CALL FOR TENDERS

for the provision of communication and visibility consultancy services in the field of Digital tRANSFORMATION IN Education

2024/AO/03

Object of the procurement procedure ►	Communication and visibility consultancy Services in the field of digital transformation in education
Project ►	Education Department - Digital transformation in education
Organisation and buying entity ►	Council of Europe Education Department
Type of contract ►	Framework Contract
Duration ►	Until 23 December 2025
Expected starting date ►	01 March 2024
Tender Notice Issuance date ►	23 January 2024
Deadline for tendering ►	16 February 2024 23h59 CET

TABLE OF CONTENTS

This Tender File contains:

PART I –TERMS OF REFERENCE. 3

PART II – TENDER RULES. 10

FINAL CHECK LIST. 11

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 communication and visibility CONSULTANCY SERVICES IN THE FIELD OF DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION IN EDUCATION

2024/AO/03

A. Background

On 29 September 2023, the Council of Europe's Education Ministers adopted the Education Strategy 2024-2030 and four resolutions at their 26th Session. This Strategy, titled “Learners first: Education for today’s and tomorrow’s democratic societies,” focuses on three main areas: 1) renewing education's democratic mission, 2) enhancing its social responsibility, and 3) pursuing a human rights-based digital transformation. Key actions include promoting curriculum flexibility, learner autonomy, professional development, and participatory governance. Central to the strategy are the concepts of the “Citizen,” “Intercultural global,” and “Digital” learner, with a significant emphasis on well-being and holistic development.

The Strategy also addresses the rapid digital transformation in education, heavily influenced by AI, emphasizing the integration of digital technologies to improve teaching, learning, and access to resources. A human rights-based approach is crucial in this transformation, focusing on inclusive, equitable, and empowering learning environments that respect individual rights. The Council of Europe plans to extend its work in this area, leveraging technology to fundamentally reshape education, with a focus on digital citizenship and AI's role in education. The work on digital transformation in education will focus on the following areas:

- Artificial Intelligence and Education

- Digital Citizenship Education

- Digitalisation in Education, particularly in Higher Education.

Main expected outputs under Pillar n.3 for 2024-2027 are inter alia:

- A legal instrument to regulate the use of Artificial Intelligence systems in education

- A feasibility study for an international/European review system for EdTech solutions

- A curriculum framework for digital citizenship education to guide/assist schools in incorporating digital citizenship education in the school curricula

- A review report of the implementation of the Recommendation CM/Rec(2019)10 on developing and promoting digital citizenship education

- Guidelines on the use of education data and data analytics in education systems

- Instruments to

o promote digitalisation in higher education

o counter digital fraud in education

- The European Year of Digital Citizenship Education in 2025.

The production and delivery of such outputs will be supported by awareness raising activities among key stakeholders, such as policymakers, professionals in education, learners, caregivers, especially on the importance of digital transformation in education. Effective communication is a cornerstone in awareness-raising and will be further needed in all actions and activities related to the field of digital transformation.

In light of forthcoming activities set to commence in 2024, effective dissemination, promotion, and enhanced visibility are needed. To that end, the Council of Europe is looking for up to 14 Providers (provided enough tenderers meet the criteria indicated below) in order to support the implementation of the project with a particular expertise on communication and media; visibility and outreach; and a capacity to produce educational resources.

This Contract is currently estimated to cover up to 40 activities to be held by 22 December 2025. 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.

This information does not constitute any sort of contractual commitment or obligation on the part of the Council of Europe. For information purposes only, the total budget of the project amounts to
1 000 000 Euros and the total amount of the object of present tender should in principle not exceed 400 000 Euros 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.

LOTS

The present tendering procedure aims to select Providers into the following lots:

Lots	Maximum number of Providers to be selected
Lot 1: Audio-visual and graphic content production	5
Lot 2: Knowledge management: design and development of systems to collect, store and share resources (e.g., lesson plans for educators and best practices)	3
Lot 3: Design and produce promotional merchandise and goodies that align with Council of Europe branding and values	3
Lot 4: Planning, monitoring and reporting on a Communication and Visibility Campaign	3

Brief explanation of the purpose of each of the lots:

Lot 1 involves content creation, design and development of audio-visual and graphic content, such as videos and online video-based training courses, appealing and user-friendly graphic content (including infographics, factsheets, leaflets, and similar outputs) and the integration of visually engaging graphic elements and multimedia in existing resources.

Lot 2 involves the design and development of a knowledge management system and related tools and functions. Providers will contribute to the development of webpages and applications adapted to mobile use.

Lot 3 involves the production of promotional or educational materials, often referred to as "goodies".

Lot 4 involves the planning, monitoring and reporting of/on a Communication and Visibility European-wide Campaign for the year 2025.

The Council of Europe will select the abovementioned number of Providers 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).

B. SCOPE OF THE FRAMEWORK CONTRACT

Throughout the duration of the Framework Contract, pre-selected Providers may be asked to:

Under Lot 1:

- Design and develop multimedia resources (e.g. video tutorials, animations, cartoon episodes, games) to be used for pedagogical purposes online, as well as digital tools and resources that ensure effective and student-friendly wayfinding;

- Develop and/or update online courses and learning content (e.g., self-learning courses, master classes, MOOCs) creating visually-engaging graphic elements, quizzes and multimedia to enhance the learning experience, as well as improve user interaction;

- Design and develop educational materials (e.g. leaflets, brochures, infographics, thematic factsheets, manuals, guides, activity books, and lesson plans) and visuals (e.g. logos, illustrations, icons, etc.);

- Providers may also be involved in reviewing existing online resources and proposing improvements and in developing the concept and content of such materials in collaboration with experts and Council of Europe staff;

- Collaborate with other lots to integrate the produced goodies into broader multimedia campaigns, educational materials, and online platforms.

The above list is not considered exhaustive. The Council of Europe 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.

Under Lot 2:

- Design and develop web applications (for both Android and iOS operating systems) and webpages to store and make developed resources accessible to a wide public, with the possibility of including several language versions. Such App and webpage/s may need to be have a restricted access page for users to submit documents and/or other materials;

- Provide statistical information on the use of webpages and applications;

- Collaborate with other lots to integrate the produced goodies into broader multimedia campaigns, educational materials, and online platforms.

Under Lot 3:

- Design and produce promotional merchandise and goodies that align with Council of Europe branding and values;

- Develop creative concepts for merchandise such as branded items, promotional giveaways, and other tangible materials to enhance Council of Europe visibility and outreach efforts;

- Provide a range of options for promotional items, considering factors such as practicality, cost-effectiveness, and environmental sustainability;

- Offer recommendations on the use of eco-friendly materials and sustainable production practices in line with the Council's commitment to environmental responsibility;

- Ensure that all produced goodies are in compliance with relevant regulations and standards;

Collaborate with other lots to integrate the produced goodies into broader multimedia campaigns, educational materials, and online platforms.

Under Lot 4:

- Design a communication and visibility plan for a one-year campaign, to be held in 2025;

- Implement such campaign through the use of social media, website/s, and further communication media, including radio and/or television;

- Monitor and reporting on the campaign, primarily in terms of stastical information;

- Collaborate with other lots to integrate the produced goodies into broader multimedia campaigns, educational materials, and online platforms.

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

- services are provided to the highest professional/academic standard;

- guidelines and standards set by the Directorate of Communications are respected. This includes, among others, the Directorate of Communication strategy, the Digital Communication Strategy, the Policy for use of Social Media, the Guidelines for non-official websites;

- Any specific instructions given by the Council of Europe – 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 of Europe to ensure continuing exchange of information relevant to the project implementation. This involves, among others, to inform the Council of Europe 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 of Europe, 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.

The Council of Europe will indicate on each Order Form (see Section E below) the global fee corresponding to each deliverable, calculated on the basis of the daily fees, as agreed by this Contract.
For the unites to be ordered under Lot 3, the Council will indicate on each Order Form (see Section D below) the number and the total price of units ordered.

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 of Europe 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 of Europe).

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

Pooling

For each Order, the Council of Europe will choose from the pool of pre-selected tenderers the Provider for the relevant lot 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.

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); and

- 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 of Europe, by displaying a Council of Europe’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.

D. 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, terrorist financing, terrorist offences or offences linked to terrorist activities, child labour or trafficking in human beings;

- 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 an entity created to circumvent tax, social or other legal obligations (empty shell company), have ever created or are in the process of creation of such an entity;

- have been involved in mismanagement of the Council of Europe funds or public funds;

- are or appear to be in a situation of conflict of interest;

- are retired Council of Europe staff members or are staff members having benefitted from an early departure scheme;

- are currently employed by the Council of Europe or were employed by the Council of Europe on the date of the launch of the procurement procedure;

- have not fulfilled, in the previous three years, their contractual obligations in the performance of a contract concluded with the Council of Europe leading to a total or partial refusal of payment and/or termination of the contract by the Council of Europe.

Eligibility criteria

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

For Lot 1:

- Minimum 7 years of proven work experience in fields of interest to the Lot, including in the production of multimedia and graphics for pedagogical purposes, visibility materials for outreach and dissemination, animations and video tutorials, online courses, MOOCs, and learning content;

- Have a good command of written and spoken English (at least B2 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages).

For Lot 2:

- Minimum 10 years of experience in the creation and development of knowledge management systems and tools;

- Proven experience in developing mobile-based applications and creating web applications for both Android and iOS operating systems;

- Proven experience in designing and developing webpages with multilingual support and restricted areas;

- Have a good command of written and spoken English (at least B2 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages).

For Lot 3:

- Minimum of 7 years’ experience in designing and producing promotional merchandise and goodies, branded and creative;

- Have a good command of written and spoken English (at least B2 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages).

For Lot 4:

- Minimum of 10 years’ experience in designing communication and visibility campaigns;

- Proven experience working with regional or international institutions;

- Have a good command of written and spoken English (at least B2 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages).

Award criteria for Lot 1

- Criterion 1: Quality of the offer (60%), including:

o Expertise in the field/s related to the Lot(s) of choice (90%);

o Experience in working with regional or international organisations/institutions (10%).

- Criterion 2: Financial offer (40%).

Award criteria for Lot 2, 3 and 4

- Criterion 1: Quality of the offer (60%), including:

o Expertise in the field/s related to the Lot(s) of choice (70%);

o Experience in developing services and products with an educational purpose (20%);

o Experience in working with regional or international organisations/institutions (10%).

- Criterion 2: Financial offer (40%).

The Council of Europe reserves the right to hold interviews with tenderers.

Multiple tendering is not authorised.

E. DOCUMENTS TO BE PROVIDED

- Onecompleted and signed copy of the Act of Engagement.[3]

- A professional Portfolio demonstrating that the eligibility criteria under the lot(s) you wish to be considered for are satisfied and containing relevant examples of previous work in the fields relevant to prospective assignments as envisaged in the lot(s) you tender for;

- A written letter (1 page max) explaining how the product/work developed (or part of it) was used for educational purposes, and detailing the experience working with regional or international institutions;

- For legal entities only: Registration documents. Any legal entity will have to demonstrate in its bid that it is working on the area(s) in question by including the CVs of the persons making up its team for this call for tenders.

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 of Europe 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

for the provision of CONSULTANCY SERVICES IN THE FRAMEWORK OF ACTIVITIES OF THE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT IN THE FIELD OF DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION IN EDUCATION

2024/AO/03

ARTICLE 1 – IDENTIFICATION OF THE CONTRACTING AUTHORITY

1.1 Name and address

COUNCIL OF EUROPE

Directorate General of Democracy and Human Dignity

Education Department

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, 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 180 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 either a natural person, a legal person or consortia of legal and/or natural persons.

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 February 9, in English, 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 electronically.

Electronic copies shall be sent only to [email protected] with reference no. 2024AO03 in the subject field. 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 February 2024 by 23:59 CET.

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:

- One completed and signed copy of the Act of Engagement.

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 reference no. 2024/AO/03 in the subject field. Tenders submitted to another e-mail account will be excluded from the procedure.

The deadline for the submission of tenders is 16 February 2024 by 23:59 CET.

[1]. It must strictly respect the fees indicated in Section A of the Act of Engagement as recorded by the Council of Europe. In case of non-compliance with the fees as indicated in the Act of Engagement, the Council of Europe reserves the right to terminate the Contract with the Service Provider, in all or in part.

[2]. The Council of Europe reserves the right to ask tenderers, at a later stage, to supply the following supporting documents:

- An extract from the record of convictions or failing that an equivalent document issued by the competent judicial or administrative authority of the country of incorporation, indicating that the first three and sixth requirements listed above under “exclusion criteria” are met;

- A certificate issued by the competent authority of the country of incorporation indicating that the fourth requirement is met.

[3]. The Act of Engagement must be completed, signed and scanned in its entirety (i.e. including all the pages). The scanned Act of Engagement may be sent page by page (attached to a single email) or as a compiled document, although a compiled document would be preferred. For all scanned documents, .pdf files are preferred.

[4]. Available on the website of the Council of Europe Treaty Office: www.conventions.coe.int