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Service for Foreign Policy Instruments
Call for tendersClosed

EU Policy and outreach Partnership / Location: Canada

Details

Status
Closed
Publication date
Deadline date
Opening of tenders
Department
Service for Foreign Policy Instruments

Description

1. Publication reference

EuropeAid/138435/DH/SER/CA

2. Procedure

Restricted

3. Programme title

EU Policy and Outreach Partnership in Canada

4. Financing

Partnership Instrument -2016 Annual Action Programme (ref. C/2016/ 2989 of 26.5.2016)

5. Contracting Authority

European Union, represented by the European Commission

CONTRACT SPECIFICATION

6. Nature of contract

Fee-based

7. Contract description

The services provided through this contract will strengthen the European Union's ability to engage meaningfully and directly with different partners improving the understanding and increasing the awareness of the European Union as well as common interests between the European Union and Canada, including knowledge and awareness as regards the EU's founding principles, democratic set-up and its core policies). Targeted stakeholders would notably include think tanks, leading policymakers and opinion leaders across Canada, media, business organizations and universities.

Technical assistance will therefore focus on supporting a range of activities in the field of public diplomacy and cultural diplomacy1. The activities may include inter alia the elaboration and dissemination of studies, organization of events (e.g. conferences, debates, lectures and briefing sessions), exchange of best practices and training, awareness raising campaigns and media activities as well as production of relevant communication materials (videos, publications, etc.).

8. Number and titles of lots

One lot only

9. Maximum budget

EUR 1 000 000

10. Scope for additional services

The Contracting Authority may, at its own discretion, extend the project in duration and/or scope subject to the availability of funding up to the estimated amount of approximately EUR 1 000 000. Any extension of the contract would be subject to satisfactory performance by the Contractor.

CONDITIONS OF PARTICIPATION

11. Eligibility

Participation is open to all natural persons who are nationals of and legal persons (participating either individually or in a grouping – consortium - of tenderers) which are effectively established in a Member State of the European Union or in an eligible country or territory as defined under the Regulation (EU) N°236/2014 establishing common rules and procedures for the implementation of the Union's instruments for external action (CIR) for the applicable Instrument under which the contract is financed (see also heading 29 below). Participation is also open to international organisations.

12. Candidature

All eligible natural and legal persons (as per item 11 above) or groupings of such persons (consortia) may apply.

A consortium may be a permanent, legally-established grouping or a grouping which has been constituted informally for a specific tender procedure. All members of a consortium (i.e. the leader and all other members) are jointly and severally liable to the Contracting Authority.

The participation of an ineligible natural or legal person (as per item 11) will result in the automatic exclusion of that person. In particular, if that ineligible person belongs to a consortium, the whole consortium will be excluded.

13. Number of applications

No more than one application can be submitted by a natural or legal person whatever the form of participation (as an individual legal entity or as leader or member of a consortium submitting an application). In the event that a natural or legal person submits more than one application, all applications in which that person has participated will be excluded.

14. Shortlist alliances prohibited

Any tenders received from tenderers comprising firms other than those mentioned in the short-listed application forms will be excluded from this restricted tender procedure unless prior approval from the Contracting Authority has been obtained (see Practical Guide – PRAG - 2.4.3.). Short-listed candidates may not form alliances or subcontract to each other for the contract in question.

15. Grounds for exclusion

As part of the application form, candidates must submit a signed declaration, included in the standard application form, to the effect that they are not in any of the exclusion situations listed in Section 2.3.3 of the PRAG.

16. Sub-contracting

Subcontracting is allowed.

17. Number of candidates to be short-listed

On the basis of the applications received, between 4 and 8 candidates will be invited to submit detailed tenders for this contract. If the number of eligible candidates meeting the selection criteria is less than the minimum of 4, the Contracting Authority may invite the candidates who satisfy the criteria to submit a tender.

PROVISIONAL TIMETABLE

18. Provisional date of invitation to tender

30/03/2017

19. Provisional commencement date of the contract

01/11/2017

20. Initial period of implementation of tasks

24 months

SELECTION AND AWARD CRITERIA

21. Selection criteria

The following selection criteria will be applied to candidates. In the case of applications submitted by a consortium, these selection criteria will be applied to the consortium as a whole unless specified otherwise. The selection criteria will not be applied to natural persons and single-member companies when they are sub-contractors.

1) Economic and financial capacity of the candidate (based on item 3 of the application form). In case of a candidate being a public body, equivalent information should be provided. The reference period which will be taken into account will be the last three years for which accounts have been closed.

Criteria for legal and natural persons:

  • The candidate's/consortium's average annual turnover (over the last three years) must have been at least EUR 400 000.
  • The current ratio for the last year (current assets/ current liabilities) must be at least 1. In case of a consortium this criterion must be fulfilled by each member.

2) Professional capacity of the candidate (based on items 4 and 5 of the application form2). The reference period which will be taken into account will be the last five years from submission deadline.

Criteria for legal and natural persons:

  • Have at least 10 staff members currently working full time for the candidate in the field of public diplomacy.

3) Technical capacity of the candidate (based on items 5 and 6 of the application form). The reference period which will be taken into account will be the last five years from submission deadline.

Criteria for legal and natural persons:

  • a) The candidate has successfully provided services under at least three (3) contracts (the candidate’s proportion being more than EUR 400,000 for his services in each contract) in the field of public diplomacy (including, but not exclusively cultural diplomacy) which were implemented at any moment during the reference period: 21/03/2012 to 20/03/2017 . Altogether, the references projects must cover all the fields identified above (Public diplomacy.
  • b) The candidate, has successfully provided services under at least two (2) contracts (the candidate’s proportion being more than EUR 50,000 for his services in each contract) aiming at engaging with Think Tanks in the field of public diplomacy within Canada which were implemented at any moment during the reference period: from 21/03/2012 to 20/03/20173.

Previous experience which caused breach of contract and termination by a Contracting Authority shall not be used as reference.

An economic operator may, where appropriate and for a particular contract, rely on the capacities of other entities, regardless of the legal nature of the links which it has with them. 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 a commitment on the part of those entities to place those resources at its disposal. Such entities, for instance the parent company of the economic operator, must respect the same rules of eligibility - notably that of nationality – and must fulfil the same relevant selection criteria as the economic operator. With regard to technical and professional criteria, an economic operator may only rely on the capacities of other entities where the latter will perform the works or services for which these capacities are required. With regard to economic and financial criteria, the entities upon whose capacity the tenderer relies, become jointly and severally liable for the performance of the contract.

If more than 8 eligible candidates meet the above selection criteria, the relative strengths and weaknesses of the applications of these candidates must be re-examined to identify the eight best candidates. The only factors which will be taken into consideration during this re-examination are:

  • the highest number of projects in criteria 3.b
  • and - only in case of equality on the above mentioned criterion- , the second additional criterion would be the highest number of projects in criteria 3.a

22. Award criteria

Best price-quality ratio.

APPLICATION

23. Deadline for receipt of applications

17:00 hours on 20 March 2017, Ottawa time.

Any application received by the Contracting Authority after this deadline will not be considered.

24. Application format and details to be provided

Applications must be submitted using the (B3) standard application form the format and instructions of which must be strictly observed. The application form is available from the following Internet address: http://ec.europa.eu/europeaid/prag/annexes.do?group=B

The application must be accompanied by a declaration of honour on exclusion and selection criteria using the template available from the following Internet address: http://ec.europa.eu/europeaid/prag/annexes.do?chapterTitleCode=A

25. How applications may be submitted

Applications must be submitted in English exclusively to the Contracting Authority in a sealed envelope:

  • EITHER by recorded delivery (official postal service) to:

Attn. Partnership Instrument team
European Union Delegation to Canada
150 Metcalfe Street, Suite 1900*
Ottawa K2P 1P1
Ontario, Canada

In this case, the delivery record makes proof of compliance with the time-limit for receipt.

  • OR hand delivered (including courier services) directly to the Contracting Authority in return for a signed and dated receipt to:

Attn. Partnership Instrument team
European Union Delegation to Canada
150 Metcalfe Street, Suite 1900*
Ottawa K2P 1P1
Ontario, Canada

*Please note that access to the 19th floor is restricted and the telephone in the main lobby should be used to obtain access to the floor.

In this case, the acknowledgment of receipt makes proof of compliance with the time-limit for receipt.

The Contract title and the Publication reference (see item 1 above) must be clearly marked on the envelope containing the application and must always be mentioned in all subsequent correspondence with the Contracting Authority.

Applications submitted by any other means will not be considered.

By submitting an application candidates accept to receive notification of the outcome of the procedure by electronic means. Such notification shall be deemed to have been received on the date upon which the contracting authority sends it to the electronic address referred to in the application.

26. Alteration or withdrawal of applications

Candidates may alter or withdraw their applications by written notification prior to the deadline for submission of applications. No application may be altered after this deadline.

Any such notification of alteration or withdrawal shall be prepared and submitted in accordance with Item 25. The outer envelope (and the relevant inner envelope if used) must be marked 'Alteration' or 'Withdrawal' as appropriate.

27. Operational language

All written communications for this tender procedure and contract must be in English.

28. Date of publication of prior information notice

28 December 2016

29. Legal basis

Regulation (EU) N°236/2014 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 March 2014 laying down common rules and procedures for the implementation of the Union's instruments for financing external action and Regulation (EU) No 234/2014 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 March 2014 establishing a Partnership Instrument for cooperation with third countries - See Annex A2 of the Practical Guide.

30. Additional information

Questions, clearly stating the reference and title of the call, can be sent to the following email address: DELEGATION-CANADA-PIateeas [dot] europa [dot] eu (DELEGATION-CANADA-PI[at]eeas[dot]europa[dot]eu)

Candidates are advised to make sure that the email provided in the standard application form is checked regularly as email will be the main mean of communication between the contracting authority and the applicant.

The definitions adopted for public diplomacy in the framework of this tender is the following:

  • "Public Diplomacy refers to the process whereby a country [or an entity] seeks to build trust and understanding by engaging with a broader foreign public beyond the governmental relations that, customarily, have been the focus of diplomatic effort". (Source: European Parliament Preparatory Action "Culture in European External Relations")

Among the recommended bibliography for this tender is the "Study on the perception of the EU and EU's policies Abroad": http://ec.europa.eu/dgs/fpi/showcases/eu_perceptions_study_en.htm and in particular the chapters dedicated to Canada.

1 See point 30 for the definition adopted for this tender for public diplomacy.

2 Please note that the table included in point 4 of the standard application form must be adapted to reflect the reference period of the last five years from submission deadline.

3 This means that the project the candidate refers to could have been started or completed at any time during the indicated period but it does not necessarily have to be started and completed during that period, nor implemented during the entire period Candidates/tenderers are allowed to refer either to projects completed within the reference period (although started earlier) or to projects not yet completed. In the first case the project will be considered in its whole if proper evidence of performance is provided (statement or certificate from the entity which awarded the contract, proof of final payment). In case of projects still on-going only the portion satisfactorily completed during the reference period will be taken into consideration. This portion will have to be supported by documentary evidence (similarly to projects completed) also detailing its value. If a candidate/tenderer has implemented the project in a consortium, the percentage that the candidate/tenderer has successfully completed must be clear from the documentary evidence, together with a description of the nature of the services provided if the selection criteria relating to the pertinence of the experience have been used.