TENDER SPECIFICATIONS ATTACHED TO THE INVITATION TO TENDER

Transcription

1 TENDER SPECIFICATIONS ATTACHED TO THE INVITATION TO TENDER Coordination and Support of the Radicalisation Awareness Network (RAN Centre of Excellence)

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3 I. TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS INTRODUCTION This open call for tenders aims to secure the external professional expertise and technical assistance required by the European Commission (referred to as the Commission ) and primarily by its Directorate General for Home Affairs (referred to as DG HOME ) in order to support the Radicalisation Awareness Network (referred to as "RAN") and consolidate and enhance knowledge and expertise in the field of radicalisation with a view to further develop and implement prevent measures at national, European and international level. In principle, the framework contract can also be used by other services of the Commission. I.1. BACKGROUND: POLICY DEVELOPMENT AND CONTEXT The EU Counter Terrorism Strategy of 2005 sets out the guiding principles for the EU's contribution to countering terrorism. This strategy is built on 4 pillars one of which is preventing radicalisation towards terrorism. The EU Strategy for Combating Radicalisation and Recruitment ( EU Strategy on Radicalisation, adopted in 2005, and revised in 2008) lay the foundations for an enhanced involvement of civil society in tackling and countering radicalisation. While it recognised that actions against radicalisation fell primarily within the competences and responsibilities of Member States, the EU Strategy on Radicalisation stressed the importance and added value of an EU framework for Member States to coordinate their policies, share information, determine good practices and develop new ideas. The Commission was called upon to support Member States in their efforts. The Communication of the Commission to the European Parliament and the Council: "The EU Internal Security Strategy in Action: Five steps towards a more secure Europe" ("ISS"; COM [2010] 673) identified as one of its objectives the need to prevent terrorism and address radicalisation and recruitment. 1 Three actions were foreseen to address radicalisation: (1) to empower communities and enhance close cooperation with local authorities and civil society to tackle radicalisation, (2) to organise a ministerial conference and (3) to develop a handbook of actions and experiences to support Member States' efforts, from upstream prevention of radicalisation to disrupting recruitment and how to enable disengagement and rehabilitation. In 2011, the Commission established the Radicalisation Awareness Network (the RAN), an EUwide umbrella network connecting key organisations and networks of local actors involved in preventing radicalisation to terrorism and violent extremism, including first-line practitioners and field experts, such as social and health workers, teachers, civil society organisations, including victims' groups, as well as policy makers, local authorities, law enforcement, prosecutors, security officials, counter terrorism specialists, think tanks, institutes and academics. By now, the RAN is a network of stakeholders representing over 700 organisations and around 1000 participants from all 28 Member States. 1 The Commission announced a renewal of the ISS for the period ; see : 2

4 The RAN allows practitioners from different Member States and different professional backgrounds to exchange ideas, experiences and practices on how to best tackle the different aspects and forms of radicalisation to terrorism and violent extremism. RAN activities enable the different stakeholders to identify, test, assess and compare good and promising practices, review and identify lessons learned from (un)successful projects and interventions, promote crossfertilisation among practitioners both within and between different sectorial groups and to feed this expertise and experience into the policy process. 2 In 2013, the Commission organised a Ministerial Conference bringing together policy makers and practitioners engaged within the RAN leading to the adoption of a series of recommendations. 3 Built on the experience within the RAN, including the recommendations formulated at the occasion of the first HLC, the Commission adopted on 15 January 2014, a Communication on "Preventing Radicalisation to Terrorism and Violent Extremism: Strengthening the EU's Response" 4 ("Prevent Communication"). The Commission identified 10 areas where Member States and the EU could reinforce their actions to prevent radicalisation and recruitment (including for instance the recommendation to set up national prevent strategies and national networks of practitioners). At the same time, the Communication sets out how the Commission will support Member States and relevant stakeholders in their prevent efforts. Operational support measures announced by the Commission include in particular the deployment of RAN expertise to Member States for developing and implementing exit strategies and projects and the development of training programmes. For the implementation of several of the proposed measures and actions as outlined in the PREVENT Communication, the Commission intends to draw on the expertise developed within the RAN (cf. in particular references in the PREVENT Communication in sections 2.3 on support to Member States, section 2.4 on training, section 2.5 on exit strategies, section 2.6 on the development and testing of counter narratives, section 2.8 on the involvement of victims and the use of their testimonies in prevent measures, section 2.9 on targeted research). In particular, the Commission announced the establishment of an EU Knowledge Hub (called hereafter RAN Centre of Excellence) pooling, deepening and disseminating expertise in preventing radicalisation to terrorism and violent extremism. In addition to the support to the networking activities of the RAN in continuation of what the RAN Secretariat has provided in the past, the RAN Centre of Excellence will develop further the actions that the RAN Secretariat initiated and developed since the adoption of the PREVENT Communication in January 2014 (in particular train the trainer programmes, workshops on exit strategies and services to the benefit of 2 More information about the RAN can be found on the dedicated RAN website: 3 More information on the 1st HLC can be found on the dedicated RAN website and more specifically under: 4 See COM(2013) 941 final; "PREVENT Communication": 301_en.pdf. 3

5 Member States) 5 and develop entirely new activities and deliverables (in particular as regards the consolidation of knowledge and expertise in the area of radicalisation). The PREVENT Communication was accompanied by a Collection of Promising practices elaborated by the RAN. The practices are grouped around 8 approaches with explanations about the underlying methodology and aims pursued as well as lessons learnt. 6 In June 2014, the Council adopted a revised EU Strategy on preventing radicalisation and recruitment ( revised EU Strategy on Radicalisation ). 7 It sets out ways in which action at EU level adds value to national and local efforts in particular by providing a framework for cooperation and sharing good practices on the ways to effectively respond to radicalisation at local, national, European and international level. It outlines ways for Member States to deliver on the strategy building on their own experiences and on available expertise from the RAN and EU institutions and to coordinate their policies, share information and experiences regarding the efforts to deal with challenges of radicalisation and recruitment to terrorism, at a national as well as at a European level, institute best practices and cooperate in developing new ideas. The revised EU Strategy on Radicalisation recognises the importance to involve or draw on the experience of the RAN (e.g. as regards the development of awareness raising programmes and sector specific training modules for first line practitioners, the involvement of and drawing on resources and expertise within civil society and the private sector to build resilience, the exchange of best practices and experience with a view to developing exit programmes, acquiring know-how and re-integrating former terrorists, steering research to understand the phenomenon of radicalisation in an ever evolving context, ensuring coordination between inter alia academics and first line practitioners and informing future policy decisions, also in the area of exit strategies and programmes). The revised EU Strategy on Radicalisation recognises a role for the RAN Centre of Excellence as regards further research into the trends and challenges of radicalisation. On 17 June 2014, the Commission hosted the second High Level Conference "From Strategy to action" 8 with the objective of identifying the need, prerequisites and scope of concrete action in core areas such as exit programmes, counter narratives and communication. Discussions between RAN practitioners/members and Minsters and Government officials confirmed the need for sustained support and a stable framework to involve civil society and local actors as well as the private sector in prevent efforts. 5 To the extent that such information is not made publicly available on the webpage, training material developed by the previous contractor as well as background material and reports on training sessions, workshops and other deployments of RAN expertise to Member States will be made available to the new contractor as part of the hand-over (see on this also section I.4). 6 See for more information the dedicated RAN website and in particular the webpage regarding this Collection: as well as the searchable online-collection: 7 The revised EU Strategy on Radicalisation is supposed to be complemented by guidelines setting out in more detail the actions envisaged at Member State and EU level. 8 For more information on the High Level Conference, please consult the dedicated RAN website and more specifically: 4

6 I.2 Description of the RAN Centre of Excellence ("RAN Centre") I.2.1 Objectives In section 2.2 of the PREVENT Communication, the Commission announced its intention i) to foster structured dialogue, exchange of expertise and experience and the development of best practices within the RAN, ii) to make available to policymakers and other stakeholders in Member States the large body of expertise and best practice within the EU and beyond and iii) to deepen cooperation between policymakers, academia, private partners, and international forums. In this spirit, the RAN Centre pursues three main objectives: (1) to facilitate and enhance the exchange of experiences and cooperation between the relevant stakeholders (inside and outside the EU), in particular through the RAN (cf. in particular TASKS 2 and 3); (2) to support the EU and the relevant stakeholders in Member States (under certain conditions also stakeholders from third countries) in their prevent efforts through different support services, practical tools and policy contributions (cf. in particular TASKS 4 and 5) and (3) to consolidate, disseminate and share expertise, best practices and targeted research in the field of preventing radicalisation (cf. in particular TASKS 6 to 9). The RAN Centre's services are designed to primarily support the RAN, build on the activities of the RAN and develop the RAN expertise further. In providing the necessary support to the RAN, the contractor needs to take due account of purpose and scope of the RAN. In addition to the objectives of the RAN as briefly summarised in the background information above, it is important to recall that the focus of the activities within the RAN is to discuss the phenomenon of radicalisation to terrorism and violent extremism 9 in all its forms and presentations. While there is a need to tackle the root causes and while recognising that tackling radicalisation is a complex process and requires multi-sectorial and multi-faceted answers, the focus of the RAN is not on addressing extremist ideas or violent behaviour as such. Radical ideas do not necessarily lead to acts of terrorism and not all extremist or otherwise violent behaviour constitute or lead necessarily to an act of terrorism. In this sense, tackling behaviour such as hate speech, hate crimes, vandalism, political protests or hooliganism is not at the primary focus of RAN's activities. In its activities designed to consolidate knowledge and expertise, to develop operational tools and to provide input stimulating the debate and guiding policy decisions, the contractor is tasked to build on the RAN expertise and to develop and support it further. The contractor thus needs to 9 Radicalisation is understood for the purposes of the tender for the RAN Centre as the phenomenon of people embracing opinions, views and ideas which could lead to acts of terrorism as defined in the Framework Decision on terrorism (Framework Decision 2002/475/JHA on combating terrorism as amended by Framework Decision 2008/919/JHA; cf. consolidated version under: ). 5

7 make sure that the RAN is involved in and asked to provide input to the RAN Centre's activities (as outlined in more detail in the TASKS below). In a similar vein, research related activities as well as other support services of a more substantive nature (in particular those mentioned under TASKS 5 and 6) are not an aim in itself but meant to serve the needs of the RAN as well as EU institutions (and in particular the Commission). I.2.2 Rules governing the performance of the services by the RAN Centre The services to be provided by the RAN Centre are determined by the Commission in general terms in the framework contract and will be laid down in more specific terms in the specific contracts based on annual work programmes approved by the Commission. The Commission will monitor and validate the activities of the RAN Centre and the RAN and give political recognition and guidance according to the terms and conditions of the framework contract. Notwithstanding final approval by the Commission, the Steering Committee (SC) will provide strategic guidance of the RAN Centre's work (see also under TASK 7 concerning the role and organisation of meetings of the SC), and more specifically: - provide strategic orientations, set priorities for the work of the RAN Centre/contractor and steer discussions in relation to a number of tasks; e.g. in relation to the AAP and APR under TASK 1, the deployment of RAN expertise under TASK 4; research related activities under TASK 5, in relation to proposals for working relationships with other/international bodies and networks as described under TASK 7, in relation to the organization of the HLC under TASK 8 and in relation to the proposal for the development of the dedicated RAN Centre website under TASK 9; - validate peer evaluations in particular as regards TASK 2.3 and the inclusion of new practices into the RAN Collection and - give its views on working arrangements, such as the proposals for a new Charter and new Rules of Procedure. The SC will consist of representatives of the contractor, "RAN WG leaders" and the Commission (having the Chair); the Commission may nominate other members. WG leaders have an important role to play in the determination, implementation and review of the RAN Centre's activities. The RAN Centre/contractor need to associate them closely in its work ensuring that the RAN Centre's output satisfies the relevant quality requirements (see section I.3). The key guiding principles for the work of the RAN Centre (including the respect of fundamental rights and the rule of law) and more specifically the RAN as well as objectives, activities, structure and composition of the SC are laid down in the Charter of the RAN Centre (the existing Charter will be updated by the Commission after consultation of the SC once the new framework contract is awarded). More detailed rules are laid down in the Rules of procedure of the RAN Centre (the existing Rules of procedure will be updated and completed by the SC after the award of the new framework contract and approved by the Commission). 10 These rules will govern inter alia issues related to the RAN membership, organisational issues (including the 10 To consult the current Charter and Rules of Procedures, please see and 6

8 establishment of working groups, the appointment of working group leaders, etc.) and the relationship with the European Commission (in particular mechanisms for guidance, supervision and monitoring of the RAN Centre's activities, e.g. through annual activity plans, progress reports but also ad hoc authorisations). These Rules of Procedure complete but do not modify the terms and conditions of the framework contract. I.3 Purpose of the framework contract and services and deliverables to be provided by the contractor According the terms and conditions of the specifications and their annexes (including the draft framework contract model), the contractor has to provide a stable, focused, high quality standard and effective assistance and policy support to the European Commission's services in its actions in the field of prevent work, in particular to support the activities of the RAN, to further enhance knowledge and RAN expertise and to develop concrete conclusions and solutions to support Member States in their efforts and to feed into the policy process. More specifically, the contractor needs to deliver state of the art, high quality issue and policy papers, presentations, speeches or other documents and media communications (as further identified under the relevant TASKS). For that purpose, the different deliverables have to be reviewed and quality checked by the contractor also ensuring that a plurality of opinions, different strands in thinking and policy approaches are adequately represented. The specific services and deliverables to be provided by the contractor in relation to the tasks as described below will be laid down in detail by specific contracts under the framework contract. Each specific contract will cover a given period of time (typically 12 months). The specific contract is typically but not exclusively concluded based on an annual activity plan to be submitted by the contractor and accepted by the Commission. Further details on expected tasks/services are provided in Annex 3 (template for the pricing of individual tasks/service). TASK 1: Prepare Activity plans and progress reports implementing and reporting on the RAN Center's activities: In order to implement the Tasks 2 9, the contractor proposes concrete activities and actions and reports on their delivery in activity plans and progress reports, respectively, allowing the Commission to monitor compliance with the tasks and to appraise the achievements as well as the effective use of the available resources in pursuit of the declared objectives. These plans and reports will provide i) descriptive, statistical and financial information as well as ii) explanations on how the envisaged activities are supposed to contribute or actually contributed, more generally, to the objectives set out in the FC and the relevant specific contracts and, more specifically, to the policy orientations and priorities determined by the Commission. affairs/what-we-do/networks/radicalisation_awareness_network/docs/ran_rules_of_procedures_en.pdf, respectively. These rules will be subject to modifications, in particular to reflect the additional tasks of the RAN Centre. 7

9 The relevant plans and reports shall be prepared by the contractor and, as regards RAN related activities, in coordination and cooperation with the WG leaders. The annual activity plans and progress reports shall be submitted to the SC prior to acceptance by the Commission. The Commission will ensure that the contractor will have all relevant background material allowing for a smooth hand-over of the activities. This material includes the most recent such reports which provide some guidance as to structure and content of the reports. TASK 1.1: The contractor will prepare annual activity plans (n+1) (AAP). The draft AAP will be submitted to the Commission 2 months, and a final AAP 1 month, before the termination of the relevant specific contract. Taking into account the policy orientations and priorities determined by the Commission, the AAP shall include the concrete activities foreseen under each of the tasks as defined in the framework contract indicating the number, type and scale/scope of meetings and other events, research and policy papers and other tools or documentation. It shall include information on the costs of the envisaged activities under each relevant task broken further down by e.g. cost of travel, accommodation, facilities (e.g. renting meeting rooms, interpretation), documents (e.g. type and number of documents to be produced and translated if necessary), lunches, promotion events, etc., within the respect of the prices of the grid attached to the framework contract (being the financial proposal of the tender). For the elaboration of the first AAP and the offer for the first specific contract, the Commission will provide the contractor with the necessary guidance and background material in the context of the kick-off meeting (see also below under section I.4 below). TASK 1.2: The contractor will report on the progress on the planned activities as set out in the AAP in annual progress reports (APR). Similar to the AAP, the APR shall contain information on the costs of the activities allowing the Commission to appraise the costs for delivering on each task and activity within each task (see for details above under TASK 1.1). The draft APR will be submitted to the Commission 1 month after the termination of the respective specific contract period and is subject to acceptance by the Commission. It shall describe activities and achievements in relation to all relevant tasks and envisaged services and deliverables as set out in the AAP (see also TASK 1.1). The report shall also include a critical evaluation of existing working arrangements and possible suggestions for organisational/structural changes, improvements or additional actions (to be incorporated into the n+1 AAP). As regards RAN-related activities, such an evaluation needs to take due account of the conclusions of the RAN Plenary. TASK 1.3: The contractor shall produce quarterly progress reports ("QPR") within 15 days after the end of each quarter. It shall follow the same structure as the APR and contain the same kind of information (see Task Task 1.2). As regards statistical and financial information, each such report must include the cumulative information on past activities since the start of the specific contract as well as the forecast of the activities planned for the next period(s). Bills and receipts for the relevant costs/activities will be joined as Annexes to the quarterly progress reports. Descriptive information and evaluations can be limited to the relevant reporting period. Reporting is a continuous activity helping the Contractor and the Commission to better assess the outcomes, 8

10 the fulfilment of the objectives/needs, used and remaining financial resources and to decide on further development of the RAN/RAN Centre actions. Task 2: Provide the RAN with support for its substantive activities and the development of best practices: Activities within the RAN shall draw on new ideas and developments in the field of preventing radicalisation to terrorism and violent extremism and, in turn, inspire and stimulate debates on the trends and ways of countering radicalisation in different sectorial and thematic fields, with the view of enhancing further cooperation among practitioners, facilitate the exchange and identification of good practices and develop concrete conclusions and deliverables (cf. above in particular objective 1 of the RAN Centre). The contractor will create the conditions for RAN to fulfil these objectives by carrying out the following tasks: TASK 2.1: The contractor will provide support to the discussions, findings and conclusions reached in the RAN activities in different ways, such as e.g. ex ante papers to frame the discussions, ex post evaluations of the conclusions reached at the RAN meetings/events or proposals for follow up on the findings resulting from the RAN meetings/events. The substantive input is normally limited to papers in the range of 2 5 pages 11. Such papers are to be distinguished from documents to be prepared under TASK 3.3 in that they go beyond the concrete discussions at a particular RAN event by e.g. drawing lessons also from conclusions or experiences in other Working Groups or events. Such support will be provided in close collaboration and coordination with the WG Leaders. The costs incurred by the WG leaders for these activities are included in the so-called "allowances for WG related activities", shall be included in the overall planning and reported in the quarterly progress reports. Irrespective of the number of WG Leaders per WG, the overall allowance will stay the same. TASK 2.2: The contractor will prepare regular (6 times per year and on average every two months) RAN Up-dates summarising the activities in various working groups (see also TASK 9 on the preparation of content for publication on the dedicated website). Such up-dates are in the range of 4-5 pages. 12 TASK 2.3: With the objective of providing support for the further development of the collection of best/promising practices, the contractor will up-date information about and review experiences with existing practices and approaches. TASK 2.3.1: The contract shall gather information, based on submissions from the WG leaders, on new practices or approaches identified and discussed within the RAN, to be included into the Throughout the tender specifications, 1 page is understood as containing characters (without spaces). For examples of RAN up-dates see the dedicated RAN website and more specifically: 9

11 RAN Collection 13. It is for the contractor to present these new practices or approaches in a specific template containing information required for the online publication as well as for the appraisal by the SC and ultimately the Commission of the proposal for inclusion of new practices into the RAN Collection. Subject to further guidance by the Commission, information shall include the name of the practice and the country, details on the organisation (including ownership and financing), its address and contact person and website reference. Further information needs to be provided to identify the approach under which the practice should be mentioned as well as the target audience. Where the practice in question led to concrete deliverables (such as handbooks, training modules, videos, etc.) these should be referenced as well. The presentation of the new practice and the proposal for the inclusion into the RAN Collection shall also contain a brief explanation of the relevance of the proposed practices for tackling radicalisation (as defined for the purposes of the contract 14 ), the link to a given approach, the track record of the practices, information about transferability of the specific practices and information about the conclusions of the peer review (i.e. discussion within a given working group). Up-dates will be prepared approx. 2 4 times per year, depending on the number of potentially new practices, and be submitted to the SC the Commission for approval. The contractor shall then amend the RAN Collection where necessary and prepare the fiches/information to be included into the searchable data base (see also TASK 9 on the preparation of content for publication on the dedicated website). TASK 2.3.2: The contractor shall evaluate and, where appropriate, update the lessons learnt and revise the approaches (including the appropriateness of the current distinction between eight approaches), taking into account the experience within the RAN as well as other relevant research in measuring the effectiveness of counter radicalisation measures. Such an evaluation shall be carried out at least once per year. A draft evaluation should be discussed with WG Leaders and be submitted to the SC and the Commission for approval. The contractor shall then amend the RAN Collection where necessary (see also TASK 9 on the preparation of content for publication on the dedicated website). TASK 3: Provide administrative, logistic and technical support to the RAN activities: With the aim of facilitating and supporting cooperation (networking, communication and exchanges) between RAN practitioners (cf. above objective 1 of the RAN Centre), the contractor will provide administrative, logistic and technical services in relation to the planning, preparation, organisation and follow-up of RAN activities over the duration of the framework contract. The RAN activities comprise in particular: 'RAN Plenary' meetings 13 For more information on the RAN Collection, see above under background information and more specifically the references in Footnote See on this, explanations above footnote 9. 10

12 Subject to the specific rules laid down in the Charter/Rules of Procedure, the main purpose of RAN Plenary meetings is to allow RAN members and participants to meet and discuss the main achievements, challenges ahead and scope for further action or need for changes in the RAN work. There will be one RAN Plenary meeting per year with approx. 150 participants lasting for max. 2 days; location: Brussels/Belgium. Working group (WG) meetings and study visits Subject to the specific rules laid down in the Charter/Rules of Procedure, the purpose of the Working Group (WG) meetings is to focus on particular topics, map and select the relevant participating experts (ensuring the widest possible coverage in terms of MSs and professional background) and select a WG leader, allow for an exchange of practices and the development of approaches and lessons learnt transferable to other contexts. There are currently eight WG's but the number may be, in accordance with the Charter/Rules of Procedure, modified (reduced or increased up to 10 WGs) depending on the needs and interests of RAN. Each WG meets approx. four times per year, attended by approx. 35 RAN participants/members and lasting up to 2 days. The location of the WG meetings is to be decided by the contractor taking into account the content and focus of the relevant activity as well as an overall geographical balance of the RAN activities. Study visits serve the purpose to allow RAN participants to visit a particular country to get acquainted with a particular promising practice or approach. Study visits are estimated in the range of 5 per year (globally), with approx. 20 RAN participants/members and lasting up to 2 days. The support to be provided by the contractor in relation to these meetings and events shall comprise the following: TASK 3.1: The contractor will establish and up-date (on a two-monthly basis) a calendar of forthcoming RAN activities, as set out in the AAP or decided subsequently. Up-dates must normally be established 2 months in advance of any given event (as regards the subsequent publication of the agenda on the dedicated EU website, see TASK 9). To the extent that the announced forthcoming event have not been foreseen in the approved AAP, such modification need to be approved by the Commission as it may impact the budget consumption or the achievement of envisaged objectives. In any case, the expenses linked to the performed activities may not exceed the value of the specific contract. TASK 3.2: In relation to the different RAN meetings and events, the contractor will organise meeting room facilities, technical equipment, including interpretation where necessary and justified, catering, travel and accommodation of participants. When available, the Commission will facilitate access to meeting room facilities and technical equipment so that no extra costs would be incurred within the contract. TASK 3.3: The contractor will in coordination and collaboration with RAN WG Leaders - prepare agendas, speeches, presentations, working papers for the different RAN meetings and activities. 11

13 The relevant documents shall be drawn up and made available to all participants in advance of a given meeting or event (normally not later than 10 working days before the event) via electronic means (see also TASK 9 for the use of SINAPSE). After the meetings or events, the contractor will prepare the minutes and conclusions, drafts of which are to be distributed via electronic means to the participants and the Commission within 5 working days, final versions of the minutes and conclusions shall be distributed via electronic means normally within 15 working days after the event (for any further follow up or more indepth evaluations of the findings and conclusions of these meetings, see TASK 2.1 above). TASK 3.4: The contractor will coordinate and support the RAN working groups in particular through regular contacts with Working Group Leaders (WG Leaders). Each working group will be led by one or more WG Leaders. WG Leaders will be newly appointed after the conclusion of the framework contract, in accordance with the adoption of the revised Charter and Rules of Procedures of the RAN Centre. The current WG Leaders will remain in place until then. 15 The WG Leader is expected to steer, animate and organise the work of a working group including e.g. preparing and reporting on a work plan (including the preparation for the AAP, the APR and the QPR), the identification of good practices/lesson learnt, the selection of participants and acquisition of new members, etc. The WG leader needs to ensure the broadest possible representativeness of WG participants (in terms of MS coverage and professional background) and broadest possible participation taking into account the objectives of the discussions and needs of interested participants. The contractor shall coordinate and liaise on regular basis (at least once per month), with WG leaders to steer the work within the WG's (as described above), ensure coherence with activities of other WG's as well as the RAN Centre in general (including the respect of the quality requirements as set out above in section I.3) and identify scope for further action and initiatives (including e.g. the organisation of meetings involving members of different WG's, the establishment of task forces on cross cutting aspects). The costs incurred by the WG leaders for these activities are included in the so-called "allowances for WG related activities" and shall be included in the overall planning (for the need to specify such activities in the activity plans and progress reports, see TASK 1). A flat rate of 400 / month will be allocated to each WG to cover the expenses to lead the WG activities. In case of co-leading of a WG, this lump sum has to be shared between the appointed WG leaders. TASK 4: Provide Member States (and - when justified - third countries) with RAN expertise, counselling and training: 15 Information on the current WG Leaders can be found on the dedicated RAN website and more specifically: 12

14 With the aim of providing policy makers and stakeholders in EU Member States with expertise and knowhow in their prevent work, the contractor shall make the RAN Centre s and RAN practitioners' expertise available to Member States at their request, and for that purpose develop counselling and training services and tools (cf. above objective 2 of the RAN Centre, as well as in particular sections 2.3, 2.4 and 2.5 of the PREVENT Communication). The RAN Centre may also be asked to offer its services to key priority third countries. These services provided to Member States are to be distinguished from other RAN activities (as described under TASK 3) in that their objective is not so much to allow for an exchange of experiences between stakeholders with a view to develop lessons learnt, but rather to provide Member States with concrete operational support in relation to specific topics. They should support Member States in their efforts to implement measures as outlined in the Commission's PREVENT Communication. The support services can be offered to different Member States on topics of common interest (e.g. exit strategies, communication and countering terrorist propaganda, the role of education in prevent efforts) or to one single Member State, and where appropriate to third countries. Services to individual countries can take different forms, e.g. analysing the needs of a particular Member State in terms of expert advice, advice about how to implement specific practices or recommendations, or in the form of support in how to design strategies in a particular area or how to set up prevent networks and structures. TASK 4.1: Services offered to Member States Depending on the needs and wishes expressed by Member States, the contractor will provide notably the following services: - An average of 5 training programmes with about 25 participants and for a duration of approx. 2 days per year; - An average of 5 workshops on specific issues with about. 25 participants and for a duration of approx. 2 days per year. - Counselling services to individual Member States (about 10 per year). Based on the expression of interest by Member States, in line with orientations agreed by the SC and in coordination and collaboration with WG leaders, the contractor will prepare proposals for such tailored activities for the Commission's approval. Such proposals shall normally be included in the AAP (cf. TASK 1 above). The contractor is responsible for providing both logistical and substantive support to these events (for the scope of such support, please refer to in particular TASK 3.2 and 3.3). The contractor will develop training programmes and modules and other tools in coordination and collaboration with WG leaders and taking into account other existing and available training programmes and materials so as to avoid unnecessary duplication. Depending on the needs of participants, relevant background material needs to be translated. 13

15 In developing and offering such services, the contractor should draw to the extent possible on its own expertise. Where justified, such services can draw on subcontracting services (for example from within the RAN), subject to prior written approval by the Commission (in line with the terms and conditions of the framework contract model). Services offered by external experts are estimated in the range of 120 working days per year. Further details for the procedure for developing tailored support services will be laid down in the modified Charter/Rules of Procedure. TASK 4.2: In certain circumstances and subject to funding being available, the contractor may be tasked by the Commission to offer its expertise and counselling to the benefit of key priority third countries. Such deployment of expertise can be envisaged for instance in support of regional authorities in a given third country to create the institutional structures and framework for effective prevent work and to establish platforms or networks similar to the RAN. The Commission will determine and communicate to the contractor the terms of such deployment as well as the countries are considered "key priority third countries ". Such deployments will be in the range of 40 working days per year. TASK 4.3: The contractor will establish a list of "radicalisation experts" for approval by the Commission from which experts can be selected for specific tasks (mainly those mentioned under TASK 4.1 and 4.2) and eventually subcontracting services. This list shall detail the name of the experts as well as their organisation (if not self-employed), the specific fields of expertise covered and a brief reference to his or her track record. This list shall be up-dated regularly (at least once per year) and will be approved by the Commission prior any related subcontracting services. TASK 5: Consolidate know how and expertise to the benefit of prevent work and policy: With the objective of feeding and translating RAN expertise into the broader policy debate and policy recommendations (cf. in particular objective 2 of the RAN Centre as identified above), the contractor will prepare issues papers, policy briefings, working papers, oral presentations, etc. on selected topics. Such papers and presentations shall consist of: An average of 4 policy/working papers (10 20 pages) per year to be delivered within 3 months; An average of 15 issue papers (5-10 pages) per year to be delivered on short notice (within 2 weeks). The topics of issues papers and policy recommendations will be determined by the Commission taking into account orientations determined by the SC. The contractor will submit proposals in cooperation and collaboration with WG Leaders. The contractor shall ensure that its proposed team has the required expertise to fulfil this task. Depending on the use the Commission wants to make of such documents and papers, a decision will be taken as to their dissemination (for publication on the webpage cf. TASK 9). TASK 6: Research-related activities: 14

16 The RAN Centre does not have as its main objective to carry out primary research. With the objective of enhancing expertise (cf. objective 3 of the RAN Centre as identified above, as well as in particular section 2.9 of the PREVENT Communication), the RAN Centre is called to feed topical research into the activities of the RAN and the EU prevent policy, steer further targeted research activities, identifying possible synergies between different research projects and strands, or conversely identify knowledge gaps. Research should not be an aim in itself but should be carried out with the purpose of serving the needs of the RAN as well as those of the Commission. With this in mind, the contractor shall carry out the following tasks: TASK 6.1: Collect information on current research, thinking and trends relevant for prevent work. For that purpose, the contractor will draw up a report compiling inter alia the relevant research organisations, research projects and main findings and their relevance for the different aspects of prevent policy (such as the different initiatives and recommendations as laid down in the PREVENT Communication or the recently revised EU Strategy on radicalisation and recruitment). Such a report should be in the range of 50 pages and produced/up-dated once per year. Depending on the use the Commission wants to make of such a report, a decision will be taken as to its dissemination (for publication on the webpage cf. TASK 9). TASK 6.2.: Upon request and based on the findings under TASK 6.1, provide the Commission with gap analyses and submit suggestions for targeted additional research. This will take a form of a report, submitted to the Commission by the end of June every year. The report will identify themes and subjects, which require further research. This will feed into the discussion and development of research programmes (such as e.g. Horizon 2020). Depending on the use the Commission wants to make of such a report, a decision will be taken as to its dissemination (for publication on the webpage cf. TASK 9). TASK 6.3: Organise one workshop or seminar per year between academics, practitioners and policy makers to discuss research results and their possible use for prevent work of the RAN and to determine research needs and future research projects taking into account the relevance for the activities of the RAN and the EU s Prevent policy. It should in particular strive to incorporate findings of EU funded projects 16. Such workshops/seminar should be designed for about 100 participants over two days. The task will comprise logistic and substantive support (for the scope of these activities see in particular TASK 3.2 and 3.3). Task 7: Establish links and working relationships with relevant expert groups and networks, centres of excellence in Europe and beyond : With the triple aim of reinforcing the activities of the RAN, supporting the EU's prevent policy (including both its internal and external aspects) as well as consolidating expertise (cf. objectives 1, 2 and 3 of the RAN Centre as defined above), the RAN Centre may be asked to establish 16 "EU funded projects" would include those managed by DG HOME under ISF Police (in direct or shared management) as well as funds managed by other Directorates (see in this regard the funding possibilities set out in particular in section 2.9 of the PREVENT Communication) 15

17 links/working relationships with international organisations and entities, with which the EU cooperates in the field of preventing radicalisation, as well as other centres of excellence, networks or forums of experts. Such links and relationships shall enhance synergies and avoid duplication. The effective establishment of such links and working relationships is subject to prior authorisation by the Commission. TASK 7.1: The contractor shall map the relevant bodies and gather information about their activities (such as conferences, research projects etc.). The contractor shall submit proposals on bodies in Europe and -when justified- third countries with which links and working relationships could be mutually beneficial (e.g. in terms of research see on this TASK 6 above). Such proposals should be submitted after consultation with WG leaders and discussion within the SC. For that purpose, the contractor shall present the result of the mapping exercise and information gathering as well as the proposal for links and working relationships in a concept paper (about 20 pages) to be distributed to the SC. TASK 7.2: To the extent links and working relationships have been approved by the Commission, the contractor will maintain contact and exchange information. TASK 7.3: In certain cases, members of the RAN Centre and/or the RAN can participate at events organised by these bodies. The purpose of participating at such events is primarily to inform about the RAN Centre s activities and disseminate RAN experience while not excluding attendance at events with the purpose of gaining valuable experience directly relevant for the current work within the RAN Centre. Exceptionally, these meetings can take place outside the EU/EEA. Such attendance must be suggested by the Commission or proposed by WG leaders in which case it will require prior written authorisation by the Commission (Director General of DG HOME). Such events will be limited to three events per year. The contractor prepares the attendance of meetings, arranging for travel and accommodation, prepare speeches and presentations and prepare reports on the meetings. Attendance by representatives of international organisation and forums at meetings at the contractor's or the Commission's premises will not be covered. TASK 8: Provide communication, media and organisational assistance to the Commission: The contractor shall assist the Commission in the organisation of activities related to the functioning of the RAN Centre and other events on preventing radicalisation. The contractor will be provide the necessary logistical and conceptual support in particular in relation to the meetings of the Steering Committee, High Level Conferences (HLC) and other events of cross cutting nature (for the scope of these activities see in particular TASKS 3.2 and 3.3 above; for a different scope of services to be provided by the contractor as regards the HLC please see below). TASK 8.1: Organisation of the meetings of the 'Steering Committee' (SC) Subject to the more specific rules to be laid down in the Rules of Procedure, the main purpose of the SC meeting is to discuss and where appropriate vote on strategic issues such as overall orientation and priorities of the work (including inter alia the deployment of RAN expertise, 16

18 establishment of links with international organisations and up-dates on the collection of best practices) as well as organisational aspects related to the RAN Centre and the RAN activities. There will be at least two and max. four SC meetings a year with about 25 participants lasting one day; location: Brussels/Belgium. TASK 8.2: Organisation of High Level Conferences (HLC) Subject to further guidance by the Commission, the purpose of such HLC is to bring together practitioners and Ministers or high ranking Government officials to ensure feedback by practitioners to the policy level (e.g. in terms of experiences and lessons learnt, highlighting needs for intervention and support) as well as feedback by the policy level to practitioners (e.g. in terms of political priorities and available (support) mechanisms). There will be one HLC max per year. Such HLC may have up to approx. 200 participants, lasting one day; location: Brussels (Belgium). The contractor's task is to take care of only part of the normal logistical support as described above (i.e. only travel and accommodation arrangements) but full substantive support (as set out above). While the remaining logistical support will be provided by a third party, the contractor is tasked to ensure coordination of the organisation of the event (including logistics). Subject to general guidance provided by the Commission, this includes liaison with the third party on the different logistical aspects (such as selection of the meeting room facilities, decoration, lunch/dinner arrangements etc.) and eventually the proposal of a complete solution to the Commission. Liaison with the third party should start in due time before the event (approx. 5 months before the date of the event). As regards the substantive support to the HLC, the contractor will follow guidance provided by the Commission, also taking into account the orientations given by the SC. TASK 8.3: Organisation of cross cutting/thematic events The scope and scale of these events will be determined by the Commission on its own initiative or after proposal by the contractor (in that case in coordination and collaboration with the WG Leaders); in both cases after consultation of the SC. These events should be ideally proposed in the AAP. There will be max. two such events per year with about 100 participants for one day; location within the EU to be determined. TASK 8.4: Development of communication and outreach products The contractor may be asked to develop audio-visual content related to the RAN Centre's activities. Such content may consist of video clips, interviews, and other multimedia products e.g. related to major events organised by the RAN Centre (such as the HLC) or related to the activities of RAN working groups. 17

19 More generally, the contractor is asked to submit a concept paper on the development of communication and outreach products and strategies (max. 5 pages), ideally as part of the AAP. Note that the contractor will have to respect the principles set out in section II. Further and explicit details will be given to the awarded contractor at the kick off meeting after signature of the framework contract. TASK 8.5: The contractor will establish and regularly up-date (at least on a two-monthly basis or 6 times per year) a calendar of the RAN Centre s events complementing the calendar of events for RAN activities (cf. TASK 3.1 above); for publication on the website see TASK 9. TASK 9: Support to the EU website dedicated to the activities of the RAN Center and the RAN Center s e-community: To support and bring added value to the activities of the RAN Centre and its participants, the contractor shall contribute to the EU website dedicated to the RAN Centre s activities, including in particular those of the RAN 17, and stimulate the RAN Centre s e-community. The RAN Centre s website will be hosted and managed by the Commission on DG HOME's Europa Portal. This implies that the overall look and navigation structure would need to be followed. 18 The contractor is tasked to prepare all content related to the RAN Centre s activities and which are to be published on that website. The contractor may also be tasked to upload content in the event that significant amounts of new material need to be published on the website within a short period of time. In that case, a security convention will need to be obtained. The website shall contain sections related to the activities of the RAN (cf. in particular TASK 2 and 3) as well as other sections related to the additional tasks of the RAN Centre (cf. in particular TASKS 4 to 8). The website shall contain at least the following elements: RAN collection of good practices (as established in accordance with TASK 2.3): This collection consists of individual practices as well as lessons learnt, aims and methodology and approaches. The individual practices should be searchable, at least by theme/approach, location and institution/organisation. Searchable content shall include contact details. 19 The collection is made available in EN, FR and DE. Calendar of events: the focus of advertised events should be on activities and events organised by the RAN Centre (see in particular TASKS 3.1, 4, 6 and 8). Other events such as European and international conferences, seminars, workshops (in particular where working relationships have been established; cf. TASK 6) should be included where they have a direct link or relevance to the RAN Centre s activities. 17 Information about the structure and content of the current website dedicated to RAN activities can be found under: 18

20 Archive/Mediatheque with downloadable content related to or the result of the activities of the RAN Centre, including pertinent policy documents and strategies (at local, national, European and international level), papers (in particular those related to conceptual and research activities of the RAN Centre as detailed under TASK 5 and 6), presentations, articles, speeches, etc. and, where available and appropriate, training material and other audio-visual content (in particular those developed under TASK 4.1 or TASK 8.4). In exercising this task the Contractor should take into account the existing and relevant online resource centres. News section/press corner with RAN updates (cf. TASK 2.2) as well as other relevant material such as press articles focussing on those involving the RAN or RAN members or participants or those directly relevant for the activities of the RAN Centre. "RAN Centre Vademecum" compiling all relevant documents governing the activities of the RAN Centre (such as in particular the Charter and Rules of Procedure, but also other documents clarifying working arrangements or FAQ-fiches). This Vademecum is to be made available in EN, FR and DE. The RAN Centre s e-community: RAN participants shall be able to identify potential project partners and communicate in an online environment via topical forums. Similarly, participants to the activities of the RAN Centre (e.g. those participating in trainings or workshops as mentioned under TASK 4, representatives from other expert groups, networks or centers of excellence with which the RAN Centre has established working relationships in line with TASK 7 or participants of other events of the RAN Centre as described under TASK 8) shall be able to access the relevant background material and be able to communicate in an online environment via topical forums. For that purpose, the Commission will provide a collaborative platform (SINAPSE or any similar platform). 20 Based on the above, the contractor has the following tasks: TASK 9.1: The contractor will submit proposals on the further development of the content and presentation of the website so as to adequately reflect all activities/tasks of the RAN Centre (including at least the requested minimum elements of the website as listed above). This shall also include proposals for the development of further tools necessary to support and publicise the activities of the RAN Centre (in particular, search tools for data bases and audio-visual content for the mediatheque and the press corner, but may also include the presence on social media), to the extent possible taking into account views of actual/potential users and in particular those participating in the RAN activities. The proposals shall take into account to what extent relevant information and material is made publicly available by other organisations, centres of excellence and think tanks so as to avoid unnecessary duplication. The proposal shall take the form of a concept paper (5 10 pages). 18 The Commission is currently preparing a digital transformation which may entail changes such as the use of platforms, which may need to be taken into account by the contractor. 19 See above for explanations and cross references for the RAN Collection. 20 SINAPSE is a platform that allows for both public and registered access. Further information on its functionalities can be found at Further explanatory documentation on SINAPSE is attached to this call for tender. 19