to splurge up to €500,000 on over 36,000 commemorative coins and medals to mark this year’s centenary of the force.
In a tender published at the weekend, the Gardaí state that, as part of the order, they require 30,000 1922-2022 centenary medals.
The medals are to include a ribbon drape, a suspension bar, and two ribbon bars, in a presentation box.
The Gardaí are also seeking 6,000 1922-2022 centenary bronze coins in presentation boxes and 25 1922-2022 centenary sterling silver coins.
The tender documentation states that the Gardaí estimate expenditure on the goods to be in the range of €350,000 – €500,000.
The tender also states that there are over 29,000 personnel both past and present in An Garda Síochána who will be presented with the high quality 1922-2022 medals or coins to mark the centenary of An Garda Síochána this year.
The tender states that the coins must be delivered by the end of June of this year.
'Community-based organisation'
This is the second time that the Gardaí have tendered for the centenary coins and medals after the force first tendered for them last July.
According to the documentation, the new request for tender supersedes and replaces all previous documentation, communications and correspondence between the Garda and tenderers.
The tender states that a Crime Prevention Officer will visit the preferred tenderer’s proposed production and storage facility to validate that the minimum security standards are in place in advance of the award of contract.
An Garda Síochána “has a long tradition of working closely with communities all across Ireland”, the tender states.
It continues: “An Garda Síochána is a community-based organisation with over 18,000 Garda and Garda Staff employees. It has police officers located in every county in Ireland, listening to, and working with the community."
The medals and coins are to be shipped to a host of Garda stations around the country including Garda HQ in Dublin, Naas, Monaghan, Ennis, Ballymun, Kilkenny, Donegal, Crumlin, Portlaoise, Gaillimh, Macroom, Dun Laoghaire, Waterford, Castlebar, Tralee, Bray and Henry Street Garda in Limerick.
The average shipment to each of the 28 divisions is 460 medals and 130 coins with a maximum shipment of 820 medals and 150 coins. A larger bulk order will be delivered to Garda HQ in the Phoenix Park.
Previously speaking in the Dáil on the commemorations, Minister for State at the Department of Justice, James Browne, said that the first part of the commemoration is to take place next month to commemorate the February meeting at the Gresham Hotel in Dublin of a committee which decided to form the Civic Guard, which would later be renamed An Gárda Síochána.
Minister Browne added that another event, which is due to take place on August 21st will commemorate the "storming of Dublin Castle" by the then Garda Commissioner on August 17th 1922, when the Civic Guard took control of the building.
The closing date for the new tender is February 9th.
