TENDER N°: CFT/14/ETF/0011
SUPPLY OF SERIALS AND
E-RESOURCES
TENDER DOSSIER
 PART A:
TENDER SPECIFICATIONS
 PART B:
DRAFT CONTRACT
CFT/14/ETF/0011 | 1
Contents
PART A:
1.
TENDER SPECIFICATIONS ............................................................................................... 3
Terms of reference .......................................................................................................................3
1.1.
Brief background relevant to the supply ...................................................................................3
1.2.
Deliverables’ specific requirements ..........................................................................................3
1.3.
How supplies will be contracted under the framework contract ...............................................4
1.4.
Budget ......................................................................................................................................5
1.5.
Monitoring progress ..................................................................................................................5
1.6.
Payment plan............................................................................................................................5
1.7.
Appendix ...................................................................................................................................6
2.
Timetable ......................................................................................................................................7
3.
Preparing a tender: required documents ......................................................................................8
3.1.
Supporting documentation .......................................................................................................8
3.1.1.
Declaration on exclusion criteria ..........................................................................................8
3.1.2.
Selection documentation ......................................................................................................8
3.1.3.
Standard forms .....................................................................................................................9
3.1.4.
Joint offers and subcontracting ............................................................................................9
3.1.4.1.
Joint offers ............................................................................................................................9
3.1.4.2.
Subcontracting................................................................................................................... 10
3.2.
Offer: Technical proposal and financial proposal .................................................................. 12
3.2.1.
Technical proposal ............................................................................................................ 12
3.2.2.
Financial proposal ............................................................................................................. 12
4.
Evaluating the offers: award criteria .......................................................................................... 14
5.
Checklist for submission of tender ............................................................................................ 15
PART B:
Draft Contract .................................................................................................................... 17
CFT/14/ETF/0011 | 2
PART A:
TENDER SPECIFICATIONS
1. Terms of reference
Summary of requested supply
Type of supply
Supply of serials and e-resources
Expected delivery date
January 2015
Expected duration of related services
4 years
Place of delivery
ETF - Torino
Maximum budget available
€ 90.000
Based on past experience, the annual volume
expected is estimated at between 15,000-25,000
Euro
Approximate volume of work
1.1. Brief background relevant to the supply
The ETF corporate library provides staff with access to information, both paper-based and electronic
version.
Access to electronic resources is not open to any external restricted or general public. End-user
population for online services is everyone with access to IP address, being the approximately 100 staff
members of the organisation. In practice, as shown by past experience, it is expected that the enduser population will mainly be drawn from library staff and specialists in ETF core business in the
Operations Department – an active population of approximately 70 users.
More information about the ETF activities can be found on its website: www.etf.europa.eu.
Given the subject of the contract, participation in this call for tender is open to all natural and legal
persons that are established (nationals or headquarters respectively) in the EU, Serbia, Former
Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Albania, Montenegro, Iceland, Norway and Liechtenstein.
1.2. Deliverables’ specific requirements
The objective of the requested services is:


to supply ETF corporate library with serials (both in print and electronic format) and other
electronic information resources via the Internet/cloud,
to manage ETF’s subscriptions to periodical publications and electronic resources via the
Internet/cloud
Description of the services: Serials and electronic resources subscription management
The requested service addresses the centralised management of ETF’s subscriptions to serials
(scholarly journals and magazines), both in print and electronic format and to other electronic
resources (e.g. statistical databases, electronic libraries).
The requested service must include:
General services:
o Provision of a portfolio of subscriptions to serials (see Appendix 1)
o Provision of electronic access to subscribed materials
CFT/14/ETF/0011 | 3
Online portal:
o Provision of a single portal giving access to digital and full-text content of serial subscriptions
and inclusive of tables of contents/Abstracts, including search facilities
o Possibility to request/access to single articles which are not included in the subscriptions
activated (e.g. ad hoc document requests or pay-per-view)
Administrative database and reporting:
o Access to an administrative database to manage order status, ongoing claims and replies,
supply issues, and so on.
o Standard and personalised reporting on portfolio of subscriptions: number, type, access
details etc.
o Other client assistance services (e.g. support in the use of portals, administrative databases,
internet/cloud services and on-line training)
For information and guidance, an exhaustive sample list of ETF current subscriptions to serials and
electronic resources recently ordered by ETF is attached in Appendix 1.
During the contract execution, the Contractor might be requested to submit quotes for items other than
the ones mentioned on the sample lists.
1.3. How supplies will be contracted under the framework contract
1. The ETF library sends a request for offer to the contractor via email, indicating all the titles that it
intends to renew or new subscriptions to activate. New subscription activations could be also
requested during the year
2. The contractor provides a quotation via email within five calendar days from the date of request
3. The ETF library issues an order form to confirm which subscriptions shall be renewed or activated
and sends it via email. An example of the order form used is attached to the Draft Contract.
4. The contractor will counter-sign, and return the order form (scanned by e-mail or by fax) to ETF as
acknowledgement of receipt and acceptance within 2 calendar days. Upon signature by both
parties, the assignment can begin.
At no stage in the process is the ETF legally bound to issue an order form. Therefore the ETF has no
legal commitment to the contractor in case the agreement is not reached on the budget, an activity is
cancelled, etc..
All items ordered by ETF must be delivered to the ETF premises, at the following address:
European Training Foundation
Library / EBP Department
Viale Settimio Severo, 65
10133 Torino
ITALY
Replacement costs related to wrong deliveries are to be taken care and sustained by the contractor.
Each order placed by ETF should be implemented and the items delivered within six (6) weeks, unless
otherwise agreed. Books shall be delivered by courier in such way as to respect the delivery time.
If an item ordered is not available from the distributor, the ETF must be notified within one working day
of the contractor being made aware of the problem.
The Contractor should ensure the direct management of reminders to the distributor whenever
needed.
The delivery of the serials is to be included in the price charged by the contractor for the requested
service, including indications of the delivery channel/courier type and conditions as well as cost.
In case of urgency, ETF may ask the contractor to provide an express order and delivery service.
Such delivery will normally be expected to take place within ten (10) working days. Priority delivery
costs and conditions need to be clearly indicted.
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In case of delays or other problems, the contractor should inform the ETF within one working day as of
the moment the contractor is aware of the delay.
ETF may refuse to accept and/or pay for deliveries made beyond the agreed delivery date. If not
accepted, items will be returned to the contractor at his charge. This will not affect ETF’s right to
impose liquidated damages in case of breach of the contractor’s obligations as defined in the General
Conditions of the contract.
Publications delivered in hard copy must be packed in such a way that they are protected against
damage (e.g. during handling).
The requested delivery method is direct delivery from the tenderer to ETF.
1.4. Budget
The overall maximum estimated value for a period of 4 years is approximately 90.000 €.
Based on past experience, the annual volume expected for 2015/2016 is estimated at between
15,000-25,000 Euro.
The total value of the separate orders under the Framework contract will depend on the titles and
quantities to be ordered by ETF. The number of titles and copies that ETF may order may vary
depending on the actual needs.
Any change in the specifications which will impact on the budget occurred during the life of the
contract must be agreed in writing with ETF before implementation.
Please, refer to the financial proposal for more information on the budget.
Any other more specific requirements for the use of the budget may be mentioned in the specific terms
of reference attached to the order form.
1.5. Monitoring progress
A dedicated reference person will maintain regular communication with the ETF, mainly via email and
telephone to ensure clarity on the progress of the requested services. A backup person should be
ensured.
The ETF working language is English; therefore the contractor should ensure that the dedicated
reference person is fluent in English both in writing and speaking. The contractor will maintain regular
communication with the ETF to ensure clarity on the progress of the deliveries.
Upon request, the contractor will provide brief ad-hoc progress reports during the life of the contract.
1.6. Payment plan
The payment terms are described in the draft framework contract (see Part B of the tender dossier).
The ETF will not pay by credit card for online orders. Payments will be made by bank transfer within
30 days of receipt of a valid invoice, following activation of the requested subscription.
Payment
Amount
Milestone
Final
100% of contract value
Submission of deliverable(s) and invoice
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1.7. Appendix
Appendix 1: sample list of ETF subscriptions to serials and electronic resources recently ordered by
ETF. This is the template table to be used by tenderers in order indicate availability for each item (see
also point 3.1.2 of the terms of reference).
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2. Timetable
The timetable for this tender procedure and signature of the resulting contract(s) is as follows:
Date
Comments
Tender launch date
03.07.2014
03/07/2014
Deadline for request of clarifications
05.09.2014
05/09/2014
Last date on which clarifications are issued by
the ETF
10.09.2014
10/09/2014
Deadline for submission of offers
25.09.2014
25/09/2014
Opening session
02.10.2014
02/10/2014
Evaluation of offers
08.10.2014
08/10/2014
Notification of award
Contract signature
Commencement date of contract
4 weeks after
evaluation date
8 weeks after
evaluation date
January 2015
Estimated
Estimated
Estimated
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3. Preparing a tender: required documents
3.1.
Supporting documentation
Tenderers must provide a full set of documents for each of the following three areas, which the
evaluation committee will assess before proceeding with evaluation of offers.
3.1.1. Declaration on exclusion criteria
Tenderers are required to provide the completed and signed ‘Declaration on exclusion criteria’.
This standard declaration form is available for downloading at the following address:
http://www.etf.europa.eu/web.nsf/pages/Open_tenders.
Tenderers will be excluded in case they are in any of the situations listed in the declaration on
exclusion criteria. The ETF may request further documentary evidence to support this self-declaration
before contract award. Tenderers must provide a full set of documents for each of the following three
areas, which the evaluation committee will assess before proceeding with evaluation of offers.
3.1.2. Selection documentation
Tenderers must prove that they have the technical & professional, and economic & financial capacities
to effectively perform and administer the contract.
Technical and professional capacity
The tenderer must have the following technical and professional capacity to perform the contract:
1. Capability in responding to ETF needs based on the sample list provided in Appendix 1.
2. Valid experience in the provision of the requested services.
Evidence of this capacity must be provided by:
1. The completed list indicating the capability to provide ETF with at least 25 out of 29 of the items on
the sample list (Appendix 1). Tenderers should fill in the column ‘availability’ with Yes or No (see
Appendix 1 of the terms of reference).
2. A detailed list of services performed over the last three years similar to those described in this
Terms of Reference, indicating the name of the customer, the type of service (serials/e-resources)
and the year(s) covered and indicative values.
Economic and financial capacity
The tenderer must be able to prove that he is in a stable financial position and meets the following
financial stability parameters.
For profit making organisations:
1. The ratio between short term assets and short term debts should be above 1.
2. The ratio between own funds and total liabilities should be above 0,2.
3. The net profit should be positive.
4. The annual global turnover should be at least twice the average contract value for a year (45,000
Euro).
For non-profit organisations:
1. The ratio between short term assets and short term liabilities should be above 1.
CFT/14/ETF/0011 | 8
2. The ratio between net assets or equity and total liabilities should be above 0,2.
3. The gross operating surplus should be positive.
4. The annual global revenues should be at least twice the average contract value for a year (45,000
Euro).
Evidence of this capacity must be provided by:
1. The presentation of financial statements for the past three financial years for which accounts have
been closed signed by the legal representative.
2. The table on the tenderer’s financial stability duly filled in and signed by legal representative
(available for download at the following link:
http://www.etf.europa.eu/web.nsf/pages/Open_tenders).
3.1.3. Standard forms
Tenderers must provide the following forms duly completed and signed:
Legal Entity Form and related supporting document(s):
http://ec.europa.eu/budget/contracts_grants/info_contracts/legal_entities/legal_entities_en.cfm
Financial Identification Form:
http://ec.europa.eu/budget/contracts_grants/info_contracts/financial_id/financial_id_en.cfm
3.1.4. Joint offers and subcontracting
3.1.4.1. Joint offers
Definition
A joint offer is a situation where an offer is submitted by a group of economic operators.
Tenders can be submitted by groupings of economic operators who will not be required to adopt a
particular legal form.
Tendering documents
The offer has to be signed by the lead member of the group which has been duly authorised by the
other members of the grouping when the tenderers have not yet formed a legal entity.
The following documents have to be provided with the offer:

A power of attorney from all members to the lead member of the group

A document clearly stating which member will be carrying out which tasks as well as who has
been appointed by the others as the lead member

The legal entity form and related supporting document(s) for all members

The financial identification form for the lead member
Partners in a joint offer assume joint and several liability towards the ETF for the performance of the
contract as a whole. This implies that all members have an equal standing towards the ETF in
executing the contract.
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The lead member shall sign the contract with the ETF, shall have full authority to bind and manage all
members and shall be responsible for the overall administration of the contract. The power of attorney
contained in the offer will be attached to the resulting contract.
Evaluation of exclusion and selection criteria
Each member of the grouping must be from an eligible country. The exclusion of a member of the
group leads to the exclusion of the tender.
The exclusion criteria will be assessed in relation to each economic operator individually. Each
member of the group must be eligible and provide the required evidence. The exclusion of a member
of the group leads to the exclusion of the tender.
The selection criteria will be assessed as follows:
The selection criteria for technical and professional capacity will be assessed in relation to the
combined capacities of all members of the group as a whole. The lead partner shall provide the
required evidence on behalf of the group.
The selection criteria for economic and financial capacity will be assessed in relation to the combined
capacities of all members of the group as a whole. However, each member of group must provide the
required evidence.
Evaluation of award criteria
The award criteria will be assessed in relation to the tender, irrespective of whether it has been
submitted by a single legal/natural person or as a joint offer.
3.1.4.2. Subcontracting
Definition
Sub-contracting is a situation where a contract has been or is to be established between ETF and a
contractor and where the contractor, in order to carry out the contract, enters into legal commitments
with other legal entities for performing part of the work, service or supply. The contractor shall retain
full responsibility towards the ETF for the implementation of the contract. The ETF has no direct legal
commitment with subcontractor(s).
An economic operator may, where appropriate and for a particular contract, rely on the capacities of
other entities, regardless of the legal nature of the links which it has with them in order to contribute
directly to the performance of the activities mentioned in the tender specifications.
Tendering documents
For subcontracting exceeding 10% of the total value of the contract per subcontractor, the tenderer
must provide in his offer:
A document from the tenderer clearly stating the identity, roles, activities and responsibilities of
subcontractor(s) and specifying the volume/proportion for each subcontractor
A letter of intent by each subcontractor stating its unambiguous undertaking to collaborate with the
tenderer if he wins the contract and the extent of the resources that it will put at the tenderer’s disposal
for the performance of the contract
If the above-mentioned documents are not provided, the ETF shall assume that the tenderer does not
intend subcontracting or intends subcontracting below the 10% limit.
Evaluation of exclusion and selection criteria
The tenderer must be from an eligible country, subcontractors may be from non-eligible countries.
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The exclusion criteria will be assessed in relation to the tenderer and to each subcontractor exceeding
10% of the total value of the contract. The tenderer and its subcontractors must be eligible and provide
the required evidence. The exclusion of the tenderer leads to the exclusion of the tender. The
exclusion of a subcontractor may lead to the exclusion of the tender.
The selection criteria will be assessed in relation to the combined capacities of the tenderer and the
subcontractor(s) to the extent that the subcontractor puts its resources at the disposal of the tenderer.
The required evidence should be provided and signed by the tenderer only.
Evaluation of award criteria
The award criteria will be assessed in relation to the tender.
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3.2.
Offer: Technical proposal and financial proposal
The tenderer’s offer must demonstrate an understanding of the ETF terms of reference and be
presented in clear concise language.
3.2.1. Technical proposal
The technical proposal must include the following information and must be undersigned for
acceptance:
1. A description of the subscription management service, including a CV of the contact person
appointed, the activation process and timing, the renewal process, the delivery process and
the client assistance services offered
2. A description of the online portal, including the number and quality of items covered, search
and browse facilities and how the ETF collection will be made accessible through the portal.
3. A description of available administrative databases, reporting facilities and additional services
such as how the tenderer provides (access to) articles other than the ones published in
subscribed journals
3.2.2. Financial proposal
Tenderers must use the following standard format (see next page) to present their financial proposal.
CFT/14/ETF/0011 | 12
General comments on the financial proposal
■ All prices must be quoted in Euro. If necessary, please use the conversion rates published in the
Official Journal of the European Union on the day when the invitation to this tender was issued.
This information is available on the following website of the European Central Bank:
http://www.ecb.int/stats/eurofxref.
■
The total price cannot exceed the maximum budget available for the tender.
■
The conditions stated below the table must be included on the tenderer’s Financial Proposal which
must be undersigned for acceptance.
■
Prices must be quoted free of all duties, taxes and other charges (including VAT) as the ETF is
exempt from such charges under Articles 3 and 4 of the Protocol on the privileges and immunities
of the European Union for services rendered by tenderers having their place of business within the
European Union.
■
The tenderer to whom the contract will be awarded will have the sole responsibility for complying
with taw laws which apply to him in line with Article II.15.4 to the draft contract.
Publisher’ list price @xxx%
For example: Publisher’s list price @95%, or Publisher’s list price @105%.
If relevant, state variations in xxx% according to the size and/ or value of individual
orders (this will not be subject to the price evaluation)
Price conditions:
The %-rate should take into account all discounts, customer handling charge and other costs such as
the delivery costs, replacement costs and costs of packaging.
For example: taking into account tenderer’s own costs of purchase, and all other costs and any
discount, the tenderer may conclude that an economic rate to charge ETF is 98% of publisher’s list
price. This means that for an item with the cover price of EUR 20, the tenderer would charge ETF EUR
19.60.
I hereby acknowledge and accept the conditions to the financial proposal presented above:
Full name of legal
representative
___________________________________________
Signature
___________________________________________
Date
___________________________________________
CFT/14/ETF/0011 | 13
4. Evaluating the offers: award criteria
The ETF will use the following award criteria to evaluate offers received:
Award criteria
Weighting (out of
100)
Technical award criteria
Quality of the service:
Description of the service
20
Online portal
20
Administrative database and reporting
10
Financial award criteria
Price
50
Minimum threshold score against technical award criteria:
Tenderers scoring less than half points for any one of the technical award criteria will be excluded.
Comments on evaluation of the price:
The price evaluation will be made exclusively on the publisher’s price list @xxx% and not on the
variations due to size or value of individual orders.
Evaluation on the basis of best value for money:
The formula used by the ETF to calculate which offer represents the best value for money
incorporates the score for the technical quality and price as described at paragraph 6.3 to the
Guidelines for ETF public procurement (http://www.etf.europa.eu/web.nsf/pages/Open_tenders).
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5. Checklist for submission of tender
When submitting a tender you must acknowledge that you have read and understood the Guidelines
for ETF public procurement (http://www.etf.europa.eu/web.nsf/pages/Open_tenders) and ensure that
you have compiled your tender in accordance with the below checklist, to be attached to your
supporting documentation.
Please tick  the boxes below
 I have read and understood the Guidelines for ETF public procurement
 I have read and I accept the terms and conditions of the draft contract
 I have submitted my tender within the stipulated deadline
 I am submitting my tender in three separate inner envelopes (A, B and C) within an outer envelope
or parcel
 I clearly stated the following information on the outer envelope or parcel:
 The reference number of the Call for Tender (CFT/14/ETF/0011).
 The title of the tender
 The name of the tenderer
 The indication “Offer – Not to be opened by the internal mail service”
 The ETF address for submission of offers
 A clear postmark showing the date
 I am sealing the outer envelope or parcel with adhesive tape and signed across the seal
 I have drafted my tender in one of the official languages of the European Union
 Both the technical and financial proposals are signed by the tenderer’s legal representative
I confirm that Envelope A contains one signed original of the following supporting
documentation:
 The required Declaration on Exclusion Criteria
 The required evidence of the Selection Documentation for technical and professional
capacity
 The required evidence of the Selection Documentation for economic and financial capacity
 The duly completed and signed Legal Entity Form and required supporting document(s)
 The duly completed and signed Financial Identification Form
 The present checklist duly signed and dated
I confirm that Envelope B contains:
 One signed original and 3 copies of the technical proposal
I confirm that Envelope C contains:
 One signed original of the financial proposal presented in the requested format
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Please let us know how you found out about this tender
 ETF website
 Official Journal of the European Union
 Search engine
 Other (please specify): ________________________________________________
Full name of legal
representative
(person authorised to sign
the contract)
___________________________________________
Signature
___________________________________________
Date
___________________________________________
Full name of contact person
___________________________________________
E-mail address
___________________________________________
Fax number
___________________________________________
For joint tenders, please fill in the following table and add any additional lines for all members
% volume
of work
Full name of lead member
_________________________________
_______
Full name of member
_________________________________
_______
Full name of member
_________________________________
_______
Full name of member
_________________________________
_______
For subcontracting, please fill in the following table and add any additional lines for all
subcontractors
% volume
of work
Full name of tenderer
_________________________________
_______
Full name of subcontractor
_________________________________
_______
Full name of subcontractor
_________________________________
_______
Full name of subcontractor
_________________________________
_______
CFT/14/ETF/0011 | 16
PART B:
DRAFT CONTRACT
This draft contract, together with the ETF terms of reference and the successful tenderer’s offer technical and financial proposals – will form the legal agreement between the two parties for
implementation of the service and all required administrative and financial conditions.
Any comments on the draft contract should be provided together with the technical proposal. Requests
from the proposed winning tenderer to amend the contract following the award decision may lead to
the exclusion of the offer.
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