EUROPEAN UNION DELEGATION TO THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA K Street, NW, Washington, DC TENDER SPECIFICATIONS. No STI-EEAS

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1 EUROPEAN UNION DELEGATION TO THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 2175 K Street, NW, Washington, DC Ref. Ares(2015) /10/2015 TENDER SPECIFICATIONS No STI-EEAS CATERING AND SUPPORT SERVICES FOR EVENTS ORGANIZED BY THE SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND INNOVATION SECTION OF THE EU DELEGATION

2 Table of Contents 1. INTRODUCTION Subject of the contract SPECIFICATIONS CONTRACTUAL CONDITIONS AND ORGANIZATION OF WORK Duration of contract Prices and payment Organization of work Presentation of tenders SELECTION OF TENDERERS AND AWARD CRITERIA OF THE CONTRACT Exclusion criteria and supporting documents Selection criteria Technical and Professional capacity Economic and financial capacity Evaluation of tender on basis of the Award Criteria Calculation of the overall score/award of the Contract SUMMARY CONTACTS INFORMING APPLICANTS ANNEXES ANNEX 1 ANNEX 2 ANNEX 3 Draft Contract and its Annexes Pricing Sheets Scenarios Tender Specs STI-EEAS Page 2/12

3 1. INTRODUCTION The contracting authority is the European External Action Service (hereinafter referred to as the "EEAS"), represented by the Head of the Delegation of the European Union to the United States of America or its duly authorized representative. 1.1 Subject of the contract The Delegation of the European Union to the United States seeks a provider to supply catering and support services in the Washington DC Metro area for outreach events organized by the EU Delegation's Science, Technology and Innovation Section (STI). The majority of events that require catering will be held in conjunction with meetings, seminars, lectures, workshops, and exhibitions. The number of events and number of attendees will vary based on the Delegation's STI annual outreach program and the type of event. Events will take place either at the EU Delegation premises, 2175 K Street, NW, Washington DC, or off-site in the Washington DC area. Offsite venues will typically be business, government facilities, think tank headquarters, museums, universities, and embassies. 2. SPECIFICATIONS The Service contract will cover catering and support services in support of the EU Delegation's STI Section communication, networking and information dissemination needs. For each service (or series of services) required in a given year, the Delegation's ST&I Section will prepare Work orders under the relevant Contract. It should be noted that the Delegation's ST&I Section work programme and budget allocation is subject to change. Therefore, not all the products and services listed in the tender specifications may be required on annual basis. The contractor is expected to comply with regulations and requirements specified by off-site venues. The contractor is expected, with no exclusions in any case and by any means, to ensure all necessary health and hygiene certificates, licenses, insurance, or any other permit or documentation required by the Federal and State Regulations of the District of Columbia, Virginia and Maryland), when applicable, related to performing catering services. All costs of an administrative nature or costs for transportation, delivery and collection of food and beverages, provisioning, or renting necessary equipment will be borne solely by the contractor. At all times, the contractor must ensure that all staff members are certified Tender Specs STI-EEAS Page 3/12

4 according to all local, state, and U.S. federal rules and regulations for performing catering services. No exceptions are allowed. The proposal should include the amount of advance notice required for the following: Notification of initial event order from the Delegation to the contractor (number of calendar days prior to the event); Notification of final changes to event order from the Delegation to the contractor (number of calendar days prior to the event); and Notification of final head count for the event from the Delegation to the contractor (number of calendar days prior to the event). Type of Cuisine The tenderer should provide a wide selection of menu items featuring international and European cuisines, as well as local, while also accommodating specific dietary requirements such as vegetarian, organic, and nut or other allergies. Variety of menus is expected. The planned events are to be considered as standard (not high-end). Menus The tenderer should provide sample menus and pricing for standard category except for the gourmet buffet dinner and gourmet seated/plated dinner. Buffet food items should be identified with labels. Menus for the following categories are required: 1. Continental Buffet Breakfast rolls, pastries, fruit, etc.; 2. Cocktail Menu Passed finger food/hors d'oeuvres; 3. Cocktail Menu Buffet finger food/hors d'oeuvres and/or food displays; 4. Cocktail Menu Passed and Buffet as in 2. and 3. above; 5. Cold Buffet Lunch - the menu shall consist of sandwiches, salads, and dessert/fruit; 6. Cold Buffet and Passed Lunch finger food/hors d'oeuvres, and food displays; 7. Hot Buffet and Passed Lunch finger food/hors d'oeuvres, and food displays; 8. Standard Buffet Dinner up to 2 choices of salad, 2 choices of entrée, 1 additional vegetarian entrée, 3 choices of sides, 2 choices desserts, bread basket; 9. Dessert Buffet finger food/mini desserts, cookies, petit fours, brownies, assorted cheeses, fruit; 10. Miscellaneous Events: Coffee/Tea breaks Tender Specs STI-EEAS Page 4/12

5 Coffee/Tea breaks with cookies Beverages The beverage menu shall consist of: 1. Non-alcoholic juices, mineral water, sodas, iced tea, lemonade, bar fruit, ice, coffee/tea service; 2. Alcoholic beverages European wine, beer; Service Personnel The services shall be performed under the responsibility and supervision of the Contractor. The Contractor is expected to organise and provide the necessary service personnel for the events. Servers should have a good command of English and have a friendly attitude. Service personnel tasks include: Delivery, Set-up and Clean-up; Preparation of meeting rooms and event area (setting up tables, plates, glassware; serving ware) Bar and Waiter service if requested (passed food and drink and/or table attendants); Monitoring and maintaining the level of supplies during the event; Cleaning-up meeting rooms and event area after event, collection of drinks, plates, glassware, furnishings, trash removal, and recycling; Pick-up service immediately following the event; The caterer is required to remove used material at his/her earliest convenience in coordination with the Delegation. Flexibility is expected. Equipment Dishware: biodegradable paper service or china Barware Glassware Serving Ware Tender Specs STI-EEAS Page 5/12

6 Tables Linens (any colour, not only white) On an as-needed basis the Contractor may be requested to provide a separate price quote for miscellaneous equipment and accessories, i.e., chairs, felt table padding, floor cover, etc. * Miscellaneous equipment and accessories will be subject to a separate quote. Frequency and Types of Events The Delegation's STI Section anticipates approximately 6-8 events in the next 12 months. Estimated value The estimated maximum value is 25,000 USD/year. 3. CONTRACTUAL CONDITIONS AND ORGANIZATION OF WORK The contract type is a Service Contract. Based on the Service Contract, Work orders will be issued outlining the specificities of the particular event (exact quantities and the precise timing of delivery). In drawing up the bid, the tenderers should carefully read the provisions of the draft service contract in t (Annex 1). The Delegation will not reimburse any expenditure incurred by the tenderers in preparing and submitting tenders. 3.1 Duration of contract The Service Contact will be awarded for a period of 12 months (one year) beginning on the date of the last signature of the Contract. Contract should be signed by the end of October The contract may be renewed automatically up to one time under the same conditions, unless written notification to the contrary is sent by one of the parties and received by the other three months before expiry period indicated in Article I.2.3. Renewal does not imply any modification or deferment of existing obligations. Tender Specs STI-EEAS Page 6/12

7 3.2 Prices and payment The prices for the tender must be tendered: in USD; pursuant to the provisions of Articles 3 and 4 of the Protocol on the Privileges and Immunities of the European Union applicable to the European Union Delegation, the EEAS is exempt from all taxes and dues, including state or federal tax, on payments due in respect of this contract. all inclusive. This means that, unless otherwise mentioned in these tender specifications, prices tendered for shall include all the costs to be incurred by the tenderers in order to provide the services. Payment will be made in accordance to Annex 1, Article 1.4. No advance or interim payment will be allowed. The estimated maximum budget for this contract is $25,000. Payments will be made in accordance to Annex 1, Article 4. No advance or interim payment will be allowed. 3.3 Organization of work Staff Resources, Project Leader, and Quality Control The Contractor must designate a project leader to deal directly with the EU Delegation. The project leader will be responsible for: managing and coordinating all requested services maintaining quality control handling the administrative issues related to the performance of the contract Subcontracting Sub-contracting is not permitted. 4. Presentation of tenders Tenders must be submitted in triplicate, (original and two copies) and must be signed by the authorized representative. Tender Specs STI-EEAS Page 7/12

8 Tenders must provide all the information and documents required by the Contracting Authority for the evaluation of tenders on basis of the exclusion, selection and award criteria. All supporting documents should be included. Prices must be submitted in Annex 2 (the Pricing Sheet) and duly signed and dated by the authorizing representative. The forms to be filled in by the tenderer may not be altered in any way. All documents submitted by the tenderer will become the property of the Contracting Authority. Tender documents and annexes will not be returned. Tenderers must provide signed and dated Legal Entity and Financial Identification forms. The chosen tenderer will then be asked to submit the supporting evidence. Forms are available at: When the tenderer is a legal person, a legible copy of the notice of appointment of the persons authorised to represent the tenderer in dealings with third parties and in legal proceedings, or a copy of the publication of such appointment if the legislation which applies to the legal entity concerned requires such publication. Any delegation of this authorisation to another representative not indicated in the official appointment must be evidenced. When the tenderer is a natural person, a proof of registration on a professional or trade register or any other official document showing the registration number. The legally constituted consortium must present its own Legal Entity Form which is different from the Legal Entity Form of each individual member of the group; (bank account file - BAF). Submission of a tender implies that the tenderer: accepts all the terms and conditions governing the contract, Annex 1, to this specification; waives its own terms and conditions. Period of validity of the tender: 3 (three) months from the deadline for the submission of tenders. 5. Selection of Tenderers and Award criteria of the contract Tenders will be evaluated on the basis of the information provided by the tenderers under this invitation to tender. All information will be assessed according to the criteria set out in these tender specifications. The evaluation will be carried out in the stages detailed below. Only tenders that meet the requirements of each stage will pass on to the next. The final stage will end with the award of the contract to the tenderer offering the best quality/price ratio. Tender Specs STI-EEAS Page 8/12

9 The evaluation process will consist of the following stages: 5.1 Exclusion Criteria; 5.2 Selection Criteria; 5.3 Evaluation of tenders based on the Award Criteria for Quality and Price; 5.4 Award of the Framework Contract. 5.1 Exclusion criteria and supporting documents Tenderers shall provide a declaration on their honour, available at: duly filled in, signed and dated, by the legally authorised representative. The contracting authority reserves the right to verify all information contained in the declaration by requiring the supporting documents listed herein. The successful tenderer shall provide the documents mentioned as supporting documents in the declaration on their honour before the signature of the contract and within a deadline given by the contracting authority. 5.2 Selection criteria The tenderers must meet the selection criteria in order to be further evaluated according to the award criteria. Tenderers must demonstrate that they have the necessary economic, financial, technical and professional capacity. In the case of a consortium or of a group of companies, all partners must provide the required information concerning professional, economic and financial, and technical capacity Technical and Professional capacity Tenderers must demonstrate that they have the technical and professional capacity to perform this contract. In order for the contracting authority to assess this capacity, the tenderers shall submit the following evidence: company name, address, telephone and fax numbers; organisation chart of the tenderer and the Curriculum Vitae (CV) of the persons within the tenderer in charge for this contract including the management staff; and examples of services in the field of this contract performed in the past 3 years. Tender Specs STI-EEAS Page 9/12

10 5.2.2 Economic and financial capacity Proof of economic and financial capacity must be furnished by one or more of the following documents: Appropriate declaration from their banks or valid professional risk indemnity insurance; A statement of overall turnover concerning the services covered by the contract for the last 2 financial years for which the accounts have been closed. Bids from tenderers who do not satisfy both the exclusion and selection criteria will not be considered for evaluation by the award criteria. 5.3 Evaluation of tender on basis of the Award Criteria The compliant tenders are evaluated in order to award the contract to the tenderer who is offering the most economically advantageous tender. The following criteria will be used: a) Quality: (60% of the weighting), including: Description Points Quality of scenario proposal (compliance with the requirements listed: extent of services based on creativity, choice of ingredients, wide selection of European and local cuisines, selection of European wines and beers, service personnel, equipment and décor). 80 Time requirements (for notification of event order, deadline for final head count, and policy on changes to original order). 20 b) Price: Prices will be evaluated based on the prices submitted for the Scenario (Annex 3) (40% of the weighting). Prices indicated in the Scenario must accurately reflect the unit prices indicated in Annex 2 (Pricing Sheet). The tenders will then be checked for arithmetical accuracy. Where arithmetical errors are found, tenderers will be requested to correct them Calculation of the overall score/award of the Contract The tender chosen will be that which offers the best value for money among the technically compliant tenders, namely the tender obtaining the best overall score Pi calculated as follows where the weighting is 60% for the quality and 40% for the price: Tender Specs STI-EEAS Page 10/12

11 Pi = Ti * Fi * 0.40 Ti = (technical quality score of the tender under consideration / score of the best technical quality tender ) * 100 Fi = (cheapest price) * 100 Summary 6. Contacts Contact between the tenderers and the Contracting Authority is prohibited except under the following conditions: (1) Before the closing date for the submission of tenders: tenderers may address queries or request clarification of the tender up to six days before the deadline for submission of tenders. Questions received later will not be taken into account. Queries will be accepted by , or fax addressed to the contact points listed below. Questions by telephone will not be accepted. The Delegation's responses to queries will be communicated simultaneously to all tenderers. If the Delegation discovers an obvious error in the contents of the tender, they will simultaneously notify all tenderers. (2) After the opening of the tenders: the Delegation may contact the tenderers if they discover there are obvious clerical errors, missing documents or information from the tenders. In this case, tenderers will be contacted on an individual basis. The contact points for questions relating to this invitation to tender are as follows: Primary Contact Point: Karin Peeters Science, Technology and Innovation Section Delegation of EU to the USA 2175 K Street, NW Washington, DC karin.peeters@eeas.europa.eu fax: (202) Tender Specs STI-EEAS Page 11/12

12 Secondary Contact Point: Julia Pascual Science, Technology and Innovation Section Delegation of EU to the USA 2175 K Street, NW Washington, DC Julia.Garcia-Pascual@eeas.europa.eu fax: (202) Informing applicants Tenderers will be informed whether or not their tender was successful. Annexes ANNEX 1 ANNEX 2 ANNEX 3 Draft Contract and its Annexes Pricing Sheets Scenarios Tender Specs STI-EEAS Page 12/12 Electronically signed on 02/10/ :25 (UTC+02) in accordance with article 4.2 (Validity of electronic documents) of Commission Decision 2004/563