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Services - 95515-2015

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19/03/2015    S55

Belgium-Brussels: OPEN Neighbourhood — media hub: networking, on-the-job training and support to media professionals across the EU Neighbourhood area

2015/S 055-095515

Service contract notice

Location — EU Neighbourhood area

Algeria, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Egypt, Georgia, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Republic of Moldova, Morocco, Palestine (this designation shall not be construed as recognition of a State of Palestine and is without prejudice to the individual positions of the Member States on this issue), Russian Federation (associated to activities where relevant), Syria (EU cooperation with Syria is currently suspended due to the political situation; however, since in principle Syria is eligible for cooperation under the ENI, activities may be taken up again once the situation improves), Tunisia, Ukraine

Please note that the awarding of the contract is subject to the condition of the prior adoption of a financing decision.

1.Publication reference:
EuropeAid/136510/DH/SER/Multi.
2.Procedure:
Restricted.
3.Programme title:
European Neighbourhood Instrument (ENI)/programme OPEN Neighbourhood: opportunities, participation, engagement and networking with people from the Neighbourhood area (regional communication programme phase II).
4.Financing:
Budget line 21 03 03 03.
5.Contracting authority:

European Union, represented by the European Commission, on behalf of and for the account of the partner country/countries, Brussels, BELGIUM.


Contract specification

6.Nature of contract:
Fee-based.
7.Contract description:
'The media hub: networking and on-the-job training for media professionals across the EU Neighbourhood area (media hub)' project is one of the 3 projects to be implemented as part of the regional communication programme 'Opportunities, participation, engagement and networking with the people in the Neighbourhood (OPEN)'. It is a continuation of the previous regional communication programme 2009–2014 and more specifically its journalist and media experts training activities. The contract will set up a specific media hub, providing support to journalists and media experts from across the EU Neighbourhood area. This will be reached via the creation of:
(i) networks and trainings — including through exchanges — of media professionals; and
(ii) practical support for research and production of stories, mainly on the EU and its policies and programmes, and focusing on audiovisual productions.
The training of media professionals will focus on improving professional skills as well as understanding of EU support to the region. It will take place in the partner countries and in the EU. Moreover, the contract includes the possibility for a limited number of professionals to undertake on-the-job training with European media or media in the Neighbourhood countries. These exchanges will mainly take place in the EU. The support to media professionals will also cover the access to sources and technical equipment and coaching of the production process.
This media hub project will need to coordinate its activities with those implemented by the 'Communicating for a stronger partnership' South and 'Communicating for a stronger partnership' East projects, which are both also part of the OPEN regional programme. The 'Communicating for a stronger partnership' South project will have responsibility as lead coordinator of the 3 projects to be implemented as part of the regional communication programme 'OPEN'.
8.Number and titles of lots:
1 lot only.
9.Maximum budget:
8 000 000 EUR.
10.Scope for additional services:
The contracting authority 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 length and value of the initial contract. Any extension of the contract would be subject to satisfactory performance by the contractor.


Conditions of participation

11.Eligibility:
Participation is open to all natural persons who are nationals and legal persons (participating either individually or in a grouping (consortium) of tenderers) which are effectively established in a Member State of the European Union or in an eligible country or territory as defined under the Regulation (EU) No 236/2014 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11.3.2014 laying down common rules and procedures for the implementation of the Union's instruments for financing external action (CIR) for the applicable instrument under which the contract is financed (see also heading 29 below). Participation is also open to international organisations. All supplies under this contract must originate in 1 or more of these countries. However, they may originate from any country when the amount of the supplies to be purchased is below 100 000 EUR per purchase.
12.Candidature:
All eligible natural and legal persons (as per item 11 above) or groupings of such persons (consortia) may apply.
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 11) 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.
13.Number of applications:
Not more than 1 application can be submitted by a natural or legal person whatever the form of participation (as an individual legal entity or as a leader or member of a consortium submitting an application). In the event that a natural or legal person submits more than 1 application, all applications in which that person has participated will be excluded.
14.Shortlist alliances prohibited:
Any tenders received from tenderers comprising firms other than those mentioned in the shortlisted application forms will be excluded from this restricted tender procedure unless prior approval from the contracting authority has been obtained (see 'Practical Guide' — PRAG 2.4.3). Shortlisted candidates may not form alliances or subcontract to each other for the contract in question.
15.Grounds for exclusion:
As part of the application form, candidates must submit a signed declaration, included in the standard application form, to the effect that they are not in any of the exclusion situations listed in Section 2.3.3 of the PRAG.
16.Subcontracting:
Subcontracting is allowed.
17.Number of candidates to be shortlisted:
On the basis of the applications received, between 4 and 8 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 4, the contracting authority may invite the candidates who satisfy the criteria to submit a tender.


Provisional timetable

18.Provisional date of invitation to tender:
April/May 2015.
19.Provisional commencement date of the contract:
November 2015.
20.Initial period of implementation of tasks:
48 months.


Selection and award criteria

21.Selection criteria:
The following selection criteria will be applied to candidates. In the case of applications submitted by a consortium, these selection criteria will be applied to the consortium as a whole:
1) Economic and financial capacity of candidate (based on item 3 of the application form). In the case of the candidate being a public body, equivalent information should be provided:
— the average annual turnover of the candidate must exceed 2 000 000 EUR for the last 3 completed accounting years.
2) Professional capacity of candidate (based on items 4 and 5 of the application form):
— at least 10 permanent staff currently work for the candidate in fields related to this contract.
3) Technical capacity of candidate (based on items 5 and 6 of the application form):
3.1. the candidate has provided services in the field of training to media professionals under at least 3 contracts with a budget of at least 1 500 000 EUR each. The share of these contracts implemented by the candidate must be equal to at least 50 % of the contract amount;
3.2. the candidate has implemented at least 3 contracts with a budget of at least 300 000 EUR each in audiovisual news and/or documentary production. Each of these contracts must target audiences in at least one of the following countries of the Neighbourhood region: Algeria, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Egypt, Georgia, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Republic of Moldova, Morocco, Palestine, Russian Federation, Syria, Tunisia and Ukraine. The contracts presented as reference must not all be implemented in the same country: at least 2 different countries from this list must be covered.
Contracts presented as reference for selection criteria 3.1 and 3.2 may have been implemented at any moment during the period from 1.1.2012 until 28.2.2015.
For each contract presented as a reference for both selection criteria 3.1 and 3.2, the exact start and end dates of project activities must be indicated.
Contracts presented as reference for selection criteria 3.1 and 3.2 may have been started or completed at any time during the indicated period but they do not necessarily have to be started and completed during that period, or implemented during the entire period. Candidates are allowed to refer either to contracts completed within the reference period (although started earlier) or to projects not yet completed. In the first case, the contract will be considered in its whole if proper evidence of performance can be provided (no evidence has to be provided at this stage). In the case of projects still ongoing, only the portion (corresponding value must be indicated) satisfactorily completed during the reference period will be taken into consideration, subject to provision of proper evidence of performance (no evidence has to be provided at this stage). If the candidate has implemented the project in a consortium, the percentage that the candidate has successfully completed must be clearly indicated (corresponding value must be indicated too) together with a description of the nature of the services provided.
Previous experience which caused breach of contract and termination by a contracting authority shall not be used as reference.
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.
If more than 8 eligible candidates meet the above selection criteria, the relative strengths and weaknesses of the applications of these candidates must be re-examined to identify the 8 best candidates. The only factors which will be successively taken into consideration during this re-examination are:
(1) the number of references which fulfil selection criterion 3.2 and which have been implemented in at least one of the following countries in the Neighbourhood region: Algeria, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Egypt, Georgia, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Republic of Moldova, Morocco, Palestine, Russian Federation, Syria, Tunisia and Ukraine;
(2) the number of references which fulfil selection criterion 3.1.
22.Award criteria:
Best value for money.


Application

23.Deadline for receipt of applications:
17.4.2015 (16:00), Central European Time.
Any application received by the contracting authority after this deadline will not be considered.
24.Application format and details to be provided:

Applications must be submitted using the standard application form, the format and instructions of which must be strictly observed. The application form is available from the following Internet address: http://ec.europa.eu/europeaid/prag/annexes.do?group=B

Any additional documentation (brochure, letter, etc.) sent with an application will not be taken into consideration.
25.How applications may be submitted:
Applications must be submitted in English exclusively to the contracting authority in a sealed envelope:
— either by recorded delivery (official postal service) to:
European Commission, Directorate-General for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Negotiations, Unit NEAR/B3 (Finance, Contracts and Audit ENI), EuropeAid/136510/DH/SER/Multi, Office J54 04/247, avenue du Bourget 1, 1049 Brussels, BELGIUM,
— or hand delivered (including courier services) directly to the contracting authority in return for a signed and dated receipt to:
European Commission, Directorate-General for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Negotiations, Unit NEAR/B3 (Finance, Contracts and Audit ENI), EuropeAid/136510/DH/SER/Multi, Office J54 04/247, avenue du Bourget 1, 1049 Brussels, BELGIUM.
NB: this department is open from 8:00 to 17:00 from Monday to Thursday and from 8:00 to 16:00 on Friday; it is closed on Saturdays, Sundays and Commission holidays.
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.
Applications submitted by any other means will not be considered.
26.Alteration or withdrawal of applications:
Candidates may alter or withdraw their applications by written notification prior to the deadline for submission of applications. No application may be altered after this deadline.
Any such notification of alteration or withdrawal shall be prepared and submitted in accordance with item 25. The outer envelope (and the relevant inner envelope if used) must be marked 'Alteration' or 'Withdrawal' as appropriate.
27.Operational language:
All written communication for this tender procedure and contract must be in English.
28.Date of publication of prior information notice:

12.12.2014 (OJ 2014/S 240-421491).

29.Legal basis:
Regulation (EU) No 236/2014 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11.3.2014 laying down common rules and procedures for the implementation of the Union’s instruments for financing external action and Regulation (EU) No 232/2014 of the European Parliament and the Council of 11.3.2014 establishing a European Neighbourhood Instrument.
30.Additional information:

Questions related to this contract notice can be addressed to near-eni-east-tenders@ec.europa.eu until 14.4.2015 at the latest.