REQUEST FOR EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST
Conduct a Pillar Assessment of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Secretariat
1. Tender reference
CCS/SER/001/13.14
2. Procedure
Open Tendering
3. Source of Funding
Caribbean Community (CARICOM) - Core Budget
4. Contracting Authority
Caribbean Community (CARICOM)
CONTRACT SPECIFICATION
5. Contract description
The CARICOM Secretariat will be conducting a Pillar Assessment, which is applicable to entities
that wish to be entrusted with the implementation of the EU budget under Indirect Management. The
Pillar Assessment will be conducted and with regard to the following Pillars:




Internal Control System
Accounting System
Independent External Audit
Procurement
Sub-Delegation
The Auditor is expected to assess the systems that were instituted and examine the effectiveness of the
controls, rules and procedures that were applied by the CARICOM Secretariat, against the criteria set by
the European Commission for each Pillar.
The objective of this Pillar Assessment is to enable the Auditor to report on whether the CARICOM
Secretariat has fulfilled the requirements set out in the relevant sections of the Financial Regulation
applicable to the General Budget of the European Commission, and the Financial Regulation applicable
to the European Development Fund for each relevant Pillar. The Auditor is expected to provide an
opinion as to whether the CARICOM Secretariat:
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
has set up and ensures the functioning in all material respects of an effective and efficient
internal control system and in accordance with the criteria set by the European
Commission; and

uses an accounting system that provides in all material respects accurate, complete and
reliable information in a timely manner and in accordance with the criteria set by the
European Commission; and

is subject to an independent external audit, required to be performed in all material
respects in accordance with internationally accepted auditing standards by an audit service
functionally independent of the entity concerned and in accordance with the criteria set by
the European Commission; and

applies appropriate rules and procedures in all material respects for providing financing
from EU funds through procurement and in accordance with the criteria set by the
European Commission; and

has taken measures in all material respects which ensure that Sub-Delegatees to which the
Entity sub-delegates budget implementation tasks, will implement EU funded actions with
systems and procedures that comply with international standards and with the criteria set by
the European Commission.
The Auditor is expected to report the findings in accordance with the Terms of Reference for this
assessment.
6. Maximum budget
US $ 98,616
7. Scope for additional services
The Secretarist may, at its own discretion, extend the project in duration and/or scope subject to
the availability of funding up to a maximum not exceeding the lenght and value of the initial
contract . Any extension of the contract would be subject to satisfactory performance by the
Contractor.
CONDITIONS OF PARTICIPATION
8. Eligibility
Participation is open to all natural persons or legal persons participating either individually or in a
grouping (consortium) of tenderers of any nationality. Participation is also open to international
organisations.
9.
Candidature
All eligible natural and legal persons (as per item 8 above) or groupings of such persons
(consortia) may apply.
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A consortium may be a permanent, legally-established grouping or a grouping which has been
constituted informally for a specific tender procedure. All members of a consortium (i.e, the
leader and all other members) are jointly and severally liable to the Contracting Authority.
The participation of an ineligible natural or legal person (as per item 8) will result in the
automatic exclusion of that person. In particular, if that ineligible person belongs to a consortium,
the whole consortium will be excluded.
10. Number of applications
No more than one Expression of Interest (EOI) can be submitted by a natural or legal person
whatever the form of participation (as an individual legal entity or as leader or member of a
consortium submitting an application). In the event that a natural or legal person submits more
than one application, all applications in which that person has participated will be excluded.
11. Shortlist alliances prohibited
Any tenders received from tenderers comprising firms other than those mentioned in the shortlisted EOI will be excluded from this Open Tender procedure unless prior approval from the
Contracting Authority has been obtained. Short-listed candidates may not form alliances or
subcontract to each other for the contract in question.
12. Sub-contracting
Subcontracting is allowed
13. Number of candidates to be short-listed
On the basis of the EOIs received, between 3-5 candidates will be invited to submit detailed tenders
for this contract. If the number of eligible candidates meeting the selection criteria is less than the
minimum of 3, the Contracting Authority may invite the candidates who satisfy the criteria to submit
a tender.
PROVISIONAL TIMETABLE
14. Provisional date of invitation to tender
13 October, 2014
15. Provisional commencement date of the contract
1 December, 2014
16. Initial period of implementation of tasks
30 days
SELECTION AND AWARD CRITERIA
17. Selection criteria
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The following selection criteria will be applied to candidates. In the case of EOIs submitted by a
consortium, these selection criteria will be applied to the consortium as a whole:
1) Financial capacity of candidate (based on item 3 of the EOI form). In case of candidate
being a public body, equivalent information should be provided.
Criteria for legal persons
1. the average annual turnover of the candidate must at least be equal the annualised
maximum budget of the contract (i.e., the maximum budget stated in this REOI divided
by the initial contract duration in years, where this exceed 1 year); and
2. Net current assets must be positive for the current and previous year.
Criteria for natural persons
1.
the available financial resources of the candidate must at least be equal maximum
budget of the contract; and
2.
the financial situations of the candidate should not be in deficit, taken into account
debts, at the beginning and end of year.
2) Professional capacity of candidate (based on items 4 and 5 of the Expression of Interest
form)
Criteria for legal persons:
1. at least three staff currently work for the candidate in fields related to this contract.
Criteria for natural persons:
1. is currently working or has worked during the past three years as Project manager/team
leader with three collaborators in fields related to the contract.
3) Practical capacity of candidate (based on items 5 and 6 of the Expression of Interest form)
Criteria for legal and natural persons:
1. the candidate has provided services under at least three contracts each with a budget of at
least that of this contract in, Financial audits, systems audits and institutional compliance
assessments, which were implemented at any moment during the following period: 3 years
from the submission deadline, 11 November, 2014.
Previous experience which would have led to breach of contract and termination by a Contracting
Authority shall not be used as reference. This is also applicable concerning the previous
experience of experts required under a fee-based service contract.
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. It must in that
case prove to the Contracting Authority that it will have at its disposal the resources necessary for
performance of the contract, for example by producing an undertaking on the part of those entities
to place those resources at its disposal. Such entities, for instance the parent company of the
economic operator, must respect the same rules of eligibility and notably that of nationality, as the
economic operator.
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If more than 5 eligible candidates meet the above selection criteria, the relative strengths and
weaknesses of the applications of these candidates must be reexamined to identify the best
candidates. The only factors which will be taken into consideration during this re-examination
are:
1) the highest number of projects in criteria 3.1
2) the project with the highest value in criteria 3.1
3) Preference will be given to experience in Caribbean region
18. Award criteria
Best value for money.
SUBMISSION OF EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST
19. Deadline for receipt of EOIs
10 October, 2014
Any submissions received after this deadline will not be considered.
20. Format of submissions and details to be provided
EOIs must be submitted using the format of standard template, which is available from the
following
Internet
address:
http://www.caricom.org/jsp/secretariat/procurement.jsp?menu=secretariat
Any additional documentation (brochure, letter, etc) sent with any submission will not be taken
into consideration.
21. How EOIs may be submitted
EOIs must be submitted in English exclusively to the Contracting Authority

EITHER electronically to :
Programme Manager, Administrative Services
CARICOM Secretariat
Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown
Guyana
Email: procurement@caricom.org

OR hand delivered in a sealed envelope (including courier services) directly to the Contracting
Authority in return for a signed and dated receipt to:
Programme Manager, Administrative Services
CARICOM Secretariat
Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown
Guyana
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Telephone: 592-222-0104
The Contract title and the Publication reference (see item 1 above) must be clearly marked on the
envelope containing the application and must always be mentioned in all subsequent
correspondence with the Contracting Authority.
22. Alteration or withdrawal of applications
Candidates may alter or withdraw their EOI by written notification prior to the deadline for
submission of EOIs. No EOI may be altered after this deadline.
Any such notification of alteration or withdrawal shall be prepared marked 'Alteration' or
'Withdrawal' as appropriate, and submitted in accordance with Item 21.
23. Operational language
All written communication for this tender procedure and contract must be in: English.
24. Additional information
The opening hours of the Contracting Authority are 08:30 hrs to 16:40 hrs Guyana time.
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