The money will be used by the Courts Service of Ireland to overhaul and maintain the system.

A request for tender has been published by the service, which is seeking bids from businesses with experience in the sector as it plans the modernisation of its digital audio recording (DAR) systems, the master backup for all court proceedings in Ireland.

Trials have been recorded digitally since 2008 as stenography was phased out.

Demand for digital services has “increased significantly”, the Courts Service said.

The recording systems perform three main functions: they enable playback of testimony if a jury requests it; they allow for transcripts; and they make recordings available to parties in a case.

The tender deals with the provision of a programme of “comprehensive maintenance and support” for the services that are already in situ in the courts.

The contract comes just 12 months after the service tendered for a €1.6m overhaul of the video evidence system used in courtrooms, precipitated by the pandemic. Dublin firm Fitting Image won the contract.

Both strands are part of a bigger project to modernise the courts.