European Personnel Selection Office Director Brussels, 18/06/2008 EPSO/D/KH D(2008) – Subject: Open call for tenders - Reference No EPSO/PO/2008/056 Publicity and promotion for open competitions and other selection procedures of the institutions and decentralised bodies of the European Union – contract notice published in OJ Nr 2008/S 117- 155068 of 18/06/2008 Dear Sir/Madam, The European Personnel Selection Office (EPSO) wishes to conclude a framework contract for services in connection with its publicity and promotion activities for open competitions and other selection procedures. The tender specifications for these activities are attached. They are also available in Word format at the following Internet address: http://europa.eu/epso/index_en.htm/ (see Latest News). You may request further information by fax or e-mail only: — fax: +32 2 299 94 32 — e-mail: [email protected]Tenders should be submitted in triplicate, in accordance with the instructions in point 2.1 of the specifications. You may submit your tender: (1) either by registered mail to the address below, posted no later than 16.00 on 24 July 2008, with the postmark as proof of the date of posting: 1
Transcript
European Personnel Selection Office
Director
Brussels, 18/06/2008EPSO/D/KH D(2008) –
Subject: Open call for tenders - Reference No EPSO/PO/2008/056Publicity and promotion for open competitions and other selection procedures of the institutions and decentralised bodies of the European Union – contract notice published in OJ Nr 2008/S 117-155068 of 18/06/2008
Dear Sir/Madam,
The European Personnel Selection Office (EPSO) wishes to conclude a framework contract for services in connection with its publicity and promotion activities for open competitions and other selection procedures.
The tender specifications for these activities are attached. They are also available in Word format at the following Internet address: http://europa.eu/epso/index_en.htm/ (see Latest News).
You may request further information by fax or e-mail only:— fax: +32 2 299 94 32— e-mail: [email protected]
Tenders should be submitted in triplicate, in accordance with the instructions in point 2.1 of the specifications. You may submit your tender:
(1) either by registered mail to the address below, posted no later than 16.00 on 24 July 2008, with the postmark as proof of the date of posting:
EPSOStrategic Planning and Resources (Ref. EPSO/PO/2008/056)Office: C-80 5/28B-1049 Brussels.
(1) or delivered by hand (in person or by an authorised representative or private delivery service), Monday to Friday from 08.00 to 16.00, to the following address:
EUROPEAN COMMISSIONCentral Mail OfficeRegistered MailReference: EPSO — Strategic Planning and Resources (Ref. EPSO/PO/2008/056)
Office: C-80 5/28Av. du Bourget 3B-1140 BruxellesBelgium
not later than 16.00 on 24 July 2008. In this case a receipt must be obtained as proof of submission, signed and dated by the Commission official who takes delivery.
Tenders must be placed in two sealed envelopes, one inside the other. The inner envelope should be addressed to the relevant department and marked: “Call for tenders No EPSO/PO/2008/056, to be opened only by the committee responsible for opening tenders”.
If self-adhesive envelopes are used, they should be sealed with adhesive tape, with the sender's signature written across it. Self-adhesive envelopes that can be opened and resealed will not be accepted.
The public opening of tenders will take place at 80 Avenue de Cortenbergh, 1040 Brussels, at 15.00 on 31 July 2008.
You will be informed whether or not your tender has been accepted.
Yours faithfully,
David Nicholas BEARFIELDDirector
Annex: Specification
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European Personnel Selection Office
Director
OPEN CALL FOR TENDERS
Reference No EPSO/PO/2008/056
Publicity and promotion for open competitions and other selection procedures of the institutions and decentralised
2. GENERAL TERMS AND CONDITIONS APPLICABLE TO CALLS FOR TENDER...................................................................................................... 6
2 QUESTIONNAIRE (EXCLUSION/SELECTION OF TENDERERS).......86
3 SIGNATURE OF TENDERING PARTY..................................................90
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OPEN CALL FOR TENDERSReference No EPSO/PO/2008/056
Publicity and promotion for open competitions and other selection procedures of the institutions and decentralised bodies of the European Union
1. INTRODUCTION
1.1. General information on the call for tenders
The European Personnel Selection Office, hereinafter referred to as "EPSO", wishes to conclude a framework contract for services in connection with its publicity and promotion activities for open competitions and other selection procedures.
The contract comprises three parts:— daily newspapers— the specialised press— InternetTenderers must submit a tender for all three parts of the contract.
The services to be provided are described in detail in section 3 of this specification.
1.2. Duration of the contract
The contract to be awarded will be the subject of an agreement in accordance with the model enclosed in Annex 1. The contract will be awarded for a duration of three years with effect from the date on which it is signed by the last contracting party, and may be renewed once for a period of one year, i.e. a maximum duration of four years.
1.3 Budget
The maximum budget for the framework contract will be €6 000 000 (six million euros) over four years.
EPSO reserves the right to make use of a negotiated procedure without prior publication of a contract notice for additional contracts involving services similar to those assigned to the party awarded an initial contract by the same contracting authority. That procedure may be used only during the three years following conclusion of the original contract.
2. GENERAL TERMS AND CONDITIONS APPLICABLE TO CALLS FOR TENDER
2.1. Tenders
Your financial tender must be presented in table form (see Annex 2) indicating the cost per medium per country.
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Tenders must include all information and documentation required to enable the authorising department to appraise tenders in the light of the criteria set out in section 4.
Submission of a tender in response to a call for tenders issued by EPSO implies that:
(a) you accept all the terms and conditions stipulated in the call for tenders and in the special terms and conditions, if any (see model contract in Annex 1);
(b) you waive your own terms of business.
Tenders must be:
(a) submitted in triplicate: one clearly identified “Original”, and two copies marked “Copy 1” and “Copy 2”; “Copy 2” should be unbound;
(b) accompanied by a diskette or CD-ROM containing the price schedules (1 to 30) in Annex 2, in a format which EPSO can process (Word, Excel or similar); tenders must also be accompanied by a paper version of the price schedules (see 2.3 below);
(c) accompanied by the forms in Annex 3, filled in and signed by the tenderer;
(d) accompanied by a covering letter signed by the tenderer or its duly authorised agent;
(e) perfectly legible in order to rule out any doubt whatsoever concerning the words or figures;
(f) submitted inside two sealed envelopes; the inner envelope addressed to the department indicated in the call for tenders, should be marked:
"Open call for tenders - Reference No EPSO/PO/2008/056Strategic Planning and Resources
Not to be opened by the internal mail department”
If self-adhesive envelopes are used, they must be sealed with adhesive tape and the tenderer must sign across this tape;
(g) either sent by post or delivered by hand to the Commission:
1) If sent by post, your tender must be sent by registered post no later than the final date specified in the covering letter to this call for tenders, with the postmark as proof of the date of posting.
2) If delivered by hand to the Commission, the tender must be delivered in person by the tenderer or an authorised representative or private
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courier service. Tenders must be submitted no later than the final date shown in the covering letter to this call for tenders, against a receipt signed and dated by the services of the Commission. (The address, times and dates for the submission of tenders are shown in the covering letter to this call for tenders.)
IMPORTANT: Please note the following important distinction between these two options for the submission of tenders.
It concerns the final date for the submission of tenders as shown in the covering letter to this call for tenders. This deadline remains the same regardless of the option you choose for the submission of your tender.
However, a tender sent by post (option 1 above) must be posted no later than the final date shown in the letter. This means that you must post the tender on or before that date and that it may reach EPSO after that date, depending on how long the postal service takes to process the delivery.
By contrast, a tender delivered by hand to the Commission (option 2 above) must be delivered no later than the final date shown in the letter. This means that the tender must reach the Commission on or before that date, which may in some cases (such as where private courier services are used) mean that tenders must be sent by tenderers before that date.
In either case, it is your responsibility to ensure compliance with the rules applying to the option that you have chosen for submitting your tender.
All documents submitted by tenderers will become the property of EPSO and will be regarded as confidential.
Expenses incurred in preparing and submitting tenders will not be reimbursed by EPSO.
2.2. Period of validity of tenders
Tenders will be valid for nine (9) months from the final date for the receipt of tenders.
2.3. Price
(1) EPSO awards contracts and makes payments in euros. Tenders must accordingly be expressed in euros.
Prices must be clearly indicated and show all pricing elements and unit costs. They must be fixed and inclusive of all costs (project management, quality control, training of contractor's employees, back-up resources, etc.) and expenses (company management, secretarial services, social security, salaries, travel and office expenses, etc.) directly or indirectly connected with the provision of the service. All prices must be quoted exclusive of all taxes and dues.
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In signing and submitting a tender, the tenderer or, in the case of consortia consisting of two or more firms, all members of the consortium certify on behalf of their firms that:
— the prices indicated in the tender have been fixed independently, without any consultation or communication on any of the points relating to the price with another tenderer or competitor;
— unless the law stipulates otherwise, the prices indicated in the tender have not been and will not be voluntarily communicated by the tenderer to any other tenderer or competitor, directly or indirectly, before the tenders are opened;
— the tenderer has not attempted and will not attempt to induce other persons to submit a tender or to dissuade them from doing so with a view to restricting competition.
Tenders expressed in currencies other than the euro will be eliminated.
From the beginning of the second year of performance of the contract, the prices in the price schedules may be revised upwards or downwards each year, where such revision is requested by one of the contracting parties addressed to the other party by registered letter received by the other no later than three months before the anniversary of the date on which the contract was signed. Price revision will be carried out in accordance with the method laid down in the contract (see Article I.3.3 of Annex 1).
Under Articles 3 and 4 of the Protocol on the Privileges and Immunities of the European Communities, the Communities are exempt from all taxes and dues, including VAT, and accordingly these charges may not form part of the price of the tender. The amount of VAT should be shown separately.
(1) In replying to this call for tenders, you should complete price schedules 1 to 30 contained in Annex 2 to this specification.
Price schedules 1 to 28 will serve as the price list for each service or product, on the basis of which the services and products will be invoiced to EPSO (with such prices constituting the upper limit of the applicable rates). To this end, they will be annexed to the framework contract.
You must leave the presentation of the price schedules unchanged. You may, however, add more space for each field by using your own word-processing facilities.
You should answer each question fully. Incomplete answers which prevent full evaluation of a tender can lead to elimination.
Important: Failure to give an answer will be treated as a negative.
If you reproduce the questionnaire using your own word-processing facilities you must ensure that all the fields from the original schedule
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are included in your reproduction. Omissions or changes to the original questions may lead to elimination. Schedules completed by hand will not be accepted. The schedules are also available in Word format at the following Internet address: http://europa.eu/epso/index_en.htm/ (see Latest News).
(2) Each page of the price schedule must show the name of the company and the signature of one of its representatives.
(3) The tender price must indicate clearly all administrative or other charges included in the prices specified. In the absence of this information EPSO will consider that such charges have already been included in the proposed prices.
(4) The tender price must also include a separate estimate of travel and subsistence expenses to facilitate the comparison of tenders. These expenses will not be taken into account for the award of the contract. This estimate should be based on Article II.7 of the model framework contract (see the draft in Annex 1 to this specification): it must include, in particular, any travel necessary to meet EPSO in Brussels (price per trip in euros).
2.4. Joint tenders
Joint tenders or tenders from consortia will be accepted. The nature and organisation of such tenders is at the discretion of the tenderers.
In any event, such tenders will be treated no differently from any other type of tender, each being assessed on its own merits in the light of the evaluation and award criteria contained in these specifications.
2.5. Subcontractors
Any intention to subcontract part of the contract must be clearly stated in your tender. In any case, the main contractor retains sole responsibility for the contract.
2.6. Contact point
The only contact point that may be used during the submission period is the one indicated in the covering letter to this call for tenders. You are requested to put any questions in writing and to send them to the contact person by fax, e-mail or mail. For legal reasons, queries by telephone will not be taken into consideration.
Queries concerning the administrative procedures will be treated individually. If the reply to a question is of general interest, it will be communicated simultaneously to all tenderers.
Foreword: References in these specifications to "EPSO" and/or the "Selection policy, legal matters, information and communication unit" are to be construed as applying to the different units of EPSO and to the other institutions of the European Union established in Brussels, Luxembourg, and Strasbourg, in particular the European Parliament, the Council, the European Commission, the Court of Justice, the Court of Auditors, the European Economic and Social Committee, the Committee of the Regions and the European Ombudsman, and to decentralised bodies of the Community whose staff are subject to the Staff Regulations or the conditions of employment of other servants of the European Communities. The framework contract concluded on the basis of this invitation to tender will be open to all of them and each is entitled to place an order for service. The practical arrangements relating to placing orders, the place where the services are to be provided and invoicing will be laid down by the receiving department.
EPSO's core mission is to provide a professional staff selection service on behalf of the European Union Institutions
EPSO is an interinstitutional office responsible for organising open competitions to select highly-qualified staff for recruitment to all the institutions of the European Union (in particular the European Parliament, the Council, the European Commission, the Court of Justice, the Court of Auditors, the European Economic and Social Committee, the Committee of the Regions and the European Ombudsman).
The main places of activity of the institutions of the European Union are Brussels, Luxembourg and Strasbourg. The Commission and Parliament also have offices, delegations and decentralised bodies in all the Member States of the Union and in non-member countries, as well as research centres inside the Union.
To perform their tasks, the institutions employ officials and temporary staff. They recruit by open competition or other selection procedures from nationals of the Member States of the Union1, observing a policy of equal opportunities.
The institutions' staff employed under the Staff Regulations fall into categories corresponding to administrative and advisory duties, executive duties, clerical duties and manual or service duties respectively.
There is also a graduate-level language service of translators and interpreters, and a scientific and technical service divided into categories corresponding to specific posts in the research sector (see Annex I to the Staff Regulations: http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/site/en/consleg/1962/R/01962R0031-20060701-en.pdf).
1At present: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom.
In order to recruit a highly-qualified multinational workforce for all the categories and posts concerned, EPSO places advertisements in daily newspapers, periodicals and the specialised press in the Member States and, where appropriate, non-member countries, and on the Internet. These advertisements inform potential candidates of the open competitions and selection procedures which EPSO is organising for the Community institutions to recruit officials and temporary staff.
It also occasionally places advertisements in specific publications to raise the awareness of students, in particular, about careers in the European civil service.
The services covered by this invitation to tender will therefore have to be performed in a working environment that is multicultural and multilingual and uses modern means of communication.
3.2. Purpose of contract - description of the main services
EPSO intends to continue and expand the activities described above by calling on the services of an outside contractor. This is because the European institutions attach the utmost importance to making the above information available to the target audience.
The services covered by this call for tenders are:
(2) the page make-up of its advertisements with a view to recruitment and raising awareness about careers in the European civil service, in the official languages of the European Union2 and the Latin, Greek and Cyrillic alphabets,
(3) placing such advertisements in the media most suitable for the recruitment and awareness-raising operations concerned,
(4) assistance and consultancy in graphic design and pre-press work for promotional or advertising material.
As a guide, in no way binding on EPSO, the number of large-scale recruitment operations announced in the press or through other media each year amounts to around 30 for EPSO, 15 for the Commission (in particular Unit A.5 (Organisation chart & Management staff) of the Administration and Personnel DG), 10 for the European Parliament, 10 for the Council, 5 for the Court of Justice and 10 for the other institutions and the decentralised bodies whose staff are subject to the Staff Regulations or the conditions of employment of other servants of the European Communities.
Annual expenditure would average about €1 500 000.
Any specific needs which cannot be adequately met by the framework contract concluded on the basis of this invitation to tender will be the subject of a
specific market consultation by each of the institutions or departments concerned at the appropriate time.
This provision will mainly concern newspapers, periodicals, media, languages and/or countries not covered by this contract which might be required for a specific objective or target audience. It will apply in all cases where the result of applying point 3.3.2.2 (b) below would not be acceptable to EPSO.
3.3 Services to be provided
3.3.1 The services must be rendered in the current official languages of the European Union (Bulgarian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Estonian, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hungarian, Irish, Italian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Maltese, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Slovak, Slovene, Spanish and Swedish); advertisements will also have to be published in the languages of the applicant countries. Publication will require technical capacity in at least the Latin, Greek and Cyrillic alphabets.
3.3.2 During the organisation of a competition or other selection procedure, the services must be rendered in daily collaboration with Unit EPSO.4 "External/internal relations and planning" in order to produce dummies and master plates in compliance with the timetable of the recruitment procedures and ensure the principle of equality in the information provided to applicants through the press and, where applicable, the Internet and other channels.
The maximum time for providing the service will be 15 days, but the deadline might occasionally be shorter (one week).
Services should be provided on all the working days of the institutions of the European Union, which might include some national holidays3.
3.3.2.1 EPSO.4 will draft the text it wishes to publish in the press, on the basis of the competition or selection notice, and will have it translated into the official languages of the European Union or, where necessary, of non-member countries.
3.3.2.2 (a) The contractor will propose an advertising campaign in the most suitable media. The contractor will draw up an estimate based on the initial costs quoted in the contract and the actual format of the advertisement to be placed. The texts will be sent to the contractor by e-mail.
EPSO will take the final decision concerning the choice of media and the colours and formats proposed. EPSO will make its final decision known by drawing up an order form with an
3 By way of a guide, the holidays for 2008 are: 1.01 New Year's Day, 2.01 day after New Year's Day, 20.03 Maundy Thursday, 21.03 Good Friday, 24.03 Easter Monday, 1.05 Labour Day and Ascension Day, 2.05 day after Ascension Day, 9.05 Anniversary of the Schuman Declaration in 1950, 12.05 Whit Monday, 21.07 Belgium's national holiday, 15.08 Assumption, 24-31.12 Christmas and New Year.
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annex containing the contractor's estimate under the terms of delivery and prices fixed in the framework contact.
(b) Without prejudice to the last paragraph of point 2 above (Description of task), EPSO may specify specific media (weekly publications, specialised reviews, Internet sites, etc.) and make a specific price request of the contractor. If there is agreement on the price, the contractor will be sent an order form.
When competitions are organised for the accession countries and after enlargement, the same process will apply for the languages and media of the countries concerned.
3.3.2.3 The agency will send preliminary dummies of advertisements or notices in all the languages of the Union or in the language(s) relevant to the procedure concerned, to be placed in the "recruitment" section of the media.
The dummies must be accompanied by a list of the proposed media for the planned day(s) and dates of publication.
3.3.2.4 EPSO.4 will analyse the dummies.
3.3.2.5 The agency will make any amendments to the page make-up requested by EPSO.4 to ensure optimal readability in all the languages concerned, and will deliver the originals of the amended plates, in the actual size and all the languages required, to Brussels as soon as possible.
3.3.2.6 EPSO will then check the plates again for any textual errors, which the agency must correct, and will approve the final files to be placed in the newspapers selected by EPSO.
3.3.3 The agency will then be fully responsible for placing the advertisements in the press, on the days planned, in the sizes and at the cost accepted by EPSO, and will forward cuttings from the newspapers in which the advertisements were placed no more than eight days after their appearance.
3.3.5 For the purpose of monitoring the framework contract, the contractor will be responsible for informing EPSO in good time of the use made of the framework contract by the other institutions and agencies, and to provide quarterly consumption sheets. Moreover, each EU institution or other body which uses the framework contract will also be required to provide consumption sheets and monitor the contract, so as not to exceed the ceilings laid down.
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3.4 Place of delivery
3.4.1 Dummies:
— in Brussels: Unit EPSO.4 "External/internal relations and planning" or another requesting department or institution— in Luxembourg: the European Parliament or another requesting department or institution— in Strasbourg: the European Parliament, the European Ombudsman or another requesting department or institution— Agencies: the headquarters of the body concerned.
The contractor will be informed of the actual address when the order is placed.
3.4.2. Placement of advertisements:
Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom and, in the event of accession or application for accession, others as indicated above.
3.5 Invoicing
Invoices must be sent to the institution or department that issued the order form.
4. EVALUATION AND AWARD OF THE CONTRACT
The evaluation will be based on the information provided in the tenders submitted in reply to this call for tenders.
In addition, EPSO reserves the right to use any other information from public or specialist sources. All the information will be assessed in the light of the criteria set out in these specifications.
The evaluation will proceed in stages, as described below. Only the tenders meeting the requirements of each stage will pass on to the next stage of the evaluation. The final stage involves the award of the contract.
The stages of the evaluation procedure will be as follows:– exclusion of tenderers;– selection of tenderers;– evaluation of tenders in the light of the award criteria:
– technical evaluation,- financial evaluation;
– award of the contract.
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4.1 Exclusion of tenderers
Candidates or tenderers must certify that they are not in one of the situations listed below:
(a) they are bankrupt or being wound up, having their affairs administered by the courts, have entered into an arrangement with creditors, have suspended business activities, are the subject of proceedings concerning those matters, or are in any analogous situation arising from a similar procedure provided for in national legislation or regulations;
(b) they have been convicted of an offence concerning their professional conduct by a judgment which has the force of res judicata;
(c) they have been guilty of grave professional misconduct proven by any means which the contracting authority can justify;
(d) they have not fulfilled obligations relating to the payment of social security contributions or the payment of taxes in accordance with the legal provisions of the country in which they are established or with those of the country of the contracting authority or those of the country where the contract is to be performed;
(e) they are guilty of misrepresentation in supplying the information required by the authorising department;
(f) they have been the subject of a judgment which has the force of res judicata for fraud, corruption, involvement in a criminal organisation or any other illegal activity detrimental to the Communities' financial interests;
(g) following another procurement procedure or grant award procedure financed by the Community budget, they have been declared to be in serious breach of contract for failure to comply with their contractual obligations.
For joint tenders (consortia), each member of the consortium must submit the required documents. The exclusion criteria will be applied to each of the members of the group individually, and to the group as a whole.
4.2 Selection of tenderers
4.2.1 Professional capacities
Details of the tenderer (name, address, legal status). In the case of a consortium or a group of firms, all partners must provide the information required.
Information to be supplied:16
company name;
date of foundation of company;
copy of articles of association;
entry in the Register of Companies;
VAT number;
company's activities;
composition of the Board of Directors;
certificate dated less than 90 days previously, issued by the competent authority of the tenderer's country showing that its situation regarding tax and social security obligations is in order.
4.2.2 Economic and financial capacity
In the case of a consortium or a group of firms, all partners must provide the information required.
Information to be supplied:
balance sheets for the two previous years;
a bank declaration concerning the financial situation.
4.2.3 Technical capacity
You must:
possess the necessary skills and at least three years' experience of direct relevance to the activities concerned or provision of the services and products covered by this call for tenders:
(1) provide examples of other work similar to the services and products covered by this call for tenders, indicating how your firm and its partners have carried out the same type of work in the past. If you have carried out only part of the work as principal contractor, please specify how the other part was sub-contracted;
(2) provide a list of the customers for whom you have worked in the last three years.
demonstrate your ability to work at Community level and in all the official Community languages:
(a) your language skills;
(b) your ability to design and create products in all the Community languages;
demonstrate your technical ability to provide all the services and products required in this call for tenders, directly or with the aid of subcontractors:
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(1) describe the technical equipment and material available to you for the provision of the services and products required by this call for tenders;
(2) demonstrate the compatibility of your software with the Commission's operating system (Windows XP and Apple Macintosh for the Publications Office);
(3) list the services which you can provide directly;
(4) list the services which you intend to subcontract, and indicate the share of the contract you may intend to subcontract, with the references of the proposed subcontractors and their agreement in writing;
(5) list the staff capable of performing the tasks described in point 3 of these specifications, stating their experience, skills and knowledge of languages, and enclosing their CVs to demonstrate that they possess the technical abilities needed to provide the services required.
4.3 Evaluation of tenders
The different work scenarios (price schedules 29 and 30) will be used to evaluate tenders. Tenders will be assessed in the light of the following criteria:
4.3.1 Technical evaluation
4.3.1.1 Consistency of the tender with the services and products required (70 points)
You should broadly outline your proposed approach with a view to meeting EPSO's objectives and providing the services required.
In particular, you should specify the factors taken into account to ensure that the proposed graphic design and the register and style used to design and produce advertisements for written and electronic media are suited to the target groups for which the publication is intended.
In addition, you should describe how you intend to ensure that advertisements are published in the media most appropriate to the target groups.
4.3.1.2 Proposed methodology and work organisation, control of quality and adherence to the set deadlines (30 points)
You should briefly describe the approach you propose in this regard and how daily work will be organised.
In particular, you should describe the methods and system you intend to introduce to control the quality of the services and products provided under this call for tenders and to ensure that they are provided within the deadlines laid down and the budget.
4.3.2 Financial evaluation
Only the financial terms of the tenders scoring at least 50 out of a maximum total of 100 points, and scoring at least 50% of the points
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available for each of the criteria in the technical evaluation, will be evaluated.
The points will be awarded to the tenders eligible to participate in the financial evaluation on the basis of the following formula:
100 points will be awarded to the lowest-priced tender;
the following formula will be applied to the other tenders:(lowest-price tender/price of the tender in question) x 100.
4.4 Award of the contract
The contract will be awarded to the tender offering the best price/performance ratio, with a 50/50 weighting between technical quality and financial tender.
This will be achieved by multiplying:
the result of the technical evaluation (number of points) by 0.50;
the result of the financial evaluation (number of points) by 0.50.
The two results will be added together and the contract will be awarded to the tender obtaining the highest score at the end of this process.
5. GENERAL CONDITIONS FOR THE AWARD OF CONTRACTS
1. Contract
The contract will take the form of a written agreement between the parties, signed by the Commission and the successful tenderer, based on the model contract annexed to these specifications, amended and completed on the basis of the tender from the tenderer to whom the contract has been awarded.
In the case of a consortium, the contract will be signed by the leader of the consortium in the name of all the consortium's members. Each member must sign a declaration acknowledging the signature of the contract by the consortium leader.
The contract will take the form of a framework service contract to which the general terms and conditions set out in the enclosed model contract will apply.
If the acceptance does not conform in all respects with the tender or if the Commission's decision is advised after expiry of the period during which the tender is valid, the conclusion of the contract will be subject to the tenderer's agreement in writing.
Each of the activities covered by this call for tenders will be the subject of an order form (cf. model in Annex 1, sub-annex III) signed by both parties.
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2. No obligation to award the contract
Initiation of a tendering procedure imposes no obligation on the Commission to award the contract. The Commission is not liable for any compensation to tendering parties whose tenders have not been accepted. Nor will it be so liable if it decides not to award the contract.
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Annex 1
Model Framework Service Contract
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European Personnel Selection Office
Director
GENERAL CONTRACT FOR SERVICES
CONTRACT No EPSO/PO/2008/056
The European Community (hereinafter referred to as "the Community"), represented by the European Personnel Selection Office (hereinafter referred to as "EPSO"), which is represented for the purposes of the signature of this contract by Mr Nicholas David Bearfield, Director of EPSO,
of the one part,
and
[official name in full]
[official legal form]
[official address in full]
[VAT registration number]
(hereinafter referred to as “the contractor”), [represented for the purposes of the signature of this contract by [name in full and function,]]
of the other part,
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HAVE AGREED
the Special Conditions and the General Conditions below and the following Annexes:
Annex I — Specifications (Call for tenders No EPSO/PO/2008/056 of [DATE])
Annex II — Contractor's tender (No [complete] of [complete])
Annex III — Specimen order form
which form an integral part of this contract (hereinafter referred to as "the contract").
The terms set out in the Special Conditions shall take precedence over those in the other parts of the contract. The terms set out in the General Conditions shall take precedence over those in the Annexes. The terms set out in the contract shall take precedence over those in the specific contracts. The terms set out in the Specification (Annex I) shall take precedence over those in the Tender (Annex II).
Subject to the above, the several instruments forming part of this contract are to be taken as mutually explanatory. Ambiguities or discrepancies within or between such parts shall be explained or rectified by a written instruction issued by the Commission, subject to the rights of the contractor under Article I.8 should he dispute any such instruction.
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I - SPECIAL CONDITIONS
ARTICLE I.1 - SUBJECT
I.1.1 The contract concerns the performance of the following tasks as part of publicity and promotion activities for open competitions and other selection procedures:
(1) the page make-up of advertisements with a view to recruitment and raising awareness about careers in the European civil service, in the official languages of the European Union4 and the Latin, Greek and Cyrillic alphabets;
(2) placing such advertisements in the press or the media most suitable for the recruitment and awareness-raising operations concerned;
(3) assistance and consultancy in graphic design and pre-press work for promotional or advertising material.
The tasks covered by this contract may be extended or adapted at each renewal with a view to better meeting the information requirements of the target audience.
This framework contract does not imply that an order has been issued; this is done by means of order forms.
This contract is open to the other institutions of the European Union and to the decentralised Community bodies whose staff are subject to the Staff Regulations or the conditions of employment of other servants of the European Communities. The practical arrangements relating to the placing of an order, the place where the services are to be provided and invoicing shall be laid down by the receiving department. The contractor shall notify EPSO beforehand of any recourse to the contract and expenditure by Community institutions and bodies to enable EPSO to manage and monitor this contract.
I.1.2 Signature of the contract imposes no obligation on the Commission to purchase. Only implementation of the contract through orders is binding on the Commission.
I.1.3 Once implementation of the contract has been requested or has commenced, the contractor shall reply and execute the tasks in accordance with all terms and conditions of the contract.
I.1.4 The contract does not confer on the contractor any exclusive right to provide the services described in Annex I to the Commission.
I.2.1. The contract shall enter into force on the date on which it is signed by the last contracting party.
I.2.2. Under no circumstances may implementation commence before the date on which the contract enters into force. Performance of the tasks may under no circumstances begin before the date on which the specific contract enters into force.
I.2.3. The contract is concluded for a period of three years with effect from the date on which it enters into force. Unless otherwise stated, the duration of the contract and all other periods specified in the contract are calculated in calendar days.
I.2.4 Specific contracts must be returned signed before the expiry of the relevant contract.
The contract shall continue to apply to such specific contracts after its expiry, but their duration may exceed the expiry date of the contract by no more than six months.
I.2.5 The contract may be renewed once only, for a period of one year, but only before its expiry date and with the express written agreement of the parties. Renewal does not imply any modification or deferment of existing obligations.
ARTICLE I.3 - PRICE
I.3.1. The prices of the services shall be as listed in Annex II.
I.3.2. Prices shall be expressed in euros.
I.3.3. These prices shall be fixed and not subject to revision for the first year of the contract.
From the beginning of the second year of performance of the contract, the prices may be revised upwards or downwards each year, where such revision is requested by one of the contracting parties by registered letter received by the other no later than three months before the anniversary of the date on which the contract is signed. EPSO shall purchase on the basis of the prices in force on the date on which orders or specific contracts are signed. Such prices shall not be subject to revision.
This revision shall be determined by the change in the MUICP harmonised consumer price index (euro zone) published for the first time by the Office for Official Publications of the European Communities in the monthly bulletin of the Statistical Office of the European Communities (Eurostat) (Theme 2 - Economy and Finance, Series B, Money, finance and the euro: Statistics).
Revision shall be calculated in accordance with the formula: Pr = Po x Ir/Io
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where
Pr = revised price;
Po = price in the original tender;
Io = index for the month in which the validity of the tender expires;
Ir = index for the month corresponding to the date of receipt of the letter requesting a revision of prices.
I.3.4. In addition to the total amount specified in each specific contract, travel, subsistence and shipment expenses shall be reimbursed in accordance with Article II.7, as shall other expenses provided for by the specifications up to a maximum amount of € [amount in figures and in words].
ARTICLE I.4 — APPLICATION OF THE CONTRACT
Within five working days of a request for services being sent by EPSO, the contractor shall return an estimate of the resources to be allocated for its execution, with particulars in support.
Within ten working days of an order form being sent by EPSO, the contractor shall return it, duly signed but not dated.
ARTICLE I.5 — PAYMENT PERIODS AND FORMALITIES
Payments under the contract shall be made in accordance with Article II.4. Payments shall be executed only if the contractor has fulfilled all its contractual obligations by the date on which the invoice is submitted.
I.5.1 Prefinancing: (not applicable)
I.5.2 Payment of the balance:
The contractor's request for payment of the balance shall be admissible if accompanied by
(1) extracts from the newspapers in which the advertisements were published
(2) the relevant invoices, indicating the reference number of the contract and of the order form to which they refer
EPSO shall have 20 days from receipt to approve or reject the request for payment, and the contractor shall have 15 days in which to submit additional information or a new request.
Within 30 days of the date on which the request for payment is approved by EPSO, payment of the balance corresponding to the relevant invoices shall be made.
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[For contractors established in Belgium, this contract constitutes an application for exemption from VAT No 450, provided the contractor states on his/her invoice(s) “Exonération de la TVA, article 42, paragraphe 3.3 du Code de la TVA" or the equivalent in Dutch or German.]
[For contractors established in Italy, this contract constitutes an application for exemption from VAT, provided the contractor states on his/her invoice(s): "Operazione non imponibile ai sensi dell'articolo 72, comma 3) paragrafo 3 del D.P.R. n. 633 del 26/10/1972 come modificato da ultimo dal D.L. n. 323 del 20/06/1996 convertito in Legge n. 425 dell'8/8/1996."]
ARTICLE I.6 - BANK ACCOUNT
Payments shall be made to the contractor’s bank account denominated in euro, identified 5
as follows:
Name of bank: [complete]
Address of branch in full: [complete]
Exact designation of account holder: [complete]
Full account number including codes: [complete]
[IBAN code6: [complete]]
ARTICLE I.7 - GENERAL ADMINISTRATIVE PROVISIONS
All correspondence relating to the contract shall be in writing and shall bear the reference number of the contract and the number of the order form. Ordinary mail shall be deemed to have been received by EPSO on the date on which it is registered by the department responsible indicated below. Communications shall be sent to the following addresses:
For EPSO:
For any questions involving financial matters:European CommissionEPSOStrategic Planning and ResourcesB-1049 Brussels.
For any questions involving technical matters:EPSOUnit EPSO.4 — Communication and informationB-1049 Brussels.
For the contractor:
5 By a document issued or certified by the bank.6 BIC code for countries with no IBAN code.
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Mr/Mrs/Ms [complete][Function][Company name][Official address in full]
ARTICLE I.8 - APPLICABLE LAW AND SETTLEMENT OF DISPUTES
I.8.1. The contract shall be governed by the national substantive law of Belgium.
I.8.1a. Without prejudice to Article I.8.2, in the event that any dispute arises between the parties resulting from the interpretation or application of the contract and the dispute is not resolved by negotiation, the parties may agree to submit the dispute to mediation.
If either party to the dispute gives written notice to the other party of its desire to commence mediation, and the other party agrees in writing, the parties shall jointly appoint a mutually acceptable mediator within two weeks of the date of the said written agreement. If the parties are unable to agree upon the appointment of a mediator within that time period, any party may apply to [court, organisation or person agreed to by the parties when signing the contract], for appointment of a mediator.
The mediator's written proposal or his/her written conclusion stating that no proposal can be made shall be produced within two months of the date of the written agreement by the second party to commence mediation. The mediator's proposal or conclusion shall not be binding for the parties, who reserve the right to bring the dispute before the courts, as per Article I.8.2.
Within two weeks of the date of notification of the proposal by the mediator, the parties can conclude a written agreement, duly signed by all parties, based on the proposal.
The parties further agree to share equally the costs of mediation by the mediator, which costs will not include any other costs incurred by a party in connection with the mediation.
I.8.2. Any dispute between the parties resulting from the interpretation or application of the contract which cannot be settled amicably shall be brought before the courts of Brussels.
ARTICLE I.9 - DATA PROTECTION
Any personal data included in the contract shall 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. They shall be processed solely for the purposes of the performance, management and follow-up of the contract by EPSO, without prejudice to possible transmission to the bodies charged with a monitoring or inspection task in conformity with Community law. The contractor shall have the right of access to its personal data and the right to rectify any such data that is inaccurate or incomplete. Should the contractor have any queries concerning the processing of its personal data, it shall
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address them to EPSO Strategic Planning and Resources Unit. The contractor shall have right of recourse at any time to the European Data Protection Supervisor.
ARTICLE I.10a – CONTRACT CONCLUDED DURING STANDSTILL PERIOD
If signed by both the Commission and the contractor before the expiry of 14 calendar days [from the day after the simultaneous dispatch of the rejection and award decisions], this contract shall be null and void.
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II - GENERAL CONDITIONS
ARTICLE II.1 - PERFORMANCE OF THE CONTRACT
II.1.1 The contractor shall perform the contract to the highest professional standards. The contractor shall have sole responsibility for complying with any legal obligations incumbent on it, notably those resulting from employment, tax and social legislation.
II.1.2 The contractor shall have sole responsibility for taking the necessary steps to obtain any permit or licence required for performance of the contract under the laws and regulations in force at the place where the tasks assigned to him are to be executed.
II.1.3 Without prejudice to Article II.3 any reference made to the contractor's staff in the contract shall relate exclusively to individuals involved in the performance of the contract.
II.1.4 The contractor must ensure that any person performing the contract has the professional qualifications and experience required for the execution of the tasks assigned to him.
II.1.5 The contractor shall neither represent the Commission nor behave in any way that would give such an impression. The contractor shall inform third parties that he does not belong to the European civil service.
II.1.6 The contractor shall have sole responsibility for the staff who execute the tasks assigned to him.
The contractor shall make provision for the following employment or service relationships with his staff:
(1) the staff performing the work assigned to the contractor may not be given orders directly from the Commission,
(2) the Commission may not under any circumstances be considered to be the staff's employer and the said staff shall undertake not to invoke in respect of the Commission any right arising from the contractual relationship between the Commission and the contractor.
II.1.7 In the event of disruption resulting from the action of a member of the contractor’s staff working on Commission premises or in the event of the expertise of a member of the contractor’s staff failing to correspond to the profile required by the contract, the contractor shall replace him without delay. The Commission shall have the right to request the replacement of any such member of staff, stating its reasons for so doing. Replacement staff must have the necessary qualifications and be capable of performing the contract under the same contractual conditions. The contractor shall be responsible for any delay in the
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execution of the assigned tasks resulting from the replacement of staff in accordance with this Article.
II.1.8 Should any unforeseen event, action or omission directly or indirectly hamper execution of the tasks, either partially or totally, the contractor shall immediately and on his own initiative record it and report it to the Commission. The report shall include a description of the problem and an indication of the date on which it arose and of the remedial action taken by the contractor to ensure full compliance with his obligations under the contract. In such event the contractor shall give priority to solving the problem rather than determining liability.
II.1.9 Should the contractor fail to perform his obligations under the contract in accordance with the provisions laid down therein, the Commission may - without prejudice to its right to terminate the contract - reduce or recover payments in proportion to the scale of the failure. In addition, the Commission may impose penalties or liquidated damages as provided for in Article II.16.
ARTICLE II. 2 – LIABILITY
II.2.1 The Commission shall not be liable for damage sustained by the contractor in performance of the contract except in the event of wilful misconduct or gross negligence on the part of the Commission.
II.2.2 The contractor shall be liable for any loss or damage caused by himself in performance of the contract, including in the event of subcontracting under Article II.13. The Commission shall not be liable for any act or default on the part of the contractor in performance of the contract.
II.2.3 The contractor shall provide compensation in the event of any action, claim or proceeding brought against the Commission by a third party as a result of damage caused by the contractor in performance of the contract.
II.2.4 In the event of any action brought by a third party against the Commission in connection with performance of the contract, the contractor shall assist the Commission. Expenditure incurred by the contractor to this end may be borne by the Commission.
II.2.5 The contractor shall take out insurance against risks and damage relating to performance of the contract if required by the relevant applicable legislation. It shall take out supplementary insurance as reasonably required by standard practice in the industry. A copy of all the relevant insurance contracts shall be sent to the Commission should it so request.
ARTICLE II.3 - CONFLICT OF INTERESTS
II.3.1 The contractor shall take all necessary measures in order to prevent any situation that could compromise the impartial and objective performance of the contract. Such conflict of interests could arise in particular as a result of economic interest, political or national affinity, family or emotional ties, or any other relevant
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connection or shared interest. Any conflict of interests which could arise during performance of the contract must be notified to the Commission in writing without delay. In the event of such conflict, the contractor shall immediately take all necessary steps to resolve it.
The Commission reserves the right to verify that such measures are adequate and may require additional measures to be taken, if necessary, within a time limit which it shall set. The contractor shall ensure that his staff, board and directors are not placed in a situation which could give rise to conflict of interests. Without prejudice to Article II.1 the contractor shall replace, immediately and without compensation from the Commission, any member of his staff exposed to such a situation.
II.3.2 The contractor shall abstain from any contact likely to compromise his independence.
II.3.3 The contractor declares:
(1) that he has not made and will not make any offer of any type whatsoever from which an advantage can be derived under the contract,
(2) that he has not granted and will not grant, has not sought and will not seek, has not attempted and will not attempt to obtain, and has not accepted and will not accept, any advantage, financial or in kind, to or from any party whatsoever, where such advantage constitutes an illegal practice or involves corruption, either directly or indirectly, inasmuch as it is an incentive or reward relating to performance of the contract.
II.3.4 The contractor shall pass on all the relevant obligations in writing to his staff, board, and directors as well as to third parties involved in performance of the contract. A copy of the instructions given and the undertakings made in this respect shall be sent to the Commission should it so request.
ARTICLE II.4 — INVOICING AND PAYMENTS
II.4.1 Prefinancing
Where required by Article I.5.1, the contractor shall provide a financial guarantee in the form of a bank guarantee or equivalent supplied by a bank or an authorised financial institution (guarantor) equal to the amount indicated in the same Article to cover pre-financing under the contract. Such guarantee may be replaced by a joint and several guarantee by a third party.
The guarantor shall pay to the Commission at its request an amount corresponding to payments made by it to the contractor which have not yet been covered by equivalent work on his part.
The guarantor shall stand as first-call guarantor and shall not require the Commission to have recourse against the principal debtor (the contractor).
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The guarantee shall specify that it enters into force at the latest on the date on which the contractor receives the prefinancing. The Commission shall release the guarantor from its obligations as soon as the contractor has demonstrated that any prefinancing has been covered by equivalent work. The guarantee shall be retained until the prefinancing has been deducted from interim payments or payment of the balance to the contractor. It shall be released the following month. The cost of providing such guarantee shall be borne by the contractor.
II.4.2 Interim payments
At the end of each of the periods indicated in Annex I the contractor shall submit to the Commission a formal request for payment accompanied by those of the following documents which are provided for in the Special Conditions:
(1) an interim technical report in accordance with the instructions laid down in Annex I;
(2) the relevant invoices indicating the reference number of the contract and of the order or specific contract to which they refer;
(3) statements of expenses in accordance with Article II.7.
If the report is a condition for payment, on receipt the Commission shall have the period of time indicated in the special conditions in which:
(1) to approve it, with or without comments or reservations, or suspend such period and request additional information; or
(2) to reject it and request a new report.
If the Commission does not react within this period, the report shall be deemed to have been approved. Approval of the report does not imply recognition either of its regularity or of the authenticity, completeness or correctness of the declarations and information enclosed.
Where the Commission requests a new report because the one previously submitted has been rejected, this shall be submitted within the period of time indicated in the special conditions. The new report shall likewise be subject to the above provisions.
II.4.3 Payment of the balance
Within sixty days of completion of the tasks referred to in each order or specific contract, the contractor shall submit to the Commission a formal request for payment accompanied by those of the following documents which are provided for in the special conditions:
(1) a final technical report in accordance with the instructions laid down in Annex I;
(2) the relevant invoices indicating the reference number of the contract and of the order or specific contract to which they refer;
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(3) statements of reimbursable expenses in accordance with Article II.7.
If the report is a condition for payment, on receipt the Commission shall have the period of time indicated in the Special Conditions in which:
(1) to approve it, with or without comments or reservations, or suspend such period and request additional information; or
(2) to reject it and request a new report.
If the Commission does not react within this period, the report shall be deemed to have been approved. Approval of the report does not imply recognition either of its regularity or of the authenticity, completeness or correctness of the declarations and information enclosed.
Where the Commission requests a new report because the one previously submitted has been rejected, this shall be submitted within the period of time indicated in the special conditions. The new report shall likewise be subject to the above provisions.
ARTICLE II.5 - GENERAL PROVISIONS CONCERNING PAYMENTS
II.5.1 Payments shall be deemed to have been made on the date on which the Commission’s account is debited.
II.5.2 The payment periods referred to in Article I.5 may be suspended by the Commission at any time if it informs the contractor that his payment request is not admissible, either because the amount is not due or because the necessary supporting documents have not been properly produced. If there is any doubt as to the eligibility of the expenditure indicated in the payment request, the Commission may suspend the time limit for payment for the purpose of further verification, including an on-the-spot check, in order to ascertain, prior to payment, that the expenditure is eligible.
The Commission shall notify the contractor accordingly by registered letter with acknowledgment of receipt or equivalent. Suspension shall take effect from the date of dispatch of the letter. The remainder of the period referred to in Article I.5 shall begin to run again once the suspension has been lifted.
II.5.3 In the event of late payment the contractor may claim interest within two months of receiving the payment. Interest shall be calculated at the rate applied by the European Central Bank to its most recent main refinancing operations ("the reference rate") plus seven percentage points ("the margin"). The reference rate in force on the first day of the month in which the payment is due shall apply. Such interest rate is published in the C series of the Official Journal of the European Union. Interest shall be payable for the period elapsing from the calendar day following expiry of the time limit for payment up to the day of payment. Suspension of payment by the Commission may not be deemed to constitute late payment.
ARTICLE II. 6 – RECOVERY34
II.6.1 If total payments made exceed the amount actually due or if recovery is justified in accordance with the terms of the contract, the contractor shall reimburse the appropriate amount in euros on receipt of the debit note, in the manner and within the time limits set by the Commission.
II.6.2 In the event of failure to pay by the deadline specified in the request for reimbursement, the sum due shall bear interest at the rate indicated in Article II.5.3. Interest shall be payable from the calendar day following the due date up to the calendar day on which the debt is repaid in full.
II.6.3 In the event of failure to pay by the deadline specified in the request for reimbursement, the Commission may, after informing the contractor, recover amounts established as certain, of a fixed amount and due by offsetting, in cases where the contractor also has a claim on the Communities that is certain, of a fixed amount and due. The Commission may also claim against the guarantee, where provided for.
ARTICLE II. 7 - REIMBURSEMENTS
II.7.1 Where provided by the Special Conditions or by Annex I, the Commission shall reimburse the expenses that are directly connected with execution of the tasks on production of original supporting documents, including receipts and used tickets.
II.7.2 Travel and subsistence expenses shall be reimbursed, where appropriate, on the basis of the shortest itinerary.
II.7.3 Travel expenses shall be reimbursed as follows:
(a) travel by air shall be reimbursed up to the maximum cost of an economy class ticket at the time of the reservation;
(b) travel by boat or rail shall be reimbursed up to the maximum cost of a first class ticket;
(c) travel by car shall be reimbursed at the rate of one first class rail ticket for the same journey and on the same day;
(d) travel outside Community territory shall be reimbursed under the general conditions stated above provided the Commission has given its prior written agreement.
II.7.4 Subsistence expenses shall be reimbursed on the basis of a daily allowance as follows:
(a) for journeys of less than 200 km (return trip) no subsistence allowance shall be payable;
(b) daily subsistence allowance shall be payable only on receipt of a supporting document proving that the person concerned was present at the place of destination;
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(c) daily subsistence allowance shall take the form of a flat-rate payment to cover all subsistence expenses, including accommodation, meals, local transport, insurance and sundries;
(d) daily subsistence allowance, where applicable, shall be reimbursed at the rate specified in Article I.3.
II.7.5 The cost of shipment of equipment or unaccompanied luggage shall be reimbursed provided the Commission has given prior written authorisation.
ARTICLE II.8 - OWNERSHIP OF THE RESULTS - INTELLECTUAL AND INDUSTRIAL PROPERTY
Any results or rights thereon, including copyright and other intellectual or industrial property rights, obtained in performance of the contract, shall be owned solely by the Community, which may use, publish, assign or transfer them as it sees fit, without geographical or other limitation, except where industrial or intellectual property rights exist prior to the contract being entered into.
ARTICLE II.9 – CONFIDENTIALITY
II.9.1. The contractor undertakes to treat in the strictest confidence and not make use of or divulge to third parties any information or documents which are linked to performance of the contract. The contractor shall continue to be bound by this undertaking after completion of the tasks.
II.9.2. The contractor shall obtain from each member of his staff, board and directors an undertaking that they will respect the confidentiality of any information which is linked, directly or indirectly, to execution of the tasks and that they will not divulge to third parties or use for their own benefit or that of any third party any document or information not available publicly, even after completion of the tasks.
ARTICLE II.10 — USE, DISTRIBUTION AND PUBLICATION OF INFORMATION
II.10.1 The contractor shall authorise the Commission to process, use, distribute and publish, for whatever purpose, by whatever means and on whatever medium, any data contained in or relating to the contract, in particular the identity of the contractor, the subject matter, the duration, the amount paid and the reports. Where personal data is concerned, Article I.9 shall apply.
II.10.2 Unless otherwise provided by the Special Conditions, the Commission shall not be required to distribute or publish documents or information supplied in performance of the contract. If it decides not to publish the documents or information supplied, the contractor may not have them distributed or published elsewhere without prior written authorisation from the Commission.
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II.10.3 Any distribution or publication of information relating to the contract by the contractor shall require prior written authorisation from the Commission and shall mention the amount paid by the Community. It shall state that the opinions expressed are those of the contractor only and do not represent the Commission's official position.
II.10.4 The use of information obtained by the contractor in the course of the contract for purposes other than its performance shall be forbidden, unless the Commission has specifically given prior written authorisation to the contrary.
ARTICLE II.11 — TAXATION
II.11.1 The contractor shall have sole responsibility for compliance with the tax laws which apply to him. Failure to comply shall make the relevant invoices invalid.
II.11.2 The contractor recognises that the Commission is, as a rule, exempt from all taxes and duties, including value added tax (VAT), pursuant to the provisions of Articles 3 and 4 of the Protocol on the Privileges and Immunities of the European Communities.
II.11.3 The contractor shall accordingly complete the necessary formalities with the relevant authorities to ensure that the goods and services required for performance of the contract are exempt from taxes and duties, including VAT.
II.11.4 Invoices presented by the contractor shall indicate his place of taxation for VAT purposes and shall specify separately the amounts not including VAT and the amounts including VAT.
ARTICLE II.12 — FORCE MAJEURE
II.12.1 Force majeure shall mean any unforeseeable and exceptional situation or event beyond the control of the contracting parties which prevents either of them from performing any of their obligations under the contract, was not due to error or negligence on their part or on the part of a subcontractor and could not have been avoided by the exercise of due diligence. Defects in equipment or material or delays in making it available, labour disputes, strikes or financial problems cannot be invoked as force majeure unless they stem directly from a relevant case of force majeure.
II.12.2 Without prejudice to the provisions of Article II.1.8, if either contracting party is faced with force majeure, it shall notify the other party without delay by registered letter with acknowledgment of receipt or equivalent, stating the nature, likely duration and foreseeable effects.
II.12.3 Neither contracting party shall be held in breach of its contractual obligations if it has been prevented from performing them by force majeure. Where the contractor is unable to perform its contractual obligations owing to force majeure, it shall have the right to remuneration only for tasks actually executed.
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II.12.4 The contracting parties shall take the necessary measures to reduce damage to a minimum.
ARTICLE II.13 — SUBCONTRACTING
II.13.1 The contractor shall not subcontract without prior written authorisation from the Commission nor cause the contract to be performed de facto by third parties.
II.13.2 Even where the Commission authorises the contractor to subcontract to third parties, he shall nonetheless remain bound by his obligations to the Commission under the contract and shall bear exclusive liability for proper performance of the contract.
II.13.3 The contractor shall make sure that the subcontract does not affect rights and guarantees to which the Commission is entitled by virtue of the contract, notably Article II.17.
ARTICLE II.14 — ASSIGNMENT
II.14.1 The contractor shall not assign the rights and obligations arising from the contract, in whole or in part, without prior written authorisation from the Commission.
II.14.2 In the absence of the authorisation referred to in II.14.1, or in the event of failure to observe the terms thereof, assignment by the contractor shall not be enforceable against and shall have no effect on the Commission.
ARTICLE II.15 - TERMINATION BY THE COMMISSION
II.15.1 The Commission may terminate the contract, a pending order or a specific contract in the following circumstances:
(a) where the contractor is being wound up, is having his affairs administered by the courts, has entered into an arrangement with creditors, has suspended business activities, is the subject of proceedings concerning those matters, or is in any analogous situation arising from a similar procedure provided for in national legislation or regulations;
(b) where the contractor has been convicted of an offence concerning his professional conduct by a judgment which has the force of res judicata;
(c) where the contractor has been guilty of grave professional misconduct proven by any means which the Commission can justify;
(d) where the contractor has not fulfilled obligations relating to the payment of social security contributions or the payment of taxes in accordance with the legal provisions of the country in which he is established or with those
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of the country applicable to the contract or those of the country where the contract is to be performed;
(e) where the Commission strongly suspects the contractor of fraud, corruption, involvement in a criminal organisation or any other illegal activity detrimental to the Communities' financial interests;
(f) where the contractor is in breach of his obligations under Article II.3;
(g) where the contractor was guilty of misrepresentation in supplying the information required by the Commission as a condition of participation in the contract procedure or failed to supply this information;
(h) where a change in the contractor's legal, financial, technical or organisational situation could, in the Commission's opinion, have a significant effect on the performance of the contract;
(i) where execution of the tasks under a pending order or a specific contract has not actually commenced within fifteen days of the date foreseen, and the new date proposed, if any, is considered unacceptable by the Commission;
(j) where the contractor is unable, through his own fault, to obtain any permit or licence required for performance of the contract;
(k) where the contractor, after receiving formal notice in writing to comply, specifying the nature of the alleged failure, and after being given the opportunity to remedy the failure within a reasonable period following receipt of the formal notice, remains in serious breach of its contractual obligations.
II.15.2 In cases of force majeure, notified in accordance with Article II.12, either contracting party may terminate the contract, where performance thereof cannot be ensured for a period corresponding to at least to one fifth of the period laid down in Article I.2.3.
II.15.3 Prior to termination under point (e), (h) or (k), the contractor shall be given the opportunity to submit his observations.
Termination shall take effect on the date on which a registered letter with acknowledgment of receipt terminating the contract is received by the contractor, or on any other date indicated in the letter of termination.
II.15.4 Consequences of termination
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In the event of the Commission terminating the contract or a pending order or specific contract in accordance with this Article and without prejudice to any other measures provided for in the contract, the contractor shall waive any claim for consequential damages, including any loss of anticipated profits for uncompleted work. On receipt of the letter terminating the contract, the contractor shall take all appropriate measures to minimise costs, prevent damage, and cancel or reduce his commitments. He shall draw up the documents required by the Special Conditions for the tasks executed up to the date on which termination takes effect, within a period not exceeding sixty days from that date.
The Commission may claim compensation for any damage suffered and recover any sums paid to the contractor under the contract.
On termination the Commission may engage any other contractor to execute or complete the services. The Commission shall be entitled to claim from the contractor all extra costs incurred in doing so, without prejudice to any other rights or guarantees enforceable under the contract.
ARTICLE II.15a – SUBSTANTIAL ERRORS, IRREGULARITIES AND FRAUD ATTRIBUTABLE TO THE CONTRACTOR
If, after the contract has been awarded, there are found to be substantial errors, irregularities or fraud in the award procedure or the performance of the contract, and if these errors, irregularities or fraud are attributable to the contractor, the Commission may refuse to make the payment, recover the amounts already paid or terminate all the contracts concluded with the contractor, in proportion to the gravity of the errors, irregularities or fraud in question.
ARTICLE II.16 — LIQUIDATED DAMAGES
Should the contractor fail to perform his obligations under the contract within the time limits set by the contract, then, without prejudice to the contractor's actual or potential liability incurred in relation to the contract or to the Commission's right to terminate the contract, the Commission may decide to impose liquidated damages of 0.2% of the amount of the purchase concerned per calendar day of delay. The contractor may submit arguments against this decision within thirty days of notification by registered letter with acknowledgement of receipt or equivalent. In the absence of reaction on his part or of written withdrawal by the Commission within thirty days of the receipt of such arguments, the decision imposing the liquidated damages shall become enforceable. These liquidated damages shall not be imposed where there is provision for interest for late completion. The Commission and the contractor expressly acknowledge and agree that any sums payable under this Article are in the nature of liquidated damages and not penalties, and represent a reasonable estimate of fair compensation for the losses that may be reasonably anticipated from such failure to perform obligations.
ARTICLE II.17 - CHECKS AND AUDITS
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II.17.1 Pursuant to Article 142 of the Financial Regulation applicable to the general budget of the European Communities, the European Court of Auditors shall be empowered to audit the documents held by the natural or legal persons receiving payments from the budget of the European Communities from signature of the contract up to five years after payment of the balance of the last implementation.
II.17.2 The Commission or an outside body of its choice shall have the same rights as the European Court of Auditors for the purpose of checks and audits limited to compliance with contractual obligations from signature of the contract up to five years after payment of the balance of the last implementation.
II.17.3 In addition, the European Anti-Fraud Office may carry out on-the-spot checks and inspections in accordance with Council Regulation (Euratom, EC) No 2185/96 and Regulation (EC) No 1073/1999 of the European Parliament and of the Council from signature of the contract up to five years after payment of the balance for the last implementation.
ARTICLE II.18 - ADDENDA
Any amendment to the contract shall be the subject of a written addendum concluded by the contracting parties. An oral agreement shall not be binding on the contracting parties. An order or a specific contract may not be deemed to constitute an amendment to the contract.
ARTICLE II.19 — SUSPENSION OF THE CONTRACT
Without prejudice to the Commission's right to terminate the contract, the Commission may at any time and for any reason suspend execution of the contract, pending orders or specific contracts or any part thereof. Suspension shall take effect on the day the contractor receives notification by registered letter with acknowledgment of receipt or equivalent, or at a later date where the notification so provides. The Commission may at any time following suspension give notice to the contractor to resume the work suspended. The contractor shall not be entitled to claim compensation on account of suspension of the contract, orders or specific contracts, or part thereof.
SIGNATURES
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For the contractor,
[Company name/first name/surname/function]
signature[s]: _______________________
For EPSO:
Nicholas David Bearfield, Director
signature[s]: _____________________
Done at , Done at Brussels,
In duplicate in [English].
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Annex I to the contract:
Specification (Call for tenders No EPSO/PO/2008/056 of [DATE])
43
Annex II to the contract:
Contractor’s tender (No [complete] of [complete])
44
Annex III to the contract — Order form
45
Annex 2
Price schedules
46
Annex 2 — Price schedule
GENERAL REMARKS
Your financial tender must be presented in table form (using the models below), indicating the price for the supply of dummies and the price for the purchase of advertising space.
(1) You must submit tenders for the daily newspapers and weekly publications listed in the tables.
You must also submit a tender for other media with a definite impact on achieving the objective of the call for tenders, justifying your choice in a note annexed to the tender form or, if you make no other proposals, justify your reason for not doing so.
(2) The way rates are charged for placing advertisements varies in the different countries concerned; you are therefore requested to quote prices per mm² to ensure uniformity and comparability of tenders. When preparing your tender, please convert into mm² either the most current advertisement format or the arithmetic average of the prices in the different columns or other formulae. In all events, please attach to the relevant tender form a detailed description of how you calculated the conversion into prices per mm².
(3) The tender must be in euros.
The price schedules must show all the costs pertaining to the tasks, activities and products which you deem necessary to perform the work and services covered by this call for tenders.
Additional costs not specified in the price schedules will not be covered by EPSO, except where incurred in connection with a special request by EPSO not covered by the tasks, activities or products laid down in the schedules.
Price schedules 29 and 30 contain the work scenarios. The work scenarios relate to advertising campaigns that EPSO might wish to carry out with the help of an outside contractor. They will enable EPSO to compare the financial tenders of all the tenderers.
The prices for the work scenarios given in price schedules 29 and 30 must be based on the prices laid down in price schedules 1 to 28.
Price schedules 1 to 30 must be submitted on paper and on CD-ROM, in a format which can be processed by EPSO (Word, Excel or similar).
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SPECIFICATION - ANNEX 2 (1)
PRICE SCHEDULE 1
AUSTRIA
NAME(open list)
Unit price in euros for the supply of dummies
Price in euros for purchase of advertising space in the press, expressed in mm²black and white
with a base colour four-colour
Daily and weekly publications
Der Standard
Wiener Zeitung
Die Presse
Neue Kronen Zeitung
Kurier
Kleine Zeitung
Specialist press
Internet - job sites
Signature of tendering party
48
SPECIFICATION - ANNEX 2 (2)
PRICE SCHEDULE 2
BELGIUM
NAME(open list)
Unit price in euros for the supply of dummies
Price in euros for purchase of advertising space in the press, expressed in mm²black and white
with a base colour four-colour
Daily and weekly publications
Références
La Libre Entreprise
Job @
Vacature
Grenz Echo
The Bulletin
European Voice
Specialist press
Internet - job sites
Signature of tendering party
SPECIFICATION - ANNEX 2 (3)
PRICE SCHEDULE 3
GERMANY
NAME(open list)
Unit price in euros for the supply of dummies
Price in euros for purchase of advertising space in the press, expressed in mm²black and white
with a base colour four-colour
Daily and weekly publications
Frankfurter Allgemeine
Frankfurter Rundschau
Handelsblatt
Die Welt
Die Zeit
Süddeutsche Zeitung
Specialist press
Internet - job sites
Signature of tendering party
50
SPECIFICATION - ANNEX 2 (4)
PRICE SCHEDULE 4
DENMARK
NAME(open list)
Unit price in euros for the supply of dummies
Price in euros for purchase of advertising space in the press, expressed in mm²black and white
with a base colour four-colour
Daily and weekly publications
Politiken
Jyllands Posten
Berlingske Tidende
Arhus Stifstidende
Nordjysk Stifstidende
Fyens Stifstidende
Jydske Vestkysten
Specialist press
Internet - job sites
Signature of tendering party
51
SPECIFICATION - ANNEX 2 (5)
PRICE SCHEDULE 5
SPAIN
NAME(open list)
Unit price in euros for the supply of dummies
Price in euros for purchase of advertising space in the press, expressed in mm²black and white
with a base colour four-colour
Daily and weekly publications
El Pais
El Pais Internacional
ABC
La Vanguardia
El Mundo
Expansion y Empleo
El Periodico
Specialist press
Internet - job sites
Signature of tendering party
52
SPECIFICATION - ANNEX 2 (6)
PRICE SCHEDULE 6
FRANCE
NAME(open list)
Unit price in euros for the supply of dummies
Price in euros for purchase of advertising space in the press, expressed in mm²black and white
with a base colour four-colour
Daily and weekly publications
Le Monde
Les Echos
Le Figaro
Libération
Nouvel Observateur
Le point
L'Express
Specialist press
Internet - job sites
Signature of tendering party
53
SPECIFICATION - ANNEX 2 (7)
PRICE SCHEDULE 7
UNITED KINGDOM
NAME(open list)
Unit price in euros for the supply of dummies
Price in euros for purchase of advertising space in the press, expressed in mm²black and white
with a base colour four-colour
Daily and weekly publications
The Guardian
The Times/Sunday Times
The Daily/Sunday Telegraph
The Scotsman/Scotsman on S
The Independent/Sunday
Financial Times
Specialist press
Internet - job sites
Signature of tendering party
54
SPECIFICATION - ANNEX 2 (8)
PRICE SCHEDULE 8
GREECE
NAME(open list)
Unit price in euros for the supply of dummies
Price in euros for purchase of advertising space in the press, expressed in mm²black and white
with a base colour four-colour
Daily and weekly publications
Ta Nea
Elefteros Typos
Kathimerini
To Vima
Eleftherotypia
Makedonia
Specialist press
Internet - job sites
Signature of tendering party
55
SPECIFICATION - ANNEX 2 (9)
PRICE SCHEDULE 9
IRELAND
NAME(open list)
Unit price in euros for the supply of dummies
Price in euros for purchase of advertising space in the press, expressed in mm²black and white
with a base colour four-colour
Daily and weekly publications
Irish Times
Irish Independent
Sunday Independent
Evening Herald
The Sunday Tribune
Foinse
Lá
Specialist press
Internet - job sites
Signature of tendering party
56
SPECIFICATION - ANNEX 2 (10)
PRICE SCHEDULE 10
ITALY
NAME(open list)
Unit price in euro for the supply of dummies
Price in euros for purchase of advertising space in the press, expressed in mm²black and white
with a base colour four-colour
Daily and weekly publications
La repubblica
Il sole 24 Ore
Corriere della Sera
La Stampa
Il Messaggero
Il matino
Specialist press
Internet - job sites
Signature of tendering party
57
SPECIFICATION - ANNEX 2 (11)
PRICE SCHEDULE 11
LUXEMBOURG
NAME(open list)
Unit price in euros for the supply of dummies
Price in euros for purchase of advertising space in the press, expressed in mm²black and white
with a base colour four-colour
Daily and weekly publications
Luxemburger Wort
Tageblatt
Le Jeudi
Le quotidien
Specialist press
Internet - job sites
Signature of tendering party
58
SPECIFICATION - ANNEX 2 (12)
PRICE SCHEDULE 12
NETHERLANDS
NAME(open list)
Unit price in euros for the supply of dummies
Price in euros for purchase of advertising space in the press, expressed in mm²black and white
with a base colour four-colour
Daily and weekly publications
Volkskrant
NRC Handelsblad
De Telegraaf
Het Financieel Dagblad
Specialist press
Internet - job sites
Signature of tendering party
59
SPECIFICATION - ANNEX 2 (13)
PRICE SCHEDULE 13
PORTUGAL
NAME(open list)
Unit price in euros for the supply of dummies
Price in euros for purchase of advertising space in the press, expressed in mm²black and white
with a base colour four-colour
Daily and weekly publications
Expresso
Público
Diário de Notícias
Jornal de Notícias
Correio da Manha
Specialist press
Internet - job sites
Signature of tendering party
60
SPECIFICATION - ANNEX 2 (14)
PRICE SCHEDULE 14
FINLAND
NAME(open list)
Unit price in euros for the supply of dummies
Price in euros for purchase of advertising space in the press, expressed in mm²black and white
with a base colour four-colour
Daily and weekly publications
Helsingin Sanomat
Kauppalehti
Hufvutdstabladet
Aamulehti
Specialist press
Internet - job sites
Signature of tendering party
61
SPECIFICATION - ANNEX 2 (15)
PRICE SCHEDULE 15
SWEDEN
NAME(open list)
Unit price in euros for the supply of dummies
Price in euros for purchase of advertising space in the press, expressed in mm²black and white
with a base colour four-colour
Daily and weekly publications
Svenska Dagbladet
Dagens Nyheter
Göteborgsposten
Sydsvenska Dagbladet
Dagens Industri
Specialist press
Internet - job sites
Signature of tendering party
62
SPECIFICATION - ANNEX 2 (16)
PRICE SCHEDULE 16
INTERNATIONAL
NAME(open list)
Unit price in euros for the supply of dummies
Price in euros for purchase of advertising space in the press, expressed in mm²black and white
with a base colour four-colour
Daily and weekly publications
Financial Times – Continental Europe
The Economist
The International Herald Tribune
Specialist press
Internet - job sites
Signature of tendering party
63
SPECIFICATION - ANNEX 2 (17)
PRICE SCHEDULE 17
BULGARIA
NAME(open list)
Unit price in euros for the supply of dummies
Price in euros for purchase of advertising space in the press, expressed in mm²black and white
with a base colour four-colour
Daily and weekly publications
24 Chase & Trud
Kapital
Monitor
Standard News
Specialist press
Internet - job sites
Signature of tendering party
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SPECIFICATION - ANNEX 2 (18)
PRICE SCHEDULE 18
CYPRUS
NAME(open list)
Unit price in euros for the supply of dummies
Price in euros for purchase of advertising space in the press, expressed in mm²black and white
with a base colour four-colour
Daily and weekly publications
Simerini
Phileleftheros
Politis
Cyprus Mail
Kibris
Afrika
Yeni Duzen
Specialist press
Internet - job sites
Signature of tendering party
65
SPECIFICATION - ANNEX 2 (19)
PRICE SCHEDULE 19
ESTONIA
NAME(open list)
Unit price in euros for the supply of dummies
Price in euros for purchase of advertising space in the press, expressed in mm²black and white
with a base colour four-colour
Daily and weekly publications
Eesti Ekspress
Aripaëv Estonian
Postimees
Specialist press
Internet - job sites
Signature of tendering party
66
SPECIFICATION - ANNEX 2 (20)
PRICE SCHEDULE 20
HUNGARY
NAME(open list)
Unit price in euros for the supply of dummies
Price in euros for purchase of advertising space in the press, expressed in mm²black and white
with a base colour four-colour
Daily and weekly publications
Népszabadság
HVG
Mayar Hirlap
Figyelo
Magyuar nemzet
Specialist press
Internet - job sites
Signature of tendering party
67
SPECIFICATION - ANNEX 2 (21)
PRICE SCHEDULE 21
LATVIA
NAME(open list)
Unit price in euros for the supply of dummies
Price in euros for purchase of advertising space in the press, expressed in mm²black and white
with a base colour four-colour
Daily and weekly publications
Diena
Dienas Business
Specialist press
Internet - job sites
Signature of tendering party
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SPECIFICATION - ANNEX 2 (22)
PRICE SCHEDULE 22
LITHUANIA
NAME(open list)
Unit price in euros for the supply of dummies
Price in euros for purchase of advertising space in the press, expressed in mm²black and white
with a base colour four-colour
Daily and weekly publications
Lietuvos Rytas
Verslo Zinios
Kauno Diena
Specialist press
Internet - job sites
Signature of tendering party
69
SPECIFICATION - ANNEX 2 (23)
PRICE SCHEDULE 23
MALTA
NAME(open list)
Unit price in euros for the supply of dummies
Price in euros for purchase of advertising space in the press, expressed in mm²black and white
with a base colour four-colour
Daily and weekly publications
L - Orizzont
IT-Torċa
In-Nazzjon
Business Weekly
Malta Independent
Sunday Times
Specialist press
Internet - job sites
Signature of tendering party
70
SPECIFICATION - ANNEX 2 (24)
PRICE SCHEDULE 24
POLAND
NAME(open list)
Unit price in euros for the supply of dummies
Price in euros for purchase of advertising space in the press, expressed in mm²black and white
with a base colour four-colour
Daily and weekly publications
Gazetta Wyborcza
Rzeczpospolita
Zycie Warszawy
Specialist press
Internet - job sites
Signature of tendering party
SPECIFICATION - ANNEX 2 (25)
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PRICE SCHEDULE 25
ROMANIA
NAME(open list)
Unit price in euros for the supply of dummies
Price in euros for purchase of advertising space in the press, expressed in mm²black and white
with a base colour four-colour
Daily and weekly publications
Romenia Liberia
National
Evenimentul Ziley
Capital
Specialist press
Internet - job sites
Signature of tendering party
72
SPECIFICATION - ANNEX 2 (26)
PRICE SCHEDULE 26
SLOVAKIA
NAME(open list)
Unit price in euros for the supply of dummies
Price in euros for purchase of advertising space in the press, expressed in mm²black and white
with a base colour four-colour
Daily and weekly publications
Novy Cas
SME
Pravda
Hospodarske Noviny
Specialist press
Internet - job sites
Signature of tendering party
SPECIFICATION - ANNEX 2 (27)
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PRICE SCHEDULE 27
SLOVENIA
NAME(open list)
Unit price in euros for the supply of dummies
Price in euros for purchase of advertising space in the press, expressed in mm²black and white
with a base colour four-colour
Daily and weekly publications
Delo
Dnevnik
Slov-Novice
Vecer
Specialist press
Internet - job sites
Signature of tendering party
74
SPECIFICATION - ANNEX 2 (28)
PRICE SCHEDULE 28
CZECH REPUBLIC
NAME(open list)
Unit price in euros for the supply of dummies
Price in euros for purchase of advertising space in the press, expressed in mm²black and white
with a base colour four-colour
Daily and weekly publications
Mlada Fronta Dnes
Hospodarske Noviny
Pravo
Lidove Noviny
Specialist press
Internet - job sites
Signature of tendering party
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SPECIFICATION - ANNEX 2 (29)
WORK SCENARIO 1 — PRICE SCHEDULE 29
Advertising campaign for an open competition for auditors
- Target public: nationals of the European Union's 27 Member States - Information to be published:
The European Personnel Selection Office (EPSO) is organising the following open competition, based on tests, to constitute a reserve pool from which to recruit
AUDITORS
Open competition EPSO/AD/999/09
Duties
Like other institutions that audit public finances, the European Court of Auditors performs two types of audit: financial audits and audits of sound financial management/performance audits.
The audit activities of the European Court of Auditors cover a range of fields and consist essentially of:
recurrent audit tasks which the Court is required to perform each year under the terms of the Treaty. These involve auditing the financial statements of the European Union, of the European Development Funds and of all the other bodies and agencies established by the Union;
selective audit tasks, in which the Court chooses certain budgetary or management areas of particular interest and performs an in-depth audit of them.
This may entail:
checking whether resources are used efficiently and with an eye to economy;
examining operations to check whether the results are consistent with the goals and objectives, and that activities are carried out as planned;
analysing and managing the risks associated with Community funds allocated to or collected by the various European institutions and bodies, their partners, intermediaries and the ultimate beneficiaries/creditors;
evaluating and testing the effectiveness of internal control systems, both within the institutions and in bodies which manage or receive Community funding or which establish and collect Community revenue;
examining the reliability and integrity of information systems;
examining the measures taken to safeguard assets;
undertaking the financial checks necessary to ensure the probity of expenditure claims, and the sound financial management of Community grants and projects financed from Community funds;
examining the legality and correctness of budgetary and financial operations;
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auditing financial statements for reliability;
assessing the systems by which organisations are directed and controlled.
The European Union institutions, including the Court of Auditors, place particular importance on the ability of the applicant to grasp problems of all kinds, often complex in nature, to react rapidly to changing circumstances and to communicate effectively, both orally and in writing. You will be expected to show initiative and imagination and to be highly motivated. You should be able to work frequently under pressure, both on your own and in a team, and adjust to a multicultural working environment. You will also be expected to develop your professional skills throughout your career.
Qualifications
You must:
have completed a full university course (or equivalent) normally lasting at least four years and obtained a degree,
or
have completed a full university course (or equivalent) normally lasting at least three years and obtained a degree and have at least one year's relevant professional experience,
or
have an equivalent professional qualification
Professional experience
You must have at least 10 years’ professional experience, with at least 8 years’ experience relevant to the duties in question and 3 years in a management role, i.e. managing teams of auditors (or similar teams). This experience must have been acquired after obtaining the 4-year degree required under (i) or the 3-year degree plus one year’s appropriate professional experience required under (ii) or the equivalent professional qualification required under (iii).
Knowledge of languages
main language (language 1)
You must have a thorough knowledge of one of the official languages of the European Union;
second language (language 2)
You must have a satisfactory knowledge of one of the following official languages: English, French or German (must be different from your main language).
Remuneration
Basic monthly salary as at 1 January 2009: grade AD9, first step: EUR 6 000.00.
The competition notice is published in the Official Journal of the European Union C 999 A of 31 January 2009 ( http://europa.eu/eur-lex) in German, English and French. If you are interested, you must apply online via the website of the European Personnel Selection Office (EPSO) (http://europa.eu/epso), selecting "Online applications-Online Bewerbung-Candidature en
ligne", where you will find more detailed information about how to apply and the electronic registration form.
If you have a disability that prevents you from completing the online registration form, you may request - in writing only - a paper version of the form from the address given in this advertisement.
The European Union institutions apply an equal opportunities policy. For details see the competition notice.
For more information about competitions see our website: http://europa.eu/epso.
Closing date for online registration: 7 March 2009 at 12.00 (noon) Brussels time.
Please note that the authoritative source of information on any EPSO competition is the Notice of Competition published in the Official Journal of the European Union. If there is any conflict between information provided from any other source and the Notice of Competition, the latter takes precedence.
- Propose an advertising campaign in the 27 Member States using what you consider the most appropriate of the media cited in price schedules 1 to 28. Explain your choice.
- Submit a financial tender for this campaign based on the rates in price schedules 1 to 28.The tender must be exhaustive, i.e. it must contain all the costs relating to the tasks needed to carry out the activities, including coordination, staffing and administrative costs, overheads, travel expenses, etc. No costs may be left out. EPSO cannot cover any additional costs.
WORK SCENARIO 1
NAMES OF MEDIA(exhaustive list)
Unit price in euros for the supply of dummies
Price in euros for purchase of advertising space Format proposed, in mm²
Price Additional information
Daily, weekly and specialist publications and/or Internet sites
Advertising campaign for an open competition for IT specialists
- Target public: nationals of the following 12 Member States of the European Union: BG, CY, CZ, EE, HU, MT, LT, LV, PL, RO, SI, SK - Information to be published:
The European Personnel Selection Office (EPSO) is organising the following open competition, based on tests, to constitute a reserve pool from which to recruit
ASSISTANTS in the field of information and communication technology (IT).
Open competition EPSO/AST/999/09
The officials to be recruited will be IT specialists and work in one or more of the following areas:
operation/management of data processing centres
development of information systems (multi-level or web-oriented client/server systems) and web development and administration
maintenance and administration of the user environment
definition of solutions, deployment, management and supervision of e-mail services, data and voice network services, and telecommunications services in general
IT security management
development and maintenance of software for statistical data collection, processing and dissemination
security audit of information systems.
Eligibility (profile sought)
The competition is open to candidates who, on the closing date for online registration, satisfy the following requirements:
1. Qualifications
You must:
(i) have completed a course of advanced secondary education and obtained a diploma in the field of information and communication technology (IT),or(ii) have completed a course of general or vocational secondary education and obtained a diploma giving access to advanced secondary education, followed by at least three years’ relevant professional experience.
2. Professional experience
You must:- since obtaining the qualification required by (i) for admission to the competition
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or - since obtaining the qualification and the professional experience required under (ii) above, have acquired at least three years’ full-time professional experience relevant to the duties.
3. Knowledge of languages
(a) Main language
You must have a thorough knowledge of one of the following official languages of the European Union: Bulgarian, Greek, Czech, Estonian, Hungarian, Lithuanian, Latvian, Maltese, Polish, Romanian, Slovene and Slovak
(b) Second language
You must have a satisfactory knowledge of English, French or German.
Remuneration
Basic monthly salary as at 1 January 2009: grade AST3, first step: EUR 3 000.00.
The competition notice is published in the Official Journal of the European Union C 999 A of 31 January 2009 ( http://europa.eu/eur-lex) in German, English and French. If you are interested, you must apply online via the website of the European Personnel Selection Office (EPSO) (http://europa.eu/epso), selecting "Online applications-Online Bewerbung-Candidature en ligne", where you will find more detailed information about how to apply and the electronic registration form.
If you have a disability that prevents you from completing the online registration form, you may request - in writing only - a paper version of the form from the address given in this advertisement.
The European Union institutions apply an equal opportunities policy. For details see the competition notice.
For more information about competitions see our website: http://europa.eu/epso.
Closing date for online registration: 7 March 2009 at 12.00 (noon) Brussels time.
Please note that the authoritative source of information on any EPSO competition is the Notice of Competition published in the Official Journal of the European Union. If there is any conflict between information provided from any other source and the Notice of Competition, the latter takes precedence.
- Propose an advertising campaign in the 12 Member States using what you consider the most appropriate of the media cited in price schedules 1 to 28. Explain your choice.
- Submit a financial tender for this campaign based on the rates in price schedules 1 to 28.The tender must be exhaustive, i.e. it must contain all the costs relating to the tasks needed to carry out the activities, including coordination, staffing and administrative costs, overheads, travel expenses, etc. No costs may be left out. EPSO cannot cover any additional costs.
1.11 Is this person authorised to be the sole signatory of contracts on behalf of the tendering party?
Yes/No
If “No”:
(a) Please provide the information requested in question 1.10 above for the other signatories required.
(a)
(b) Please give the names of all the other required co-signatories for contracts concluded on behalf of the tendering party.
(b)
1.12 Contact person for this call for tenders:
(a) Name (a)
(b) First name (b)
(c) Title (e.g. Dr, Mr, Mrs, Ms) (c)
(d) Position (e.g. director, etc.) (d)
(e) Telephone number (e)
(f) Fax number (f)
(g) E-mail address (g)
(h) Postal address (h)
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2 QUESTIONNAIRE (EXCLUSION/SELECTION OF TENDERERS)
2.1 Exclusion criteria
Short answer or reference
2.1.1 Have you enclosed with your tender a document certifying the following:
Yes/No
(a) that you are not bankrupt or being wound up, have not ceased or suspended business activities nor are the subject of proceedings for legal settlement, composition or similar?
(a)
(b) that you have not received a sentence against which there is no appeal for an offence relating to professional good character?
(b)
(c) that you have not been found guilty of serious professional misconduct?
(c)
(d) that you are not in breach of the rules regarding the payment of social security contributions, taxes and dues?
(d)
(e) that you are not guilty of misrepresentation in supplying the information required by the authorising department?
(e)
(f) that you have not been the subject of a judgement which has the force of res judicata for fraud, corruption, involvement in a criminal organisation or any other illegal activity detrimental to the Communities' financial interests?
(f)
(g) that, following another procurement procedure or grant award procedure financed by the Community budget, you have not been declared to be in serious breach of contract for failure to comply with their contractual obligations?
(g)
2.1.2 Are you making a joint tender? Yes/No
2.1.3 If you answered “Yes” to point 2.1.2 above:
(a) have all the partners to the joint tender each enclosed a document
(a)
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Short answer or reference
certifying points 2.1.1(a) to 2.1.1(g) above?
(b) state the names of all the partners involved in the joint tender.
(b)
2.1.4 Does your tender make provision for the use of subcontractors?
Yes/No
2.1.5 If you answered “Yes” to point 2.1.4 above:
(a) give the name of each proposed subcontractor;
(a)
(b) state which services you intend to subcontract to each of the proposed subcontractors.
(b)
2.2 Professional capacities
Short answer or reference
Have you (or, in the case of a joint tender, have all the partners) supplied all the information required regarding:
Yes/No
(a) the company name? (a)
(b) date of foundation of company? (b)
(c) copy of articles of association? (c)
(d) entry in the Register of Companies? (d)
(e) VAT number? (e)
(f) company's activities? (f)
(g) composition of the board of directors?
(g)
(h) certificate dated less than 90 days previously, issued by the competent authority of your country, showing that your situation regarding tax and social security obligations is in order?
(h)
2.3 Economic and financial capacity
Short answer or reference
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Have you (or, in the case of a joint tender, have all the partners) supplied the following information:
Yes/No
(a) balance sheets for the two previous years?
(a)
(b) a bank declaration concerning your financial situation?
(b)
2.4 Technical capacity
Short answer or reference
2.4.1 Have you provided:
(a) examples of work directly relevant to the services and products covered by the tender?
(b) examples of other work similar to the products covered by this call for tenders, indicating how the company, companies and partners of the tenderer have carried out the same type of work in the past?
(c) references from your company's customers?
(d) a list of the customers for whom you have worked in the last three years?
Yes/No
(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)
2.4.2 Have you produced documents to certify that you:
Yes/No
(a) possess the required language skills? (a)
(b)(b) are able to design and create information products (including translations) in every Community language?
(c) have experience of complex, cross-border communication activities carried out for public or private organisations?
(c)
2.4.3 Have you: Yes/No
(a) described the technical facilities and material you have at your disposal to provide the services and products required by this call for tenders?
(a)
88
Short answer or reference
(b) certified that your software is compatible with the Commission's operating system (Windows XP)?
(b)
(c) sent us the list of services that you are able to provide directly?
(c)
(d) sent us the list of services and products that you intend to subcontract?
(d)
2.4.4 Have you: Yes/No
(a) stated the total number of full-time staff you will employ?
(a)
(b) submitted a list of personnel capable of performing the tasks described in point 4.2 of these specifications, stating their experience, skills, knowledge of languages and enclosing their CVs?
(b)
2.4.5 Have you supplied other relevant information indicating the skills and experience of the personnel who might be employed on the activities covered in the tender, and providing proof that they have the technical skills to carry out the required services?
Yes/No
2.4.6 Have you stated which services you might subcontract, giving the reference details of the proposed subcontractors, together with written agreement from them?
