ANNEX I TO THE INVITATION TO TENDER

Transcription

1 ANNEX I TO THE INVITATION TO TENDER TENDER SPECIFICATIONS LOGISTICS AND TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE FOR COMMUNICATION ACTIVITIES AND EVENTS TO THE REPRESENTATION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION IN SWEDEN AND EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT INFORMATION OFFICE IN SWEDEN INTERINSTITUTIONAL OPEN CALL FOR TENDERS PO/2014-2/STO

2 Table of contents 1. Title of the Tender Objective and context Subject of the contract Services required Assistance in managing and organising events Provision of interpreters Provision of speakers for communication activities Provision of moderators for communication activities Drafting of a technical feedback-report on communication activities/events Reports Working method Procedure for the reopening of competition Size of the contract Contractual framework Submission of bids Technical tender Financial offer Exclusion criteria Declaration of honour and evidence Tenders submitted by consortia Tenders involving subcontracting Selection criteria Capacity of the tenderer Additional requirements for joint offers Additional requirements for tenders including subcontracting Award criteria Technical evaluation Financial evaluation Award of the contract

3 1. TITLE OF THE TENDER Logistics and technical assistance for communication activities and events to the Representation of the European Commission in Sweden (ECR) and European Parliament Information Office in Sweden (EPIO), Ref. PO/2014-2/STO. 2. OBJECTIVE AND CONTEXT The Commission Representation offices act as the Commission s voice and monitor public opinion in their host country. They provide information on the EU through different events and communication activities, which are intended to increase EU citizens' understanding of EU policies and issues. More information of the activities of the EC Representation in Sweden can be found at: The European Parliament s information offices provide information on Parliament s role and powers, on each country s MEPs and their activities and on issues currently under discussion in Parliament. A description of the activities of the European Parliament Information Office in Sweden can be found at: The ECR and the EPIO organise communication activities for the general public, specific target groups and the media in Europahuset, Regeringsgatan 65, in central Stockholm, and in other locations around the city or in Sweden. On rare occasions, exceptional events may be organised outside Sweden e.g. Brussels, Strasbourg or in neighbouring countries (e.g. Denmark, Finland and Estonia) but are not limited to these. The potential target groups of the communication material and events include: General public, youth in particular Media and journalists National, regional and local authorities Economic and social partners Diplomatic community Civil society organisations Academia, think tanks and cultural institutions Teachers, pupils and students Families and children In connection with certain of the above-mentioned communication activities, the ECR and the EPIO need logistic and technical assistance with activities and events and/or the assistance of speakers and moderators. 3

4 This tender seeks, therefore, the assistance of suitably qualified service providers to assist in the implementation of the EU communication policies. This call for tenders is inter-institutional. The following Institutions are involved: the European Commission and the European Parliament. The European Commission, hereinafter referred to as the Commission, is the leading institution in this invitation to tender as well as the signatory of the framework contract on behalf of the other institution involved. In short, this inter-institutional procedure is conducted as follows: the Commission publishes the invitation to tender, evaluates the tenders and signs the resulting framework contract on behalf of the other participating Institution. Each of the Institutions to which the framework contract applies will use it independently by renewed competitive tendering and by introducing requests for services or order forms for its use with the contractors. 3. SUBJECT OF THE CONTRACT 3.1. Services required The purpose of these services is to provide the support and logistics necessary to enable the ECR and the EPIO to participate in and/or to organise events (information days, conferences, seminars, interactive dialogue meetings, workshops, information visits, fairs, open-air festivals, exhibitions, award ceremonies, networking activities, etc.). Such events will generally be held in Stockholm or in other places in Sweden, although it is not excluded that events may involve travels to other EU-countries. Their objective is to communicate with specific audiences or to increase the visibility of EU policies and projects Assistance in managing and organising events A. Project/process management: For each event the contractor will nominate a project/event manager who will be responsible for overall project/event organisation; for planning, coordinating, implementing and managing services leading up to the event, as specified in each specific contract or order. This person will ensure the smooth running of the event, manage the logistics on the ground as well as the coordination of tasks that s/he allocates to local third party suppliers throughout the duration of the event, e.g. interpreters/hostesses/stewards. S/he is also the contact point towards the ECR and the EPIO including general coordination with the ECR and the EPIO, speakers (managing presentations) and any other subcontractors who might be involved in the project. B. Media and on-line assistance: - The contractor may be asked to lay out, set and place advertisements in print, radio, and social media, as well as lay out print and place outdoor advertisements (posters). These will mainly be requested in Swedish but may occasionally be requested in English. Text, logotypes and photos will be provided by the ECR/EPIO. 4

5 C. Logistic assistance: - Dealing with sending invitations/reminders/confirmations and management of participant registrations and attendance (e.g. setting up a website for online registration). - Management and payment of daily subsistence allowances, to participants when applicable. - Travel and hotels (booking, purchasing, changing, cancellation of hotel rooms and travel tickets, delivery of travel tickets) The contractor should describe arrangements with travel agencies, clearly demonstrating guaranteed competitive market rates for tickets and booking fees. The selected contractors will compete on the hotel room prices at each specific tender phase. Travel changes and cancellations: The contractor shall be responsible for all aspects of the travel arrangements including direct contacts with the participants and external speakers. Travel arrangements shall be made on the basis of a list of participants agreed by ECR/EPIO; The contractor must take whatever steps are necessary to ensure that any requests for cancellation are settled in the best interests of ECR/EPIO. Any additional costs due to negligence of the contractor will not be accepted. D. Conference rooms and facilities: - Finding premises, negotiating rates, renting at all-inclusive rates (including water, electricity, telecommunications, insurance, cleaning-up etc.) The Contractor must take into account the number of participants, accessibility, local circumstances and accessibility to participants and facilities for disabled participants. Provision of a press conference venue and VIP-areas for interviews of high-profile persons when applicable. - Setting up the premises (e.g. tents or the creation, transportation, assembly, dismantling and disposal of stands in particular for major exhibitions) - Supplying, installing and maintaining all the technical equipment needed for the event (IT, telecommunications, audio-visual etc.) and assistance for broadcasting seminars (web-streaming), including provision of equipped simultaneous interpretation cabins (equipped with headphones, receivers etc.) when applicable - Arranging for decoration and flowers E. Local transport: Organisation of local transport (to and from the venue), including transfers between the arrival point and the venue or hotels, or other linked events. F. Material and conference kits: - The lay out and production of name badges, conference kits etc. (including programmes, information packs, bags, pens, CD-ROMs, DVDs etc.), prints, EU publications and material, banners and signs, posters and 5

6 display panels. These will mainly be requested in Swedish but may occasionally be requested in English. Text, logotypes and photos will be provided by the ECR/EPIO. - Storing material, equipment and documentation including packing, unpacking, setting up of publications on shelves before the event and repacking after the event. G. Assistance during events: The contractor shall be responsible for ensuring that local assistance is available throughout the event to carry out various duties such as: - Providing on-site support staff/hostesses/reception during events to welcome participants to the event, providing badges, programmes, participants' kits as well as distribute information materials and other promotional items etc. in fairs, exhibitions and conferences. - Providing secretarial services, note taking etc. - Photo and video shooting to record participants' contributions, - Providing appropriate security measures, including security on the day of the event H. Catering services: The contractor shall book and organise catering services throughout the event. The exact form of catering required will be specified at the request for services stage and the quantities and/or the menus will be approved by the contracting authority prior to the event when applicable. General cancellation policy Should the contracting authority cancel a service ordered in the specific contract, the contractor shall only be entitled to payment corresponding to the performance of services before the cancellation date. The contractor shall communicate to ECR/EPIO the cancellation policy covering travel, accommodation, catering, technical support and other related services. The contractor shall communicate the cancellation policy in writing, by indicating clear timeframes, refunds and related cancellation fees when submitting their specific tender Provision of interpreters The contractor shall ensure the provision of simultaneous interpretation services, including providing all the necessary equipment (see point D.) and translation, recording and transcription of discussions in agreed languages. The requirements will be communicated in advance (e.g. languages to be used by speakers.) Sign language interpretation may be required. 6

7 Provision of speakers for communication activities The Contractor may be required to select and provide competent speakers, relevant to the nature of a specific event, and to submit their choice for approval to the ECR and/or the EPIO. The contractor may be requested to propose several persons from which the ECR/EPIO selects the speaker(s) for the event in subject. Depending on the event, speakers could be anyone from an academic specialist to a journalist/writer or a well-known TV personality. The request for services for each assignment will specify the level of specific professional experience and skills, knowledge of the event subjects and languages required by each speaker to be engaged. Speakers may be required to demonstrate knowledge of the EU institutions and their role and to have competence in one or more of the policy areas covered by the EU. For information on the EU policies please see: Provision of moderators for communication activities The Contractor may be required to propose one or more moderators and submit their choice for the approval to the contracting authority. Moderators' task will be to moderate conferences, panels, debates and discussion or question- and answer-sessions. The request for services for each assignment will specify the level of specific professional experience and skills, knowledge of the seminar subjects and languages required by each moderator to be engaged. Moderators may be required to demonstrate knowledge of the EU institutions and their role Drafting of a technical feedback-report on communication activities/events The Contractor may be required to provide: - a first short report on the event for publication on website within 48 hours. - a report on the outcomes of the event. - press clippings mentioning this event. - following up the event by disseminating/publishing the results, speeches etc. - after the event request and gather from participants their evaluation of the event. The reports will normally be requested in Swedish but may occasionally be requested in English depending on the language of the event. When the persons mentioned in points are photographed, recorded, filmed or web streamed the contractor shall obtain the necessary rights from these persons as stated in article II.10.7 of the contract 7

8 3.2. Reports Except where the specific contract provides for otherwise, the Contractor must report, in Swedish, on the services rendered in performance of the specific contract, as well as the results of the media impact achieved. 1. For specific contracts for a value of above EUR : The contractor shall submit to the contracting authority an interim progress report within the deadline specified in the specific contract. The interim report shall include a description of the main tasks performed so far, a list detailing the resources invested, and if relevant any problems encountered and suggested or implemented solutions, as well as an update of the project plan Within sixty days after completion of the services included in the specific agreement, the contractor shall submit to the contracting authority a final progress report including a summary of the main results. The technical part shall describe the tasks carried out and the services rendered and, if relevant, make recommendations regarding future events. The financial part shall detail all the costs involved in accordance with the items listed in the price-list. The Contractor must provide one copy of the report by electronic mail and one paper copy. 2. For specific contracts for a value of ,00 EUR up to ,00 EUR : If specified in the specific contract the contractor shall submit to the contracting authority an interim progress report within the given deadline. The interim report shall include a description of the main tasks performed so far, a list detailing the resources invested, and if relevant any problems encountered and suggested or implemented solutions, as well as an update of the project plan. Within 60 days after completion of the specific agreement, the contractor shall submit to the contracting authority a final progress report including a summary of the main results. The technical part shall describe the tasks carried out and the services rendered and, if relevant, make recommendations regarding future events. The financial part shall detail all the costs involved in accordance with the items listed in the price-list. 3. For specific contracts for a value below EUR : Within 60 days after completion of the specific agreement, the contractor shall submit to the contracting authority a final progress report including a summary of the main results. The technical part shall describe the tasks carried out and the services rendered and, if relevant, make recommendations regarding future events. The financial part shall detail all the costs involved in accordance with the items listed in the price-list. 8

9 All expenses incurred in drafting, producing and distributing the reports will be included in the unit prices of the financial offer and will not be paid separately. See complete details in Article I.4 of the Special Conditions of the Framework Contract Working method In their specific bids, tenderers must clearly designate a senior manager as project leader. The project leader will be the ECR's and EPIO's contact point, the sole interlocutor to whom they will address any requests and who must attend the planning/coordination meetings. The specific project leader must provide with answers and solutions, as regards both the subject of the contract and organisational or administrative matters (including problems related to invoicing and payment), and implement them subject to the contract. The contractor must inform the ECR of any changes (departures, arrivals, promotions, etc.) in the composition of the team during the performance of the contract. He must ensure that the composition of the team corresponds to the terms of his tender throughout the full duration of the contract. The contractor must provide the training programmes necessary to ensure a constant high quality of services from the team. The ECR reserves the right to request the replacement of any member of the team whose experience and/or competence it deems to be inadequate, stating its reasons Procedure for the reopening of competition The Framework contract will be drawn up between the ECR and the three tenderers that are ranked highest when the tenders are evaluated. The three operators will not be ranked in any particular priority or order. Request for services : When services are required, the ECR or the EPIO will notify the 3 Contractors by sending a request for services specifying the type of services required. When sending the request for services, the contracting authority may refine the terms of the framework contract and formulate them more precisely although without substantial change. The request will be addressed to all three contractors simultaneously by . The contractors have to acknowledge receipt of the request for services. 9

10 Time limit for the submission of specific tenders : Within the deadline stipulated in the request for services, the Contractors will then submit a specific tender including an implementation proposal accompanied by a detailed budget. The deadline for the submission of the bids will be fixed depending on the complexity of the requested tasks: 10 days for standard events and 15 days or more for events with several categories of services required or for big events with a duration of more than a day. If the contractor is unable to submit an offer, he must inform the relevant institution of this within three working days from the time the request is sent including the reason. Submission of specific tenders: Specific tenders up to ,00 euros may be submitted by . For values above ,00 euros, specific tenders will mandatorily be requested either by hand delivery to the ECR or the EPIO, by post, or by private courier, posted not later than on the date set as time limit for the submission. The postmark, the date of sending or the date and time of receipt document delivered signed and dated by the ECR or EPIO official who took delivery, shall constitute proof of timely delivery. Evaluation of specific tenders The exclusion and selection criteria will not be re-examined, the operator having undertaken to report any change in circumstances occurring since the signing of the Framework Contract which could affect the exclusion and selection criteria. The ECR does, however, reserve the right to reverify them before each reopening of competition procedure. The Contractors will calculate their specific offer on the basis of: - the prices quoted in the price offer (unit prices and maximum amounts) of the Framework Contract, multiplied by the quantities needed for the performance of the project, and - the prices of exceptional specific services and supplies not listed in the price schedule but needed for the performance of the specific contract. These costs will be incorporated in detail, item by item, into the price offer of the specific tender. Award of the specific contract The specific tenders of the three contractors will be assessed and compete on the quality of their proposal and the total price (e.g. price of catering, travel, hotel, speaker/moderator fees and all other specified services) of the specific tender. The specific award criteria and their weighting are listed hereafter, they may be fine-tuned if necessary for each reopening of competition procedure: 10

11 Specific award criteria 1. Quality and relevance of the proposal; compliance with quality requirements of the request for services (e.g. quality of proposed premises, compliance grade with the requirements of the specific terms of reference). Coverage of all the services. Efficiency and degree of detail and clarity of actions proposed. 2. Methodology which describes the approach for the services offered and the day-to-day organisation of the work due to reflect the requirements of the specific terms of reference. The role allocated to each team member and composition of the proposed team. 3. Creativity that the tenderer intends to bring to their approach and in their work in proposing solutions to identified major challenges and obstacles organising the event Weighting 40% 40% 20% Total 100% The result of the technical evaluation is the sum of the number of points obtained as a result of the evaluation of each criterion. Only those bids which are awarded at least 60% for each criterion and a total score of at least 70 points will be considered for the award of the specific contract. The specific contract will be awarded to the Contractor submitting the tender which offers the best value for money using a 50/50 weighting between technical quality score and the financial score. Score for tender X = Cheapest price * 100 * total score (out of 100) for all critera for tender X * 0.5 Price of tender X When the specific contract concerns only very basic services such as transportation requests or simple travel management so that it becomes impossible to differentiate the offers by their technical points, the specific contract will be awarded to the tender with the lowest total price. 11

12 Standstill period No standstill period is applicable for specific contacts based on a framework contract. The specific contract sent by the ECR or the EPIO to the contractor must be signed and returned by the contractor within 10 days of the date on which it was sent. 4. SIZE OF THE CONTRACT The maximum total value of the orders that may be placed over the duration of the framework contract is as follows: Maximum ceiling over the four years : 815, (VAT excluded). Pursuant to Article 134(1)f and Article 134(3) of Commission delegated Regulation (EU) No 1268/2012 of on the rules of application of Regulation (EU) No 966/2012 of the European Parliament and of the Council on the financial rules applicable to the general budget of the Union, the contracting authority may use a negotiated procedure for the award of new services which entail the repetition of similar services entrusted to the contractor who was awarded the original contract. That procedure may be used only during the three years following conclusion of the original contract. As an indication, we organise annually approximately three big events outside Stockholm and "smaller" (between 60 and 120 participants) events in Europahuset or at other locations. In 2013, the national citizens' dialogue held in Stockholm City Hall in October was the biggest event that the ECR organised with about 400 participants. During this activity we used an interactive method including both voting devices and social media. Activities related to the Europe Day, spread over a couple of weeks across Sweden, often in cooperation with local Europe Direct offices. The EPIO and the ECR organise, in cooperation with Swedish partners, timely and relevant stakeholder dialogues, seminars and debates on EU policies and on other priorities important to the Swedish debate. 5. CONTRACTUAL FRAMEWORK The services specified above will be the subject of a Multiple Interinstitutional Framework Contract with reopening of competition, drawn up between the contracting authority and the tenderers to whom the contract is awarded. The contract shall lay down the legal, financial, administrative and technical conditions applicable throughout its period of validity. The duration of the framework contract will be maximum four years. 12

13 "Multiple framework contract" means a situation whereby a framework contract is concluded separately, but on identical terms, between the contracting authority and several service providers. Framework contracts with reopening of competition are awarded on the basis of indicative tenders and without any priority amongst contractors. Each provision of services will be the subject to reopening of competition, as described in point 3.4 of these specifications. Contractors are put into competition to provide a specific tender. The draft contract is attached in Annex IV to the Invitation to Tender. In drawing up the bid, the tenderer should bear in mind the provisions of this draft contract and, notably: I.4 Payment arrangements and performance of the framework contract I.8 Exploitation of the results II.7 Subcontracting II.8 Amendments II.10 Ownership of the results Intellectual and industrial property II.15 Reporting and payments 6. SUBMISSION OF BIDS The tenderer's bid must comprise: The Declaration of Honour concerning the exclusion criteria, duly signed and completed, using the form in Annex III to the Invitation to Tender. All documents relating to the selection criteria listed under point 10; for those documents, the tenderer will fill in the tables to be found in Annexes V and VI (financial capacity) to the Invitation to Tender.. The technical tender, as specified under point 7, in line with the specifications under point 3. The financial offer, according to point 8, corresponding to all of the tender specifications, using the table in Annex II to the Invitation to Tender, which must be filled in and signed by the tenderer. 7. TECHNICAL TENDER Tenderers should include in their bid a technical tender detailing how they will perform the tasks covered by the contract, in compliance with all the requirements of the tender specifications. The technical tender should follow the same structure as the subject of the contract (see Point 3.) and shall contain: a description of their methodological approach proposed in order to provide the requested services. Tenderers shall explain the key indicators, measures and approach which will be taken to guarantee the quality of the services requested and continuous high performance throughout the contract period. Tenderers shall also identify the key 13

14 challenges in providing the services requested and how they intend to address them; a detailed description of the organisation of work to be carried out by the proposed team, and how it will be managed. Tenderers shall clearly explain how they intend to ensure that the work will be carried out as efficiently as possible in terms of cost, deadline compliance, scheduling and quality. With regard to the daily management of work, the tenderer will be required to describe the details of its close cooperation with the relevant ECR and EPIO departments and the methods he/she intends to use to provide unfailing assistance. The technical tender should not include any of the documents referred to under the exclusion or selection criteria, nor should it refer to issues already covered by the exclusion and selection criteria. In addition, tenderers should draw up a proposition for handling the hypothetical cases described below. A detailed project plan, including a detailed resources/budget breakdown and calendar for each action involved for the organisation of a one day workshop event to mark the occasion of 20 years of the European Union citizenship and the set of important rights it brings to the Swedish citizen. This event would take place in the northern Norrland region (exact city and premises to be proposed by the contractor with motivation for the choice). The 150 participants would be students, youth (age group 18-25), youth leaders, youth organisations and school teachers. The purpose of the event would be to increase the knowledge amongst young people about their possibilities and rights and increase awareness about specific initiatives and resources targeted at young people. The plan should include a list of 3 proposed speakers and one moderator for the event, giving reasons for the choices made. The plan should include the main tasks as reported in point 3.1; process management, management of invitations, setting up premises, decoration of venue, printing of conference bags and ballpoint pens for the participants, support staff as well as one photographer, work planning and organisation, composition of the project team. The service includes the provision of catering comprising a lunch buffet and coffee/tea breaks on the premises of the conference. Participants are to organise and pay their travel (and accommodation if needed) themselves. Tenderers are requested to indicate in the project plan the time required to plan, prepare and execute the tasks. Background information on citizens' rights can be found on: A description, including a detailed budget breakdown of the provision of a speaker and a moderator for a 3 hour seminar with maximum 120 participants in the premises of the ECR and the EPIO, the House of Europe in Stockholm. The tenderer should propose one external senior speaker to speak as a key note speaker about the sovereign debt crisis as well as take part in a questions and answers panel. The tenderer will also propose a moderator to moderate the whole 14

15 duration of the seminar. The proposal needs to include reasons and motivation to the choice of proposed speaker and moderator. For each of these two tasks, tenderers should give a detailed description of the approach which they intend to employ in order to organise the event and the budget they intend to allocate, broken down item by item based on the table in the financial proposal in Annex II. They must present a realistic proposal for the treatment of the two hypothetical cases not exceeding 15 A4 pages in total. The technical tender will be assessed in the light of the quality award criteria set out under point 11. These cases are purely a simulation of fictional requests for services, for the purpose of evaluating the quality of the services which the tenderer may be required to provide. They cannot in any way be regarded as an indication of the priorities and exact nature of future actions. 8. FINANCIAL OFFER The financial offer must be quoted using the attached forms in Annex II to the Invitation to tender which must be duly signed and dated. The prices quoted must be all-inclusive and cover all the contractor's costs related to performance of the contract as described above as well as the contractor's commercial margin. It covers therefore i.e. all administrative costs, management team and support staff but does not include the costs of the reimbursable items indicated in the request for services. The reimbursable expenses (travel and subsistence expenses related to business trips at the request of and after prior authorisation by the respective EU office) will be reimbursed separately in accordance with Article I.3 of the draft contract and should not be included in the tender. 9. EXCLUSION CRITERIA Bids from tenderers who do not meet the exclusion criteria referred to in Articles 106 and 107 of the Financial Regulation 1 will not be assessed Declaration of honour and evidence Tenderers will provide a declaration on their honour, duly signed and dated, stating that they are not in one of the exclusion situations, using the form provided in Annex III to the Invitation to Tender

16 The tenderer to whom it is proposed to award the contract will provide, within a time-limit specified by the contracting authority and prior to the signature of the contract, the necessary evidence in support of his declaration. These supporting documents must be valid on the date of the deadline for submission of tenders and, at all events, must have been issued within the 12 months preceding that date. Depending on the national legislation of the country in which the tenderer is established, the necessary evidence shall relate to legal persons and/or natural persons including, where considered necessary by the contracting authority, company directors or any person with powers of representation, decision-making or control in relation to the tenderer. If such proofs were already presented for the purpose of another procurement procedure and provided that they are not more than one year old starting from the issuing date and that they are still valid, the tenderer shall declare on his honour that the documentary evidence has already been provided in a previous procurement procedure and confirm that no changes in his situation have occurred Tenders submitted by consortia Tenders involving subcontracting In the case of tenders submitted by consortia or groups of service providers, all the economic operators involved in the tender must provide evidence that none of the exclusion criteria for participation in or award of the contract applies to them, by providing a declaration of honour, duly dated and signed (Annex II to the Invitation to Tender). The tenderer to whom the contract is awarded must provide, within the time-limit specified by the awarding authority and prior to the signature of the contract, the evidence listed above, confirming the declaration of honour, for each member of the consortium or group of service providers. In the case of tenders involving subcontracting, and when requested by the contracting authority, the tenderer shall submit a declaration on honour from the intended subcontractor that he is not in one of the situations referred to in Articles 106 and 107 of the Financial Regulation. In case of doubt on this declaration on the honour, the contracting authority shall request the evidence referred to in paragraphs 3 and 4 of art.143 of the Rules of Application. Paragraph 5 of art.143 shall apply, where appropriate. 10. SELECTION CRITERIA Capacity of the tenderer The tenderer must demonstrate sufficient economic, financial, technical and professional capacity to be able to perform the tasks as specified in point 3 of these specifications. 16

17 An economic operator may, where appropriate and for a particular contract, rely on the capacities of other entities to achieve the required level of economic, financial and technical capacity, regardless of the legal nature of the links that it has with them (subcontractor, parent company, third party). It must in that case prove to the contracting authority that it will have at its disposal the resources necessary for performance of the contract, for example by producing an undertaking on the part of those entities to place those resources at its disposal (see Points 10.2 and 10.3 below). If a third party provides the whole or a very large part of the financial capacity, the contracting authority may demand that that entity signs the contract or that it provides a joint and several first-call guarantee, should that tender be awarded the contract. The tenderer must provide proof of his capacity by enclosing the following information and documents with his tender. The contracting authority may waive the obligation of a tenderer to submit the documentary evidence referred to in paragraph 10.1.a) to 10.1.c) if such evidence has already been submitted for the purposes of another procurement procedure and still complies with Point a) Legal capacity and bank details The tenderer will provide a 'Legal Entity File (LEF)' and a 'Bank Account File (BAF)' duly completed and signed, with the necessary annexes. The forms to be used are available at the following addresses: /legal_entities_en.cfm nancial_id_en.cfm For joint offers, the Legal entity file should be provided for each consortium member and the Bank account file is requested for the lead entity only. b) Financial and economic capacity Evidence of financial and economic standing has to be provided by the following documents: balance sheets or extracts from balance sheets for the last two years for which accounts have been closed, where publication of the balance sheet is required under the company law of the country in which the economic operator is established; tables I and II in Annex VI to the Invitation to Tender duly completed, signed and dated, with all relevant data extracted from the balance sheets. These tables must also be provided on CD/DVD/USB. If, for some exceptional reason which the contracting authority considers justified, the tenderer is unable to provide the references requested by the contracting authority or if further to the analysis of the documents submitted the Responsible Authorising Officer considers that financial 17

18 capacity is not satisfactory, he may prove his economic and financial capacity by any other means which the contracting authority considers appropriate (bank guarantee, evidence of professional risk indemnity insurance, etc.). c) Technical and professional capacity The tenderer must demonstrate convincingly that he has the ability to undertake the tasks requested. Criterion 1: Professional experience of minimum three years in similar services: the tenderer must prove his experience in the field of organising corporate events. - As evidence, he will provide a presentation of 6 comparable project references carried out in the past three years with the approximate sums, dates, places, human resources involved and recipients. At least half of these events/services must have been organised in Sweden, with the involvement of both the private and the public sector. If part of the services were subcontracted, the nature and the percentage of the subcontracted tasks should be specified. The contracting authority reserves the right to contact referees. Criterion 2: Necessary human resources to set up a team combining all the knowhow and experience required to carry out the tasks described in these specifications and perform the contract in line with best professional practice. As evidence, the tenderer will provide: - a CV for each category of permanent and temporary staff available to perform the services reported under section 3 (media and on-line assistance, logistic assistance, conference rooms and facilities, assistance during events). These persons must have: minimum two years in the applicable field. They must have good knowledge of both written and spoken Swedish and English. These skills are to be explicitly mentioned. their intended function in the delivery of the services and experience are to be specified - the CV of a project/event manager responsible for overall project organisation. The project manager must have : university level education of at least 3 years plus at least 3 years of relevant experience or, alternatively, 8 years of relevant experience in project management (planning, organising, coordinating and managing different kinds of (corporate) events). 18

19 Excellent team management skills and very good organisational and communication skills are required. This person must have excellent knowledge of both written and spoken Swedish and a good knowledge of written and spoken English Additional requirements for joint offers In the case of a tender submitted by a consortium, each member must provide evidence of his economic and financial standing (see point 10.1.b) and technical and professional capacity. In addition, the following elements must also be provided in the offer: a document with the name of the company designated to represent the consortium, with the credentials of the person designated to sign the contract and/or to act as the point of contact with the Commission for the consortium; a document stating clearly the composition and constitution of the grouping or similar entity (company/temporary association/ ), and the legal form their cooperation would take, should they be awarded the contract and if this change is necessary for proper performance of the contract; A letter signed by each member stating its commitment to execute the services in the tender, clearly indicating its role, qualifications and experience Additional requirements for tenders including subcontracting In the case of a tender which includes subcontractors, the tenderer must provide evidence of the economic and financial standing (see point 10.1.b) of each subcontractor whose tasks represent more than 20% of the contract in value. In addition, the following elements must also be provided in the offer: a document stating clearly the identity, roles, activities and responsibilities of the subcontractor(s) and specifying the volume/proportion of the tasks of (each of) the subcontractor(s), as well as a description of the quality control measures which will be applied to the tasks to be carried out by (each of) the subcontractor(s); A letter of intent by (each of) the subcontractor(s) stating their unambiguous undertaking to collaborate with the tenderer should he win the contract and the extent of the resources that he will put at the tenderer s disposal for the performance of the contract. Otherwise, a document should be provided stating that the tenderer does not intend to subcontract and that he/she will inform the Commission of any change in this situation. The Commission reserves the right to judge if such a change would be acceptable. Any tenderer with a professional conflict of interest that may affect the performance of the contract may be rejected on the basis of not fulfilling selection criteria for professional capacity. 19

20 11. AWARD CRITERIA Bids from tenderers who do not satisfy the exclusion/selection criteria will not be considered for the award of the contract. The contract will be awarded to the tender offering the best value for money on the basis of the following criteria: Quality Award criteria Weighting (max. points) A Quality and relevance of the methodological approach and work plan proposed for providing professionally and timely all the services required, efficiency, level of clarity/detail. The approach must be stringent. B Quality, completeness and effectiveness of the system (proposed quality plan) set up for the general organisation and day-to-day management of the work and a cost-effective and continuous high performance throughout the contract period, including follow up (how tenderer intends to monitor) and quality assurance of the services to be delivered. C Relevance, comprehensiveness and creativity of approach and cogency of the tenderer's proposal for the implementation of all the services requested for both case studies. Appropriateness, effectiveness and coherence of the detailed project plan of the organisation of the case studies, including work distribution among the team and timetable. Efficiency and consistency of budget: well defined and detailed in accordance with volume and tasks requested. D Mechanisms for selecting the speakers and the moderator. Total points

21 Price Technical evaluation The technical tender to be submitted as part of the bid (see point 7) will be assessed on the basis of Quality criteria: A, B, C and D The result of the technical evaluation is the sum of the number of points obtained as a result of the evaluation of each criterion. Only those bids which are awarded at least 60% for each criterion and a total score of at least 70 points will be considered for the award of the contract Financial evaluation For the financial bid, the tenderer must use the standard financial tables in Annex II to the Invitation to Tender. Any omission or amendment to the original price schedule will cause the bid to be considered null and void. For the purpose of evaluation and comparison of the financial offers, the Commission will use a reference price consisting of the total of the prices indicated for the services in the table in Annex II. This will be calculated by the ECR. This simulation cannot under any circumstances be considered to constitute a commitment on the part of the ECR/EPIO to conclude specific contracts for the related services and quantities, and cannot give rise to any right or legitimate expectation on the part of the contractor. The lowest bid with technically sufficient score (according to the minimum thresholds set under point above) receives 100 points. The others are awarded points using the following formula: Score for tender X = Cheapest price Price of tender X * Award of the contract The contracts will be awarded to the tenderers offering the best value for money bids. This will be determined on the basis of the price and the quality of the tender by weighting technical quality against price on a 70/30 basis. This is done by multiplying: - the scores awarded for the technical quality by 0.70; 21

22 - the scores awarded for the financial bid by The technical and financial scores multiplied by the weighting factors are then added together, and the contracts are awarded to the three tenderers achieving the highest scores. 22