RTÈ is set to spend up to €200,000 over the next five years on property advisory services as it weighs up what to do with its extensive portfolio in Dublin and around the country.
In new tender documents, the broadcaster said it expects to buy and sell property in the coming years and is seeking bidders to advise it across commercial markets, to maximise value and to offer guidance on the transaction process.
A spokesman for RTÈ said the sales and acquisitions expectation outlined in the tender is related to the property portfolio plans set out in its five-year strategy, RTÉ: A New Direction, published in June. That addresses reducing the size of the footprint needed for production and broadcast facilities at its headquarters in the south Dublin suburb of Donnybrook.
The spokesman said the timeline for the property consultancy tender covers the duration of the strategy, and beyond.
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According to the tender, the property consultants are to also expected to provide reliable, proactive, value-enhancing advice on all aspects of acquisitions, development, ownership, occupation and disposal of property assets in Ireland and internationally.
It seeks companies that can assist with site valuation and sourcing, and advice regarding development, planning permission, purchasing, leasing and real estate negotiation among other areas of expertise.
The tender notes that RTÉ owns six studio sites in Donnybrook; Cork; Sligo; Casla, Co Galway; Derrybeg, Co Donegal; and Ballydavid, Co Kerry. Six studio sites are also leased in Galway, Limerick, Athlone, Dundalk, Waterford and Belfast.
“This is a renewal and development of the existing contract which will soon expire and...includes a range of services relating to the management of RTÉ's sites, both owned and leased,” the spokesman said.
In 2017, RTÉ received €107.5 million from the sale of lands at its Donnybrook HQ to builders Cairn.
Cairn has been trying to develop the lands since 2019 and revealed in a recent submission to An Bord Pleanála that it intends to lodge new plans for the former RTÉ site in the first quarter of 2025.
The deadline for tenders is December 12th and RTÉ anticipates the contract will be awarded in January.
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