CALL FOR TENDERS

for the provision of LOCAL CONSUlTANCY SERVICES

2020/AO/59

Object of the procurement procedure ►	Consultancy services to be provided by local consultants
Project ►	“Education for Democracy in the Republic of Moldova” Project
Organisation and buying entity ►	Council of Europe Education Department
Type of contract ►	Framework Contract
Duration ►	Until 30 June 2023
Expected starting date ►	15 January 2021
Tender Notice Issuance date ►	25 November 2020
Deadline for tendering ►	16 December 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. 8

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 Providers. It also contains the TABLE OF FEES, which indicates the applicable fees, throughout the duration of the contract.

PART I – TERMS OF REFERENCE

CALL FOR TENDERS

for the provision of LOCAL CONSUTANCY SERVICES

2020/AO/59

A.   Background

The project ‘Education for Democracy in the Republic of Moldova’ is funded by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation and it is part of the Council of Europe Action Plan for the Republic of Moldova.

The project supports the integration of the Council of Europe (CoE) Reference Framework of Competences for Democratic Culture (CDC Framework) in the education system of the Republic of Moldova. In this context, the Project helps develop the policy framework for the reconceptualised civic education subject “Education for Society”, reinforces the capacity of national institutions and education professionals to implement the revised curriculum and the new approaches in practice, develops a methodology for democratic school governance and pilots it in schools, and develops and publishes information and methodological materials for education decision makers and practitioners.

The Project uses the CoE’s Reference Framework of Competences for Democratic Culture (RFCDC) adopted at the 25th Session of the CoE Standing Conference of Ministers of Education of the 50 member States of the European Cultural Convention in April 2016 as the main reference document. The Framework represents a conceptual model of competences that are necessary to enable learners to engage as active citizens in democratic and diverse societies, and it also includes competence descriptors and practical guidelines for education policymakers and practitioners.

The Framework and its 20 competences for a democratic culture have been integrated in the reconceptualized civic education subject in the Republic of Moldova, whose gradual introduction in schools started in September 2018 and will conclude until 2022. The Project supports this process and contributes to the development of the policy framework for the revised subject and the methodological guidelines for teachers. In parallel, the Project strengthens the capacity of the national education professionals to apply the new teaching, learning and assessment approaches required by the reconceptualised subject: the competence-based approach to education, student centred approaches to teaching, the project-based learning, the formative assessment or assessment by descriptors, etc.

Complementary to these efforts, the Project helps national policy makers develop a methodology of democratic school governance, consistent with the revised curriculum and the RFCDC, and will support the piloting of the methodology in 50 schools in Moldova. Furthermore, the Project will promote the integration of competences for democratic culture in other school subjects and at other education levels to ensure a systemic and sustained approach to developing the competences through the entire formal education system.

The main project target groups are national education policy and decision-making bodies (the Ministry of Education, Culture and Research and its district structures, the Institute of Education Sciences, school inspectors, etc.), national teacher trainers and teacher training institutions (initial and continuous), teachers, methodologists, school directors, schools and school children.

In the scope of the project (2019-2022), the following outputs are expected to be developed:

►   Recommendations for integration of the RFCDC in the education policy and practice

►   Education materials and guidelines for the implementation of the RFCDC in formal education

►   Training needs assessment for CDCs development

►   Training of trainers (ToT) programmes

►   Cascade training programme for teacher training and development

►   Democratic school governance methodology for schools to put CDCs in practice at school level

►   Methodology and tools for the assessment of the RFCDC implementation in education policy and practice

The Council of Europe is looking for up to 15 Providers per Lot 1 and for up to 15 Providers per Lot 2 (provided enough tenders meet the criteria indicated below) in order to support the implementation of the project with a particular expertise in one or more of the following themes at national level: education for democratic citizenship and human rights education; democratic school governance; teaching, learning and assessment methods supportive of competences for a democratic culture; teacher training; teaching material development; democratic reforms in education.

This Contract is currently estimated to cover up to 50 activities, to be held by 30 June 2023. This estimate is for information only and shall not constitute any sort of contractual commitment on the part of the Council of Europe. The Contract may potentially represent a higher or lower number of activities, depending on the evolving needs of the Organisation.

For information purposes only, the total budget of the project amounts to 1 080 000 € Euros and the total amount of the object of present tender should in principle not exceed 150 000 € Euros for the pool of 30 providers for the whole duration of the Framework Contract. This information does not constitute any sort of contractual commitment or obligation on the part of the Council of Europe.

B.   SCOPE OF THE FRAMEWORK CONTRACT

The tender is divided into the following 2 Lots. The Providers may submit a tender for one or two lots subject to the fulfilment of the criteria listed in the Tender Rules for the Lots concerned.

Lots ▼	Maximum number of Providers to be selected ▼
Lot 1. Education for democratic citizenship and human rights education and democratic school governance (training consultancy services) •           Conduct training needs assessment/mapping and development of reports/recommendations. •           Elaborate detailed programmes and hand-outs (training materials) of the training seminars, workshops, etc. for teacher trainers, teachers, school directors and other beneficiaries. •           Deliver trainings for teacher trainers, teachers, school directors and other beneficiaries, incl. in co-operation with international consultants. •           Support the international consultants with background information, documents, etc. on the Moldovan context of specific topics. •           Provision of other deliverables as related to the above and as requested by the Council of Europe.	15
Lot 2. Education for democratic citizenship and human rights education and democratic school governance (research consultancy services) •           Draft, including in co-operation with international consultants, policy documents (methodological guides for teachers, assessment methodologies, etc.), expert opinions, recommendations, etc. on relevant aspects related to the theme of the lot. •           Support the international consultants with relevant documents and background information on national specific aspects related to the theme of the lot. •           Participate in conferences, round tables, working groups, consultation meetings and other relevant events with national stakeholders, including moderating/facilitating discussions and delivering presentations. •           Provision of other deliverables as related to the above and as requested by the Council of Europe.	15

Throughout the duration of the Framework Contract, pre-selected Providers may be asked to provide deliverables as indicatively described above under each lot.

The above lists are not considered exhaustive. The Council reserves the right to request deliverables not explicitly mentioned in the above list of expected services, but related to the field of expertise object of the present Framework Contract for the lot concerned. 

The Providers can be asked to undertake missions to provide the expected deliverables. Travel and other expenses incurred by the Providers in this regard will be reimbursed by the Council in accordance with the applicable Rules (see Article 4.4 of the Legal Conditions for further details).

The Council will select the abovementioned number of Provider(s) per lot, provided enough tenders meet the criteria indicated below. Tenderers are invited to indicate which lot(s) they are tendering for (see Section A of the Act of Engagement).

In terms of quality requirements, the pre-selected Service Providers must ensure, inter alia, that:

·         The services are provided to the highest professional/academic standard;

·         Any specific instructions given by the Council – whenever this is the case – are followed.

In addition to the orders requested on an as needed basis, the Provider shall keep regular communication with the Council to ensure continuing exchange of information relevant to the project implementation. This involves, among others, to inform the Council as soon as it becomes aware, during the execution of the Contract, of any initiatives and/or adopted laws and regulations, policies, strategies or action plans or any other development related to the object of the Contract (see more on general obligations of the Provider in Article 3.1.2 of the Legal Conditions in the Act of Engagement).

Unless otherwise agreed with the Council, written documents produced by the Provider shall be in English (see more on requirements for written documents in Articles 3.2.2 and 3.2.3 of the Legal Conditions in the Act of Engagement).]

C.   FEES

Tenderers are invited to indicate their unit fees, by completing the table of fees, as attached in Section A of the Act of Engagement. These fees are final and not subject to review.

Tenders proposing fees above the exclusion level indicated in the Table of fees will be entirely and automatically excluded from the tender procedure.

The Council will indicate on each Order Form the global fee corresponding to each deliverable, calculated on the basis of the daily fees, as agreed by this Contract.

D.  HOW WILL THIS FRAMEWORK CONTRACT WORK? (Ordering PROCEDURE)

Once this consultation and the subsequent selection are completed, you will be informed accordingly. Deliverables will then be carried out on the basis of Order Forms submitted by the Council to the selected Service Provider(s), by post or electronically, on an as needed basis (there is therefore no obligation to order on the part of the Council).

Each time an Order Form is sent, the selected Provider undertakes to take all the necessary measures to send it signed to the Council within 2 (two) working days after its reception.

Pooling

For each Order, the Council will choose from the pool of pre-selected tenderers the Provider who demonstrably offers best value for money for its requirement when assessed – for the Order concerned – against the criteria of: 

-           quality (including as appropriate: capability, expertise, past performance, availability of resources and proposed methods of undertaking the work);

-           availability (including, without limitation, capacity to meet required deadlines and, where relevant, geographical location); and

-           price.

If a Provider is unable to take an Order or if no reply is given on his behalf within that deadline, the Council may call on another Service Provider using the same criteria, and so on until a suitable Provider is contracted.

Providers subject to VAT

The Provider, if subject to VAT, shall also send, together with each signed Form, a quote^[1] (Pro Forma invoice) in line with the indications specified on each Order Form, and including:

-    the Service Provider’s name and address;

-    its VAT number;

-    the full list of services;

-    the fee per type of deliverables (in the currency indicated on the Act of Engagement, tax exclusive);

-    the total amount per type of deliverables (in the currency indicated on the Act of Engagement, tax exclusive);

-    the total amount (in the currency indicated on the Act of Engagement), tax exclusive, the applicable VAT rate, the amount of VAT and the amount VAT inclusive.

Signature of orders

An Order Form is considered to be legally binding when the Order, signed by the Service Provider, is approved by the Council, by displaying a Council’s Purchase Order number on the Order, as well as by signing and stamping the Order concerned. Copy of each approved Order Form shall be sent to the Provider, to the extent possible on the day of its signature.

E.   ASSESSMENT

Exclusion criteria (by signing the Act of Engagement, you declare on your honour not being in any of the below situations)[2]

Tenderers shall be excluded from participating in the 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 interests.

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):

·         University degree in Education and Social Sciences, Humanities, Political Science, International Relations, Media and Communication;

·         At least 5 years of professional experience at national level (in the Republic of Moldova) in the areas related to the fields of expertise as described within the specific Lots under the scope of the contract above;

·         Excellent knowledge of the Romanian and Russian languages (level C1 or C2 according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages).

Award criteria

·         Quality of the offer (90%), including:

-           Thematic expertise in the relevant area, primarily the in-depth knowledge of the Moldovan legislation and practices as well as the basic international standards and recommendations of the Council of Europe in the areas covered by this call (40%);

-           Relevance of the experience of the tenderer in the areas covered by this call, including previous similar assignments with international organisations (50%).

·         Financial offer (10%).

The Council reserves the right to hold interviews with eligible tenderers.

Multiple tendering is not authorised.

F.   DOCUMENTS TO BE PROVIDED

Ø  Two completed and signed copies of the Act of Engagement.[3]

Ø  A detailed CV, preferably in Europass Format, demonstrating clearly that the Tenderer fulfils the eligibility criteria;

Ø  A motivation letter (1-page max.) demonstrating how the Potential Provider meets the requirements of the expected types of deliverables and the eligibility criteria;

Ø  At least one sample of previous worke.g. policy/literature reviews, policy papers/recommendations/opinions, strategy papers, curriculum, scholarly articles, learning and teaching materials, books, handbooks for education professionals/parents, training programmes/materials for teachers etc.;

Ø  Three references (contacts including phone number and e-mail address);

Ø  Registration documents, for legal persons only.

All documents shall be submitted in English or French (with exception of samples of previous work), 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 LOCAL CONSULTANCY SERVICES

2020/AO/59

ARTICLE 1 – IDENTIFICATION OF THE CONTRACTING AUTHORITY

1.1   Name and address

COUNCIL OF EUROPE

Education Department, Directorate of Democratic Participation

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.^[4]

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.

If any of the documents listed above are missing, the Council reserves the right to reject the tender.

ARTICLE 6 – LEGAL FORM OF TENDERERS

The tenderer must be either a natural person, or a duly registered company under sole proprietorship of a natural person, or equivalent, provided that the signatory of the Act of Engagement is individually liable for all obligations undertaken by the entity, and is the owner of the moral rights in any creations of the entity. If contracted by the Council of Europe, the signatory of the Act of Engagement shall provide the deliverables personally, in accordance with the terms as provided in the current Tender File, Act of Engagement and future Order Forms.

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, and shall be exclusively sent to the following address: [email protected]

ARTICLE 8 – MODALITIES OF THE TENDERING

Tenders must be sent to the Council of Europe electronically.

Electronic copies shall be sent only to [email protected] with the subject line ‘Provision of local consultancy services – Education Project Moldova’.

Tenders submitted to another e-mail account will be excluded from the procedure.

ARTICLE 9 – Deadline for submission of tenders

The deadline for the submission of tenders is 16 December 2020.

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.

Ø  A detailed CV, preferably in Europass Format, demonstrating clearly that the Tenderer fulfils the eligibility criteria;

Ø  A motivation letter (1-page max.) demonstrating how the Potential Provider meets the requirements of the expected types of deliverables the eligibility criteria;

Ø  At least one sample of previous work e.g. policy/literature reviews, policy papers/recommendations/opinions, strategy papers, curriculum, scholarly articles, learning and teaching materials, books, handbooks for education professionals/parents, training programmes/materials for teachers etc.;

Ø  Three references(contacts including phone number and e-mail address);

Ø  Registration documents, for legal persons only.

2) HOW TO SEND TENDERS?

Tenders must be sent to the Council of Europe electronically.

Electronic copies shall be sent only to [email protected] with the subject line ‘Provision of local consultancy services – Education Project Moldova’.

Tenders submitted to another e-mail account will be excluded from the procedure.

The deadline for the submission of tenders is 16 December 2020.