The bank’s existing cash centre has been based on a site in Sandyford, Dublin 18 since the 1970s. It has a Tier 1 security designation, which means there is a permanent presence by both the Irish army and An Garda Siochana.
Arising from a strategic review of the “mint” at Sandyford, the Central Bank decided in 2023 to construct a new cash centre in an alternative – and as yet unknown – site, which is expected to be in the greater Dublin area.
Once the new cash centre is fully operational, the Sandyford site will be decommissioned. Earlier this year, the Cabinet approved the transfer of the state-owned 37 acres to the Land Development Agency (LDA) for housing. The agency has indicated that it could be used for up to 800 homes.
The Central Bank has previously indicated that it could take up to seven years for it to move off the site.
According to documentation filed with a tender, the new cash centre “will represent a significant investment by the Central Bank to deliver critical infrastructure in the national interest”.
Applicants have until September 11 to submit pre-qualification submissions and the Central Bank is hoping to appoint the successful applicant next February, with work to commence in the first quarter of 2025.
The document states that whoever is awarded the tender will be responsible for the specification, design, delivery and cost management of the new cash centre, with the contract running over a seven-year period.
Taking the next step in the project, the Central Bank has issued a ‘Project Information and Requirements Memorandum’ to provide information to applicants seeking to be shortlisted in the tender competition.
The documentation reveals that, last January, the Central Bank commenced the site-selection process. It says by the time the IDM appointments are made, the site of the new cash centre will have been identified.
The security of Central Bank employees and of the contents of the facility “are an overarching consideration in the design of the new cash centre”, the documentation says.
A preliminary design report proposes that the selected site be approximately 30 acres, and that layers of security will be required directly within the site boundary.
The 27-page brief says applicants should consider the unique security requirements of the new cash centre and that the Central Bank may restrict applicants from sharing information provided to them throughout the tender process which could compromise the location or design.
