It should be noted that contract award is subject to prior conclusion of a rider extending the IRADA financing agreement.
This condition does not affect the elements of the invitation to tender procedure (this would be the case, for example, if the budget allowance initially planned were different or if the schedule for implementation, its nature or conditions were changed). If this condition is not fulfilled, the contracting authority may withdraw from the contract or cancel the award procedure, without candidates or tenderers being entitled to claim any compensation.
1.Publication reference:
EuropeAid/139091/IH/SER/TN.
3.Programme title:
Regional initiative to support sustainable economic development (Initiative régionale d'appui au développement économique durable — IRADA).
4.Financing:
Financing agreement ENI/2015/038-411.
5.Contracting authority:
The Republic of Tunisia, represented by the Ministry of Development, Investment and International Cooperation, Tunis, TUNISIA.
Contract specifications
6.Nature of the contract:
Unit price.
7.Contract description:
Under this contract, the IRADA programme's overall aim is to contribute to achieving sustainable and inclusive economic development and improving job prospects in Tunisia. The programme therefore consists of 2 components: 1. public sector development; and 2. vocational training.
The aim of this contract is to deploy highly qualified main and secondary experts to support the implementation of activities under the public sector development component, particularly in the 8 governorates targeted by the programme: Gabes, Médenine, Gafsa, Kasserine, Sfax, Sidi Bouzid, Bizerte and Jendouba.
To this end, the contractor must have the technical and organisational capacities needed to deploy several experts simultaneously, at very short notice, in various fields relating to (for information only): (i) studies on economic activity sectors and value chains; (ii) territorial economic development (e.g. clusters, business incubators, business service centres, etc.); (iii) territorial marketing; (iv) support for local economic associations; and (v) institutional support for bodies responsible for regional economic development and any other body or programme responsible for supporting local and national private sector development.
8.Numbers and titles of lots:
1 lot only.
9.Maximum budget:
4 500 000 EUR.
10.Scope for additional services:
The contracting authority may, at its own discretion, extend the project duration and/or contract scope subject to availability of funding up to the estimated amount of approximately 4 500 000 EUR. Any extension of the contract would be subject to satisfactory performance of the tasks by the contractor.
Conditions of participation
11.Eligibility:
Participation in the contract is open to all natural persons and legal entities (participating either individually or in a grouping — consortium — of tenderers) which are established in 1 of the European Union Member States or in a country and territory of the regions as defined in 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, applicable to the aid programme under which the contract is financed (see also point 29 below). Furthermore, participation is open to international organisations.
12.Candidature:
Any eligible natural person or legal entity (as defined in point 11 above) or grouping of said parties (consortium) may apply.
A consortium may be a permanent, legally established grouping or a grouping constituted informally for a specific tender procedure. All the members of a consortium (i.e. the lead company and all other members) shall be jointly and severally liable vis-à-vis the contracting authority.
Should an ineligible natural person or legal entity (as defined in point 11) take part, the application concerned will be automatically disqualified. If said party belongs to a consortium, its disqualification will entail the disqualification of the consortium as a whole.
13.Number of applications:
Natural persons or legal entities may submit 1 application only, irrespective of whether they take part as a sole legal entity, or as a lead company or member of a consortium submitting an application. Should a natural person or legal entity submit more than 1 application, all the applications involving said party will be rejected.
14.Prohibition on alliances between shortlisted tenderers:
Tenders which include companies not mentioned on the application forms used to compile the shortlist will be disqualified from this restricted procedure unless prior approval from the contracting authority has been obtained (see section 2.4.3 of the Practical Guide). Candidates invited to tender 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 described in section 2.3.3 of the Practical Guide.
16.Subcontracting:
Subcontracting is permitted.
17.Number of candidates invited to tender:
On the basis of the applications received, at least 4 and at most 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 schedule for activities
18.Scheduled date for dispatch of invitations to tender:
15.11.2017.
19.Commencement date of the contract:
1.4.2018.
20.Implementation period for the tasks:
48 months, subject to extension of the programme's operational implementation period by way of a rider to the financing agreement in the suspension clause.
Selection and award criteria
21.Selection criteria:
The following selection criteria will apply to candidates. Where applications are submitted by a consortium, the selection criteria will apply to the consortium as a whole, unless specifically stipulated otherwise. The selection criteria will not apply to natural persons and single-member companies working as subcontractors.
1) Candidate's economic and financial capacity (details to be given in section 3 of the application form). If the candidate is a public body, equivalent information must be provided.
The reference period taken into consideration will correspond to last 3 financial years for which accounts have been closed (2014-2015-2016):
(a) the candidate's average annual turnover for the last 3 financial years for which accounts have been closed must have exceeded 1 000 000 EUR;
(b) the general liquidity ratio (short-term assets/short-term liabilities) for the last financial year for which accounts have been closed must be at least 1. In the case of a consortium, this criterion must be complied with by each member thereof.
2) Candidate's professional capacity (details to be given in sections 4 and 5 of the application form). The reference period corresponds to the 5 financial years prior to the submission deadline:
at least 10 of the candidate's permanent staff members must have worked during the past 5 years in 1 — or more — of the following fields:
— sector-based economic studies, studies on sectors and value chains,
— support for private sector businesses,
— institutional support for business service and support structures,
— institutional support in the field of local economic development,
— territorial marketing,
— public-private partnership,
— promotion of exports and the partnership,
— strengthening economic associations,
— development and financing of business plans,
— EU grant award procedures in accordance with the call for proposals system.
3) Candidate's technical capacity (details to be given in sections 5 and 6 of the application form). The reference period corresponds to the 5 financial years prior to the submission deadline:
(a) the candidate must have implemented at least 1 service contract with a budget of at least that of this contract. The proportion carried out by the candidate must have been at least 1 000 000 EUR;
(b) the candidate must have implemented at least 1 service contract with a value of at least 1 000 000 EUR in the field of local economic development. The proportion carried out by the candidate must have been at least 500 000 EUR.
Previous experience involving a breach of contract and termination by a contracting authority cannot be used as a reference.
An economic operator may, if necessary and for a specific contract, make use of the capacities of other entities irrespective of the legal nature of the connection between itself and said entities. In such an event, it must provide the contracting authority with proof that it will have the resources needed to carry out the contract by, for example, producing a written commitment undertaken by said entities to place such resources at its disposal. Such entities, for instance the economic operator's parent company, must observe the same eligibility rules — notably regarding nationality — and meet the same selection criteria as the economic operator. With regard to the technical and professional criteria, an economic operator may use the capacities of other entities only if they carry out the work or provide the services for which said capacities are required. With regard to the economic and financial criteria, the entities whose capacities the tenderer uses shall become jointly and severally liable for contract performance.
If more than 8 applications prove to be eligible, i.e. meet all the selection criteria, then the strengths and weaknesses of these candidates' applications must be re-examined to determine which 8 applications are most suitable for the invitation to tender. Only the following factors, listed in order of priority, will be considered in the re-examination:
(a) the most contracts meeting criterion 21.3.b above.
If necessary (the number of companies with the same score for the first re-examination criterion is > 8):
(b) the total amount, in euro, of the proportion carried out by the candidate in the contracts meeting criterion 21.3.b above;
(c) the highest number of people on the candidate's staff who have worked during the past 5 years in 1 — or more — of the fields listed in point 21.2 above.
22.Award criteria:
Best value for money.
Application
23.Final date for receipt of applications:
29.9.2017 (17:30), local time, at the latest.
Any application received after this deadline will not be considered.
24.Application format and details to be provided:
The standard application form must be used for applications. The instructions and format of this form must be strictly adhered to. This application form is available from the following web address:
http://ec.europa.eu/europeaid/prag/annexes.do?chapterTitleCode=B
The application must be accompanied by a solemn declaration, concerning the exclusion and selection criteria, using the template available from the following web address:
http://ec.europa.eu/europeaid/prag/annexes.do?chapterTitleCode=A
Any additional documentation (brochure, letter, etc.) sent with the application will not be taken into consideration.
25.How applications may be submitted:
Applications must be drawn up in French and sent solely to the contracting authority:
• either by registered post (official postal service), to the following address:
Ministère du développement, de l'investissement et de la coopération internationale (MDICI), M. Mohamed Doora — responsable national du programme IRADA, 98 avenue Mohamed V, 1002 Tunis Belvédère, TUNISIA.
In this case, the delivery register will attest to compliance with the final date for receipt of tenders,
• or by bearer (including express courier services), delivered straight to the contracting authority, in return for a signed and dated acknowledgement of receipt, at the following address:
Ministère du développement, de l'investissement et de la coopération internationale (MDICI), M. Mohamed Doora — responsable national du programme IRADA, 98 avenue Mohamed V, 1002 Tunis Belvédère, TUNISIA.
Number of the contact person: 00 216 71 253 247.
Opening hours: 8:30–17:30.
In this case, the acknowledgement of receipt will attest to compliance with the final date for receipt of tenders.
The contract title and the contract notice number (see point 1 above) must be clearly marked on the envelope containing the application and must be quoted in all subsequent correspondence with the contracting authority.
Applications submitted in any other way will not be considered.
In submitting an application, candidates accept to be kept informed of the outcome of the procedure by electronic means. Such notification shall be deemed to have been received on the day it is sent by the contracting authority to the e-mail address given in the application.
26.Amendments to or withdrawal of tenders:
Tenderers may amend or withdraw their tender by giving notice thereof in writing before the final date for submission of tenders. Tenders cannot be amended once this deadline has passed.
Notice of amendment or withdrawal must be drawn up and sent as per the instructions given in point 25. The word 'Modification' (amendment) or 'Retrait' (withdrawal), as applicable, must be written on the outside envelope (and on the inner envelope, where applicable).
27.Working language:
All correspondence concerning this invitation to tender procedure and contract must be in French.
28.Date of publication of the prior information notice:
18.7.2017.
EuropeAid/139091/IH/SER/TN.
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.
Regulation (EU) No 232/2014 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11.3.2014 establishing a European Neighbourhood Instrument.
30.Additional information:
Working days in Tunisia are from Monday to Friday (weekend: Saturday and Sunday).
http://ted.europa.eu/udl?uri=TED:NOTICE:339169-2017:TEXT:EN:HTML&src=0&tabId=2