Dublin City Council Award of Contract to Maurice Ward Art Handling for the Provision of Fine Art Storage Facilities

Dublin City Council / Hugh Lane Gallery have awarded a contract to Maurice Ward Art Handling for the provision of Fine Art Storage Facilities. A Voluntary Ex Ante Transparency (VEAT) Notice was published in this regard on 12/01/2026. This contract was awarded under Article 32.2(b) (ii) for a derogation from public procurement whereby the works, supplies or services can be provided only by a particular economic operator as (ii) competition is absent for technical reasons. This contract is for a duration of 3 years. The maximum value of this contract is €392,691.00 excl. VAT. Hugh Lane Gallery is home to a world class collection of art. To facilitate the construction of the new Dublin city library and the refurbishment of the Hugh Lane Gallery’s 1930s wing, the Gallery must move its entire collection of artworks and archives offsite. This is a challenging task, and every effort must be made to ensure that no damage occurs to any work. Therefore, professional art movers must be employed. The risk of reputational damage must be avoided. These are works of international significance that require storage to best international museum standards. Therefore, a contract for specialist fine art storage is needed to progress on an emergency basis.