CALL FOR TENDERS

for the provision of EVENT management SERVICES IN MONTENEGRO

2020/AO/13

Object of the procurement procedure ►	Event management services
Project ►	Office – wide (Council of Europe Programme Office in Podgorica)
Organisation and buying entity ►	Council of Europe Office of the Directorate General of Programmes Council of Europe Programme Office in Podgorica (Montenegro)
Type of contract ►	Framework Agreement
Duration ►	Until 31 December 2023
Expected starting date ►	1 June 2020
Tender Notice Issuance date ►	24 March 2020
Deadline for tendering ►	14 April 2020

TABLE OF CONTENTS

This Tender File contains:

·       The TERMS OF REFERENCE. 3

The TERMS OF REFERENCE describe what will be expected from the selected Providers.

·       The TENDER RULES. 12

The TENDER RULES explain the procedure through which the tenders will be submitted by the tenderers and assessed by the Council of Europe.

·       The ACT OF ENGAGEMENT(See Document attached) is the document formalising the consent of the Parties to be bound by the LEGAL CONDITIONS, which are the legal provisions which will be applicable between the Council of Europe and the selected Providersthroughout the duration of the agreement.

PART I –TERMS OF REFERENCE

CALL FOR TENDERS

for the provision of EVENT management services in montenegro

2020/AO/13

A.  Background

The Council of Europe^[1] (hereinafter “the Council”) is an international organisation, based in Strasbourg and encompasses 47 European States. It was set up on 5 May 1949 to promote democracy, human rights and the rule of law, and to develop common responses to political, social, cultural and legal challenges in its member States.

Council’s office in Podgorica (Montenegro) organised roughly 300 events during the period 2016- 2019, funded by European Union and other CoE member States. The Office in Podgorica is currently managing 8 projects and plans to organise about 150 events per year for the period of next 3 years.

These events consist in public events (e.g. conferences, high level meetings) or technical or expert meetings (e.g. seminars, trainings, workshops) all aimed at supporting the implementation of the projects in Montenegro. They may involve 1-30 (small scale), 30-80 (medium conferences), 80-150 (large-scale conferences) and over 150 participants, depending on the event and on the project. The precise requirements shall be stipulated during the call-off procedure. These events/activities may be jointly organised with public partners or with members of the civil society.

In terms of the scope of this framework agreement (hereinafter “agreement”), it covers all events/activities, which are to be organised on the territory of Montenegro.

Tenderers are informed that each time a specific need covered by the framework agreement will occur, all the selected providers will be consulted and asked to provide tenders on the services requested through a subsequent competitive procedure – call off.

This call for tenders is aimed at selecting a minimum 3 (three) and a maximum of 7 (seven) Providers able to support the Council of Europe in the organisation of such events. The expected services are detailed below.

The agreement shall be concluded until 31 December 2023 and takes effect as from the date of its signature by both parties. It shall be tacitly renewable on an annual basis. The contract shall not be renewed beyond 31 December 2024.  

The signature of a framework agreement will in no way give rise to an obligation upon the Council of Europe to organise a minimum number of events. Events shall be organised at the sole discretion of the Council of Europe and call-off procedures will be announced accordingly as and when the need arises.

The Provider will not in any manner be entitled to represent the Council of Europe, or to act on its behalf. The Provider will remain the sole and unique liable contractor in its relationship with the Council of Europe, irrespective of its relationship with subcontractors and other interested third parties.

B.  EXPECTED SERVICES

Throughout the duration of the Framework Agreement, pre-selected Providers should be able to provide services for different types of events, including conferences, seminars, trainings, workshops and other relevant events and for different size of events (small scale, medium and large-scale events). The Providers should also be able to provide services for high profile events with high level of representation as well as for ordinary events. The pre-selected Providers shall be able to provide services in different locations across the territory of Montenegro, as requested by the CoE.

In this context, selected Providers should be able to provide directly or as an intermediary, the following categories of services:

1.    Conference/meeting room and related materials and resources

1.1          Conference/meeting room

The selected Provider(s) may be requested to provide the following services:

·         Conference/meeting rooms (from 1 to 300+ persons capacity);

Setting up the room, including: setting up tables and chairs according to Council of Europe requirements (e.g. Conference Style, Auditorium Style, Banquet Style, Hollow Square Style, Classroom, U-Shape Style, Cabaret Style, Podium, Stage construction and Head Table);

1.2.        Related materials and resources

The selected Providers may be requested to provide the following services:

·         Preparing conference facilities: providing, installing and connecting all necessary equipment (laptop/computer, multimedia projector/beamer, led panels, microphones, earphones, loudspeakers, mixer and other) no later than one hour before the event. Providing on-site technical and computer assistance at the event;

·         Handling the visibility items and other event related materials on behalf of CoE. Transportation of these items from the CoE office and /or the offices of donor organisations to the event’s venue and back to the offices; 

·         Installing rollup banners and other visibility materials/ items inside and outside of the conference room, no later than one hour before the event.

 

·         Preparing and printing of event related materials and items such as hand-outs, badges, name tags, other. Distributing these materials and items among participants before the event;

·         Providing a registration desk with the necessary personnel dealing with the registration of participants, providing attendance list and ensuring its signature by the participants on each day of the event for morning and afternoon sessions;

·         Providing audio/video recording of the event;

·         Providing high-quality photographic services; 

·         Providing on-site printing facilities during the event;

·         Ensuring the presence of at least one personnel from the Organisation during the whole period of the event.

The Council reserves the right to request deliverables not explicitly mentioned in the above list of expected services, but related to the specific event and particularly, to provision of conference room and related materials and resources for that event. 

In case of subcontracting of the services, the Provider takes full responsibility for the quality of the subcontracted services.

The selected Provider shall ensure that high quality health, safety, hygiene and non smoking  standards are in place at the event site.

For information about the Council of Europe security requirements for Conference/meetings organisation, see below Section 5.

2.    Accommodation

The selected Providers may be requested to provide the following services:

·         Providing accommodation for participants according to Council of Europe needs and requirements (i.e. single, double, standard, business rooms and others, half board and full board packages) with clear indication of the deadlines for changes /final confirmations of bookings and liability in case of last-minute cancelation or “no shows” (see Article 8 of Legal Conditions for more information about the cancellation policy).

Accommodation should be provided preferably either on the same premises, where the event takes place, or within walking distance from those premises. Specific requirements to the hotel room and hotel premises, if any, will be provided during the call-off procedure;

·         Provide parking places upon request of the CoE for participants accommodated in the selected Hotel.

In case of subcontracting of the services, the Provider takes full responsibility for the quality of the subcontracted services.

For information about the Council of Europe security requirements for Accommodation, see below Section 5.

3.    Catering

The selected Providers may be requested to provide the following services:

·         Organising and/or providing catering services for receptions, meals, beverages, coffee breaks according to Council of Europe needs and requirements (standard, premium, seated, standing and other). Upon Council of Europe request, these services should be provided either a) in co-ordination with the restaurant situated in the premises where the event takes place or b) by delivering quality catering services c) delivering quality catering services in third places indicated by the CoE. Ensure the quality and quantity in accordance with the menu discussed with the CoE.

In case of subcontracting of the services, the Provider takes full responsibility for the quality of the subcontracted services.

The selected Provider shall ensure that health and safety and hygiene, including non smoking standards,required by national legislation are strictly followed.

 

4.    Transfer/transport services

The selected Providers may be requested to provide the following services:

·         Providing transfer services for individuals and groups;

·         Providing vehicles, including cars/minivans/buses, with drivers prior, during and after the event upon Council of Europe request.

·         Providing transfer services for individuals and groups in the region

The Provider or its sub-contractor should be able to provide on short notice replacements for vehicles or drivers in case technical failures, accidents, illness or similar unforeseen events prevent the agreed service delivery.

Where the Provider or its sub-contractor provides an airport pick-up or other transportation service, the selection of the transportation company/drivers should not be done on an ad hoc basis. The Provider or its sub-contractor should have an established working relationship with the company/drivers and be able to rely on their services. In general, the requirements listed for transportation below shall be complied with. Any failure to comply with these standards shall be notified to the Council of Europe when tendering for call-offs and may lead to rejection of the offer.

In case of subcontracting of the services, the Provider takes full responsibility for the quality of the subcontracted services.

For information about the Council of Europe security requirements for Transfer/Transportation services organisation, see below Section 5.

5.    Security requirements

With respect to services to be provided under B.1. Conference/meeting room and related materials and resources and Section B. 2. Accommodation, the Provider shall be responsible for compliance with the following security standards in the implementation of all call-offs concluded under the framework agreement.

All premises, wherever located, where the Council organises events and/or accommodation, must comply with the following basic requirements, unless otherwise specified by the Council of Europe in a subsequent call-off:

-       Security staff on regular duty;

-       A CCTV system shall cover public areas of the premises (e.g. hotel);

-       A functioning fire alarm system;

-       At least one fire evacuation exit from the premises (e.g. hotel);

-       Clearly marked fire evacuation routes;

-       Smoke detectors installed in all premises (e.g. hotel) and conference rooms;

-       Fire extinguishers placed on all floors of the premises (e.g. hotel) and in public areas near conference rooms.   

If specific security concerns related to the organisation of an event have been identified by the Council of Europe, the national authorities, or the Provider, the Council may:

-       decline offers in response to call-offs on the basis of specific security concerns;

-       request Providers to submit offers of accommodation or conference facilities from the list of premises where the Council of Europe has conducted a security risk assessment. Where relevant, this list shall be provided to Providers at the time of the relevant call-off.

If an event is organised in premises separate to the accommodation, the above standards also apply to that specific event site.

If the Council of Europe requests Providers to submit offers for Section 4.Transfer/transport services, the Providers must ensure the following requirements are met:

-       All passengers are insured in case of an accident by third party liability insurance (TPL) in compliance with domestic legislation;

-       All drivers shall have a valid driving licence for the respective vehicle class as prescribed by the applicable national legislation;

-       All drivers shall  have at least 5 (five) years of professional driving experience;

-       The drivers are selected via a testing process by the relevant transportation companies;

-       The vehicles are not more than 10 (ten) years old and must have had annual technical check-ups;

-       All drivers shall be aware of and observe professional ethics in dealing with clients.

In exceptional circumstances, the Council may accept a driver with less professional experience or an older vehicle provided all other requirements are met, and the unavailability of services meeting the standard requirements has been explicitly brought to the attention of the Council of Europe prior to the performance of the services.

The Council of Europe can refuse the services of a particular driver if there is concern that his/her ability to carry out his/her duties safely may have been impaired, affected or influenced by illness, fatigue or injury or any other reason. The Council of Europe can refuse the services to be delivered by a particular vehicle if there is a concern that at the moment when the service needs to be delivered, the vehicle in question is not deemed fit for the purpose.

Where the Council considers necessary, it may request a higher or lower level of security than listed above. In such cases, the call-off for the relevant services will provide details of specific security measures valid only for the event(s) concerned. If no specific measures are provided in the call-off concerned, the above list remains valid.

6.    Reimbursement of expenses

Upon request of the Council of Europe, the Provider shall make cash payments to attendees of events to reimburse their travel and subsistence expenses. The Provider shall make these payments directly to the attendees and shall be reimbursed these costs by the Council of Europe.

The amount of costs to be reimbursed shall correspond, for each event for which these services are requested, to the real costs indicated in the supporting documents to be submitted by the selected Provider and accepted by the Council (travel tickets or invoices collected by the selected Provider from the attendees). These expenses will be accepted by the Council subject to their conformity with the applicable rules of the Council of Europe.[2]

For each event, the Provider shall submit to the Council a signed expense form, countersigned by the attendees who were reimbursed expenses, specifying for each person the expenses incurred and reimbursed (e.g. travel costs to and from the place where the event took place).

The expense form shall be accompanied by the corresponding invoices and, where applicable, further proof of actual expenditure of the expenses reimbursed (e.g. travel tickets issued to or submitted by the attendees). The aforementioned invoices and supporting documents shall be submitted in their original version. If for legal reasons the original supporting documents must be retained by the Provider, certified copies must be submitted.

7.    Miscellaneous

The above services are not exhaustive, and the Council may request other related services (among others, organising social events for attendees) to be provided in the context of events organised under the scope of this framework agreement.

The provision of services of interpretation and translation does not fall within the scope of this call for tenders. The Council shall contract interpreters by other means to perform these tasks. The Council of Europe shall also be responsible for the provision and set-up of equipment to be used by the interpreters. However, the Provider and its subcontractors shall make all reasonable endeavours to facilitate the set-up and operation of the interpretation services. Necessary equipment will be requested through a call-off procedure only if provision of that equipment is not foreseen through other relevant contracts.

The above list is not considered exhaustive. The Council reserves the right to request deliverables not explicitly mentioned in the above list of expected services, but related to them.

8.    Fees, Invoicing and proof of performance

All payments shall be made against invoices indicating the break-down of the services requested in the relevant call-offs and done in conformity with the applicable legislation.

The Providers are informed that zero rate VAT is applied for all goods and services purchased by Council of Europe office in Podgorica according to the Law on VAT. Services shall therefore be invoiced VAT zero per cent.

In addition to the invoice and if requested by the Council, the selected Providers will be expected, for each event, to submit any document that proves that the event took place, including but not limited to provision of photographs taken at the event, a rooming list broken down into days or half days specifying the location, date(s) and time(s) of the event(s), to be individually signed by each attendee and the Provider.

C.           FEES

Tenderers will be requested to tender, including with regard to fees, through subsequent competitive procedures (call-offs), which will be held after the signature of this agreement (see below Section D for more details about call-offs procedure).

D.           HOW WILL THIS FRAMEWORK AGREEMENT WORK? (CALL-OFFs PROCEDURE)

Throughout the duration of this Framework Agreement, the pre-selected Providers will benefit from exclusivity, within the limits of the scope of this Agreement.

1.    1^st stage: Selection and signature of the Framework Agreement

The Council of Europe will select a minimum of 3 (three) and maximum of 7 (seven) Providers, provided that there are sufficient tenderers satisfying the exclusion and eligibility criteria. In case the number of eligible tenderers exceeds the maximum number of Providers to be selected, the Council of Europe will give preference to tenderers who score the highest on the basis of the award criteria (see Section E below).

A signed copy of the Act of Engagement will be returned to the pre-selected Providers.The Framework Agreement will subsequently be considered as concluded between the Council of Europe and these pre-selected Providers.

                                                                                       

2.    2^nd Stage: Award of subsequent call-offs

Once the Framework Agreement is signed, further competitive procedures will be launched to determine which of the pre-selected Providers will provide the services.

During the execution period of the Framework Agreement, tendering procedures, referred to as “call-offs”, will be launched each time a new need for services arises. For these call-offs, only the pre-selected Providers will be invited to submit tenders.

For each call-off, the pre-selected Providers will be notified of the terms of reference, and, where relevant, additional tender rules and additional legal conditions applicable. Each notification will indicate the deadline for the submission of tenders, along with all supporting documents, taking into account the complexity of the call-off concerned. Call-off tenders received after the deadline shall not be considered.

For more information about the call-off procedure, see the applicable legal conditions (as reproduced in the Act of Engagement).

The Council reserves the right to contract with third parties if the offers presented by the pre-selected Providers do not satisfy the applicable professional standards, do not cover the entire scope of the Council of Europe’s needs or if no suitable offer is presented.

The award criteria which will be notified in the terms of reference of the specific call – off will be applied in order to determine which offer provides best value for money.

E.  ASSESSMENT (1^st STAGE OF THE FRAMEWORK AGREEMENT)

Exclusion criteria (by signing the Act of Engagement, you declare on your honour not being in any of the below situations)[3]

Tenderers shall be excluded from participating in this tender procedure if they:

• have been sentenced by final judgment on one or more of the following charges: participation in a criminal organisation, corruption, fraud, money laundering;
• are in a situation of bankruptcy, liquidation, termination of activity, insolvency or arrangement with creditors or any like situation arising from a procedure of the same kind, or are subject to a procedure of the same kind;
• have received a judgment with res judicata force, finding an offence that affects their professional integrity or serious professional misconduct;
• do not comply with their obligations as regards payment of social security contributions, taxes and dues, according to the statutory provisions of their country of incorporation, establishment or residence;
• are or are likely to be in a situation of conflict of interest;
• are or if their owner(s) or executive officer(s), in the case of legal persons, are included in the lists of persons or entities subject to restrictive measures applied by the European Union (available at www.sanctionsmap.eu ).

Eligibility criteria

Tenderers shall demonstrate that they fulfil the following criteria (to be assessed on the basis of all supporting documents listed in Section F):

• Being registered as a company
• Has min 3 (three) years of experience in providing event management services in Montenegro ,including at least  6 (six) events organised in Montenegro over the last three years;
• Sufficient financial capacity, namely the minimum turnover of 60.000  EUR  or equivalent  per year over the last 2 (two) years of reference;
• Sufficient human resources to execute the contract, namely at least 4 (four) employees

Award criteria

If after the application of the eligibility criteria to the tenders received, there remain more Providers than the maximum number announced in this call, the Council of Europe shall proceed with a scoring of the eligible tenderers, on the basis of the following criteria:

(25%) Successful track record of delivering event management services in Montenegro as described under the Terms of Reference above;

(25%) Technical capacity to guarantee that the requirements of the Council will be met, including but not limited to the: 

·    setting up of quality control mechanism;

·    capacity to provide services for different type, size and level of events to be organised in different locations within the territory of Montenegro.

(25%) Financial capacity

(25%) Human resources to guarantee that the requirements of the Council will be met, including:

·    The relevant experience and qualification of the contact point including very good knowledge of Montenegrin and a good knowledge of English languages;

·    The relevant experience, qualification and language skills of other staff allocated to the execution of this Framework Agreement;

·    Number of staff allocated to the execution of this contract.

Multiple tendering is not authorised.

F.  DOCUMENTS TO BE PROVIDED

Ø  Two completed and signed copies of the Act of Engagement;[4]

Ø  A list of all owners and executive officers, for legal persons only;

Ø  Completed and signed Tender Proposal Form;

Ø  Proof of authorisation of the signatory of the Act of Engagement to represent the tenderer;

Ø  A copy of registration documents as well as, where relevant, additional documents showing that the company is entitled to perform relevant commercial activities in Montenegro;

Ø  A copy of the financial statements of the company (income statement and balancesheet) for the past 2 (two) financial years accompanied with audit opinion if available. 

Ø  Official documents from Tax and Social Security Authorities of the country of registration confirming that there are no long term outstanding obligations;

Ø  Reference about the number of staff;

Ø  CVs of the contact persons and the staff allocated to the execution of the contract;

Ø  List of similar services provided in the past 3 years.

All documents shall be submitted in English failure to do so will result in the exclusion of the tender. If any of the documents listed above are missing, the Council of Europe reserves the right to reject the tender.

The Council reserves the right to reject a tender if the scanned documents are of such a quality that the documents cannot be read once printed.

* * *

PART II – TENDER RULES

CALL FOR TENDERS

for the provision of [EVENT management SERVICES IN MONTENEGRO ]

2020/AO/13

ARTICLE 1 – IDENTIFICATION OF THE CONTRACTING AUTHORITY

1.1   Name and address

COUNCIL OF EUROPE

Office of the Director General of Programmes

Council of Europe

67075 Strasbourg Cedex

France

1.2   Background

The activities of the Organisation are governed by its Statute. These activities concern the promotion of human rights, democracy and the rule of law. The Organisation has its seat in Strasbourg and has set up external offices in about 20 member and non-member states (in Ankara, Baku, Belgrade, Brussels, Bucharest, Chisinau, Erevan, Geneva, Kyiv, Lisbon, Moscow, Paris, Podgorica, Pristina, Rabat, Sarajevo, Skopje, Tbilisi, Tirana, Tunis, Warsaw, Venice and Vienna).

Council of Europe procurements are governed by the Financial Regulations of the Organisation and by Rule 1395 of 20 June 2019 on the procurement procedures of the Council of Europe.

The Organisation enjoys privileges and immunities provided for in the General Agreement on Privileges and Immunities of the Council of Europe, and its Protocols, and the Special Agreement relating to the Seat of the Council of Europe.^[5]

Further details on the project are provided in the Terms of Reference.

ARTICLE 2 – VALIDITY OF THE TENDERS

Tenders are valid for 120 calendar days as from the closing date for their submission.

ARTICLE 3 – DURATION OF THE CONTRACT

The duration of the framework contract is set out in Article 2 of the Legal Conditions in the Act of Engagement.

ARTICLE 4 – CHANGE, ALTERATION AND MODIFICATION OF THE TENDER FILE

Any change in the format, or any alteration or modification of the original tender will cause the immediate rejection of the tender concerned.

ARTICLE 5 – Content of the tender file

The tender file is composed of:

-    Technical specifications/Terms of reference;

-    Tender rules;

-    An Act of Engagement, including the Legal Conditions of the contract.

ARTICLE 6 – LEGAL FORM OF TENDERERS

The tenderer must be a legal person except consortia. 

ARTICLE 7 – SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION

General information can be found on the website of the Council of Europe: http://www.coe.int

Other questions regarding this specific tendering procedure shall be sent at the latest by one week before the deadline for submissions of tenders, in [English or French], and shall be exclusively sent to the following address: [email protected]  

This address is to be used for questions only; for modalities of tendering, please refer to the below Article.

ARTICLE 8 – MODALITIES OF THE TENDERING

Tenders must be sent to the Council of Europe both electronically and in paper hardcopy.

Electronic copiesshall be sent only to [email protected]. Tenders submitted to another e-mail account will be excluded from the procedure;

Paper hardcopiesshall be sent in A4 format (21x29.7 cm) by post, as specified below:

-       Tenders shall be submitted in a sealed envelope. The first sealed envelope shall be placed inside a second envelope addressed to the Tenders Board, showing the file reference number and object, as follows:

-       Tenderers are requested to indicate their names and address on the outside envelope for identification purposes.

-       Tenders submitted to another postal address will be excluded from the procedure

ARTICLE 9 – Deadline for submission of tenders

The deadline for the submission of tenders is 14 April 2020 as evidenced by the postmark, or by the receipt of delivery provided by the dispatching company.

ARTICLE 10 – ASSESSMENT OF TENDERS

Tenders shall be assessed in accordance with Rule 1395 of 20 June 2019 on the procurement procedures of the Council of Europe. Assessment shall be based upon the criteria as detailed in the Terms of Reference.

ARTICLE 11 – NEGOTIATIONS

The Council reserves the right to hold negotiations with the bidders in accordance with Article 20 of Rule 1395.

* * *

FINAL CHECK LIST

1) BEFORE SENDING YOUR TENDER, CHECK THAT IT INCLUDES:

Ø  Two completed and signed copies of the Act of Engagement;^[6]

Ø  A list of all owners and executive officers, for legal persons only;

Ø  Completed and signed Tender Proposal Form;

Ø  Proof of authorisation of the signatory of the Act of Engagement to represent the tenderer;

Ø  A copy of registration documents as well as, where relevant, additional documents showing that the company is entitled to perform relevant commercial activities in Montenegro;

Ø  A copy of the financial statements of the company (income statement and balance sheet) for the past 2 (two) financial years accompanied with audit opinion if available;

Ø  Official documents from Tax and Social Security Authorities of the country of registration confirming that there are no long term outstanding obligations;

Ø  Reference about the number of staff;

Ø  CVs of the contact persons and the staff allocated to the execution of the contract;

Ø  List of similar services provided in the past 3 years

2) HOW TO SEND TENDERS?

Tenders must be sent to the Council of Europe both electronically and in paper hardcopy.

Electronic copiesshall be sent only to [email protected]. Tenders submitted to another e-mail account will be excluded from the procedure;

Paper hardcopiesshall be sent in A4 format (21x29.7 cm) by post, as specified below:

-       Tenders shall be submitted in a sealed envelope. The first sealed envelope shall be placed inside a second envelope addressed to the Tenders Board, showing the file reference number and object, as follows:

-       Tenderers are requested to indicate their names and address on the outside envelope for identification purposes.

-       Do not send a copy of your tender to the buyer entity. Tenders submitted to any other postal address than the one indicated above will be excluded from the procedure.

The deadline for the submission of tenders is 14 April 2020 as evidenced by the postmark, or by the receipt of delivery provided by the dispatching company.