United States-Washington DC: Euro challenge academic competition

1. Publication reference:

EuropeAid/137232/DH/SER/US.

2. Procedure:

Restricted.

3. Programme title:

Euro challenge academic competition (Partnership instrument).

4. Financing:

Partnership instrument 2015 annual action programme (ref. Commission Implementing Decision of 22.6.2015(C(2015) 4109 final)).

5. Contracting authority:

European Union, represented by the European Commission, EU Delegation to the United States, WashingtonDC, UNITED STATES.

Contract specification

6. Nature of contract:

Global price.

7. Contract description:

In the framework of the development of a coherent EU public diplomacy in external relations, the actions willsupport and strengthen the EU's ability to engage meaningfully with different partners through the servicesprovided by actors specialised in the field of public diplomacy and focusing on specific target groups.

In this specific contract, the overall objective is to engage young Americans in order to deepen theirunderstanding and knowledge of the EU as a major player in the global economic system, the institutional andpolicy challenges and achievements of the EU and Eurozone, as well as understanding of the importance andcontribution of the euro to the transatlantic economic and political relationship.

The contractor's main activity will be organising secondary-school level academic competitions in the UnitedStates aimed at deepening Americans' knowledge about the European economy and the euro. In recentyears, students from at least 100 schools across the nation have participated in the preliminary round of thecompetition. These student teams research, prepare and deliver in-depth presentations on the current stateof the European economy, with a specific focus on 1 country and 1 economic challenge. This work fosters anincreased understanding of European history, economics, institutions, and current events relating to the EU andthe euro area. They also demonstrate knowledge of economic and political theory underpinning the EuropeanUnion. When students come up with country recommendations, they enhance their problem-solving abilities.

The contractor should steadily expand the size and scope of the Euro challenge by growing the number ofstudents, teachers, and schools participating in the programme, preferably reaching diverse and underservedcommunities as well as increasing the geographic footprint of the competition across the United States, notablyby recruiting new partners.

8. Number and titles of lots:

1 lot only.

9.Maximum budget:

600 000 EUR.

10.Scope for additional services:

The contracting authority may, at its own discretion, extend the project in duration and/or scope subject to theavailability of funding up to a maximum not exceeding the length and value of the initial contract. Any extensionof 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 eitherindividually or in a grouping (consortium) of tenderers which are effectively established in, a Member Stateof the European Union or in an eligible country or territory as defined under Regulation (EU) No 236/2014 ofthe European Parliament and of the Council of 11.3.2014 laying down common rules and procedures for theimplementation of the Union's instruments for financing external action (CIR) for the applicable instrumentunder which the contract is financed (see also heading 29 below). Participation is also open to internationalorganisations. All supplies under this contract must originate in 1 or more of these countries. However, theymay originate from any country when the amount of the supplies to be purchased is below 100 000 EUR perpurchase.

12.Candidature:

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

A consortium may be a permanent, legally-established grouping or a grouping which has been constitutedinformally 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 exclusionof that person. In particular, if that ineligible person belongs to a consortium, the whole consortium will beexcluded.

13.Number of applications:

No more than 1 application can be submitted by a natural or legal person whatever the form of participation (asan individual legal entity or as a leader or member of a consortium submitting an application). In the event that anatural or legal person submits more than 1 application, all applications in which that person has participated willbe excluded.

14.Shortlist alliances prohibited:

Any tenders received from tenderers comprising firms other than those mentioned in the shortlisted applicationforms will be excluded from this restricted tender procedure unless prior approval from the contracting authorityhas been obtained (see ‘Practical Guide’ — PRAG 2.4.3). Shortlisted candidates may not form alliances orsubcontract 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 standardapplication form, to the effect that they are not in any of the exclusion situations listed in Section 2.3.3 of thePRAG.

16.Subcontracting:

Subcontracting is allowed.

17.Number of candidates to be shortlisted:

On the basis of the applications received, between 4 and 8 candidates will be invited to submit detailed tendersfor 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:

30.9.2015.

19.Provisional commencement date of the contract:

17.11.2015.

20.Initial period of implementation of tasks:

36 months.
Annual competition cycle (approximate):
Recruitment and registration of participants: November 2015–February 2016.
Virtual teacher and student orientations: November 2015–February 2016.
Preliminary round competition: March 2016.
Semi-final and final round competitions: April 2016.
Trip to DC for the winning teams: June 2016.

Selection and award criteria

21.Selection criteria:

The following selection criteria will be applied to candidates. In the case of applications submitted by aconsortium, these selection criteria will be applied to the consortium as a whole:

• 1) Economic and financial capacity of candidate (based on item 3 of the application form). In the case of thecandidate being a public body, equivalent information should be provided:
  • the average annual turnover of the candidate in the last 3 years (2012, 2013, 2014) must exceed theindicative annual budget of the contract, indicated in point 9 (i.e., the maximum budget stated divided by thecontract duration in years, indicated in point 20),
  • appropriate statements from banks or evidence of professional risk indemnity insurance.
• 2) Professional capacity of candidate (based on items 4 and 5 of the application form):
  • has a professional certificate appropriate to this contract, such as event management, education with a focuson financial and economic literacy, working with secondary schools,
  • at least 5 staff currently work for the candidate in fields related to this contract.
• 3) Technical capacity of candidate (based on items 5 and 6 of the application form):
  the candidate has provided services under at least 3 contracts each with a budget of at least that of this contractin event management which were implemented at any moment during the following period: 5 years from thesubmission deadline.

  This means that the project the candidate refers to could have been started or completed at any time duringthe indicated period but it does not necessarily have to be started and completed during that period, norimplemented during the entire period. Candidates/tenderers are allowed to refer either to projects completedwithin the reference period (although started earlier) or to projects not yet completed. In the first case the projectwill be considered in its whole if proper evidence of performance is provided (statement or certificate fromthe entity which awarded the contract, proof of final payment). In the case of projects still ongoing only theportion satisfactorily completed during the reference period will be taken into consideration. This portion willhave to be supported by documentary evidence (similarly to projects completed) also detailing its value. If acandidate/tenderer has implemented the project in a consortium, the percentage that the candidate/tenderer hassuccessfully completed must be clear from the documentary evidence, together with a description of the natureof the services provided if the selection criteria relating to the pertinence of the experience have been used.

  Previous experience which caused breach of contract and termination by a contracting authority shall not beused as a reference.

  An economic operator may, where appropriate and for a particular contract, rely on the capacities of otherentities, regardless of the legal nature of the links which it has with them. It must in that case prove to thecontracting authority that it will have at its disposal the resources necessary for performance of the contract, forexample by producing an undertaking on the part of those entities to place those resources at its disposal. Suchentities, for instance the parent company of the economic operator, must respect the same rules of eligibility andnotably that of nationality, as the economic operator.

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

  — the highest number of projects in criterion 21.3,
  — preference will be given to experience in the United States.

22.Award criteria:

Best value for money.

Application

23.Deadline for receipt of applications:

11.9.2015 (16:00), Washington DC 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 standard application form, the format and instructions of which mustbe strictly observed. The standard application form (B3) is available from the following Internet address:

http://ec.europa.eu/europeaid/prag/annexes.do?group=B

Any additional documentation (brochure, letter, etc.) sent with an application will not be taken intoconsideration.

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:

Delegation of the European Union to the United States, attention: Tim Rivera, PPD section, 2175 K Street, NW,Suite 800, Washington DC 20037-1831, UNITED STATES,

— or hand delivered (including courier services) directly to the contracting authority in return for a signed anddated receipt to:

Delegation of the European Union to the United States, attention: Tim Rivera, PPD Section, 2175 K Street, NW,Suite 800, Washington DC 20037-1831, UNITED STATES. Tel. +1 2028629579.

The contract title and the publication reference (see item 1 above) must be clearly marked on the envelopecontaining the application and must always be mentioned in all subsequent correspondence with the contractingauthority.

Applications submitted by any other means will not be considered.

26.Alteration or withdrawal of applications:

Candidates may alter or withdraw their applications by written notification prior to the deadline for submission ofapplications. 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’ asappropriate.

27. Operational language:

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

28. Date of publication of prior information notice:

3.6.2015.

Notice number: EuropeAid/137232/DH/SER/US.

29. Legal basis:

Regulation (EU) No 236/2014 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11.3.2014 laying down commonrules and procedures for the implementation of the Union's instruments for financing external action andRegulation (EU) No 234/2014 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11.3.2014 establishing aPartnership Instrument for cooperation with third countries (PI).

30. Additional information:

Questions may be sent by e-mail, indicating clearly the reference of the call to the following functional address: delegation-usa-tenders-ppdeeas [dot] europa [dot] eu (delegation-usa-tenders-ppd[at]eeas[dot]europa[dot]eu)