The Central Bank is to spend up to €600,000 on a new digital leadership coaching course for its executives – and has warned that the course must be delivered by humans – not AI.
In the tender documentation for the provision of Digital Coaching Services, the Central Bank has told prospective tenderers – in bold print – “that all coaching must be delivered entirely via human, accredited coaches”.
“AI (Artificial Intelligence)-driven coaching solutions will not be accepted,” it states.
The tender states that the Central Bank is seeking the provision of digital one-to-one leadership coaching services “to service a target audience of both our executive/senior leadership population of approximately 20 employees and our wider leadership team of approximately 180 employees”.
The Central Bank “will also require digital coaching services for selected participants outside of the leadership population on an exceptional basis,” the tender adds.
The duration of the contract is intended to be 12 months noting that the Central Bank has the right to extend the works by 36 months so the contract may ultimately be for a total duration of 48 months or four years.
The tender explains that the Learning and Development team within the Central Bank has been delivering a coaching service for senior leaders, leaders, and selected participants outside of the formal leadership pool since 2022.
To date, this service has been facilitated through multiple vendors providing a mix of virtual and face-to-face coaching engagements.
As the current framework approaches its conclusion, the tender states that the Central Bank is seeking to evolve this offering through the procurement of a digital coaching provider.
The tender states that the move towards a digital platform “reflects the organisation’s commitment to enhancing accessibility, consistency, and scalability of coaching across the same leadership audiences, while ensuring value for money and alignment with sustainability objectives”.
The tender states that a digital provider will enable greater flexibility in scheduling, the ability to redistribute licences efficiently, improved data and reporting capabilities, and access to a broader network of accredited, experienced coaches through a single, integrated solution.
It also provides examples of where the leadership coaching will assist its executives – key career transition, substantial change in responsibility; assuming a new leadership role and support for managing through a period of significant pressure.
The tender states that as part of the implementation period, the platform must be customised by the successful tenderer to reflect the culture, values and branding of the Central Bank.
The tender states the successful tenderer must have a sufficient number of experienced, accredited coaches available to meet the Central Bank’s requirements and any coaches providing services to senior leaders must have relevant experience coaching senior leaders, including C-Suite and director-level participants.
The closing date for the submission of tenders is September 30.
Reporting by Gordon Deegan
