T25-039BUS Guildhall Sound System Upgrade

Derry City and Strabane District Council use the Council chamber in the Guildhall to conduct committee meetings, full council meetings and other meetings. During Covid it was necessary to facilitate Hybrid meetings and to do that Council installed some equipment to allow members to use Webex. Hybrid meetings have now become a permanent option, but recently the Guildhall has started having sound issues with participants who are at home being heard in the chamber, and participants in the chamber being able to hear each other. Members at home and on YouTube have no issue hearing people in the chamber or at home. Council was also required to stream all meetings to YouTube during Covid, and we are continuing this as the press and members of the public find this useful to keep up to date with Council business. After various options being explored with the current system such as increasing volume, turning up and down mics, tuning on and off speakers, not only did this not resolve the issue but caused more issues with feedback in the chamber. After thorough research, the Council has decided to install additional sound equipment in the chamber. This equipment will be integrated with the Bosch system to enhance sound quality and eliminate feedback issues. The new equipment needs to be compatible with any future upgrades of the current Bosch system in the chamber, which the Council plans to undertake in the next few years. The Council requires the installation of 10 new pendant speakers in various locations within the chamber to improve sound quality. These speakers should be smart and have the capability to turn off when a microphone is used directly underneath them to prevent feedback issues. Your submission must be submitted via EtendersNI, via this CFT. No other method of submissions will be accepted. Please refer to the CfT documents for further detail.