Government introduces Postcodes in Ireland..?

SeanW wrote: »

Edit: obviously, your 5+4 zip code is meaningless to me, presumably only the US Postal Service can trace it to you. Presumably, the implementation of such a system in Ireland would need to be more public, available for SatNavs and suchlike.

15/04/2010 14:40:44 Notice Cancelled
This notice has been cancelled. The original deadline date of 12/03/2010 is no longer applicable.

The Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources wishes to advise that it has cancelled the tender competition “Project Management: Implementation of a National Postcode System”. We intend to shortly re-tender for the above competition via the e-tenders website.

http://www.etenders.gov.ie/search/show/search_view.aspx?ID=JAN140396 Further Info tab

Postcode rollout delayed again after technical glitch

By Fionnan Sheahan Political Editor
Saturday April 17 2010

THE rollout of the new postcodes system was hit by a further delay yesterday when the bidding process for the project was cancelled.

A serious technical error in the tendering documents issued by the Department of Communications resulted in the competition for the contract being halted.

Several domestic and international consultancy firms had tendered for the contract.

The department will be starting the procedure again in the coming weeks and insisted the system was still going ahead.

But the mistake will result in a further delay of six to eight weeks in the rollout of the system -- pushing the implementation date further into next year.

"Obviously there is a delay in the awarding of the tender. The minister hopes this will not unduly delay the implementation of postcodes," a department spokesperson said.

The new postcode system will mean a combination of numbers or letters will be added to every address in the country.

The project, worth between €10m to €15m, is already more than two years past its initial planned timeframe. The project was first announced by then Communications Minister Noel Dempsey in mid-2005, who said it would be up and running by early 2008.

His successor, Eamon Ryan, put an introduction date of early 2011 on the rollout.

It is now expected the postcodes won't be in place until the middle of next year.

But the Labour Party said the cancellation should allow for a new system to be introduced.

Communications spokesperson Liz McManus said an approach based on a unique identifier should be adopted.

"A unique identifier system, provides for a speedy response by emergency services, provides greater efficiency and interaction with GPS technologies and does not require change in names of townlands," she said.

- Fionnan Sheahan Political Editor

http://www.independent.ie/national-news/postcode-rollout-delayed-again-after-technical-glitch-2141982.html

Postal Services.

47. Deputy Liz McManus asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources the reason the tender process for a postcode system has been suspended; if he has read the report on postcodes of the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Communications, Energy and Natural Resources Committee; if he will take on board the recommendation of that report; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16860/10]

Deputy Eamon Ryan: An invitation to tender was issued on 29 January, 2010 for consultants to assist in selecting a body to implement and maintain a postcode system. The tender competition closed on 12 March 2010. Subsequently, a technical issue arose relating to the consistency of the request for tenders with the requirements of the public procurement regulations. The issue arose internally in the Department and was not raised by any of the outside interested parties. Bidders were notified by letter of the cancellation of the tender and a notice to that effect was posted on the e-tenders website on 15 April, 2010. A request for tender will be re-issued by my Department this week. The need to issue a new tender will have a limited impact on the timeline for the roll-out of the postcode system. It remains my objective to roll out the system by the end of 2011.

I have received and read the joint committee’s report on postcodes, which is currently being reviewed by my Department. The report makes a series of recommendations relating to the design and implementation of a national postcode system. These include proposals for future-proofing of system design; the publication of a road map for implementation later this year; clarification of issues arising in relation to data protection; the promotion of postcode usage and the retention of familiar and well-used addresses.

Consideration of the details of the report is currently ongoing in my Department. This includes seeking clarification on legal issues raised by the joint committee. I will be happy to reply to the committee in full, as requested, when this is complete.

Deputy Liz McManus: I thank the Minister for reading the report. I was rapporteur for the committee and it was unanimously agreed to publish this report and recommend to the Minister that he adopt a particular approach. I am a little unhappy at his response in terms of what he considers to be the issue raised in the report. Will the Minister agree the key issue and the main recommendation is to have a unique identifier system compatible with GPS? Such a system would have significant benefits across the board. Will he state whether he plans to continue with this new tendering process with the old model of using a cluster of properties rather than using the unique identifier system? I urge him to use the opportunity of this delay. In his initial statement he said that it would be in early 2011 and now he refers to the end of 2011. If this gives us a better system I am quite happy to go along with that. However, the main point to be stressed — the Minister did not clarify it and I am concerned he is avoiding it — is whether he will pursue the unique identifier option. Does he intend to talk to the Data Protection Commissioner as soon as possible in order to ensure the issue of data protection is cleared up? Is he satisfied the approach he has adopted in the past of using the cluster of up to 50 houses, is appropriate to the needs of today?

Deputy Eamon Ryan: I am very pleased the Deputy opposite is now supporting the post and location codes proposals.

Deputy Liz McManus: I am supportive of this but not of the Minister’s system.

Deputy Eamon Ryan: My understanding in earlier statements was that there was opposition. I welcome political support across the House for a post code and a location code. I have consistently said we must have both. In reply to the Deputy’s question, there has to be a system that provides a unique household identifier. It might not be just a household but it could also include other street infrastructure which will require a code, such as locating a bus stop. A location code is another example of the benefits of this system. I have always planned to have a code which provides for an efficient postal service and also includes those location code characteristics. In my discussions with a number of parties I have consistently examined how this can be achieved. With the adoption of the post code model recommended by the body set up to suggest the model and by the use of additional digits it is possible to get such a locational code down to the building. Over the past two years I have had a couple of meetings with the Data Protection Commissioner on exactly the issue raised in the joint committee report which I welcome. The concerns originally expressed by the Data Protection Commissioner in 2006 regarding privacy are valid concerns. These concerns can be addressed in a way that allows the development of a location code while at the same time maintaining privacy where appropriate.

Deputy Liz McManus: This sounds like a real mishmash. Frankly, I would not support a proposal that adopts an old technology pretending it is a new technology. Will the Minister accept the costs involved in having a clustering system, and maintaining it because of new build and old buildings being demolished, is a costly approach?

If we can clear the data protection issue, the technology is available to have a unique-identifier system which would generate enormous benefits not least to Departments, but also to the emergency services and others. It is all contained in the report which I do not need to restate.

Will the Minister try not to straddle both sides on this matter? I would have more respect for him if he said he was sticking with the cluster system. While I may not agree with such a decision, at least it would be a position. To have two systems, however, on top of each other is nonsensical.

Deputy Eamon Ryan: The expert advice I received said it is absolutely possible.

Deputy Liz McManus: It is not desirable, however.

Deputy Eamon Ryan: There are real benefits to having a postcode system that works on the basis recommended by the postcode board.

Deputy Liz McManus: No, the Minister is wrong.

Deputy Eamon Ryan: There are real benefits with memorability and being able to apply geodirectory codes and the root network systems in place to a postcode network. Crucially, I insisted at all times on a facility within the postcode system to develop a location-code system that could go right down to a building. This would allow emergency services to get to the right house or Departments to get the level of information they needed for individual houses and, at the same time, work with the Data Protection Commissioner, to protect the householder’s privacy where appropriate. I have been told by the experts it is possible to achieve both outcomes. This is what I am setting out to achieve.

We can come back to this in later questions but the Deputy opposite is hitching her wagon to one particular company and technical solution.

Deputy Liz McManus: No.

An Leas-Cheann Comhairle: I am afraid we must move on.

Deputy Eamon Ryan: I prefer the route we have chosen which will employ consultants to assess this and put it out to a tendering competition which will meet the criteria we have set. As long as it meets the criteria of being both a good postcode and location-code system, I will be satisfied.

Deputy Liz McManus: That is not accurate. I must clarify this. The Minister, in his statement on the introduction of postcodes, hitched his wagon to the cluster system. The report shows, in my humble view because I am not an expert on this, that the unique-identifier system is the best postcode system we can have and is appropriate to our times. To meld the two systems——

An Leas-Cheann Comhairle: Another debate elsewhere would be required to resolve this matter.

Deputy Liz McManus: ——would be expensive and inefficient, ending up with a mess.

An Leas-Cheann Comhairle: Does the Minister want to give a brief response?

Deputy Eamon Ryan: It is very possible and I believe it is the right thing to do.

http://debates.oireachtas.ie/DDebate.aspx?F=DAL20100427.xml&Node=H3-2#H3-2

Postal Services.

52. Deputy Deirdre Clune asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources if he has changed his approach to the roll out of the postcode system here; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16581/10]

Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources (Deputy Eamon Ryan): I have not changed my philosophy or my approach to the roll out of a national postcode system in Ireland. I continue to believe a smart economy requires that the underlying infrastructure supports enterprises based on knowledge and innovation. For this, an ability to collate and assess data spatially is a prerequisite. This is where postcodes play a key role and where they can deliver economic and social benefits across the whole economy.

As the Deputy is aware, the Government has approved the implementation of a postcode system as recommended by the National Postcode Project Board. This Board, which comprised representatives from Government Departments, together with public and private sector organisations, was established to recommend the most technically appropriate postcode system for Ireland, design an implementation plan and assess the costs and benefits of postcodes. In the course of its deliberations, the Board looked at a number of postcode models and technologies including postal sector models and a number of spatial and hybrid postcode models taking into account a number of factors including memorability, likely uptake by the public and ability to adapt to emerging technologies. The model recommended, and since approved by Government, is an alpha-numeric, publicly available and accessible postal sector model.

Each postcode will have a geo-coordinate at its centre and consequently, would be compatible with global positioning or navigation systems, allowing integration with GPS and other Global Navigation Satellite technologies. Indeed, applications based on such systems, become much more readily accessible to the public through the use of a postcode. My officials and I are currently working to implement this project. That delivery will be effected by way of a competitive tender process. A competition will be re-tendered shortly to select a body that will assist the Department in managing the delivery of a working postcodes system. Because of the need to re-tender I envisage some slippage in the originally targeted date for introduction of a postcode system. However, I still expect to have rolled out a national postcodes system in 2011.

http://debates.oireachtas.ie/DDebate.aspx?F=DAL20100427.XML&Node=1379#N1379

Postal Services.

76. Deputy Liz McManus asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources the reason the tender process for a postcode system has been suspended; his views on the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Communications, Energy and Natural Resources report on postcodes; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16628/10]

Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources (Deputy Eamon Ryan): An invitation to tender was issued on 29th January, 2010 for consultants to assist in selecting a body to implement and maintain a postcode system. The tender competition closed on the 12th March, 2010. Subsequently, a technical issue arose relating to the consistency of the Request for Tenders with the requirements of the Public Procurement Regulations. Bidders were notified by letter of the cancellation of the tender and a notice to that effect was posted on the e-tenders website on the 15th April, 2010. It is intended to re-issue the tender in the near future. I have received the Joint Oireachtas Committee Report on postcodes which is being reviewed by my Department. As requested by the Joint Committee, I will revert to the Committee with my views on the Report in due course.

http://debates.oireachtas.ie/DDebate.aspx?F=DAL20100427.XML&Node=1533#N1533

Postal Services.

342. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources the cost of the introduction of post codes; the way in which this will be funded; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17016/10]

Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources (Deputy Eamon Ryan): Estimates of the costs of the introduction of postcodes are contained in the Report of the Postcode Project Board, which was published in 2006 and a Cost Benefit analysis published in 2008. Copies of both reports are available on the website of the Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources.

The non-recurring initial capital cost of the establishment of postcodes will be €15m. Recurring costs are estimated at €2.5m annually. The actual gross costs, which will be incurred on foot of postcode implementation in the public and private sectors, will be determined by the proposal which is chosen for system implementation by public procurement. The net costs of postcode implementation will be a function of both the gross costs and the gross benefits accruing over time as a result of the implementation of the project. These again will be determined by the proposal, which is chosen for system implementation through public procurement.

http://debates.oireachtas.ie/DDebate.aspx?F=DAL20100427.XML&Node=2797#N2797

byrnefm wrote: »

I really wonder why a technical error requires the re-tendering of the entire process, which hasn't been re-tendered yet. Surely it's just a matter of issuing a new 'apply-by' date instead of cancelling all applications and telling them to re-apply again in a few weeks? Oh well...

byrnefm wrote: »

The new deadline for tenders is June 22nd at noon.

byrnefm wrote: »

Has anyone heard of any word of who has applied to run the postcode board?

http://www.dcenr.gov.ie/Communications/Postal/Postcodes.htm

The deadline for submissions was June 22nd.

Curious!

Project Status (September 2010)

Following on from the completion of the tender process as set out above, PA Consulting Services Ltd were appointed in September 2010 to provide Project Management services for the project.

The model to be adopted is an alpha numeric postcode model that is also capable of being refined into a location based code. The Department is targeting the end of 2011 for implementation of a National Postcode System (NPS).

Postcodes could be introduced across State by year's end
HARRY McGEE Political Correspondent

Tue, Jan 04, 2011

POSTCODES ARE likely to be introduced throughout the State by the end of the year, following Government clearance for the tender process for the project to begin.

The Cabinet agreed to the procurement system for the national postcodes at its last meeting before Christmas, Minister for Communications Eamon Ryan has confirmed. The process to award the contract for the project – with estimated costs of less than €15 million – will be completed by summer.

Mr Ryan said the introduction of postcodes will lead to significant savings and efficiencies for the State. It would deliver more comprehensive statistical and geographical data, as well as open up new revenue streams, particularly for An Post.

The Government has approved the recommendations of consultants that the postcodes should be alpha-numeric, incorporating letters and numbers.

Dublin is the only location in the State with postal codes. Ireland is the only country in the EU, or among OECD countries, that does not have a nationwide postcode system.

Mr Ryan said one of the most important features of the system would be “memorability”. In practice that means a location will be identified by its initials, in a manner roughly analogous to the vehicle registration system.

The system will also retain elements of the existing Dublin post codes. The current postcode of Dublin 7 could begin D07 and continue with numbers that pinpoint the location to a particular property. Similarly, the postcode for addresses in other areas will contain letters that readily identify the area, followed by a series of numbers that pinpoint the property. Possible permutations might include: GLY (Galway); CK (Cork); and KKY (Kilkenny).

A departmental briefing paper refers to two models – a “postal sector” model and a location model – being combined. The postal sector model would divide the country into post towns (identified by letter) and each post town into groups of approximately 40 to 50 properties (identified by number). There would be approximately 200 post towns.

The paper says the model is capable of being refined into a location-based code – in other words identifying each individual property within a post town. It says this hybrid model will provide the basis for the procurement for a national postcode system.

Several companies developing global positioning technology – notably Garmin – have devised all-Ireland digital address codes that provide precise addresses. While these codes will not provide the basis for the national system, the Department of Communications said these companies were free to tender. The department believes the availability of codes will ensure more efficient sharing of information between agencies and companies. It also says it will help the Central Statistics Office unlock more data and help emergency services.

The main issue that has divided the Cabinet relates to whether the codes should be in Irish or English. The document discloses the Minister has received representations from Irish language organisations, arguing in favour of the Irish version of the post-town name.

Mr Ryan recommended the Irish language version of post-towns should take precedence, insofar as it did not lead to difficulties in disseminating the postcode to the public because of major differences between Irish- and English-language versions of post towns, duplication or other operational difficulties. In Gaeltacht areas, the letters would refer to the Irish placename.

Mr Ryan said memorability would be important. “I think it should be something you retain in your mind, a postal code that can make sense for the area and is not just a random series of letters and numbers.”

He also said An Post, after initial reluctance, had become more receptive. “It recognises that the postal business has to change and look at new business streams and opportunities. Postal codes will help new internet business.”

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2011/0104/1224286701565.html