Expression of Interest Gorey Arts & Crafts Hub and Tourist Information Centre, Market House.

Wexford County Council  is seeking expressions of interest from artists and crafts collectives (henceforth

“the collective”) to operate an Arts and Craft hub to retail their work and provide tourist information.

Background
The Market House in Gorey is a historic building in the very centre of Main Street. The building may be
developed in the near future either through Public / Private enterprise or through the Council’s own
resources.
The current Gorey Visitor Centre located in a unit of the Market House Building is set to close at the end
of May. The current concern operated by the Co. Wexford Chamber comprises a tourist information
centre and retail outlet for artists and crafters.
Wexford County Council acknowledges the need and demand for this service to continue until such time
as the Market House is developed.

Specification of Requirements
Wexford County Council will provide the unit (currently the Visitor Centre) with services free of charge.
Provision will be for an initial six-month period and extended monthly thereafter until the unit is required
for development. A minimum of 6 weeks’ notice will be given of any cessation of agreement and
collective will be informed of any plans for development.
In exchange for the provision of the space without charge, the collective will provide tourism information
to visitors by recommendation, provision of leaflets or digital media pertaining to local attractions.
The collective shall have a right to provide the service in the defined unit. They will be expected to
achieve their earnings by maximising trade through pro-active and commercial management. Tobacco or
alcohol cannot be sold within the premises.
As the building is a protected structure no building works, decorating or other alterations are permitted.
The Art & Craft Hub will play a part in the overall visitor experience for Gorey.

Responsibilities
Once appointed, the collective will be responsible for, fire safety, pest control, licence, brand, franchise
fees (if any) at its own cost and no such costs may be re-charged to Wexford County Council under any
circumstances.

Other responsibilities of the collective include:

• Staffing of the Arts & Craft Hub during business hours (hours to be determined with the agreement
  of the Gorey Kilmuckridge Municipal District Administrator)
• The display, storage and insurance of all items for sale.
• Provision of signage (subject to agreement with Gorey-Kilmuckridge Municipal District Administrator)
• Provision of a Tourist Information Service 
• The disposal and payment of all waste removal. The disposal of waste must comply with Wexford County Council requirements regarding the segregation of waste for recycling.
• Insuring of all artists’ / crafters’ own equipment; and maintaining following levels of insurance with a
  specific indemnity to Wexford County Council: Public liability – €6.5 million.
• Payment of commercial rates if applicable.
• Payment of all necessary commission, brand licence, franchise or other ongoing fees.
• Complying with all Wexford County Council’s security and other policies applying to contractors/suppliers.
• Physical security of their own stock and cash.
• Complying with all governing legislation.
• Suitable pest control arrangements.

For its part, Wexford County Council will be responsible for:

• Ensuring the fire certificate and Disability Access Certificate for the building is in place and
  providing documentation to the concessionaire. 
• Provision and maintenance of the structure and fabric of the Market House. This shall exclude the costs of wilful damage or neglect. 
• Insurance of building structure and contents provided by Wexford County Council.

MANAGEMENT
Wexford County Council will require the collective to nominate a dedicated manager who will act as the
main point of contact with the Council for the duration of the contract (see Appendix A). The manager
shall have the competency and authority to deal with all matters in relation to the agreement and be
responsible for the satisfactory delivery of the services required. The concession manager shall not
change without the Gorey-Kilmuckridge Municipal District Administrator being notified. The manager shall
meet with a Wexford County Council representative bi-monthly or as otherwise agreed.

FINANCE
The collective shall collect and retail all sales and will meet all operating costs and expenses involved in
the provision of the Arts and Crafts Hub directly.

ENVIRONMENTAL CONSIDERATIONS AND AWARENESS
It is the policy of Wexford County Council to address the problems of the environment wherever possible
through the use of products that are environmentally sound and through concepts and services that can
be used to monitor, control and protect the environment. Therefore, the collective will be required to
support this policy in the provision of the services, for example through the use of CFC free packaging,
by the separation of waste into compostable, dry waste products for recycling purposes and general
waste, by the non-use of irradiated products, or by the implementation of other such environmentally
friendly procedures or products as requested by Wexford County Council during the agreement.

The collective will also be required to drive sustainability and reduce impact on environment, to include
waste management, water conservation and energy efficiency.

AWARD CRITERIA
The expressions of interest will be assessed on the following award criteria and weightings: