1. Buyer
1.1.
Buyer
Official name: Federal Department of Foreign Affairs FDFA / Consular Directorate / Innovation and Partnership
Legal type of the buyer: Body governed by public law, controlled by a central government authority
Activity of the contracting authority: General public services
2. Procedure
2.1.
Procedure
Title: Cooperation with external service providers (CESP) in the visa process for the period of 01.07.2025 to 30.06.2030
Description: The Federal Department of Foreign Affairs seeks to maintain and enhance its collaboration with external service providers (CESP) for administrative tasks related to the Swiss visa process for the period 01.07.2025 to 30.06.2030. As part of this initiative, a public tendering process is being conducted. This Tender Document provides a comprehensive overview of the requirements and expectations. The Swiss CESP tender procedure is specifically designed to offer technical and administrative support services for the Schengen visa application process (visa types A and C). These services include providing information, managing appointments, processing applications (paper applications and electronic data), and ensuring that all necessary resources are available for the professional delivery of these services. To ensure compliance with the tender requirements, various documents are integral parts of this tender. They aim to ease the comprehension of the Swiss solution and simultaneously manifest the general mandatory requirements that tenderers have to comply with. Bidders must fully adhere to all conditions listed when submitting their proposals.
Procedure identifier: dfc53cf5-ac0e-4038-9d3f-54f7a30476da
Internal identifier: dfc53cf5-ac0e-4038-9d3f-54f7a30476da
Type of procedure: Open
2.1.1.
Purpose
Main nature of the contract: Services
Main classification (cpv): 75211110 Consular services
2.1.4.
General information
Additional information: Substantiation for award decision Concerns lot 1, lot 2 and lot 3 After assessement of all criteria, The offer submitted by the considered tenderer convinced us, above all, as follows: General observation over all Award Criteria: The awarded tenderer demonstrated exceptional adherence to the provided structure, consistently referencing supporting documents accurately. The responses aligned seamlessly with the framework conditions, integrating central authorities and representations abroad into their concepts. The submission was concise yet highly relevant, offering clear and focused answers. Additionally, the awarded tenderer showcased numerous examples, innovative approaches, and tools, supported by precise references and evidence of effectiveness. Additionally, the winning bid was distinguished by the following decisive features: For AC B1: The awarded tenderer stood out by providing detailed examples of regulatory adaptations across multiple regions, each substantiated with references. They demonstrated clear processes for staying updated on local and international changes and showcased their ability to comply with provided SOPs while flexibly incorporating any necessary updates. For AC B3: The awarded tenderer stood out with a comprehensive approach that addressed all required areas in detail. Metrics and KPIs were clearly defined, regularly monitored via a real-time dashboard accessible to multiple stakeholders and supported by actionable plans for addressing unmet targets. Additionally, examples were provided to illustrate how these metrics are applied and managed effectively, ensuring a structured and transparent approach to customer satisfaction measurement. For AC B6: The awarded tenderer stood out in the Technical Infrastructure key element by providing comprehensive and well-documented descriptions, including detailed process flow diagrams, system examples, and visual aids such as VAC pictures. Their submission demonstrated exceptional operational proficiency, autonomy, and integration capabilities, with only minor details missing.
Legal basis:
Directive 2014/24/EU
5. Lot
5.1.
Lot: LOT-0003
Title: Lot 3 – Eastern Europe / Middle East / Africa
Description: The CESP tender takes the form of three lots, with each of the three lots divided into three categories of locations.
Internal identifier: 9221d565-d326-45fe-bc34-2ccdacdce663
5.1.1.
Purpose
Main nature of the contract: Services
Main classification (cpv): 75211110 Consular services
5.1.2.
Place of performance
Town: Bern
Postcode: 3003
Country subdivision (NUTS): Bern / Berne (CH021)
Country: Switzerland
Additional information: The services are supplied wordwide.
5.1.3.
Estimated duration
Start date: 01/07/2025
Duration end date: 30/06/2030
5.1.4.
Renewal
Maximum renewals: 0
5.1.6.
General information
Procurement Project not financed with EU Funds.
The procurement is covered by the Government Procurement Agreement (GPA): no
5.1.10.
Award criteria
Criterion:
Type: Quality
Description: Award criteria
Description of the method to be used if weighting cannot be expressed by criteria: The award criteria were provided to the tenderers with the invitiaton to tender.
5.1.15.
Techniques
Framework agreement:
No framework agreement
Information about the dynamic purchasing system:
No dynamic purchase system
5.1.16.
Further information, mediation and review
Review organisation: Tribunal administrativ federal
Information about review deadlines: Instructions on legal remedies In accordance with Article 56 paragraph 1 of the Public Procurement Act (PPA), a written appeal against this decision can be lodged with the Federal Administrative Court, P.O. Box, 9023 St. Gallen, Switzerland, within 20 days of notification. Any appeal is to be submitted in duplicate and must include what is being sought, the grounds for appeal, evidence and the signature of the person lodging the appeal or his or her representative. A copy of this decision and available evidence must be included. The provisions of the Administrative Procedure Act (APA) on legal holidays do not apply in accordance with Article 56 paragraph 2 of the PPA. Based on Article 52 paragraph 2 of the PPA, the appeal can be used only to establish that this decision violates federal law, but not to apply for its cancellation. Foreign providers are permitted to appeal only to the extent that the state in which they are domiciled grants reciprocal rights.
Organisation providing additional information about the procurement procedure: Federal Department of Foreign Affairs FDFA / Consular Directorate / Innovation and Partnership
TED eSender: Simap.ch
6. Results
Value of all contracts awarded in this notice: 612,00 EUR
6.1.
Result lot identifier: LOT-0003
Winner selection status: At least one winner was chosen.
6.1.2.
Information about winners
Winner:
Official name: EN_VF WORLDWIDE HOLDINGS LTD
Tender:
Tender identifier: f25bbca9-e4fe-4d32-9c56-07e531018362
Identifier of lot or group of lots: LOT-0003
Value of the tender: 612,00 EUR
The tender was ranked: no
The tender is a variant: no
Contract information:
Identifier of the contract: N/A
Date of the conclusion of the contract: 03/01/2025
6.1.4.
Statistical information
Received tenders or requests to participate:
Type of received submissions: Tenders
Number of tenders or requests to participate received: 3
Range of tenders:
Value of the lowest admissible tender: 612,00 EUR
Value of the highest admissible tender: 612,00 EUR
8. Organisations
8.1.
ORG-0001
Official name: Federal Department of Foreign Affairs FDFA / Consular Directorate / Innovation and Partnership
Registration number: 95843e11-e27f-4d78-b969-12fb0db71681
Postal address: Effingerstrasse 27
Town: Bern
Postcode: 3003
Country subdivision (NUTS): Bern / Berne (CH021)
Country: Switzerland
Telephone: +00000000000
Roles of this organisation:
Buyer
Organisation providing additional information about the procurement procedure
8.1.
ORG-0002
Official name: Tribunal administrativ federal
Registration number: BVGER
Postal address: Postfach
Town: St. Gallen
Postcode: 9023
Country subdivision (NUTS): St. Gallen (CH055)
Country: Switzerland
Telephone: +41584652626
Roles of this organisation:
Review organisation
8.1.
ORG-0003
Official name: Simap.ch
Registration number: CH001
Postal address: Holzikofenweg 36
Town: Bern
Postcode: 3003
Country subdivision (NUTS): Bern / Berne (CH021)
Country: Switzerland
Telephone: +41584646388
Roles of this organisation:
TED eSender
8.1.
ORG-0010
Official name: EN_VF WORLDWIDE HOLDINGS LTD
Size of the economic operator: Large
Registration number: d4164fab-d34b-4cbf-be50-71e7a89c4f45
Postal address: Jumeirah Lakes Towers Unit No. 3101-A, JBC1, Plot No. JLT-PH1-G2A
Town: Dubai
Country: United Arab Emirates
Telephone: +00 00 000 00 00
Roles of this organisation:
Tenderer
Winner of these lots: LOT-0003
Notice identifier/version: 9283be59-da59-4b5f-a59a-fc76ef147442 - 01
Form type: Result
Notice type: Contract or concession award notice – standard regime
Notice subtype: 29
Notice dispatch date: 03/01/2025 02:25:54 (UTC+01:00) Central European Time, Western European Summer Time
Languages in which this notice is officially available: English, German, French
Notice publication number: 4432-2025
OJ S issue number: 3/2025
Publication date: 06/01/2025