TENDER N°: CFT/14/ETF/0001
TITLE: PROVISION OF BRANDED
PROMOTIONAL MATERIALS
TENDER DOSSIER
PART A:
TENDER SPECIFICATIONS
PART B:
DRAFT CONTRACT
CFT/14/ETF/0001 | 01
PART A:
TENDER SPECIFICATIONS
1. Terms of reference
Summary of the service requested
Title
Provision of branded promotional materials
Expected start date
July 2014
Expected end date
June 2018
Maximum budget available
EUR 130 000
1.1
Background information
The European Training Foundation (ETF) is a European Union (EU) agency, based in Turin (Italy),
which supports 30 partner countries and territories – future EU Member States, South Eastern
Europe, Eastern Europe and Central Asia, and Mediterranean countries – to harness the potential
of their human capital through the reform of education, training and labour market systems in the
context of the EU’s external relations policy. The ETF’s vision is to make vocational education and
training in the partner countries a driver for lifelong learning and sustainable development, with a
special focus on competitiveness and social cohesion.
The ETF provides tailored advice to the European Commission and partner countries on how to
achieve sustainable reform. This advice embeds human capital and employment policy into the
overall economic and social development strategies of the partner countries.
Further information about the ETF and its activities can be found on the web: www.etf.europa.eu.
In the context of its communication policy, the ETF disseminates information on its activities to
various audiences, and it hosts and participates at many meetings and events to share and
develop knowledge, learning and networking with its key partners, customers and stakeholders.
Branded promotional items are given to the participants at such events.
Given the subject of the contract, participation in this call for tender is open to all natural and legal
persons that are established (domicile or headquarters respectively) in the EU, Serbia, FYROM,
Albania, Montenegro, Iceland, Norway and Liechtenstein.
1.2
Objective and expected results of the service
Objective
This tender is launched with a view to concluding a framework contract for the provision of services
to support the ETF communication needs through the production over the next four years of a
broad range of custom branded promotional materials.
Results
Good quality, useful and original items produced that display the ETF logo, contact details and/or
internet address (URL), and a slogan or other graphic images as and when required.
CFT/14/ETF/0001 | 02
1.3
How services will be contracted under the framework contract
The ETF can issue order forms for specific services under the framework contract. An example of
such an order form is attached to the draft contract. The procedure for issuing an order form is as
follows:
1.
The ETF sends a request for offer with specific terms of reference for the assignment to the
contractor, together with a time schedule and any other relevant information (e.g. maximum
budget available).
2.
The contractor presents to the ETF, within five working days, a detailed budget breakdown of
the assignment (based on the specific requirements in the request for offer).
3.
The ETF and the contractor agree on the distribution of the budget into fees and
reimbursable costs, where applicable.
4.
The ETF sends a signed order form to the contractor. The contractor acknowledges receipt
and acceptance by sending a signed copy back to the ETF within seven calendar days and
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.
1.4
Budget
The maximum budget available to issue order forms under the framework contract is
EUR 130 000.
The budget for each assignment will be that agreed between the ETF and the contractor in the
signed order form.
The actual fee rates and/or prices will be those quoted by the successful tenderer in their financial
proposal.
Please refer to the financial proposal for more information on the budget.
1.5
Monitoring progress
The contractor will maintain regular communication with the ETF to ensure clarity on the progress
of the service.
The contractor will highlight any issues of concern in due time.
1.6
Payment plan
Final payment
YES
100% of assignment value
Triggered by ETF approval of items
delivered + invoice
CFT/14/ETF/0001 | 03
2.
Timetable
The timetable for this tender procedure and the signature of the resulting contract is as follows:
Date
Comments
Tender launch
14/01/2014
Date publication sent to OJ
Deadline for request for clarification
17/02/2014
Last date on which clarifications are
issued by the ETF
24/02/2014
Deadline for submission of offers
03/03/2014
See the Guidelines for ETF
public procurement for more
details
Opening session
10/03/2014
At 14.30 local time
Evaluation of offers
17/03/2014
Estimated starting date
Notification of award
4 weeks after the
evaluation date
Estimated
Contract signature
8 weeks after the
evaluation date
Estimated
Commencement of activities
July 2014
Estimated
CFT/14/ETF/0001 | 04
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 (see
Sections 3.1.1, 3.1.2 and 3.1.3), which the evaluation committee will assess before proceeding
with the evaluation of offers.
3.1.1 Declaration on exclusion criteria
Tenderers must provide the Declaration on exclusion criteria duly completed and signed.
This standard declaration form may be downloaded from:
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.
3.1.2
Selection documentation
Tenderers must prove that they have the technical and professional, and economic and 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. at least three years of experience in branded promotional materials’ production;
2. the capacity to use graphic software applications compatible with those used by the ETF, such
as Adobe Creative Suite;
3. the capacity to provide graphic suggestions to apply the ETF brand to selected items;
4. the capacity to support and advice the ETF in choosing items of promotional merchandise that
best meet ETF’s needs.
Evidence of this capacity must be provided by:
1. a list of services similar to those described in the terms of reference, implemented over the
past three years, including dates, values and recipients;
2. a statement of the software applications used to carry out any design work;
3. the CV (Europass format) of at least one person – company’s staff or independent professional
cooperating with the company on a regular basis – that demonstrates the required experience
in using these software applications; the Europass CV template may be downloaded from:
www.europass.ie/europass/euro_cv.html.
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.
CFT/14/ETF/0001 | 05
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.
For non-profit organisations:
1. The ratio between short term assets and short term liabilities should be above 1.
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.
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.
CFT/14/ETF/0001 | 06
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.
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).
CFT/14/ETF/0001 | 07
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.
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.
CFT/14/ETF/0001 | 08
3.2
Offer: technical and financial proposals
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 information requested below and must be undersigned for
acceptance.
A. Tenderers will provide samples of the following items:

standard ball pen + environmentally-friendly version

standard cloth shopper bag + environmentally-friendly version (38x42cm)1

standard 4 gigabyte flash drive + environmentally-friendly version

umbrella

short sleeve t-shirt

small table flag

large flag for flagpole (2.9x1.9m)2.
Samples will be returned to tenderers upon request (to be stipulated in the offer).
B. Tenderers will provide pictures and descriptions of the following items:

roller banner (1.4x2m)3

pop-up stand (4.2m)4.
The functionality and usability of these items must be clearly presented.
All the items listed above are those that will most likely be produced by the ETF throughout the
duration of the contract. In all cases the items required are of a standard mid-price range5. This
is not an exhaustive list of products that the ETF will request during the duration of the contract,
but it will make up the bulk of the orders made. Other promotional items that are not on this list
will be ordered from the catalogue(s) of the winning tenderer if required. Alternatively, other
items that are neither in this list nor in the catalogue(s) may be required on an ad-hoc basis. In
this case a detailed price quotation will be requested.
1
The sizes given are based on products that have been made for the ETF in the past and are meant as a
guide to tenderers only. Small variations in the dimensions of the items proposed will be accepted.
2
Ibid.
3
Ibid.
4
Ibid.
There are no other specifications for the materials requested; ‘mid-price range’ is intended as good quality,
neither luxury nor bottom-range products.
5
CFT/14/ETF/0001 | 09
C. Tenderers will provide extensive catalogues of the promotional items they offer.
These catalogues should present normal items and environmentally-friendly ones, with a clear
distinction between the two types of product. Environmentally-friendly items should be either
recycled, recyclable, non-polluting, ethical, sustainable, biodegradable, organic or fair trade, or
any combination of these.
The price of all items should be clearly displayed in the catalogues or in an annex thereto and
these prices will be considered binding for the first year of the contract.
D. Tenderers will provide a brief description of their company and quality assurance
procedures in place to ensure the timely production of good quality promotional items.
3.2.2 Financial proposal
Tenderers must use the standard price table (see following page) to present their financial
proposal.
General comments
Offers which do not cover all items in the price table will not be considered for evaluation.
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 European Central Bank’s website:
www.ecb.int/stats/eurofxref.
The assumptions stated below the table must be included in 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 Communities for services rendered by tenderers having their place of business
within the European Union.
CFT/14/ETF/0001 | 10
Deliverable6
Unit price for various
quantities (in EUR)
Unit
price7
(in EUR)
500
1,000
3,000
(1)
(2)
(3)
(4)
Average
of unit
prices
((2)+(3)
+(4)):3
Production
time8
(in days
for 1,000
items)
(5)
(6)
Standard ball pen
Environmentally-friendly
standard ball pen
Standard cloth shopper bag
(38x42cm)9
Environmentally-friendly
standard cloth shopper bag
(38x42cm)10
Standard 4 gigabyte flash drive
Environmentally-friendly
standard 4 gigabyte flash drive
Umbrella
Short sleeve t-shirt
Small table flag
Large flag for flagpole
(2.9x1.9m)11
Roller banner (1.4x2m)12
Pop-up stand (4.2m)13
Graphics panel for pop-up
stands14
6
The items quoted for in this price table should be those provided as samples (Section 3.2.1A+B).
7
For the purposes of the tender, origination and set-up costs must be included in the unit cost. They should
be calculated on the basis of one logo in four-colour printing per item (one-colour printing for environmentallyfriendly items).
Production time is intended as the number of days from ETF order form’s submission to production (the
days needed for delivery of materials to the ETF’s headquarters are not included).
8
9
Minor variations to the size of the cloth bag are acceptable.
10
Ibid.
11
Flagpoles should not be included in the quote nor regarded as deliverables. Minor variations to the size of
the flag are acceptable.
12
The cost of the roller banner mechanism should be included in the quote. The size indicates the kind of
materials the ETF is interested in. Minor variations to this size are acceptable.
13
Tenderers can choose the model of pop-up stand to quote for; the ETF does not have preferences between
straight or curved stands. The size is indicative and anything approximating to those dimensions is fine.
CFT/14/ETF/0001 | 11
The tenderer will also complete the following price table for delivery of materials to the ETF’s
headquarters in Turin. These prices will not be used in the evaluation but will be considered
binding for the first year of the contract.
Weight of shipment
Price in EUR
Up to 5 kg
Up to 10 kg
Up to 20 kg
Up to 25 kg
Up to 50 kg
Up to 100 kg
Up to 250 kg
The financial proposal includes all costs required for the production of all of the items and
materials listed, including the related administrative tasks and overheads (such as
telecommunications, IT, stationery, bank charges, taxes, social security), etc.
I hereby acknowledge and accept the assumptions to the financial proposal presented
above.
Name (legal
representative)
Signature
Date
14
The cost of the graphic panels for pop-up stands refers to the production cost of the panels from print-ready
files.
CFT/14/ETF/0001 | 12
4. Evaluating the offers: award criteria
The ETF will use the following award criteria to evaluate the offers:
Weighting
(out of 100)
Technical award criteria
Quality of products (3.2.1A+B)
Usability and attractiveness of the products as demonstrated by the requested
samples, and pictures and descriptions of the items
40
Range of products (3.2.1C)
Number of products in the catalogue(s)
Originality of the products proposed as samples, pictures and descriptions, and in
the catalogue(s)
5
5
Quality of services (3.2.1D)
Production time as indicated in column (6) of the price table
Quality assurance procedures in place
5
5
Financial award criteria
Price (3.2.2)
40
All criteria
100
Minimum threshold score against technical award criteria
Tenderers scoring less than half marks for any of the technical award criteria will be excluded.
Comments on the evaluation of the price
Please note that the list of items in Section 3.2.1 does not represent an exhaustive list of items that will
be requested by the ETF throughout the duration of the contract. The price evaluation will, however,
be done exclusively on these items.
Financial offers which do not cover all items in the price table (see Section 3.2.2) will not be
considered for evaluation.
For the price evaluation an average of the unit prices for the various quantities of the different items
will be used. For items where only a single unit price is requested this will be used. The overall price
score will be calculated using the average of all the prices proposed for all items.
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 of the
Guidelines for ETF public procurement (www.etf.europa.eu/web.nsf/pages/Open_tenders).
CFT/14/ETF/0001 | 13
5. Submitting a tender: checklist
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/0001).
 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 of honour on exclusion criteria and absence of conflict of interest
 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
CFT/14/ETF/0001 | 14
I confirm that Envelope C contains:
 One signed original of the financial proposal presented in the requested format
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
_________________________________
_______
CFT/14/ETF/0001 | 15
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/0001 | 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.
CFT/14/ETF/0001 | 17