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EUROPEAN COMMISSION Directorate-General for Trade Directorate A - Resources, Information and Policy Coordination The Director

Brussels, 17/06/2016

ARES(2016)2836087)

Dear Sir/Madam,

Subject: Framework Contract in cascade to organise events, conferences, seminars and

meetings in the European Union, mainly in the context of trade policy activities

The European Commission is planning to award the contract referred to above. The

procurement documents consist in the contract notice, this invitation letter, the tender

specifications with their annexes and the draft contract.

If you are interested in this contract, you should submit a tender in one of the official

languages of the European Union.

You must submit your tender exclusively on paper, in one original and two copies.

The tender must be placed inside two closed envelopes addressed as indicated below. Both

envelopes should be marked as follows: "INVITATION TO TENDER RELATED TO

TRADE 2016/A1/28. The inner envelope should be marked as follows: "CALL FOR

TENDERS – NOT TO BE OPENED BY THE INTERNAL MAIL DEPARTMENT".

The inner envelope must also contain two closed envelopes, one containing the technical

tender and the other the financial tender. Each of these envelopes must clearly indicate the

content ("Technical" and "Financial").

The time limit for receipt of the tender is 31 August 2016. You must use one of the means of

submission listed below. Receipt is understood as the time at which the tenderer hands over

the tender to the post office or courier service or central mail department.

(Means of

submission

Time limit Evidence Address for delivery

Post 24:00 CET Postmark

CALL FOR TENDERS

Framework Contract to organise

events in the European Union, mainly

in the context of Trade policy

activities- TRADE 2016/A1/28

European Commission

Directorate-General for Trade,

For the attention of Unit A1 -

Resources and Strategic Planning

(CHAR 07/173)

2

B – 1049 Brussels

Belgium

Courier 24:00 CET Deposit slip of

courier service

CALL FOR TENDERS

Framework Contract to organise

events in the European Union, mainly

in the context of Trade policy

activities- TRADE 2016/A1/28

European Commission

Directorate-General for Trade,

For the attention of Unit A1 -

Resources and Strategic Planning

(CHAR 07/173)

Avenue du Bourget 1

B-1140 Brussels (Evere)

Belgium

In person

(hand

delivery) 17:00 CET

Proof of receipt,

signed and dated

by the official in

the central mail

department who

takes delivery

Mail can be received from 07.30 to 17.30 Monday to Fridays. The service is closed on

Saturdays, Sundays and official holidays of the Contracting Authority.

Tenders must be:

- signed by an authorised representative;

- perfectly legible so that there can be no doubt as to words and figures;

- drawn up using the model reply forms in the tender specifications.

The period of validity of the tender, during which tenderers may not modify the terms of their

tenders in any respect, is indicated in Heading IV.2.6 of the contract notice.

Submission of a tender implies acceptance of all the terms and conditions set out in the

procurement documents and, where appropriate, waiver of the tenderer's own general or

specific terms and conditions. The submitted tender is binding on the tenderer to whom the

contract is awarded for the duration of the contract.

All costs incurred for the preparation and submission of tenders are to be borne by the

tenderers and will not be reimbursed.

A maximum of two representatives per tender can attend the opening of tenders as provided

in Section IV.2.7 of the contract notice. For organisational and security reasons, the tenderer

must provide the full name and ID or passport number of the representatives at least 3

working days in advance to: trade-contracts@ec.europa.eu. Failing that, the Contracting

Authority reserves the right to refuse access to its premises.

Contacts between the Contracting Authority and candidates or tenderers are prohibited

throughout the procedure save in exceptional circumstances and under the following

conditions only:

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Before the date of receipt indicated above:

Upon request, the Contracting Authority may provide additional information solely for the

purpose of clarifying the procurement documents.

Any request for additional information must be made in writing only through the eTendering

website at https://etendering.ted.europa.eu/cft/cft-display.html?cftId=1548 in the "questions

and answers" tab, by clicking "create a question".

The Contracting Authority is not bound to reply to requests for additional information

received less than six working days before the date of receipt of tenders indicated above.

The Contracting Authority may, on its own initiative, inform interested parties of any error,

inaccuracy, omission or any other type of clerical error in the text of the procurement

documents.

Any additional information including that referred to above will be posted on the eTendering

website indicated above. The website will be updated regularly and it is your responsibility to

check for updates and modifications during the submission period.

After the opening of tenders:

If obvious clerical errors in the tender need to be corrected or confirmation of a specific or

technical element is necessary, the Contracting Authority will contact the tenderer provided

this does not lead to substantial changes to the terms of the submitted tender.

This invitation to tender is in no way binding on the Contracting Authority. The Contracting

Authority's contractual obligation commences only upon signature of the contract with the

successful tenderer.

Up to the point of signature, the Contracting Authority may cancel the procurement procedure

without the candidates or tenderers being entitled to claim any compensation. This decision

must be substantiated and the candidates or tenderers notified.

Once the Contracting Authority has opened the tender, it becomes its property and it shall be

treated confidentially.

You will be informed of the outcome of this procurement procedure (award decision) by e-

mail only. It is your responsibility to provide a valid e-mail address together with your contact

details in your tender and to check this e-mail address regularly.

If processing your reply to the invitation to tender involves the recording and processing of

personal data (such as your name, address and CV), such data will be processed pursuant to

Regulation (EC) No 45/2001 on the protection of individuals with regard to the processing of

personal data by the Community institutions and bodies and on the free movement of such

data. Unless indicated otherwise, your replies to the questions and any personal data requested

are required to evaluate your tender in accordance with the specifications of the invitation to

tender and will be processed solely for that purpose by Ms. Sofia Munoz Albarran – Head of

Unit A1 – Resources and Strategic Planning. Details concerning the processing of your

personal data are available on the privacy statement at:

http://ec.europa.eu/dataprotectionofficer/privacystatement_publicprocurement_en.pdf.

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Your personal data may be registered in the Early Detection and Exclusion System (EDES) if

you are in one of the situations mentioned in Article 106 of the Financial Regulation1. For

more information, see the Privacy Statement on

http://ec.europa.eu/budget/explained/management/protecting/protect_en.cfm#BDCE.

17/06 /2016,

Peter Sandler,

Director Resources, Information and

Policy Coordination [signed]

1 Regulation (EU, Euratom) No 966/2012 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 25 October 2012

on the financial rules applicable to the general budget of the Union and repealing Council Regulation (EC,

Euratom) No 1605/2002 (OJ L 298 of 26.10.2012, p. 1) as amended.

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EUROPEAN COMMISSION Directorate-General for Trade Directorate A - Resources, Information and Policy Coordination Resources and Strategic Planning

CALL FOR TENDERS

N° TRADE 2016/A1/28

Framework Contract to organise events, conferences,

seminars and meetings in the European Union, mainly in

the context of trade policy activities

TENDER SPECIFICATIONS

Version of October 2015

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

TABLE OF CONTENTS .................................................................................................... 6

1. INFORMATION ON TENDERING .......................................................................... 7

1.1. Participation ......................................................................................................... 7

1.2. Contractual conditions ......................................................................................... 7

1.3. Compliance with applicable law .......................................................................... 7

1.4. Joint tenders ......................................................................................................... 7

1.5. Subcontracting ..................................................................................................... 8

1.6. Structure and content of the tender ...................................................................... 8

1.7. Identification of the tenderer ................................................................................ 8

2. TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS ............................................................................. 9

2.1. Background information or mission statement of the Directorate General for

Trade (DG Trade): ............................................................................................. 9

2.2. The project focus or content ............................................................................... 10

2.3. Objectives of the project .................................................................................... 10

2.4. Work to be carried out/services to be rendered .................................................. 10

2.5. Management of the Framework Contract .......................................................... 15

3. EVALUATION AND AWARD: .............................................................................. 18

3.1. Verification of non-exclusion ............................................................................ 18

3.2. Selection criteria ................................................................................................ 19

3.3. Award criteria .................................................................................................... 22

3.4. Ranking of tenders ............................................................................................. 27

ANNEX 1. TENDER SUBMISSION FORM, DECLARATION ON HONOUR ON

EXCLUSION AND SELECTION CRITERIA, STATEMENT OF EXCLUSIVITY

AND AVAILABILITY, BANKING REFERENCES FORM, LEGAL ENTITIES

FORM. ...................................................................................................................... 28

ANNEX 2. QUOTATION FORM FOR PRICE .................................................. 37

ANNEX 3. MODEL FRAMEWORK CONTRACT ........................................... 39

ANNEX 4. DAILY SUBSISTENCE ALLOWANCES AND ACCOMMODATION

RATES IN THE EUROPEAN UNION .................................................................... 40

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1. INFORMATION ON TENDERING

1.1. Participation

Participation in this procurement procedure is open on equal terms to all natural and legal persons

coming within the scope of the Treaties, as well as to international organisations.

It is also open to all natural and legal persons established in a third country which has a special

agreement with the Union in the field of public procurement on the conditions laid down in that

agreement. Where the plurilateral Agreement on Government Procurement2 concluded within the

World Trade Organisation applies, the participation to this procedure is also open to all natural

and legal persons established in the countries that have ratified this Agreement, on the conditions

it lays down.

1.2. Contractual conditions

The tenderer should bear in mind the provisions of the draft contract which specifies the rights

and obligations of the contractor, particularly those on payments, performance of the contract,

confidentiality, and checks and audits.

1.3. Compliance with applicable law

The tender must comply with applicable environmental, social and labour law obligations

established by Union law, national legislation, collective agreements or the international

environmental, social and labour conventions listed in Annex X to Directive 2014/24/EU3.

1.4. Joint tenders

A joint tender is a situation where a tender is submitted by a group of economic operators (natural

or legal persons). Joint tenders may include sub-contractors in addition to the members of the

group.

In case of joint tender, all members of the group assume joint and several liabilities towards the

Contracting Authority for the performance of the contract as a whole, i.e. both financial and

operational liability. Nevertheless, tenderers must designate one of the economic operators as a

single point of contact (the leader) for the Contracting Authority for administrative and financial

aspects as well as operational management of the contract.

After the award, the Contracting Authority will sign the contract either with all members of the

group, or with the leader on behalf of all members of the group, authorised by the other members

via powers of attorney.

2 See http://www.wto.org/english/tratop_E/gproc_e/gp_gpa_e.htm

3 Directive 2014/24/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 26 February 2014 on public

procurement and repealing Directive 2004/18/EC (OJ L 94, 28.3.2014, p. 65).

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1.5. Subcontracting

Subcontracting is permitted but the Contractor will retain full liability towards the Contracting

Authority for performance of the contract as a whole.

Tenderers are required to identify sub-contractors whose capacity is necessary to fulfil the

selection criteria.

During contract performance, the change of any sub-contractor identified in the tender or

additional subcontracting will be subject to prior written approval of the Contracting Authority.

1.6. Structure and content of the tender

The tenders must be presented as follows:

Part A: Identification of the tenderer (see section 1.7)

Part B: Verification of non-exclusion (see section 3.1)

Part C: Selection criteria (see section 3.2)

Part D: Technical offer

The technical offer must cover all aspects and tasks required in the technical

specifications and provide all the information needed to apply the award criteria. Offers

deviating from the requirements or not covering all requirements may be rejected on the

basis of non-compliance with the tender specifications and will not be evaluated.

Part E: Financial offer

The budget of the contract, including all costs is estimated not to exceed 6.000.000 Euro

for its total duration of 4 years.

Prices for the tender must be quoted in euro. The price quoted may not be revised in line

with exchange rate movements. It is for the tenderer to bear the risks or the benefits

deriving from any variation.

Prices must be quoted free of all duties, taxes and other charges, including VAT, as the

European Union is exempt from such charges under Articles 3 and 4 of the Protocol on

the privileges and immunities of the European Union. The amount of VAT may be

shown separately.

1.7. Identification of the tenderer

The tender must include the tender submission form (see annex 1) signed by an authorised

representative presenting the name of the tenderer (including all entities in case of joint tender)

and identified sub-contractors if applicable, and the name of the single contact point (leader) in

relation to this procedure.

In case of a joint tender, the cover letter must be signed either by an authorised representative for

each member, or by the leader authorised by the other members with powers of attorney. The

signed powers of attorney must be included in the tender as well. Sub-contractors that are

identified in the tender must provide a letter of intent signed by an authorised representative

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stating their willingness to provide the services presented in the tender and in line with the

present tender specifications.

All tenderers (including all members of the group in case of joint tender) must provide a signed

Legal Entity Form with its supporting evidence. The form is available on:

http://ec.europa.eu/budget/contracts_grants/info_contracts/legal_entities/legal_entities_en.cfm

Tenderers that are already registered in the Contracting Authority’s accounting system (i.e. they

have already been direct Contractors) must provide the form but are not obliged to provide the

supporting evidence.

The tenderer (or the leader in case of joint tender) must provide a Financial Identification Form

with its supporting documents. Only one form per tender should be submitted. No form is needed

for sub-contractors and other members of the group in case of joint tender. The form is available

on: http://ec.europa.eu/budget/contracts_grants/info_contracts/index_en.cfm.

2. TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

2.1. Background information or mission statement of the Directorate General for Trade

(DG Trade):

The European Commission's Directorate-General for Trade develops and implements the EU's

trade policy in order to help secure prosperity, solidarity and security in Europe and around the

globe. Trade policy must deliver growth, jobs, investment and innovation while seeking to

improve conditions for citizens, consumers, workers and self-employed, small, medium and large

enterprises, and the poorest in developing countries. It shall do so in line with the principles and

objectives of the Union's external action, and with the external objectives of EU internal policies,

as well as in consistency with the European social model and values.

DG Trade is in charge of developing and implementing the common trade policy of the European

Union in accordance with the objectives set out in Article 207 of the Treaty on the Functioning of

the EU (TFEU). The common commercial policy as it is referred to in the Treaty is one of the

exclusive competences of the European Union mandated to the European Commission in

accordance with article 3 of the TFEU.

DG Trade supports the EU's Trade Commissioner in shaping a trade environment that is good for

European citizens, workers, business and consumers and helping world trade and development,

thereby boosting competitiveness, jobs and growth in the process. The current Commission has

placed this among its top political priorities. As trade is one of the few instruments available for

improving the economy without burdening state budgets, it contributes to the achievement of a

number of the ten priorities identified by the Juncker Commission, in particular to giving a "New

Boost to Jobs, Growth and Investment". At the same level, the Commission has recognised that

concluding trade agreements with the world's trade partners, and in particular with the US, is a

prime objective and has spelled this out in its priority for a "A Reasonable and Balanced Free

Trade Agreement with the US". Finally, success in the EU is inextricably bound up with the

success of our trading partners, both in the developed and developing world, which links our

policy closely with the Commission's priority "EU as a Stronger Global Actor".

Whilst defining trade policy, we must embrace the reality of the changing economic system of the

world, looking at all the ways EU companies interact with the rest of the world. Today’s global

and digital system is based on international value chains that see conception, design and

production happen in a series of steps across many countries.

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In recent years, the debate about trade has intensified and broadened. We are aware of the high

and legitimate expectations from our stakeholders to follow and influence how trade policy is

made. We are therefore putting increased emphasis on transparency.

Public concerns cover substantive issues such as the way regulation and investment will be dealt

with in trade agreements and the consistency of EU trade policy with broader European and

international values. These issues remain at the core of our negotiation positions.

All these elements have been set out in the trade and investment policy strategy Communication

"Trade for All", adopted by the College of Commissioners on 14 October 2015

(http://ec.europa.eu/trade/policy/in-focus/new-trade-strategy/).

See also: http://ec.europa.eu/trade/whatwedo/work/index en.htm

2.2. The project focus or content

In the context of its activities, DG Trade organises negotiation rounds, events, seminars,

conferences and meetings in countries of the European Union. For this reason it needs different

services.

Such services will consist of providing full logistical support to organise these events and

meetings, mainly in the context of trade policy activities. These services will be provided in the

European Union. Because of the nature of some meetings, in particular those concerning trade

negotiations round organised by the Commission, the Contractor should be able to book meeting

rooms for several events at short notice.

In general, an event has a length of between 3 to 5 working days, exceptionally going up to 10

with an average number of around 60 invited participants and a main focus on Brussels for the

organisation of trade negotiating rounds.

2.3. Objectives of the project

The objectives of the current project, which is tendered by DG Trade, are:

a) To draw on the services of companies specialising in the organisation and planning of

events, conferences and seminars in the European Union and, particularly, in Brussels;

b) To assist the Contracting Authority to enhance the effective coordination of activities in

question, where appropriate to expand and improve them;

c) To draw on the capacity of these companies and in particular to mobilise a network of

local suppliers within the European Union.

2.4. Work to be carried out/services to be rendered

The Contractors will be responsible for the organisation, logistics and management of planned

events, conferences, seminars and meetings taking place in the European Union mainly in the

context of trade policy activities.

The activities shall include the following:

2.4.1. Logistical Assistance by an Event Coordinator

For each event, the Contractor will nominate an Event Coordinator, whose assistance will be

required in the margins of the dates of the event.

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The Event Coordinator will be the main point of contact between the Contracting Authority and

the Contractor during each specific event, and will have the support of the Project Director and

other staff if deemed necessary.

The Event Coordinator will be responsible for the coordination and planning of services leading

up to the event, as specified in each specific contract, and s/he will ensure smooth running of the

event, manage and 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/security guards.

2.4.2. Specific Logistical and Technical Tasks

2.4.2.1. Conference rooms and facilities

In line with the Contracting Authority's request for services, the Contractor will assure the

reservation of the appropriate conference/meeting rooms, and arrange for appropriate technical

equipment, coffee breaks, light beverages and light buffet lunch. The Contractor must take into

account the number of participants, accessibility, local security situations and facilities for

disabled participants.

At the Contracting Authorities’ request, the hire of additional conference/meeting rooms, for

break-out sessions or secretarial work during the event may be necessary as well as the hiring of

appropriate conference equipment throughout the event.

The hire of conference equipment may cover the following:

• audio equipment: microphone(s), loudspeaker(s), etc.;

• projection devices: overhead projector(s), beamer, video projector(s), wide projection;

• screen(s), television set(s), DVD player(s), WIFI ;

• transmission material for the deaf as well as translation/communication facilities for deaf

or blind participants;

• PC, printer and photocopier.

2.4.2.2. Local assistance

If specified by the Contracting Authority in the request for services, the Contractor shall be

responsible for ensuring that local assistance is available throughout the event either offered by

the venue/sub-contractor or, if not, carried out by the Contractor through various duties such as:

• Assistance at the event: such as welcoming participants, distributing badges, guide the

participants to the meeting rooms , passing round the microphone.

• IT and audio-visual assistance ;

• Local correspondent/coordinator for preparation work running up to the event and/or

coordinate different third party suppliers on the ground and liaise with participants on any issues

that may arise.

For that purpose, hostesses/stewards as well as the staff from the Contractor or the sub-contractor

should be dressed in a way to be identified at first glance by the participants, as being part of the

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staff. They should be proficient in English and French for all events and the language of the

Member State where the event takes place.

2.4.2.3. Security guards

If specified by the Contracting Authority in the request for services and taking into account the

level of the participants, their nationalities and the level of risk evaluated by the local authorities,

the Contractor is responsible for ensuring the security of participants to the event.

When specified, the venue should be secured by filtering the entrances and exits, checking the

invitation list versus ID cards and should be equipped with video monitoring.

Security guards should all wear a uniform in order to be identified at first glance by the

participants, as being part of the security staff. They should be proficient in English and French

for all events and the language of the Member State where the event takes place.

2.4.2.1. Provision of interpreters

If specified by the Contracting Authority in the request for services, the Contractor shall ensure

the provision of interpreters needed to provide the conference interpretation. The Contracting

Authority will communicate requirements beforehand (e.g. languages to be used by speakers).

Interpreters for deaf people may be required.

The Contractor shall ascertain what language(s), if any, might usefully be provided in

simultaneous interpretation to allow active participation of the participants. The languages shall

be agreed with the Contracting Authority.

The Contractor shall be responsible for hiring appropriate translation equipment, such as cabins

and equipment needed for simultaneous interpreting.

2.4.2.2. Local transport

If specified by the Contracting Authority in the request for services, the Contractor shall be

responsible for ensuring that local transport is available throughout the event, for example:

• Arranging transfers between airport, hotel and conference venue if the hotel or venue is

far away;

• Arranging transfers between airport and hotel during transit;

• Hiring inter-city / intra-city transfers as part of the conference programme.

This service shall only be called upon should the venue be unable to organise a shuttle service.

2.4.2.3. Lunches and Dinners

If specified by the Contracting Authority in the request for services, the Contractor is responsible

for booking and organising lunches and/or dinners outside the conference facilities throughout the

event.

The Contractor shall make the necessary reservations for the appropriate number of people on the

basis of a standard three-course menu to be decided directly by the Contractor. The Contractor

must take any cultural, religious or personal specificity of participants into consideration and

provide suitable food and drinks.

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2.4.2.4. Travel

If specified by the Contracting Authority in the request for services, the Contractor is responsible

for booking, purchasing, modification, cancellation and dispatch of travel tickets to participants

and speakers.

Air tickets: Unless otherwise indicated in the specific request for services (see Annex 3, contract

model, point I.5.3), these are economy class tickets (and include airport tax and, where

appropriate, any charges for making the tickets available for collection at the airport of

departure). Flight tickets are to be arranged based on the shortest itinerary, from the nearest

available airport of the place of work/residence of the invitee and/or the capital city of the

respective country to the airport of the city where the event takes place. Deviations from these

principles must be authorised in writing beforehand by the Contracting Authority of each

assignment. In order to allow for ticket price fluctuations, a special contingency margin of 10%

of the total flight costs will be foreseen in the estimate given in reply to the request for services.

The Contractor should to the extent possible, provide electronic tickets and depending on the

location of the venue, sub-contract to locally based travel agencies that may have easier access to

local airlines and flight connections.

Rail tickets: Where more appropriate (generally for journeys not exceeding a one way distance of

400 km and not including a sea crossing which can only be made by boat), travel may be

arranged by rail rather than air at the rate of the first class rail ticket. Where the Contractor cannot

fulfil these conditions and proposes an alternative, the Contracting Authority must authorise the

alternative beforehand.

Car: If authorised beforehand by the Contracting Authority, a participant who wishes to travel to

an event by car, will be reimbursed up to the maximum cost of a first class rail ticket for the

equivalent journey. The participant will be reimbursed a fixed rate of 0.22€ per km when the first

class rail fare cannot be defined. If several participants travel by the same car, only one

reimbursement will be authorised. Evidence of the journey by car must be received from the

participants.

Changes and cancellations: The Contractor must provide participants with the necessary

assistance whenever changes have to be made to tickets. Also, the Contracting Authority of the

relevant assignment must be notified immediately of any major changes to flight times and its

approval of such changes must first be obtained. Should there be no reaction from the Contracting

Authority, the change cannot take place. The Contractor must take whatever steps are necessary

to ensure that any requests for cancellation are settled in the best interests of the Contracting

Authority. Any additional costs owing to negligence attributable to the Contractor will be borne

by the Contractor.

Delivering tickets: The Contractor shall contact participants and speakers as necessary to make

arrangements for sending electronic or paper tickets or making them available for collection at

the airport/station of departure.

Travel arrangements shall be made on the basis of a list of participants agreed by the Contracting

Authority. Any changes requested by the Contracting Authority shall be notified to the Contractor

as rapidly as possible. Should those changes result in extra costs, those costs shall be notified to

the Contracting Authority and, if accepted, charged to the contract. The Contractor shall be

responsible for all aspects of the travel arrangements including direct contacts with the

participants and speakers.

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2.4.2.5. Accommodation

If specified by the Contracting Authority in the request for services, the Contractor is responsible

for booking of appropriate hotel accommodation. Reservations must be made in the category of

hotel as specified in each request for services, in the city and/or part of the city indicated. Unless

the Contracting Authority indicates otherwise, breakfast must be included in the rate charged for

the room.

The request for services will indicate the approximate number of nights to be booked for

participants. The final number of nights will be determined by the actual travel arrangements and

itinerary. Where travel arrangements require that the participant must spend additional night(s) in

the hotel or during transit, this must be authorised beforehand by the Contracting Authority.

The Contractor shall negotiate the best possible rates per night on behalf of the Contracting

Authority and where possible, make use of preferential rates put forth by the Contracting

Authority. In any case, the maximum rate per night of accommodation for each participant shall

not exceed the amounts indicated per country in Annex 44. Only under exceptional

circumstances, and only if duly justified by providing three offers by three different hotels in the

Contractors financial estimate, can the ceilings for accommodation provided for in Annex 4 be

exceeded by a maximum of 50%.

The Contractor shall settle the hotel bill for participants and speakers, excluding the staff of the

European Institutions.

The Contracting Authority may also require the event to be held in the hotel where

accommodation has been reserved. In this case the hotel must have the appropriate conference

rooms and facilities.

If a participant is not willing to use the facility of reservation, s/he shall notify the Contractor in

due course. If s/he decides to stay in a hotel different to the one selected by the Contractor at

his/her own request, arrangements for another hotel shall not be made by the Contractor and shall

not be covered by the European Commission, unless in case of unforeseen circumstances (e.g.

unavailability of rooms in the selected hotel).

The request for services may require the appropriate handling of arrangements for the

participation of staff of the European Commission in line with the European Commission rules to

be provided to the Contractor by the Contracting Authority. This may typically cover booking

their rooms in the same hotel as the other participants. If it is the case, no extra charges will be

accepted.

Whenever possible, the Contractor shall organise through the hotel a shuttle service for a return

journey between the airport and the hotel for all participants, and to be included within the

management fee of this task.

2.4.2.6. Assessment

Each participant shall be asked to provide individual feedback concerning the quality and utility

of each seminar. This feedback shall be analysed and the results, together with the

recommendation to improve future similar events, shall be included in the final report.

4 These rates are used by the European Commission in the context of missions of officials and other servants. In case

of a revision by the European Commission, the Annex will be amended accordingly.

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2.5. Management of the Framework Contract

2.5.1. Management structure

A strong management structure shall be required to follow the events, to co-ordinate both the

work of the Event Coordinator, its team and the relationship with the services of the Contracting

Authority, and to ensure that the timetable and milestones of the project are met. The tenderer

must clearly outline the proposed management structure in the tender.

The composition of the management team will be determined by the Contractor. However, it will

comprise as minimum:

• one Project Director who will have the overall responsibility for the running of the

Framework Contract as well as for all the contacts with the Contracting Authority;

• one Event Co-ordinator responsible for the appropriate outcome of all the specific

contracts.

In particular, the management team shall ensure the provision of high-quality services throughout

the assignment. It would also be responsible for the day-to-day management of the Framework

Contract. The CVs of the management team members will form part of the Framework Contract.

Regarding the implementation of the specific contracts, if the Contractor needs to add additional

members to the team delivering the services, the approval of the Commission will be requested.

The proposed additional members have to meet the same requirements as the members of the

team proposed in the tender of the Framework Contract as stated in this section. The Contractor

shall send to the Commission all the documents needed for the verification of those requirements

as stated in paragraph 3.2.4 B.

2.5.2. Multiple Framework Contract in cascade

A multiple Framework Contract will be concluded with the two tenderers that are ranked best

when the bids are evaluated and that have obtained the minimum number of points required (see

point 3.4).

The term "multiple Framework Contract" refers to the situation whereby a Framework Contract is

concluded separately but on identical terms, between the Commission and several service

providers with a view to ensuring that a contract can be performed in succession by one or other

of the Contractors.

The request to provide services shall be sent to the second Contractor on the list (the "cascade

system") in any of the following situations:

a) If the first choice of Contractor is unable to carry out the work or does not reply by the

deadline set in the request for services;

b) In the event of default in respect of the performance of an order as described in Article

I.11 of the model contract (see annex 3);

c) Or in one of the circumstances described under Article II.18.1 of the model contract, but

not entailing its termination.

If the Commission does not approve the estimate submitted by the second Contractor and no

agreement is found between the two parties within a reasonable deadline, the Commission

reserves the right to return to the first Contractor under the terms of his initial bid.

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2.5.3. Management fee

Management fees for each event and item under point 2.4.2 will be indicated by tenderers in the

quotation form (Annex 2). The amount indicated shall be expressed in euro as a fee "per event"

taking into account its length and number of participants or per “task”, for the services directly

rendered or organised by the Contractor in addition to the core tasks.

Tenderers shall complete the quotation form grid by quoting their management fee per event in

relation to its length and the number of invited participants and the additional services.

Management fees shall cover all of the Contractor's honoraria and its staff in order to manage the

related service as well as the Contractor's commercial margin.

The quoted prices must be fixed amounts which include all charges (including travel and

subsistence). Where applicable, the offer shall also indicate the prices for unit of time (either in euro

per hour, day or month). The Commission shall not reimburse separately travel or subsistence

expenses, or any other costs such as translation costs, database management or administrative costs

necessary to carry out the tasks of the contract (offices, secretarial assistance, communications,

printing costs of documents, dispatch costs, etc.). Therefore, the tenderer is requested to take into

account all these costs when preparing the offer.

2.5.4. Costs relating to third party suppliers

The maximum costs of the services rendered to the Contractor by third parties in order to enable

him to deliver the outputs required under the orders or specific contracts shall be specified in the

financial estimate drawn up by the Contractor in reply to the request for services.

Depending on the location, nature and estimated value of each assignment, the Contracting

Authority may request that the Contractor's financial offer is established on the basis of three

offers from three different third party suppliers, for the service(s) in question. All third party

suppliers’ costs shall represent the true market rates for the service to be rendered to the

Contracting Authority, equally benefiting from any negotiated discounts by the Contractor. The

Contractor shall not benefit from any additional commercial margins, other than those

represented in Annex 2 of the tender form.

The costs generated by the services rendered by third parties will be disbursed as a reimbursable

expenditure in accordance with Articles I.5.3 and II.22.1 of the model Framework Contract when

the Contractor provides supporting documents. Due to its nature, no third party costs shall be

generated through item 2.4.2.6 ‘assessment’. This task shall be performed by the Event

Coordinator and his/her team, whose honoraria shall be included in the management fees.

2.5.5. Reporting requirements

2.5.5.1. For the Framework Contract

The Contractor shall provide the following reports;

1) A yearly report will be provided to the Commission within one month following each year of

operations starting with the signature of the contract. This stocktaking report will indicate inter

alia both positive and well-functioning aspects of the Framework Contract as well as problems

and obstacles met. It will propose recommendations aiming to improve the administrative and/or

operational aspects of the Framework Contract and/or individual assignments. The core part of

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the report will not exceed 15 pages. The report will also contain annexes which will provide

information on a number of issues such as:

• Statistical data: number of requests received, number to which the Contractor has replied,

number of Specific Contracts awarded, amounts contracted and paid;

• Administrative data: name and nationality of the specific event co-ordinators;

2) A final report summarizing the aspects above among others will be required at the end of the

Framework Contract. It must be delivered within one month following the end of the contract.

The Contracting Authority may organise a meeting inviting all Contractors to report on and

analyse the functioning of the Framework Contract on a yearly basis. The participation of

Contractors shall then be required. However, their related travel and accommodation costs will

not be reimbursed by the Contracting Authority.

The Contractor must keep all the documents related to the Framework Contract implementation

for a period of seven years following the closure of the Framework Contract.

2.5.5.2. For each Specific Contract

Following the signature of a specific contract, the Event Coordinator is required to provide a

regular up-date of the preparations informally over e-mail and/or telephone to the project officer.

This shall include, mainly, the confirmation of the venue and accommodation arrangements,

travel details for participants and speakers and the state of play of preparations of the event.

However, following the signature of an order form or specific contract, additional requests may

only be accepted on receipt of a written request by the Contracting Authority and only if

sufficient budget is available under unforeseen costs. The Contractor will refer any additional

requests it receives back to the Contracting Authority in Brussels.

Final report:

The Contractor shall be required to provide a final report for each specific assignment.

In order for the final report to be accepted and evaluated, the following formal conditions must be

satisfied:

• A final report shall be submitted by the Contractor no more than two months after the end of the

specific assignment. An original of the final report must be received by the Contracting

Authority, together with an electronic version submitted by e-mail.

• The report must contain the signature of the legal representative of the contracting organisation.

The representative's name and his or her position/title in the contracting organisation should be

given below the signature, which should be accompanied by the organisation's official stamp.

The final report is presented in two parts:

Part 1: Activities/Results

The first part of the report shall refer to the activities/results. The aim is to provide a detailed

picture of the event and, to this end, shall include at least the following information which will

enable a quantitative and qualitative analysis of both the project's activities and results:

- A summary of the activities undertaken;

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- An indication of the problems encountered and possible solutions for future events;

- The complete list of participants as well as the original attendance sheet;

- Evaluation of the event by the participants.

Please bear in mind that the purpose of the final report is to enable an overall evaluation of the

service provided. Therefore, all activities shall be finalised before it is submitted.

Part 2: Financial Report

The financial report must give a clear and concise overview of all the expenditure claims related

to the specific contract.

• The financial report shall be expressed in euro;

• Originals of all invoices relating to third party’s expenditure.

If the report does not meet the above criteria, the European Commission reserves the right not to

evaluate it until its formal presentation is correct.

The reporting language shall be English.

3. EVALUATION AND AWARD:

The evaluation is based solely on the information provided in the submitted tender. It involves the

following:

Verification of non-exclusion of tenderers on the basis of the exclusion criteria;

Selection of tenderers on the basis of selection criteria;

Verification of compliance with the minimum requirements set out in these tender

specifications;

Evaluation of tenders on the basis of the award criteria.

The Contracting Authority may reject abnormally low tenders, in particular if it is established that

the tenderer or a sub-contractor does not comply with applicable obligations in the fields of

environmental, social and labour law.

The Contracting Authority will assess these criteria in no particular order. The successful tenderer

must pass all criteria to be awarded the contract.

3.1. Verification of non-exclusion

All tenderers must provide a declaration on honour (see Annex 1), signed and dated by an

authorised representative, stating that they are not in one of the situations of exclusion listed in

that declaration on honour.

In the case of a joint tender, each member of the group must provide a declaration on honour

signed by an authorised representative.

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In the case of subcontracting, all sub-contractors whose share of the contract whose capacity is

necessary to fulfil the selection criteria must provide a declaration on honour signed by an

authorised representative.

The Contracting Authority reserves the right to verify whether the successful tenderer is in one of

the situations of exclusion by requiring the supporting documents listed in the declaration of

honour.

The successful tenderers must provide the documents mentioned as supporting evidence in the

declaration on honour before signature of the contract and within a deadline given by the

Contracting Authority. This requirement applies to each member of the group in the case of a

joint tender and to all sub-contractors whose capacity is necessary to fulfil the selection criteria.

The obligation to submit supporting evidence does not apply to international organisations.

A tenderer (or a member of the group in the case of a joint tender, or a sub-contractor) is not

required to submit the documentary evidence if it has already been submitted for another

procurement procedure and provided the documents were issued not more than one year before

the date of their request by the Contracting Authority and are still valid at that date. In such cases,

the tenderer must declare on its honour that the documentary evidence has already been provided

in a previous procurement procedure, indicate the reference of the procedure and confirm that

that there has been no change in its situation. A tenderer (or a member of the group in the case of

a joint tender, or a sub-contractor) is not required to submit a specific document if the

Contracting Authority can access the document in question on a national database free of charge.

3.2. Selection criteria

Tenderers must prove their legal, regulatory, economic, financial, technical and professional

capacity to carry out the work subject to this procurement procedure.

The tenderer may 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 an

undertaking on the part of those entities to place those resources at its disposal.

The tender must include the proportion of the contract that the tenderer intends to subcontract.

The tenderer (and each member of the group in the case of a joint tender) must declare whether it

is a Small or Medium Size Enterprise in accordance with Commission Recommendation

2003/361/EC. This information is used for statistical purposes only.

3.2.1. Declaration and evidence

The tenderers (and each member of the group in the case of a joint tender) and sub-contractors

whose capacity is necessary to fulfil the selection criteria must provide the declaration on honour

(see Annex 1), signed and dated by an authorised representative, stating that they fulfil the

selection criteria applicable to them. In the case of a joint tender or subcontracting, the criteria

applicable to the tenderer as a whole will be verified by combining the various declarations for a

consolidated assessment.

This declaration is part of the declaration used for exclusion criteria (see section 4.1) so only one

declaration covering both aspects should be provided by each concerned entity.

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The Contracting Authority will evaluate selection criteria on the basis of the declarations on

honour and evidence in relation to technical and professional capacity. Nevertheless, it reserves

the right to require evidence of the legal and regulatory, financial and economic capacity of the

tenderers at any time during the procurement procedure and contract performance. In such a case

the tenderer must provide the requested evidence without delay.

After contract award, the successful tenderers will be required to provide the evidence mentioned

below before signature of the contract and within a deadline given by the Contracting Authority.

This requirement applies to each member of the group in the case of a joint tender and to sub-

contractors whose capacity is necessary to fulfil the selection criteria.

A tenderer (or a member of the group in case of joint tender, or a sub-contractor) is not required

to submit the documentary evidence if it has already been submitted for another procurement

procedure and provided the documents were issued not more than one year before the date of

their request by the Contracting Authority and are still valid at that date. In such cases, the

tenderer must declare on its honour that the documentary evidence has already been provided in a

previous procurement procedure, indicate the reference of the procedure and confirm that that

there has been no change in its situation. A tenderer (or a member of the group in case of joint

tender, or a sub-contractor) is not required to submit a specific document if the Contracting

Authority can access the document in question on a national database free of charge.

3.2.2. Legal and regulatory capacity

Where requested by the Contracting Authority, tenderers must prove that they are allowed to

pursue the professional activity necessary to carry out the work subject to this call for tender. The

tenderer (including each member of the group in the case of a joint tender) must provide the

following information if it has not been provided with the Legal Entity Form:

- For legal persons, a legible copy of the notice of appointment of the persons authorised to

represent the tenderer in dealings with third parties and in legal proceedings, or a copy of the

publication of such appointment if the legislation applicable to the legal person requires such

publication. Any delegation of this authorisation to another representative not indicated in the

official appointment must be evidenced.

- For natural persons, if required under applicable law, a proof of registration on a professional or

trade register or any other official document showing the registration number.

3.2.3. Economic and financial capacity criteria

The tenderer must have the necessary economic and financial capacity to perform this contract

until its end. In order to prove their capacity, the tenderer must comply with the following

selection criteria.

Criterion F1: Turnover of the last two financial years above EUR 1 000 000; this criterion

applies to the tenderer as a whole, i.e. the combined capacity of all members of a group in the

case of a joint tender.

Criterion F2: Sufficient economic and financial capacity to guarantee continuous and

satisfactory performance throughout the envisaged lifetime of the contract.

On request from the Contracting Authority, the tenderer should be able to provide the following

evidence at short notice:

- Copy of the profit and loss accounts and balance sheet for the last two years for which accounts

have been closed from each concerned legal entity;

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- Failing that, appropriate statements from banks.

If, for some exceptional reason which the Contracting Authority considers justified, a tenderer is

unable to provide one or other of the above documents, it may prove its economic and financial

capacity by any other document which the Contracting Authority considers appropriate. In any

case, the Contracting Authority must at least be notified of the exceptional reason and its

justification. The Commission reserves the right to request any other document enabling it to

verify the tenderer's economic and financial capacity.

3.2.4. Technical and professional capacity criteria and evidence

A. Criteria relating to tenderers

Tenderers (in the case of a joint tender the combined capacity of all members of the group and

identified sub-contractors) must comply with the criteria listed below.

The following sets out the criteria and evidence relating to the technical and professional capacity

and economic and financial capacity of the service provider(s) involved in the bid. It should also

contain any other document that the tenderer(s) wish(es) to include by way of clarification.

Criterion A1: the tenderer must prove significant experience in the field of organisation and

management of events.

Evidence A1: The tenderer shall have at least 3 years’ experience in managing projects in the

field of corporate event management and shall provide references for at least 12 projects provided

in the past three years in the area of organisation and management of events, with titles of the

projects, short summaries of activities, overall budgets, dates, locations, clients (specify if public

or private).

Criterion A2: The tenderer must prove its capacity to work in all EU countries and in particular

in Brussels.

Evidence A2: From the list provided under Evidence A1 of Criterion A1, the tenderer must

provide references of at least three (3) projects carried out in three different Member States of the

EU as well as three projects in Brussels.

Criterion A3: the tenderer must prove its capacity to implement and manage the Framework

Contract, in particular organise two events at the same time in different locations.

Evidence A3: the tenderer must provide (a) a statement of its average annual workforce and of

the size of the management staff during the last three years and (b) a description of all the

resources available to guarantee the professional performance of the services for this tender

(technical equipment, infrastructure, personnel).

Where the tenderer wishes to sub-contract or otherwise rely on the capacities of other entities, it

must in that case prove 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.

Where the successful tenderer is an individual, a partnership of individuals, or a sole trader, it

will be expected to demonstrate that continuity of service can be guaranteed. The Commission

will consider, inter alia, the risk to successful project completion that would be occasioned by the

death or resignation of one or more of the individuals involved.

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Only those proposals which meet all the Selection Criteria will be carried forward for assessment

under the Award Criteria.

B. Criteria relating to the team delivering the service:

The team delivering the service should include, as a minimum, the following profiles.

Evidence will consist in CVs of the team responsible to deliver the service. Each CV should

indicate the intended function in the delivery of the service. The CV has to be presented in the

following format:

http://europass.cedefop.europa.eu/europass/home/hornav/Introduction.csp

In addition, each proposed expert shall sign a statement of exclusivity and availability (see annex

1) . Evidence will consist in CVs of the team responsible to deliver the service Each CV provided

should indicate the function of the team member.

Criterion B1: The Project Coordinator shall have at least 5 years’ experience in corporate

event management and communications. Fluency in both written and spoken English (C2)5.

Evidence B1: The Project Coordinator shall provide a CV including details of educational and

professional qualifications, a language certificate or past relevant experience and a list of projects

carried out during the past 5 years.

Criterion B2: The Event Coordinators shall have at least 3 years’ experience in Event

management, press and public relations, communications and media relations. Fluency in both

written and spoken English (C2)6.

Evidence B2: The Event Coordinator shall provide a CV including details of educational and

professional qualifications, a language certificate or past relevant experience and a list of projects

carried out during the past 3 years.

3.3. Award criteria

The contract will be awarded based on the most economically advantageous tender, according to

the 'best price-quality ratio' award method. The quality of the tender will be evaluated based on

the following criteria. The maximum total quality score is 100 points.

Price (price of the tender measured as a ratio compared to the lowest tender (40 points)

The price schedule in Annex 2 shall be completed and used as a basis for the calculation

of the financial offer of each case study mentioned in the below sub-criterion 1.3.

The sum of all fees indicated in Annex 2 and the sum of the offer of each case study will

be considered on an equal basis, i.e. 20 points for the prices of Annex 2 (“Price item 1”)

and 20 points for the two case studies (“Price item 2”).

Both price items will be measured as a ratio compared to the lowest tender, i.e.:

Price item 1 of the cheapest tender x 20 + Price item 2 of the cheapest tender x 20 = %

Price item 1 of the tender Price item 2 of the tender

5 See http://www.coe.int/t/dg4/linguistic/Cadre1_en.asp

6 See http://www.coe.int/t/dg4/linguistic/Cadre1_en.asp

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Quality in terms of technical quality of the offer (60 points – minimum score 50%)

assessed on the basis of the following sub-criteria

Sub-criterion 1.1: Methodology, management structure, logistical arrangements and

administrative support (30 points – minimum score 50%):

> Tenderers should describe the proposed approach to the day-to-day management structure

and explain how they intend to establish a working relationship with the Contracting

Authority and describe the tools and organisation they intend to put in place to ensure

efficient collaboration.

> Tenderers should describe the composition, qualifications and organisation of the

proposed team, to ensure maximum efficiency in terms of the costs, speed, flexibility,

language capacity and quality of the services requested.

> Tenderers should describe the approach to attain the objectives required through efficient

organisation and planning of events in the EU.

> The Tenderers approach to assist the Contracting Authority in enhancing effective

coordination of the activities in question and identifying major challenges or difficulties.

Sub-criterion 1.2: Organisation of local suppliers (30 points – minimum score 50%)

> Tenderers should demonstrate how they will mobilise at short notice a network of local

suppliers within the EU, explaining how they will work with local suppliers and the

proposed mechanisms that will be used to identify who will deliver the services and how the

best conditions, notably in terms of quality/price ratio will be guaranteed.

> Tenderers should explain any fall back arrangements in case of deficiency of one or

several local suppliers to ensure business continuity.

Sub-criterion 1.3: Understanding of the project, case studies (40 points – minimum score

50%)

Tenderers are asked to make a specific technical offer for each of the two case studies below

that will be run in parallel in 2 different EU countries and to provide a cost breakdown (price

estimate) for each of two case studies.

The technical offer must:

- propose a concept and describe in detail the approach, the stages and the working methods

that the tenderer intends to use to carry out all of the work requested in the case study,

specifying which parts will be subcontracted;

- For each stage, specify the composition of the project team and the assigned roles of the

personnel which are intended to be put into place;

- propose a schedule setting out the time considered necessary for each stage and taking

account of the time needed for interacting with the Commission departments and the various

steps of the validation process (retro planning);

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- submit an assessment of the risks and difficulties likely to compromise the success of the

project and propose solutions;

- include the quality control and impact assessment.

The cost breakdown (estimated prices) must:

- cover all the tasks and work that the tenderer must carry out for each case study, possible

travel costs for the management team;

- be presented separately for each case study by using the price schedule in Annex 2.

Case Study 1

Background

DG Trade would like to call on your services to organise a 5-day trade negotiation round

with country partner X in Brussels from 19 to 23 September 2016. The offer should take

into account and allow for the fact that the concrete needs (rooms, catering, security and

local assistance) might increase/decrease subject to the finalisation of the programme of the

event. One week before the event, DG Trade will communicate the exact requirements.

Number of participants: 750 for the whole week, around 150 participants each day.

Rooms and equipment:

From Monday to Friday

10 meeting rooms (9.00-19.00) in “U” shape: 8 rooms for 25 participants, 2 rooms

for 40-50 participants

Each room with PC/laptop, beamer, WIFI

Sound equipment in rooms with capacity only for 40-50 participants or more.

On Wednesday

4 additional rooms for 80-100 participants in theatre with 1 table, 1 fixed

microphone and 3 wireless microphones

Each room with PC/laptop, beamer, WIFI

On Thursday

1 additional room for 250-300 participants with a podium for 4 speakers, 7 wireless

microphones, PC, beamer

Other equipment:

2 copy machines

WIFI connection in all rooms

Local assistance:

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Manage a welcome desk, assist with the registration of participants and distribute

name badges

Catering:

Morning and afternoon coffee breaks including coffee, tea, juice, water, biscuits and

fruit. Mineral water in the meeting rooms

500 light lunches throughout the week, no alcohol, only soft drinks. The daily needs

will be communicated at least 48 hours in advance.

An evening buffet/cocktail including alcoholic drinks for around 200 participants on

Tuesday evening. The precise number of participants will be communicated the

week before the event.

Security:

6 guards from Monday to Friday 8h00-19h00, and for Tuesday 8h00-21h00

Hostesses/stewards:

8 hostesses/stewards on Wednesday 10h30-14h30. T

The concrete and final need for security and hostesses will be communicated one week

before the event.

Car parking:

20 parking/day during the week.

Case study 2

DG Trade would like to call on your services to organise a 3-days EU-Country Y

workshop in Budapest from 19 to 21 September 2016. The offer should take into account

and allow for the fact that the concrete needs (rooms, catering, security, local transport and

local assistance) might increase/decrease subject to the finalisation of the programme of the

event. One week before the event, DG Trade will communicate the exact requirements.

Number of participants: 60.

Rooms and equipment:

From Monday 9.00 to Wednesday 13.00

1 meeting room (9.00-19.00) in “U” shape for 60 participants with a podium for 2

speakers and sound equipment, 1 fixed microphone and 2 wireless microphones,

3 break out rooms for 20 participants

Each room with PC/laptop, beamer, WIFI

Other equipment:

1 copy machine

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WIFI connection in all rooms

Local assistance:

Manage a welcome desk, assist with the registration of participants and distribute

name badges

Provide assistance during the event and help with flying microphones during

question times

Catering:

Morning and afternoon coffee breaks including coffee, tea, juice, water, biscuits and

fruit. Mineral water in the meeting rooms

60 light lunches each day including on Wednesday, no alcohol, only soft drinks.

A welcome breakfast on Monday for 64 participants. The precise number of

participants will be communicated the week before the event.

Security:

2 guards from Monday to Tuesday 8h00-19h00, and for Wednesday 8h00-14.00

The concrete and final need for security will be communicated one week before the event.

Interpreters:

Simultaneous interpretation from Hungarian to English and French, from English

and French to Hungarian, from English to French and from French to English during

the whole event in the meeting room for 60 participants.

Interpretation booths/equipment including on site technician

Dinner outside the venue

Dinner for 6 VIP on Tuesday evening at 19h00 close to the venue: 3-course menu

with wine and soft drinks in a good restaurant (e.g. level of Michelin guide’s “bid

gourmand”).

Travel and accommodation for 4 speakers

Organise the journey and accommodation for 2 speakers coming from Brussels, one

from Berlin and one from Lisbon (i.e. booking of flights and hotel close to the venue,

organisation of transfer in Budapest from and back to the airport).

Tenders must score minimum 50% for each criterion and sub-criterion, and minimum 65 %

in total. Tenders that do not reach the minimum quality levels will be rejected and will not

be ranked.

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3.4. Ranking of tenders

The contract will be awarded to the two most economically advantageous tenders, i.e. the tenders

offering the best price-quality ratio determined in accordance with the formula below. A weight

of 60/40 is given to quality and price.

score for tender X = Price tender * Price ratio in % (see formula in

point 3.3) +

total quality score (out of 100) for all award criteria of

tender X * 60%

The tender ranked first after applying the formula will be awarded the contract.

Enclosures of the Terms of reference:

Annex 1: Tender submission form including tenderer’s declaration, statement of exclusivity

and availability, banking references form and legal entities form.

Annex 2: Quotation form for unit prices.

Annex 3: Model Framework Contract, which will be proposed to the selected Contractor.

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ANNEX 1. Tender submission form, declaration on honour on exclusion and selection criteria, statement of exclusivity and availability, banking references form, legal entities form.

29

(Preferably on headed notepaper of the tenderer)

TENDER SUBMISSION FORM

(To be completed by the authorised representative of the tenderer)

Contract to […]

Publication reference:

_______________________________________________________________________

1 SUBMITTED by

Tenderer name

*

* In the case of a joint tender, insert the agreed name of the consortium

2 STATEMENT

I, the undersigned, being the authorised representative of the above tenderer (including all

partners, in the case of a joint tender), hereby declare that we have examined and accept without

reserve or restriction the entire contents of the tender dossier for the tender procedure referred to

above.

We offer to provide the services requested in the tender dossier on the basis of the following

documents, which comprise our technical and financial offer, which is submitted in a sealed

envelope:

Declaration on honour on exclusion and selection criteria and all documents as specified in

the tender specifications

Statements of exclusivity and availability signed by each of the key experts

Description of the organisation & methodology

Key experts (comprising a list of the key experts and their CVs)

Unit prices quote, using the model in Annex 2 of the Terms of Reference. please note that

the reference Annex 2 of the Terms of Reference should be adapted if you have changed

the numbering of Annexes]

[If applicable: We retain full liability towards the Commission for performance of the contract as

a whole, including for the parts of the services for which we have stated our intention to sub-

contract in the Organisation and Methodology.]

[If applicable: We declare that we are a Small or Medium Size Enterprise in accordance with

Commission Recommendation 2003/361/EC.]

This tender is subject to acceptance within the validity period stipulated in the “Invitation to

tender”.

Signed on behalf of the tenderer.

Name

Signature

Date

30

(Preferably on headed notepaper of the tenderer)

Comments [in grey italics in square brackets] are to be deleted and/or replaced by

appropriate data.

Declaration on honour on exclusion criteria and selection criteria

(To be completed and signed by the tenderer (including all members in case of a joint tender and

sub-contractors if applicable – see point 4.1)

The undersigned [insert name of the signatory of this form], representing:

(only for natural persons) himself or

herself

(only for legal persons) the following legal person:

ID or passport number:

Full official name:

Official legal form:

Statutory registration number:

Full official address:

VAT registration number:

declares whether the above-mentioned person is in one of the following situations or not:

SITUATION OF EXCLUSION CONCERNING THE PERSON YES NO

a) it is bankrupt, subject to insolvency or winding up procedures, its assets are being

administered by a liquidator or by a court, it is in an arrangement with creditors,

its business activities are suspended or it is in any analogous situation arising

from a similar procedure provided for under national legislation or regulations;

b) it has been established by a final judgement or a final administrative decision that

the person is in breach of its obligations relating to the payment of taxes or social

security contributions in accordance with the law of the country in which it is

established, with those of the country in which the Contracting Authority is

located or those of the country of the performance of the contract;

c) it has been established by a final judgement or a final administrative decision that

the person is guilty of grave professional misconduct by having violated

applicable laws or regulations or ethical standards of the profession to which the

person belongs, or by having engaged in any wrongful conduct which has an

impact on its professional credibity where such conduct denotes wrongful intent

or gross negligence, including, in particular, any of the following:

(i) fraudulently or negligently misrepresenting information required for the

verification of the absence of grounds for exclusion or the fulfilment of

selection criteria or in the performance of a contract;

(ii) entering into agreement with other persons with the aim of distorting

competition;

(iii) violating intellectual property rights;

(iv) attempting to influence the decision-making process of the Contracting

Authority during the award procedure;

(v) attempting to obtain confidential information that may confer upon it

undue advantages in the award procedure;

31

d) it has been established by a final judgement that the person is guilty of any of the

following:

(i) fraud, within the meaning of Article 1 of the Convention on the protection

of the European Communities' financial interests, drawn up by the Council

Act of 26 July 1995;

(ii) corruption, as defined in Article 3 of the Convention on the fight against

corruption involving officials of the European Communities or officials of EU

Member States, drawn up by the Council Act of 26 May 1997, and in Article

2(1) of Council Framework Decision 2003/568/JHA, as well as corruption as

defined in the legal provisions of the country where the Contracting Authority

is located, the country in which the person is established or the country of the

performance of the contract;

(iii) participation in a criminal organisation, as defined in Article 2 of Council

Framework Decision 2008/841/JHA;

iv) money laundering or terrorist financing, as defined in Article 1 of

Directive 2005/60/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council;

(v) terrorist-related offences or offences linked to terrorist activities, as

defined in Articles 1 and 3 of Council Framework Decision 2002/475/JHA,

respectively, or inciting, aiding, abetting or attempting to commit such

offences, as referred to in Article 4 of that Decision;

(vi) child labour or other forms of trafficking in human beings as defined in

Article 2 of Directive 2011/36/EU of the European Parliament and of the

Council;

e) the person has shown significant deficiencies in complying with the main

obligations in the performance of a contract financed by the Union’s budget,

which has led to its early termination or to the application of liquidated damages

or other contractual penalties, or which has been discovered following checks,

audits or investigations by an Authorising Officer, OLAF or the Court of

Auditors;

f) it has been established by a final judgment or final administrative decision that

the person has committed an irregularity within the meaning of Article 1(2) of

Council Regulation (EC, Euratom) No 2988/95;

g) for the situations of grave professional misconduct, fraud, corruption, other

criminal offences, significant deficiencies in the performance of the contract or

irregularity, the applicant is subject to:

i. facts established in the context of audits or investigations carried out by the

Court of Auditors, OLAF or internal audit, or any other check, audit or control

performed under the responsibility of an authorising officer of an EU

institution, of a European office or of an EU agency or body;

ii. non-final administrative decisions which may include disciplinary measures

taken by the competent supervisory body responsible for the verification of

the application of standards of professional ethics;

iii. decisions of the ECB, the EIB, the European Investment Fund or international

organisations;

iv. decisions of the Commission relating to the infringement of the Union's

competition rules or of a national competent authority relating to the

infringement of Union or national competition law; or

v. decisions of exclusion by an authorising officer of an EU institution, of a

32

European office or of an EU agency or body.

[Only for legal persons other than Member States and local authorities, otherwise delete this

table]

declares whether a natural person who is a member of the administrative, management or

supervisory body of the above-mentioned legal person, or who haspowers of representation,

decision or control with regard to the above-mentioned legal person (this covers the company

directors, members of the management or supervisory bodies, and cases where one natural

person holds a majority of shares) is in one of the following situations or not:

SITUATIONS OF EXCLUSION CONCERNING NATURAL PERSONS WITH POWER OF

REPRESENTATION, DECISION-MAKING OR CONTROL OVER THE LEGAL PERSON YES NO

Situation (c) above (grave professional misconduct)

Situation (d) above (fraud, corruption or other criminal offence)

Situation (e) above (significant deficiencies in performance of a contract )

Situation (f) above (irregularity)

declares whether a natural or legal person that assumes unlimited liability for the debts of

the above-mentioned legal person is in one of the following situations or not:

SITUATIONS OF EXCLUSION CONCERNING NATURAL OR LEGAL PERSONS

ASSUMING UNLIMITED LIABILITY FOR THE DEBTS OF THE LEGAL PERSON YES NO N/A

Situation (a) above (bankruptcy)

Situation (b) above (breach in payment of taxes or social security

contributions)

declares whether the above-mentioned person is in one of the following situations or not:

GROUNDS FOR REJECTION FROM THIS PROCEDURE YES NO

h) has not distorted competition by being previously involved in the preparation of

procurement documents for this procurement procedure;

i) has provided accurate, sincere and complete information to the Contracting

Authority within the context of this procurement procedure;

acknowledges that the above-mentioned person may be subject to rejection

from this procedure and to administrative sanctions (exclusion or financial

penalty) if any of the declarations or information provided as a condition for

participating in this procedure prove to be false.

REMEDIAL MEASURES

If the person declares one of the situations of exclusion listed above, it should indicate the

measures it has taken to remedy the exclusion situation, thus demonstrating its reliability. They

33

may include e.g. technical, organisational and personnel measures to prevent further occurrence,

compensation of damage or payment of fines. The relevant documentary evidence which

appropriately illustrates the remedial measures taken should be provided in annex to this

declaration. This does not apply for the situations referred in point (d) of this declaration.

EVIDENCE UPON REQUEST

Upon request and within the time limit set by the Contracting Authority the person shall provide

information on the persons that are members of the administrative, management or supervisory

body, as well as the following evidence concerning the person or the natural or legal persons

which assume unlimited liability for the debt of the person:

For situations described in (a), (c), (d) or (f), production of a recent extract from the judicial

record is required or, failing that, an equivalent document recently issued by a judicial or

administrative authority in the country of establishment of the person showing that those

requirements are satisfied.

For the situation described in point (a) or (b), production of recent certificates issued by the

competent authorities of the State concerned are required. These documents must provide

evidence covering all taxes and social security contributions for which the person is liable,

including for example, VAT, income tax (natural persons only), company tax (legal persons only)

and social security contributions. Where any document described above is not issued in the

country concerned, it may be replaced by a sworn statement made before a judicial authority or

notary or, failing that, a solemn statement made before an administrative authority or a qualified

professional body in its country of establishment.

If the person already submitted such evidence for the purpose of another procedure, its issuing

date does not exceed one year and it is still valid, the person shall declare on its honour that the

documentary evidence has already been provided and confirm that no changes have occurred in

its situation.

Invitation to tender and ToRs Version January 2016

34

declares whether the above-mentioned person complies with the selection criteria as

provided in the tender specifications:

SELECTION CRITERIA YES NO

(a) It has the legal and regulatory capacity to pursue the professional activity

needed for performing the contract as required in section 3.2.2 of the tender

specifications;

(b) It fulfills the applicable economic and financial criteria indicated in section

3.2.3 of the tender specifications;

(c) It fulfills the applicable technical and professional criteria indicated in

section 3.2.4 of the tender specifications.

declares that the above-mentioned person will be able to provide the

necessary supporting documents listed in the relevant sections of the tender

specifications and which are not available electronically upon request and

without delay.

Full name Date Signature

35

STATEMENT OF EXCLUSIVITY AND AVAILABILITY7

I, the undersigned, hereby declare that I agree to participate exclusively with the tenderer <

tenderer name > in the above-mentioned service tender procedure. I further declare that I am

able and willing to work for the position for which my CV has been included in the event that

this tender is successful.

(the expert should select one of the two options underneath and delete the other one)

[I confirm that I am not engaged in another EU-funded project or contract, in a

position for which my services are required beyond the expected starting date of my

services under this tender.]

[I confirm that I am engaged in the following EU-funded project(s) or contract(s), in a

position for which my services are required beyond the expected starting date of my

services under this tender.

Title + reference of the project(s) + DG concerned (if applicable): …..

Nevertheless, I confirm that this other engagement will not impair my availability to carry

out the tasks for which my CV has been included in this tender.

Furthermore, I declare that there will not, by reason of my involvement in both this

project under tender and the other aforementioned EU project(s), be any double-financing

of time spent or work carried out under any of these projects.

I also confirm that my involvement in other EU-funded projects as well as in the project

currently tendered will present me with no conflict of interest and will not prevent, or tend

to prevent, me from carrying out my tasks under any of the EU-funded contracts with due

impartiality.]

Name

Signature

Date

7

To be completed by all key experts

36

BANKING REFERENCES FORM AND LEGAL ENTITY

FORM

Please complete and sign:

the banking references form, which can be downloaded from this address

http://ec.europa.eu/budget/contracts_grants/info_contracts/financial_id/financial_id_e

n.cfm. Once completed, it must be printed, signed and attached to the tender.

the form providing details on the “legal entity”: select either the public entity form, the

private entity form or the form for individuals. The form can be downloaded from this

address:

http://ec.europa.eu/budget/contracts_grants/info_contracts/legal_entities/legal_entities

_en.cfm. Once completed, it must be printed, signed and attached to the tender.

You are not required to submit a legal entity form or a banking reference form if you have

already submitted these forms in the context of a contract signed with the European Union

since 01.01.2004 and if the information recorded on these forms has remained unaltered since.

In the case of the banking reference form, please submit such a form if you have used more

than one bank account with your previous contracts with the European Union.

37

Annex 2. Quotation form for price8

Tenderers are required to quote a rate for all of the following tasks

TASK/SERVICE AS OUTLINED IN THE TENDER DOCUMENT Fee per event (for the maximum

number of participants) in €

Venue

searching of a venue, negotiations of options/tariffs (rooms, catering, equipment, IT and audio-visual support, hostesses/stewards, interpreters, security guards), booking.

CORE TASKS

The total price should fixed and include all fees and services in order to cover the following tasks:

general organisation and coordination with the client, the venue and the caterer including the appropriate technical equipment (PC, beamer, screen, sound equipment, WIFI, printer, photocopier, parking slots) and catering (beverages, welcome coffee, buffet lunch and coffee breaks); management of the logistics on the ground and coordination of tasks allocated to third parties suppliers e.g. interpreters/hostesses-stewards/security guards; presence on-site during the set up and during the event if requested; badges and name plates for participants; hostess(es)/steward(s); IT and audio visual technician(s) on-site; assessment of the event and final report.

Core tasks for event , 1 to 2 working days

Core tasks for event for 20 participants maximum, 1 to 2 days:

Core tasks for event for 50 participants maximum, 1 to 2 days:

Core tasks for event for 51 to 100 participants, 1 to 2 days:

Core tasks for event for 101 to 300 participants, 1 to 2 days:

Core tasks for event for more than 300 participants, 1 to 2 days:

Core tasks for event , 3 to 5 working days

Core tasks for event for 20 participants maximum, 3 days to 5 days:

Core tasks for event for 50 participants maximum, 3 days to 5 days:

Core tasks for event for 51 to 100 participants, 3 days to 5 days:

8 Listing of other costs will render the tender inadmissible.

38

Core tasks for event for 101 to 300 participants, 3 days to 5 days:

Core tasks for event for more than 300 participants, 3 days to 5 days:

Core tasks for event , from 6 to 10 working days

Core tasks for event for 20 participants maximum, more than 5 days:

Core tasks for event for 50 participants maximum, more than 5 days:

Core tasks for event for 51 to 100 participants, more than 5 days:

Core tasks for event for 101 to 300 participants, more than 5 days:

Core tasks for event for more than 300 participants, more than 5 days:

TASK/SERVICE AS OUTLINED IN THE TENDER DOCUMENT FEE per event in €

Hiring IT and audio visual technician(s), if not provided by the venue

Hiring security guards, if not provided by the venue

Hiring hostess(es)/steward(s), if not provided by the venue

Hiring interpreter(s), if not provided by the venue

Organisation of local transport (round trip), if requested

Booking and organisation of standard 3-courses menu lunches and dinners outside the venue, if requested

FEE per person in €

Organisation of travel and/or accommodation for participant or speaker

It is understood that the cost per event including the travel related costs, will be treated as

lump-sum. Such a lump-sum shall cover all the Contractor’s costs in order to manage the

contract as well as the Contractor’s commercial margin. Therefore, it shall cover, inter alia,

the travel and subsistence costs incurred by the Contractor to attend the meetings explicitly

required by this Contract at the moment of the submission of the tender, the management team

and supporting staff costs and all administrative costs necessary to carry out the tasks of the

contract (offices, communications, printing costs of documents, dispatch costs, etc.).

Costs of the services rendered to the Contractor by third parties in order to enable him to

deliver the outputs required under the orders or specific contracts shall be specified in the

financial estimate drawn up by the Contractor in reply to the request for services.

39

Annex 3. Model Framework Contract

40

Annex 4. Daily subsistence allowances and accommodation rates in the European Union