TENDER N°: CFT/11/ETF/0038
TITLE: “SERVICES TO SUPPORT ETF PROJECT
ACTIVITIES IN KAZAKHSTAN”
TENDER DOSSIER
 PART A:
TENDER SPECIFICATIONS
 PART B:
DRAFT CONTRACT
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PART A:
TENDER SPECIFICATIONS
1. Terms of Reference
SUMMARY OF SERVICE REQUESTED
Title of this service
Services to support ETF project activities in Kazakhstan
Expected start date
May 2012
Expected End date
April 2016
Maximum potential budget
for the whole life of the
contract
€ 350 000
1. BRIEF BACKGROUND RELEVANT FOR THE SERVICE
The European Training Foundation (ETF) is an agency of the European Union based in Turin, Italy.
It works with transition and developing countries to apply human resource development (HRD)
strategies to socio-economic development. As the EU’s centre of expertise ETF supports education
and training reform in the context of the EU external relations programmes 1. The ETF deploys and
recruits experts from multiple disciplines to handle complex and multidimensional topics in a team
based approach, in order to create new knowledge, result orientated competencies and solutions in
the partner countries.
The work of the ETF is based on the evidence that education and training can make a fundamental
contribution to increasing prosperity, creating sustainable growth and encouraging social inclusion in
developing and transition economies. The ETF adds value to the EU external relations programmes
by facilitating communication and learning between the EU and its partner countries; ETF considers
system reform in education and training as a cornerstone for more efficient human resource
development strategies.
The ETF provides services (advice and assistance) to the European Commission and a number of
the partner countries2 that receive support from the European Union’s external relations
programmes for the modernisation of human resource development policies.
The ETF annual work programme and information on specific projects can be found on
www.etf.europa.eu.
Given the subject of the contract and its place of delivery participation in this call for tenders is also
open to all natural and legal persons that are established in Kazakhstan.
2. OBJECTIVE AND EXPECTED RESULTS OF THE SERVICE
Through this tender, ETF intends to conclude a framework contract for services to support locally
the implementation of its activities in Kazakhstan.
1 The ETF was established by Regulation (EC) No. 1339/2008 of the European Parliament and the Council of 16
December 2008 (recast) to contribute to the development of education and training systems in EU partner countries.
2 The ETF currently works with 30 partner countries: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Kosovo, Macedonia
(FYR), Montenegro, Serbia, Turkey (IPA region); Algeria, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Egypt, Georgia, Israel,
Lebanon, Jordan, Moldova, Morocco, Russian Federation, Syria, Tunisia, Ukraine, West Bank and Gaza Strip (ENPI
region); Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan (DCI region). Any possible extension to other
countries, will be as designated by decision of the ETF Governing Board on a proposal from the Commission, in
accordance with the external relations priorities of the European Union and as far as available resources allow.
2
Due to the nature of the services required and their place of delivery, the ETF is seeking a
company, which will ensure a strong local base in Kazakhstan3 and with staff appropriate for
achieving the scope of the contract. The service provider will be required to provide upon ETF
request the two main types of services described below which may also be closely linked.
SERVICE A: Organisation of project meetings such as workshops or seminars in Kazakhstan
In order to facilitate capacity building activities, policy discussion with national and regional decisionmakers, sharing of experience within the country and/or with other ETF partner countries, etc. ETF
regularly organises project meetings such as, training sessions, workshops, dissemination
seminars, conferences and final project events. These are mainly aimed at exchanging ideas or
information at country or regional level and are generally regarded as practical working meetings.
Such meetings are often part of or closely related to project activities.
The requirements of each specific project meeting/event will be outlined in specific Terms of
Reference (TORs) which will be sent to the Framework Contractor along with a Request for Offer
(RfO). ETF and international and national experts may also be invited to attend these meetings.
Their travel arrangements and expenses are often covered by other means, but as a rule they would
require logistical assistance by the Contractor for their participation.
Indicatively, the ETF meetings or events can range from a half-day meeting of 10 experts to a 2-3
day conference of a project with up to 50 participants (with a limited number of participants coming
from other ETF partner countries, in particular Central Asia, or the EU) requiring, for example,
overnight accommodation, meeting facilities, interpretation, translation of working documents, etc.
Previously typical ETF project events in Kazakhstan have ranged from 15 to 35 participants, and the
majority of participants are locally based. Most of the ETF events take place in Astana, but they
could also take place in Kazakh regions depending on venue availability and/or ETF’s decision to
organise them elsewhere. In the coming years the ETF is planning to strengthen cooperation with
the following regions: Atyrau, Almaty, Pavlodar, Ust-Kamenogorsk. ETF events are often organised
in close cooperation with the Ministry of Education and Science of Kazakhstan, therefore close
coordination with the Ministry may be requested during the whole organisation phase.
Please see Appendix C for the list and size of the ETF events organised in Kazakhstan in the period
of the last 2 years.
In exceptional cases, the contractor might be asked to organise an event for Kazakh stakeholders
outside of Kazakhstan, in which case, in addition to the services described above, the contractor
might be required to make international travel arrangements, liaise with the local stakeholders and
service providers in the country in question, etc.
SERVICE B: Support to ETF country networking
The ETF may require support in the following two areas:
1) Support to the organisation of ETF missions to Kazakhstan, including organisation of bilateral
meetings with Kazakh counterparts;
2) Translation of documents (English/Russian/Kazakh) and working papers with technical
specialised terminology for events / workshops.
If these services are needed, detailed requirements will be outlined in specific Terms of Reference
(TORs), which will be sent to the Framework Contractor along with a Request for Offer (RfO). The
Framework contractor has to ensure that at all the stages of implementation of activities the ETF
corporate identity is respected.
3 Please see additionally Appendix E on the specific requirements for joint offers and subcontracting.
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3. SPECIFIC ACTIVITIES
Activities of the Contractor related to SERVICE A
The Contractor shall efficiently organise project meetings and events in Kazakhstan, and, in
exceptional cases, for Kazakh participants outside of Kazakhstan, taking into account their
specific needs as per the TORs and in all cases ensuring that all logistics are organised to a high
standard and in a timely manner to allow for smooth implementation and ideal working conditions.
Under the category of service A, the services requested belong under I) standard meeting
package and/or under II) additional services, as described below:
A.I. Services included in the standard meeting package
In the organisation of each meeting the Contractor will provide the below services which are
considered as a standard meeting package covered by the Contractor’s fixed fees (described in
the financial proposal) and which shall include the following services:
1. All relevant administrative, technical, logistic and secretarial support to ETF, local,
regional participants and international experts prior to, during and following the event,
including participating in the pre-event briefing with the ETF staff several days before the
event.
2. Issuing invitations and closely following registration and confirmation of participation
prior to the event.
3. Disseminating event related background documents to participants, if required.
4. Support in the identification of relevant participants and liaising with national
counterparts in the organisation of the event, if required.
5. Compiling a list of participants prior to the event and ensuring it is signed by all
participants and completed as relevant during the event. This signed list of participants
will be used as a means to verify the total number of participants and related
Contractor’s fee. After each event the list of participants who actually took part in the
event (with full contact details) will be provided to the ETF by the Contractor.
6. Taking detailed minutes during the events.
7. Logistic support for the organisation of participants’ travel & visa arrangements and
reservation of accommodation for the events in Kazakhstan. In the majority of cases,
this relates to the travel arrangements of Kazakh participants within the country.
However, it may also relate to the travel arrangements of participants from other
countries of Central Asia (and, in exceptional cases, European countries or other ETF
partner countries) to Kazakhstan. The costs of travel, visa and accommodation are to be
considered as “reimbursable costs”.
8. In exceptional cases, logistic support for travel and/or accommodation and/or visa for
Kazakh participants invited to events taking place in the EU (for example, a study visit in
an EU Member State) or an ETF partner country4. The costs of travel, visa,
accommodation are to be considered as “reimbursable costs”.
9. Booking necessary local transfers within the city of the event (including to/from hotel and
to/from the airport or train/bus station) as necessary depending on meeting location and
where participants come from. The cost of transfers are to be considered as
“reimbursable costs”.
10. Preparing and ensuring badges and name plates for all the participants and event signs
4 The ETF currently works with 30 partner countries: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Iceland, Kosovo,
Macedonia (FYR), Montenegro, Serbia, Turkey (IPA region); Algeria, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Egypt, Georgia,
Iceland, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Moldova, Morocco, Russian Federation, Syria, Tunisia, Ukraine, West Bank and
Gaza Strip (ENPI region); Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan (DCI region). Any possible
extension to other countries, will be as designated by decision of the ETF Governing Board on a proposal from the
Commission, in accordance with the external relations priorities of the European Union and as far as available
resources allow
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(all bearing the ETF logo and respecting the ETF corporate identity). The costs of
badges and nameplates are to be considered as “reimbursable costs”.
11. Ensuring working documents and stationary for the event including pens, paper /
notebooks, folders, photocopied material. The costs of stationary etc. are to be
considered as “reimbursable costs”.
12. Ensuring all sub-contracting and payments required for all services for the event.
Calculation of contractor’s fees for SERVICE A.I. (standard meeting package):
The Contractor’s fees per each event will be made up of two parts:
a) fixed fee for the organisation of each event. This fixed fee will be charged by the
Contractor for the organisation of any type of event. The fixed fee per event is the first part
of the contractor’s fee for event organisation. The contractor shall be paid this nonvariable fee per each event organised. It shall not vary according to the overall budget of
the event nor the size or duration of the event. Tenderers do not need to include any of
the additional services e.g. room rental, interpretation equipment, meals and
accommodation, etc. (A.II.) in this fixed fee as these will be reimbursable costs. The fee
will cover all costs of implementation of activities and all administrative and management
costs related to the assignment to be carried out by the Contractor described in the
standard meeting package above, such as staff costs, overheads, social security, taxes,
bank charges etc. incurred by the Contractor. The contractor may not add its own
‘booking’ and/or ‘administrative’ charges to items such as travel, accommodation, etc.
these will not be considered eligible and under no circumstances will be covered by ETF.
Please see Appendix C for the list and size of the ETF events organised in Kazakhstan in
the period of the last 2 years.
b) fee per participant per day of each event. This participant fee – calculated on the
number of invitees who actually attend a meeting (excluding the Contractor’s staff) – will
be added to the fixed fee per event. The fee per participant is the second part of the
contractor’s fee for event organisation. As it is charged per participant per day, this is the
way in which the contractor’s fee varies in accordance with size and duration of an event.
For example: for a two-day meeting with 15 participants, the total Contractor’s fee would
be calculated as: € ‘fixed fee’ + 15 X € ‘participant fee X 2 days.
The fee per participant is applicable for invited participants, experts and ETF staff. It is not
applicable for Contractor’s staff, interpreters, other technical support staff, etc
The number of participants and corresponding fee to which the Contractor is entitled will
be determined by the final signed list of participants per each day of event, approved by
ETF.
Please see Appendix C for the list and size of the ETF events organised in Kazakhstan in
the period of the last 2 years.
A.II. Additional services
The ETF may request the Contractor to provide additional services such as arranging:
1. Appropriate meeting venue, comfortable spacious meeting room(s) and meeting room
layout suitable for the nature of meeting and its agenda and to facilitate
discussions/training. For each assignment the Contractor will propose at least 2 possible
venues for the approval of ETF;
2. All relevant audio/visual, technical equipment and other meeting equipment and supplies,
i.e. overhead projector, computer with power-point and other software, video projector, flipchart /white board and pens, etc For each event and if applicable the contractor will agree
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with the ETF the necessary equipment needed;
3. In accordance with the agenda, appropriate coffee breaks, lunches and other
refreshments, for all participants;
4. Official dinners and social events;
5. Interpretation equipment and qualified experienced interpreters for high quality
interpretation;
6. High quality translations (English – Russian – Kazakh);
7. Upon request of the ETF, inviting the mass media to the ETF events, issuing press
releases and or articles in local mass media, as well as providing the published materials
to the ETF;
8. Badges and name plates for all the participants and event signs (all bearing the ETF logo
and respecting the ETF corporate identity);
9. Working documents and stationary for the event including pens, paper / notebooks,
folders, photocopied material;
10. Covering the costs of over-night accommodation for participants from another
city/region/country and related meals (dinner/breakfast);
11. Covering the travel costs of event participants to and from the city of the event (which may
also include inter-regional or international travel tickets);
12. For regional events outside Astana: related travel, local transport, accommodation and
meal costs for the Contractor and support staff prior to and during the event, upon
agreement of ETF. (For information, most of the ETF events take place in Astana, but they
could also take place in regions depending on venue availability and/or ETF’s decision to
organise them elsewhere);
13. In exceptional cases of Kazakh participants taking part in events outside Kazakhstan (for
example in the EU or in another partner country) organised by the ETF, ensuring
appropriate logistic arrangements for the Kazakh participants including overnight stay,
travel, visa, etc.
Reimbursements to the Contractor for the additional services:
The budget proposal for the above-mentioned services will need to be presented for approval to
the ETF in advance for each event organised if requested in the specific Terms of Reference
and related Request for Offer.
The costs will be reimbursed to the contractor by the ETF after the services rendered, at
the final payment stage and upon presentation and approval from the ETF of all relevant
invoices and/or other supporting documents demonstrating the nature of the services and the
cost incurred.
The contractor will follow the principle of good financial management and ensure value for
money, i.e. quality of service at the most advantageous price. For this reason, the Contractor may
be requested to provide a selection of price quotes for one of all of the above-mentioned services
as requested and if applicable.
Activities of the Contractor related to SERVICE B
Under the category of service B, the services requested belong under I) standard mission
package and/or under II) translation services, as described below:
B.I. Services included in the standard mission package
The Contractor will support the ETF project teams (which may include ETF staff and international
and local experts) in the organisation of missions to Kazakhstan. The services required as part of
the standard mission package are:
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1. setting up of meeting schedule with Kazakh counterparts,
2. support in obtaining visas
3. logistical arrangements such as hotel booking, reserving the pick-up from/to the airport
and transfers between meetings in the city
4. booking restaurants for working lunches or dinners
5. helping with arrangements of regional travel
6. identifying / booking a professional interpreter for high-quality interpretation (EN/RU/KAZ)
for specified days / meetings during the mission
which must all be taken into account in the fixed fee per mission package (described
below).
B.II. Translation services
The Contractor will ensure and cover the cost of high quality translation of project documents and
working papers with technical specialised terminology (between English, Russian and Kazakh
languages).
Calculation of Contractor’s fees for SERVICE B:
The Contractor’s fees for Service B will be paid according to two different fee rates as per the
financial proposal for the two services.
a) fixed fee per mission package for support to the organisation of ETF missions to
Kazakhstan. The fee will cover the cost of all services described in the standard
mission package above (B.I.).
Interpretation costs, costs of pick-up from/to the airport, costs of transfers between
meetings in the city, costs of regional travel within the country or region, visa,
accommodation costs are considered to be outside of the standard mission package
fee.
A typical ETF mission may consist of 2 persons who stay in the country for up to 14
working days with a maximum of 4 meetings per day. The ETF carries out approximately
6 missions per year.
The Contractor may be requested to pre-finance mission related interpretation costs,
transfers and/or regional travel within the country or region. Such costs will be agreed with
the ETF in advance and reimbursed to the Contractor by the ETF after the mission at the
final payment stage, upon approval of supporting documents demonstrating the nature of
the service and the costs incurred.
b) fixed price per translation page (1 500 characters without spaces) for high quality
translation of project documents and working papers as described in B.II.
The contractor will be reimbursed accordingly based on the price indicated in the
financial proposal.
4. HOW SERVICES WILL BE CONTRACTED UNDER THE FRAMEWORK CONTRACT
A framework contract is a legal agreement between two parties - in this case, ETF and ‘the
Contractor’. It acts as the basis for possible future purchase of services by ETF. The framework
contract contains, among others, the scope of services that can be purchased by ETF, contractor’s
activities, methodology, timing and fees to be respected by the Contractor. It is a contract of a fixed
duration but with no fixed value, only a maximum total value. The framework contract itself is not an
order for services and does not constitute a financial commitment. When required, services are
requested under ‘order forms’ linked to specific activities.
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The ETF can issue order forms for specific services under the framework contract. An example of
the order form used is attached to the Draft Contract. The procedure for concluding an order form
is as follows:
1. The ETF will send a Request for Offer (RfO) with specific Terms of Reference (TORs) for the
assignment to the contractor together with a time schedule and any other information it
considers relevant e.g. maximum budget available for each assignment.
2. The contractor will present to the ETF within four working days a detailed budget breakdown of
the assignment based on the specific requirements of the TORs;
3. The ETF and the contractor will agree on the distribution of the budget into fees, and
reimbursable costs where applicable;
4. The ETF will send a signed order form to the contractor. 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 working 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, or an
activity is cancelled, etc.
No legal commitment exists on behalf of either party until the order form counter-signed by the
contractor has been received by ETF.
In the course of contract implementation, the contractor should bear in mind that any changes in the
nominated staff and/or changes in the methodology described in the contractor’s technical proposal,
must be communicated to ETF for approval.
The Contractor shall also ensure that any member of his personnel working in the context of this
Contract, including the personnel at the local office, fulfils all legal obligations with respect to social
security contributions, insurance and fiscal regulations.
5. BUDGET
 The maximum budget available to issue order forms under the framework contract is € 350 000.
 Indicatively, ETF envisages that the total value of reimbursable costs will not exceed 70% of all
activities implemented under the contract.
 The total budget for each assignment will be that agreed between ETF and the contractor in the
signed order form.
 All fee rates referred to are those contained in the signed framework contract between the
Contractor and the ETF.
6. KICK OFF MEETING
An inception meeting will take place either in the ETF in Turin or during the ETF mission in
Kazakhstan, after the contract is signed. During the inception meeting the Contractor`s contact
person will be invited to familiarise with the ETF structure and activities, financial and reporting
procedures. No fees will be paid for the kick off meeting and the ETF will only reimburse the related
travel and subsistence expenses to the Contractor, if applicable.
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7. MONITORING PROGRESS
The contractor will maintain regular communication with the ETF, in English by phone and email, as
necessary to ensure clarity on the progress of the service.
On issues strictly related to organisation of events and missions (Service A and B), in case the
Contractor is established outside of Kazakhstan, the ETF will have direct access to the local office
of the Contractor and upon ETF’s request the local office will provide status reports on the progress
of organisation of the event in question.
Regular briefing meetings will be organised between the ETF country manager and the Contractor
during the missions of the Country manager to Kazakhstan to discuss issues related to
implemented and future assignments. In case the Contractor is established outside of Kazakhstan,
the meetings will be organised with the representative/s of the local office in Kazakhstan.
For the sake of monitoring and improving the quality of services the ETF responsible person will fill
in and provide the feedback form (Appendix D) to the Contractor after the implementation of Service
A or Service B.
Upon request, during the life of the contract, the contractor will provide to ETF brief ad-hoc progress
reports as requested by the ETF.
8. PAYMENT PLAN
1. The contract foresees the possibility of pre-financing (advance) payments of 50% of the
value of each order form above 10,000 euro, provided that it is clearly stipulated in the order
form and/or the terms of reference for the assignment. The Contractor will need to send a
request/invoice for each pre-financing payment. ETF will pay pre-financing within 30 days of
receipt of an original correct signed request/invoice from the Contractor.
2. Final payment will be made upon successful completion of the assignment in accordance with
the specific Terms of Reference and on the condition that a correct final invoice supported by a
complete and accurate financial report is provided to ETF (see ‘Brief guide on preparation of
the financial report’ in Appendix A).
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APPENDICES
Appendix A: Brief Guide on Preparation of Financial Report (and Final Invoice)
Appendix B: A list of typical services requested by the ETF from the Contractor for the organisation
of events
Appendix C: List of ETF events organised in Kazakhstan in 2010 and 2011
Appendix D: ETF Feedback form
Appendix E: Joint offers and subcontracting
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Appendix A: Brief guide on preparation of the financial report (and final
invoice)

The financial report and its accompanying supporting documents will demonstrate without a
doubt the amounts being claimed by the Contractor and exactly what these amounts relate to.
Particularly in the case of ‘reimbursable costs’ the Contractor must clearly demonstrate the
costs incurred in ensuring that service to the ETF. Amounts claimed must always be in line with
the TORs for the specific assignment and agreed related budget.

The financial report will take the form of a clear list in English of the amounts (in Euro) claimed
by the Contractor with the related supporting documents attached. The structure of the report
will, in so far as possible, follow that of the agreed budget breakdown of the order form and
follow the same main budget headings (as described also under ‘Budget’ of these Terms of
Reference): 1. Fees, 2. Reimbursables (if applicable).

To ensure clarity, particularly when the amounts claimed for require many supporting
documents, the Contractor will ensure that both the list of amounts claimed and the supporting
documents will be numbered in the same way. Where necessary, the Contractor will write a
brief translation in English of what the supporting document refers to. The following are just
some examples of the types of supporting documents to be attached to the financial report.
Description of required supporting documents per service
1. Fees:
1.1. Fee for SERVICE A, organisation of project meetings:
i)
fixed fee for the organisation of each event. The contractor is paid a
non-variable fee per each event organised. The supporting document for
the organisation of ETF project meetings / events will be an invoice
indicating the number of meetings / events organised.
ii) fee per participant per day of each event.
The supporting document which will determine the fee rate to be applied
is the final list of participants signed by each participant on each day they
were present at the meeting. The participants list will include local and
international invitees and experts, and the ETF staff but will not include
the Contractor’s staff, interpreters or other support staff of the meeting. It
is the Contractor’s responsibility to ensure that they ask each meeting
participant to sign. In case signatures of participants present during the
meeting are missing from the signed list, which would affect the final fee
rate, the Contractor may provide an explanation in writing to the ETF
contact person for the assignment – the ETF may decide that it is
possible to take the missing number into account. The fee per participant
is applicable for invited participants, experts and ETF staff. It is not
applicable for Contractor’s staff, interpreters, other technical support
staff, etc.
The number of participants and corresponding fee to which the
Contractor is entitled will be determined by the final signed list of
participants per each day of event, approved by ETF. However, if the
Contractor does not inform ETF, at least 4 ETF working days in advance
of the meeting, that the total number of participants may exceed that
stated in the signed order form, the ETF may not be able to approve any
budget amendment or increase the total order form value.
1.2. Fee for SERVICE B, support to ETF country networking:
1. fixed fee per mission package. The supporting document for the
support to the organisation of ETF missions to Kazakhstan will be an
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invoice indicating the number of missions organised.
2. fixed price per page (1 500 characters without spaces). The
supporting document will be an invoice declaring the number of pages
translated.
2. Reimbursable 2.1 Travel costs
costs:
Copy of flight ticket and original boarding pass stubs and, where
relevant, travel agency invoice; invoice from bus/car-hire company; etc.
Dates travelled and total price must be clear on the supporting documents.
2.2 Other reimbursable costs
Invoices from suppliers demonstrating clearly the service (e.g.
interpretation, translation, hotel accommodation, meals etc.), dates and exact
cost.
In case of doubt, the Contractor will discuss and agree in advance with the ETF contact
person on the types of supporting documents that will be required to support specific
expenditure. It is requested to do so in writing.

The financial report should include any correspondence between ETF and the contractor
agreeing changes to the budget distribution during the execution of the assignment. Such
budget changes must be agreed in writing between the two parties before the expenditure
takes place.

ETF may consider reimbursable costs ineligible if they are not related to the agreed assignment,
were not requested by ETF in the order form (or in writing following signature of the order form)
or if the cost incurred by the Contractor cannot be demonstrated clearly (lack of supporting
document(s))

Where relevant, the exchange rate to be used for the purpose of financial reporting is the
European Commision’s InforEuro rate of the month on which expenditure occurs.
This can be found on http://ec.europa.eu/budget/inforeuro/. This applies to reimbursable costs
purchased in another currency. (If the Contractor wishes to use the official exchange rate of the
bank where he has his bank account, this is a possibility. An official document from the bank
must be provided and the issue must be agreed in advance with the ETF.)

Any other more specific requirements for the financial report may be mentioned in the TORs for
a specific assignment.
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Appendix B: A list of typical services requested by the ETF from the
Contractor for the organisation of events

Translation (EN-RU-KAZ) of background documents for the event including agenda,
invitation letters, list of participants, presentations, etc.,

Dispatch of invitation letters and registration forms to the to the list of invitees provided by
ETF,

Follow-up of the registrations and confirmations of participants,

Booking the meeting venue as appropriate according to the agenda, number of
participants and duration of the event, ensuring smooth implementation and ideal working
conditions,

Travel arrangements, accommodation and spare meals for Kazakh participants coming
from outside the meeting venue,

Travel arrangements, transportation from/to airport, accommodation and spare meals for
international participants attending ETF events in Kazakhstan,

Lunches, coffee breaks and water on the table for meeting participants according to the
agenda,

Simultaneous / consecutive interpretation English/Russian/Kazakh,

Technical equipment: video projector, beamer, laptop, screens, flip charts (with paper and
pens), microphones and full sounds system, moderation materials, easy access to printer,
photocopier, etc.,

Preparation of folders, badges and nameplates for the event participants,

Provision of printed material related to the event,

Provision of pens and bloc-notes for the participants,

Ensuring presence of ETF logo and title of project/event on all signs, documents, folders,
etc,

Ensuring the relevant administrative, technical and secretarial support to allow for the
smooth organisation and implementation of the event,

Providing detailed minutes of events,

Other.
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Appendix C: list of ETF events organised in Kazakhstan in 2010 – 2011
 National conference on discussion of concept of employment, 25 February 2010
Number of participants: 37 (2 from Almaty, the rest from Astana)
Venue of event: Astana
 Focus Group meeting on Torino Process and Education & Business Cooperation, 28 April
2010
Number of participants: 14 (2 from Almaty, the rest from Astana)
Venue of event: Astana
 Validation seminar on Torino Process country review, 28 September 2010
Number of participants: 51 (5 from Almaty, the rest from Astana)
Venue of event: Astana
 National conference on School Development, 7-8 December 2010
Number of participants: 50 (37 from Almaty, the rest from Astana)
Venue of event: Astana
 Capacity building training on School Development, 27 – 29 January 2011
Number of participants: 21 (6 from Almaty, the rest from various regions of Kazakhstan)
Venue of event: Almaty
 Regional event on Torino Process and Education & Business Cooperation, 22 February 2011
Number of participants: 23 (8 from Astana, 4 from Almaty and other regions, 3 from
Uzbekistan, 1 from Turkmenistan, 5 from Tajikistan, 2 from Kyrgyzstan)
Venue of event: Astana
 Capacity building training on School Development, 4 April 2011
Number of participants: 24 (14 from Almaty, the rest from various regions of Kazakhstan)
Venue of event: Almaty
 Capacity building training on School Development, 27 May 2011
Number of participants: 20 (10 from Almaty, the rest from various regions of Kazakhstan)
Venue of event: Almaty
 National workshop on partnership between education and business in VET, 21 – 22 June
2011
Number of participants: 31 (19 from Astana, the rest from various regions of Kazakhstan)
Venue of event: Astana
 Regional workshop on education-business cooperation, 3 October 2011
Number of participants: 15 (1 from Astana, the rest from Atyrau)
Venue of event: Atyrau
 Regional workshop on education-business cooperation, 7 October 2011
Number of participants: 22 (1 from Astana, 2 from Pavlodar, the rest from Ust
Kamenogorsk)
Venue of event: Ust-Kamenogorsk
 National workshop on evidence based policy making, 11 October 2011
Number of participants: 15 (all from Astana)
Venue of event: Astana
14
Appendix D: ETF feedback form
Type of service:
 Organisation of project meeting
 Support to organisation of ETF missions
 Translation of documents
Organisation of project meetings
1. Handling of participants (invitations, confirmations, accommodation, travel etc)
 Good
 Satisfactory
 To be improved
Additional comments:
2. Logistical arrangements (venue, required equipment, interpretation, meals,
preparation of background materials, etc)
 Good
 Satisfactory
 To be improved
Additional comments:
Support to organisation of ETF missions
 Good
 Satisfactory
 To be improved
Additional comments:
Translation of documents
 Good
 Satisfactory
 To be improved
Additional comments:
Contractor`s comments:
15
Appendix E: Joint offers and subcontracting
A. JOINT OFFERS
1. Definition
A joint offer is a situation where an offer is submitted by a group of tenderers.
Tenders can be submitted by groupings of service providers/suppliers who will not be required to
adopt a particular legal form prior to the contract being awarded. However, the selected group
might be required to adopt a given legal form after it has been awarded the contract if this is
necessary for proper performance of the contract.
2. Tendering documents
The offer has to be signed by the lead partner of the group which has been duly authorised by the
other members of the grouping when the tenders have not yet formed a legal entity.
Partners in a joint offer assume joint and several liability towards ETF for the performance of the
contract as a whole.
The group must clearly indicate which service provider will be carrying out which tasks as well as
who has been appointed by the others as the lead partner. The lead partner shall be the contracting
party with ETF and shall be responsible for the overall performance of the contract and
management of the other members of the consortium.
All the information on exclusion and selection criteria of each member of the group must be
included in the offer.
3. Evaluation of exclusion and selection criteria
The exclusion criteria will be assessed in relation to each company individually. Each member of
the group must be eligible in accordance with section 3.1 below and provide the required evidence.
The exclusion of a member of the group leads to the exclusion of the group.
The selection criteria will be assessed in relation to the combined capacities of all members of the
group as a whole. Therefore, as evidence of the financial capacity of the group, combined evidence
must be submitted (e.g. a statement indicating the combined turnover of all the members of the
group).
4. 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 by a tendering group.
16
B. SUB-CONTRACTING
1. 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.
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.
The tenderer may include in its request to participate/offer any level of subcontracting in order to
demonstrate that it fulfils the selection criteria.
2. Tendering documents
The tenderer must provide in his offer:
(1) A document
- clearly stating the identity, roles, activities and responsibilities of subcontractor(s) and;
- specifying the volume/proportion for each subcontractor
(2) 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 contracting authority shall assume that the
tenderer does not intend subcontracting.
3. Evaluation of exclusion and selection criteria
The tenderer has to furnish the documents regarding the exclusion and selection criteria on his
behalf and the subcontractor has to countersign them. In this case, if the subcontractor is subject to
exclusion, the tenderer will be excluded. The selection criteria will be assessed in relation to the
combined capacities of the tenderer and the subcontractor. Therefore, as evidence of the financial
capacity, combined evidence must be submitted (e.g. a statement indicating the combined turnover
of the tenderer and the subcontractor).
4. Evaluation of award criteria
The award criteria will be assessed in relation to the tender.
17
2. Timetable
The timetable for this tender procedure and signature of the resulting contract(s) is as follows:
Date
Comments
Tender launch date
21.12.2011
Deadline for request of clarifications
06.02.2012
Site visit or clarification meeting (if any)
Date publication sent to OJ
---
Last date on which clarifications are issued by ETF
09.02.2012
Deadline for submission of offers
17.02.2012
See ‘Guidelines for ETF public
procurement’ for more details
Interviews (if any)
---
Opening session
23.02.2012
At 14:30 hrs local time
Evaluation of offers
01.03.2012
Estimated starting date
Notification of award
Four weeks
after evaluation
date
Estimated
Contract signature
Eight weeks
after evaluation
date
Estimated
May 2012
Estimated
Commencement date of activities
18
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.
i) 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 selfdeclaration before contract award.
ii) Selection documentation
Tenderers must prove that they have the technical & professional, and economic & financial
capacities to effectively perform and administer the contract.
Technical & professional capacity
The tenderer must have the following technical and professional capacity to perform the
contract:

A minimum of three years experience in implementing the type of services (service A and
service B) as described in the terms of reference in Kazakhstan.

Suitable organisational infrastructure for the implementation of the activities in Kazakhstan,
and in particular in Astana.
Evidence of this capacity must be provided by:

A detailed list of services similar to those described in the terms of reference, implemented
over the past 3 years, including dates, values and names of recipients of the service in
Kazakhstan.

A brief description of the organisational infrastructure of the tendering company, including
for tenderers established outside Kazakhstan, description of the local office based in
Kazakhstan.
Economic & financial capacity
The tenderer must be able to prove that he is in a stable financial position.
Evidence of this capacity must be provided by:
1. The presentation of balance sheets and profit and loss accounts for the past three years
for which accounts have been closed.
2. The following table on the tenderer’s financial stability duly filled in:
19
Parameter
Formula
Value
(to be filled in by tenderer)
N-3
Working Capital
N-2
N-1
Current Assets
--------------------------- =
Current Liabilities
Financial Independence
Own Funds
------------------------------ =
Total Liabilities (Equity & Third
Party Debts)
Net Result
----
Turnover related to the
services requested
----
Where:
 N is the current year for which accounts have not been closed.
 Own Funds are Capital plus Reserves
In the case of a consortium submitting an offer, each member of the consortium must provide
the required evidence. For ‘technical and professional capacity’ the evidence provided by each
member of the consortium will be checked at consortium level to ensure that the consortium
fulfils the criteria.
iii) 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
20
3.2 Offer: Technical Proposal & Financial Proposal
The tenderer’s offer must demonstrate an understanding of the ETF terms of reference and be
presented in clear concise language.
i) Technical proposal
The Contractor will effectively manage this service contract and in order to do so, will ensure
and demonstrate in its technical proposal the following management capacities or systems:

all necessary qualified human resources and technical infrastructure;

effective local support;
 qualified personnel and/or resources to maintain a well-functioning financial management
and accounting system;

the capacity to implement several activities simultaneously;
 the capacity to maintain up-to-date complete electronic and paper files related to all
activities.
Considering the above-mentioned points, the Tenderer’s technical proposal must include the
following information and must be undersigned for acceptance:
 SERVICES A AND B: Contact person and team for contract management and
implementation of services
 Provide a brief description of the company, indicating the name, functions and contact
details of the team. Nominate a contact person and team for contract management and
implementation of services i.e. nominate at least one contact person and at least one back-up
contact person (to act on behalf of the contact person in his/her absence) to oversee and
manage all requests from the ETF and liaise with the ETF contact person(s) on a daily basis,
and propose a relevant team with specified roles and responsibilities to implement the two
services and all activities outlined under the section “Activities of the Contractor” of these
Terms of Reference and ensure efficient management of the contract. CVs of the team must
be provided in the Europass format. Both the contact person and the back up have to be fluent
in English. The Contractor has to ensure that those team members that meet/liaise with the
ETF representatives on mission in Kazakhstan in order to provide support to mission
organisation or to discuss the arrangements for ETF events are fluent in English.

SERVICES A AND B: Methodology
 Describe the means to ensure that the ETF shall receive high quality and timely local
support for organisation of project meetings (Service A).
 Describe the approach for establishing and enhancing local networking capacities with
Ministries (usually, the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Labour, as well as sectoral
Ministries), including high ministerial officials.
 Describe the approach to organisation of meetings (both in Astana or in Kazakh regions) by
providing detailed information of the different steps proposed to organise different types of
meetings, including timing, resources, existing network of suppliers. Criteria for selection of
suppliers should also be included. The Tenderers should also include an evaluation
methodology they intend to put in place to assess the success of the meeting organisation and
reliability of suppliers. Additionally, the tenderer should propose effective measures for
ensuring visibility for the events (Service A).
 Describe the means to ensure the ETF with high quality local support in all indicated
activities. For translation of project documents and working papers with technical specialised
terminology for events / workshops: describe the means to provide high quality service within a
given deadline (Service B).
 In case the tenderer is established outside of Kazakhstan, describe clearly how the different
responsibilities will be divided between the central office at the tenderer’s place of business
and the local office in Kazakhstan, and define the degree of responsibility of each of the actors
21
per task, i.e. which responsibilities will be fully delegated to the local office, which will be
shared, and which will remain under full control of the central office.
Describe the mechanisms of quality assurance in place for guaranteeing overall quality
services to the ETF, including if applicable aspects related to the share of responsibilities with
the local office.
22
ii) Financial proposal
Tenderers must use the below standard formats to present their financial proposal.
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 Communities 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.
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 Communities for services rendered by tenderers having
their place of business within the European Union.
For tenderers outside the European Union in principle this exemption does not apply,
unless the applicable tax laws foresee an exemption when working with a body of the
European Union. For this reason, for tenderers to whom the exemption does not apply
are requested to provide the price exempt of taxes and the related amount for taxes.
Please note that for the purpose of the evaluation the total price including taxes will be
considered.
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.11 to the draft contract.
1. Price in
€
DESCRIPTION
2. Taxes
(incl VAT) in €
3. Total Price
in €
(1. + 2.)
CONTRACTOR’S FEES FOR SERVICE A
Fixed fee for the organisation of each event
Fee per participant per day of each event
CONTRACTOR’S FEES FOR SERVICE B
Fixed fee per mission package
Fixed price for translation per page (1500
characters without spaces)
I hereby acknowledge and accept the assumptions to the financial proposal presented
above:
Name
(legal representative)
Signature
Date
23
4. Evaluating the offers: award criteria
ETF will use the following award criteria to evaluate the offers received:
Technical award criteria
Weighting
(out of 100)
Composition of the team proposed according to the roles and
responsibilities requested
30
Methodology proposed covering all points included under services
A and B
30
Financial award criteria
Fixed fees for each event
20
Fee per participant
10
Fixed fee for organisation of each mission
10
The sum of all criteria gives a total of 100 points. The respective weighting between the different
award criteria depends on the nature of the services required and is consequently closely related to
the terms of reference. The award criteria are thus quantified parameters that the offer should
comply with.
Please note that the fixed price for translation per page is not subject to evaluation.
Minimum threshold score against technical award criteria:
Tenderers scoring less than 30 points of the total score for all of the technical award criteria will be
excluded. Furthermore, tenderers scoring less than 15 points for any one of the technical award
criteria will be excluded.
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).
24
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 technical proposal.
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 have submitted 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/11/ETF/0038).

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 have sealed 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
 The duly completed and signed Legal Entity Form and required supporting document(s)
 The duly completed and signed Financial Identification Form
I confirm that Envelope B contains:
 One signed original and 3 copies of the technical proposal
 The present checklist duly signed and dated
I confirm that Envelope C contains:
 One signed original of the financial proposal presented in the requested format
Name
(legal representative)
Signature
Date
25
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.
26