TENDER SPECIFICATIONS

Transcription

1 EUROPEAN COMMISSION DIRECTORATE-GENERAL Directorate B: Modernisation of Education II: Education policy and programme, Innovation, EIT and MSCA Unit B3: Innovation in education, EIT and MSCA CALL FOR TENDERS Open procedure N EAC/10/2015 STUDY ON UNIVERSITY-BUSINESS COOPERATION IN EUROPE: drivers, challenges, and opportunities TENDER SPECIFICATIONS 1

2 TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. INFORMATION ON TENDERING Participation Contractual conditions Joint tenders Subcontracting Content of the tender Identification of the tenderer: legal capacity and status TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS General background and (Internet based) reference documents General and specific objectives Tasks Input by the Contracting Authority Intermediate outputs and deliverables Final output and deliverable General guidance on methodology Logistics and timing CONTENT, STRUCTURE AND GRAPHIC REQUIREMENTS OF THE FINAL DELIVERABLES Content Graphic requirements EVALUATION AND AWARD Evaluation steps Exclusion criteria Selection criteria Award criteria Technical offer Financial offer ANNEXES

3 1. INFORMATION ON TENDERING 1.1. Participation Participation in this tender procedure is open on equal terms to all natural and legal persons coming within the scope of the Treaties and to all natural and legal persons in a third country which has a special agreement with the Union in the field of public procurement on the conditions laid down in that agreement. Where the Multilateral Agreement on Government Procurement 1 concluded within the WTO applies, the participation to the call for tender is also open to nationals of the countries that have ratified this Agreement, on the conditions it lays down Contractual conditions The tenderer should bear in mind the provisions of the draft contract which specifies the rights and obligations of the contractor, particularly those on payments, performance of the contract, confidentiality, and checks and audits Joint tenders A joint tender is a situation where a tender is submitted by a group of economic operators (consortium). Joint tenders may include subcontractors in addition to the joint tenderers. In case of a joint tender, all economic operators in a joint tender assume joint and numerous liabilities towards the Contracting Authority for the performance of the contract as a whole. Nevertheless, tenderers must designate a single point of contact for the Contracting Authority. Once the contract is awarded, the Contracting Authority will sign the contract either with all members of the group, or with the member duly authorised by the other members via power of attorney Subcontracting Subcontracting is permitted in the tender but the contractor will retain full liability towards the Contracting Authority for performance of the contract as a whole. Tenderers must give an indication of the proportion of the contract that they intend to subcontract. Tenderers are required to identify all subcontractors whose share of the contract is above 10%. During the execution of the contract, the change of any subcontractor identified in the tender will be subject to the prior written approval of the Contracting Authority. 1 See 3

4 1.5. Content of the tender The tenders must be presented as follows: Part A: Identification of the tenderer (see below) Part B: Evidence for exclusion criteria (see section 4.2) Part C: Evidence for selection criteria (see section 4.3) Part D: Technical offer (see section 4.5) Part E: Financial offer (see section 4.6) 1.6. Identification of the tenderer: legal capacity and status The tender must include Annex 1 presenting the name of the tenderer (including all entities in case of joint offer) and identified subcontractors if applicable, and the name of the single contact person in relation to this tender. If applicable, Annex 1 must indicate the proportion of the contract to be subcontracted. In case of a joint tender, Annex 1 must be signed by a duly authorised representative for each tenderer, or by a single tenderer duly authorised by other tenderers (with power of attorney). Subcontractors must provide a letter of intent stating their willingness to provide the service foreseen in the offer and in line with the present tender specification. In order to prove their legal capacity and their status, all tenderers must provide a signed Legal Entity Form with relevant supporting evidence. The form is available at: cfm Tenderers that are already registered in the Contracting Authority s accounting system (i.e. they have already been direct contractors) must provide the form but are not obliged to provide the supporting evidence where such evidence has already been submitted for the purposes of another procurement procedure and provided that the issuing date of the documents does not exceed one year and that they are still valid. The tenderer (or the single point of contact in case of joint tender) must provide a Financial Identification Form and supporting documents. Only one form per offer should be submitted (no form is needed for subcontractors and other joint tenderers). The form is available at: Tenderers must provide the following information if it has not been included with the Legal Entity Form: - For legal persons, 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. - For natural persons, where applicable, a proof of registration on a professional or trade register or any other official document showing the registration number. 4

5 2. TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS 2.1 General background and (Internet based) reference documents The number one priority of the European Commission's agenda for Jobs, Growth, Fairness and Democratic Change is to strengthen Europe s competitiveness and to stimulate growth and jobs. People are at the heart of Europe s economic and social development, and education is instrumental in empowering people and helping them reach their full potential. Higher education in particular with its links to research and innovation plays a crucial role in individual and societal progress, and in providing the highly skilled human capital and articulate, dynamic citizens that Europe needs to create jobs and ensure economic growth and prosperity. The contribution of higher education to innovation, jobs and growth can be enhanced through close, effective links between education and business. The recent shift towards greater, sustained collaboration has resulted in an increased flow of knowledge as well as new types of co-operation between education institutions and the business sector. University-business 2 cooperation is central to the purpose of the University-Business Forum 3 ; a platform launched by the European Commission in 2008 to support and develop dialogue and exchange between higher education institutions, companies, students, NGOs and policymakers at a European level. It encourages the sharing of ideas, good practice and stimulates innovation through greater knowledge exchange and inspiration. Since it first started, the Forum has produced important ideas in terms of the challenges and opportunities for university business cooperation in the 21 st century and the relevant policy implications. Several recommendations emerged from discussions during University- Business Forums that have since become policy actions; these include the Knowledge Alliances, now part of Erasmus+, and HEInnovate; the guiding framework for entrepreneurial universities. Promoting and developing cooperation between higher education and business is also at the core of the EU's Agenda for Modernising Higher Education 4 and a central feature of the Erasmus+ programme ( ) 5, in particular via the Knowledge Alliances. Knowledge Alliances are designed to provide structured partnerships for collaborative projects between higher education and the business/industrial sector. A first study on the state of University-Business Cooperation in Europe was undertaken for the European Commission in That study looked at the state of cooperation In this document universities is taken to mean all higher education institutions, irrespective of their name and status in the Member States; "Business" has also to be understood in a large sense, including companies (public and private, large and small), NGOs Information on the University-Business Forum and related activities available at Detailed information available at

6 between universities and the business sector from the point of view of higher education institutions. It did not address the topic from the business perspective. Another study looked at "Measuring the impact of University-Business Cooperation" 7, investigating the impact of university-business cooperation with a particular focus on new areas of cooperation beyond the domain of research & development (R&D). Another study on university-business cooperation was completed by a project funded under the EU's Lifelong Learning Programme ( ): EMCOSU - Emerging Modes of Cooperation between Private Enterprises and Universities 8. This project analysed the cooperation between universities and companies from the companies' perspective in 5 countries, namely; Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, Slovenia and Spain. The purpose of this new study is to achieve a deeper and more comprehensive understanding of University-Business Cooperation in Europe; in terms of the reasons, motivation, opportunities, and challenges, from the higher education and the business perspectives. Particular attention should be given to education related aspects. Besides a description and analysis of the current state of development of UBC in the concerned countries 9, the study shall also propose a concept for future monitoring of the development of university-business cooperation in Europe. This should include the identification of a number of relevant indicators, describe possible ways and approaches to collect the underlying data (self-standing; combined with existing approaches; etc.). It should also explore whether national initiatives to collect respective data exist and analyse their possible combination with a European-level initiative. The study shall cover topics/issues such as: - Regulatory framework conditions that are stimulating/hindering UBC in a country/region; -Non-regulatory framework conditions that are stimulating/hindering UBC in a country/region; - Relevant national/regional initiatives that support UBC or aim to support the development of UBC; - HEI strategies for cooperating with the private and/or public sectors; - Business strategies for cooperating with HEIs (this may vary according to different business models and types, this should be reflected in the findings); - Reasons and motivation for UBC (HEI and business perspective); - Structures and approaches in place to promote/develop/implement UBC on institutional level (HEI and Business); Start?PublicationKey=NC Erasmus+ Programme Countries: EU Member States, former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Turkey, 6

7 - Operational activities in relation to UBC (types of cooperation; scope and volume) on institutional level (HE and Business); - Main drivers of UBC (HE and Business); - Barriers that hinder UBC and how they are overcome (HE and Business); - Recommendations to further UBC in Europe (to HEIs; Businesses; public authorities on local/regional/national and European level) - Developing a proposal for the monitoring of UBC in Europe. 2.2 General and specific objectives General objective The general objective of this study is to get a more profound, comprehensive and up to date understanding of the state of UBC in Europe, from the perspective of both the HEIs and the business sector what is the state of play of UBC in the different countries, what are the main drivers and barriers for the different stakeholders and at what levels; understanding the regulatory framework and socio-economic conditions and what kind of measures/initiatives exist on a national level to support the development of UBC. Specific objectives (1) To chart the current state of play and provide an in-depth analysis of University- Business Cooperation in the countries covered by this study, from the HE and business perspectives; (2) Revise and update existing contact database of HEIs and establish new contact database for business contacts; (3) Deliver 50 case studies of UBC (representative sample, balanced distribution among countries and organisations, balanced distribution of HEI and business led cases); (4) Propose possible scenarios for the implementations of UBC monitoring in Europe; (5) Provide policy conclusions and recommendations for the furthering of UBC and the best approaches to take, be it at regional, national or European level. 2.3 Tasks The tenderer is invited to submit a detailed and organised methodological and technical offer covering the tasks and deliverables/expected results set out below, in accordance with the general requirements described in the tender specifications. This section describes the minimum specific tasks that have to be conducted in order to produce the deliverables and achieve the expected results: Identification and analysis of existing literature. The study should take into account relevant documents produced by the EU institutions and use pertinent studies, publications, databases, networks etc. which exist at the international, national or regional level; 7

8 Describe and analyse regulatory framework conditions in the countries concerned in relation to UBC; Describe and analyse socio-economic conditions in the countries concerned in relation to UBC; Identify, describe and analyse national/regional initiatives that support the development of UBC; the analysis should look in particular at the possible transfer/take-up of successful initiatives to/by other countries/regions and/or stakeholders; Describe and analyse existing HEI strategies for cooperating with the private and/or public sectors; Describe and analyse business strategies for cooperating with HEIs (this may vary according to different business models and types, this should be reflected in the findings); Describe and analyse the reasons and motivation for UBC (HEI and business perspective); Describe and analyse the structures and approaches put in place to promote/develop/implement UBC (HEI and Business); Describe, analyse and visualise how and to what extend organisations involved in UBC are connected; Describe and analyse operational activities implemented in relation to UBC (types of cooperation; scope and volume) (HE and Business); Undertake two substantial surveys in the countries concerned; one focusing on HEIs, the other on businesses. The survey focusing on HEIs should take into account the study undertaken in (see footnote 6) and shall cover, as far as relevant, all types of HEIs in the respective countries. For both surveys it is up to the contractor to suggest the most appropriate approach and the number of HEIs/businesses that will be approached. The contractor should propose ambitious but realistic response rates and describe the measures put in place to ensure that the proposed response rates are met; Organise a workshop with the Contracting Authorities in order to present and select the case studies and to discuss the two surveys; the final set of case studies will be selected on the basis of a wider pre-selection carried out by the Contractor and the European Commission; Write up 50 case studies to complement the data collected via the literature review and the two surveys; these cases should present examples of good practice in UBC, they should be varied enough to reflect the diversity and reality of university-business cooperation in Europe; they should provide the business and higher education perspectives; they are expected to result from desk research, phone interviews, on-site visits, or a combination thereof; Describe and analyse the current state of play of UBC in countries concerned (HE and Business perspectives), based on information collected via literature review; the two surveys; the case studies and any other means or methods the contractor may put in place; Identify, describe and analyse the main barriers and drivers for UBC (HE and Business perspectives); illustrate possible causalities; put forward policy recommendations; 8

9 Present and discuss the findings of this work at the 7 th University-Business Forum in 2017 (planned for March 2017 precise date will be confirmed at least 9 months before the Forum takes place); Organise a validation workshop to present/discuss/validate and/or revise the conclusions and recommendations resulting from the study ; Investigate the existence of UBC monitoring tools on National or regional level; Identify indicators that would allow monitoring the development of UBC in Europe. Present possible scenarios for establishing such a monitoring approach (stand-alone; integration of indicators in existing data collection systems; etc.); Revise and update existing contact database of HEIs (available database with contact details of approx HEIs will be provided to the contractor); Establish a new database with the contact details of the businesses/business representatives who were identified and contacted. This database should include at least contact details from 2000 businesses covering all concerned countries and different types of companies (large; medium; small; micro) Study questions The questions listed below are indicative and intended to steer the study. The contractor will be called upon to use their knowledge and experience to interpret and break down these questions and, where appropriate, suggest others to the European Commission with the aim of improving the focus of this study. The contractor should note that the questions put forward below do not necessarily cover the entire subject matter/area concerned. In fact, they deal with issues the European Commission is particularly interested in and which the contractor should, therefore, address in addition to any other issues which the contractor may see as relevant and requiring attention. - What is the current state of play of university-business cooperation in Europe? Do important differences exist between countries? Between HEIs? Between business sectors? If so, what are the reasons? How to overcome them? - Do regulations exist that prevent or support UBC? Either on the HE side, the business side or both? - Do initiatives exist on country/region/local level to stimulate UBC? Were/are they successful? Could they be transferred to other locations? Under what conditions? - Why do HEIs and businesses cooperate? Why not? - Which are the most relevant and effective modes of cooperation between higher education and the business sector? Why? - Which are the key drivers for cooperation? On the HEI side, and on the business side? - Which are the main barriers to cooperation? On the HEI side; and on the business side? - How are these barriers overcome? To what extent are the respective remedial actions transferable? On the level of HEIs and businesses, on the level of national and/or regional authorities. - Which are the factors that facilitate cooperation between HEIs and businesses? 9

10 - Have Businesses and HEIs measures in place to assess the success/failure of their cooperation? - Which are the most meaningful indicators and statistical data sets to measure the extent of UBC in a country? Do longitudinal observations exist? Could they be extended to the European level? 2.4 Input by the Contracting Authority As specified above, the contractor is expected to expand and update the contact database of higher education institutions that the Contracting Authority has. The existing database (excel file) will be made available to the contractor Intermediate outputs and deliverables Organisation of a kick off meeting Within 4 weeks after the signature of the contract, a kick-off meeting with representatives of the European Commission and the contractor will take place in Brussels to discuss in detail the general and specific objectives of the study, their implementation; outcomes; and expected challenges. The contractor should, at the latest 2 weeks before the actual meeting: a. propose a meeting agenda; b. suggest who should participate in the meeting; c. submit a background brief with key questions (one week before the meeting). The Contractor can involve a limited amount of external experts in the meeting. Inception Report Within 4 weeks after the kick off meeting, the contractor shall supply the European Commission with an inception report including; a revised detailed work programme and timetable for the execution of the study; a detailed description of the methodology and how it is going to be implemented., The report shall not exceed 30 pages, annexes excluded. The report must be accompanied by a comprehensive presentation in Powerpoint. The invoice for the first interim payment (that will represent 30% of the total amount of the contract) shall be accompanied by the Inception Report. The contracting authority shall make the payment within 60 days from receipt of the invoice. The Contractor shall have 20 days in which to submit additional information or a new report if necessary. The payment will be made only once the Inception Report has been approved by the European Commission. 10

11 Organisation of a workshop on surveys and case studies Within 5 months following the signature of the contract, the contractor should organise a workshop for discussing the planned surveys, the businesses to be targeted and to discuss and select the case studies. Case studies will be selected on the basis of a wider preselection done by the contractor and the European Commission. In order to do so, the contractor should, at the latest one week before the actual workshop: a. suggest a workshop format; b. propose a workshop agenda; c. submit a draft of the survey targeted at HEIs; clarify the selection criteria for HEIs; d. submit a draft of the survey targeted at businesses; clarify the selection criteria for relevant businesses; e. submit a long list of case study proposals (at least 80) together with an explanation of each one's key characteristics and a rationale for why they have been selected. The final list of at least 50 case studies will be decided together with the European Commission during this workshop or, in the case that the proposed list does not provide a satisfactory basis for a decision, at a later date Draft and revised interim report A draft interim report will be submitted within a maximum of 10 months following the date of the signing of the contract. The revised interim report shall be submitted within a maximum of 12 months following the date of the signing of the contract by the last of the two parties. The report shall cover at least the following: Complete information on the progress achieved towards the specific objectives of the study; Problems encountered, solutions found or proposed and impact on future work. The interim report must provide information about the initial analysis of primary data (data collected in the field), and secondary data (existing literature, resources and findings). The contractor may be in a position to provide preliminary answers on some of the study questions. This report will provide the basis for a dialogue between the contractor and European Commission about the adequacy of analysis, the factual accuracy of observations and the pragmatism of the assertions and interpretations. It shall not exceed 50 pages, annexes excluded. The report must be accompanied by a comprehensive and concise presentation in Powerpoint. A brief media-friendly update of the results achieved so far should be published online/via social media following the approval of the European Commission. The invoice for the second interim payment (that will represent 30% of the total amount of the contract) shall be accompanied by the interim report. The contracting authority shall 11

12 make the payment within 60 days from receipt of the invoice The Contractor shall have 20 days in which to submit additional information or a new report. The payment will be done only after the European Commission approves the interim report Active engagement in the 7 th Univerity-Business Forum The 7 th University-Business Forum will take place in February/March 2017 in Brussels. This Forum brings together around 350 representatives from HE and business and provides an ideal opportunity to present and discuss the main findings of the study. The contractor is therefore expected to present the main findings of the study and to organise, in cooperation with the European Commission, a session on the study results during the course of the Forum. The session would involve two workshops of 90 minutes each. The outcomes of the discussions should feed into the draft final report Draft final report The draft final report shall be submitted within maximum 18 months following the date of the signing of the contract by the last of the two parties. The report shall include at least the following: a. an executive summary not exceeding 6 pages, in a form suitable for presentation to the general public; b. a report presenting the results of the study; c. key recommendations for implementing the results of the study in policy making The draft final report must provide the contractor's conclusions with regards to the study questions set out in the tender specifications, and must be clearly based on evidence generated by the study. Judgements made must be clear and explicit. The draft final report must also contain exploratory recommendations developed on the basis of the conclusions reached by the contractor. It is essential that the report be clear, unambiguous and comprehensible for non-specialists. Any potential reader must be able to understand: a. the purpose of the study; b. exactly what was studied; c. how the study was designed and conducted; d. what evidence was found; e. what conclusions have been drawn on the basis of this evidence; f. what recommendations are being made / lessons learnt on the basis of these conclusions. The structure of the report should reflect its different uses and follow a broad classification in five parts: Executive summary This must provide, in maximum six pages, a synthesis of the main conclusions of the study, the key evidence that underpin them, and the resulting recommendations. Main report The main report must present, in full, the results of the analyses, conclusions and recommendations arising from the study. It must be limited to 70 pages. Case studies 12

13 The case studies should be submitted as a separate document, whereby each case study should stand-alone and be appropriate for presentation as an individual case. Contact databases The two contact databases, which are to be provided as separate Excel files. Technical annexes These must collate the technical details of the study, and must include; the terms of reference, questionnaire templates, survey questionnaires, interview guides, any additional tables or graphics, and all references and sources, in particular results to surveys. The report must be accompanied by a comprehensive and concise presentation in Powerpoint. A brief media-friendly update of the results achieved so far should be published online/via social media following the agreement of the European Commission Organisation of a validation workshop Within 4 weeks of the delivery of the draft final report, the contractor should organise a final workshop for discussing in detail the results of the study. The discussion should identify the opportunities generated by the results of the study, address possible challenges and next steps. In order to do so, the contractor should at the latest 4 weeks in advance of the actual workshop date a. suggest a format for the workshop; b. propose an agenda for the workshop; c. suggest participants for the workshop; d. submit a background brief (one week before the workshop). The workshop should involve a maximum of 20 persons, of which: The contractor Selected external experts Relevant European Commission officials The workshop agenda and participants should be agreed with the European Commission. All costs incurred by the organisation of the workshop including travel and accommodation for external participants should be borne by the contractor and are, therefore, part of the tender. 13

14 2.6. Final output and deliverable Final study report The final report must take into account the results of the validation workshop on the draft final report and the discussions with the European Commission about the draft final report insofar as these do not interfere with the autonomy of the contractor with regards to the conclusions they have reached and the recommendations they have made. The final study report will be submitted to DG EAC according to the time schedule foreseen (please refer to point 2.9), more precisely M + max. 20 months. The report should be submitted in English. In addition to the electronic version, the final report with all annexes must be submitted in 3 hard copies. The final and agreed version of the executive summary has to be provided in EN, DE and FR. The case studies should be submitted as a separate document, whereby each case study should stand alone and be appropriate for presentation as an individual case. The two contact databases are to be provided as separate Excel files. The invoice for the payment of the balance shall be accompanied by the final report. The contracting authority shall make the payment within 60 days from receipt of the invoice The Contractor shall have 20 days in which to submit additional information or a new report. The payment will be done only after the European Commission approves the final report Details on deliverables Each report must be submitted to the responsible body by in English. Electronic files must be in Microsoft Word for Windows format. Additionally, besides Word, the final report (see section below) must be delivered in Adobe Acrobat pdf format 10. The case studies must be submitted to the responsible body by in English. Electronic files must be in Microsoft Word for Windows format. Additionally, besides Word, the final report (see section below) must be delivered in Adobe Acrobat pdf format 11. The contractor should ensure that the case studies can be published on the internet. The contact databases for the higher education institutions and the businesses are to be provided as Microsoft Excel files. 10 Files must be converted with Acrobat Distiller and optimised for fast Web viewing, with all Web addresses converted to hyperlinks. Each pdf document must contain appropriate metadata (in the Document Summary) following guidelines to be provided to the selected Contractor by the responsible body. 11 Files must be converted with Acrobat Distiller and optimised for fast Web viewing, with all Web addresses converted to hyperlinks. Each pdf document must contain appropriate metadata (in the Document Summary) following guidelines to be provided to the selected Contractor by the responsible body. 14

15 2.7 General guidance on methodology It is up to the contractor to propose the methodology that he considers the most appropriate to reach the results of the study. Surveys An important survey on the state of play of University-Business Cooperation in Europe from the HE perspective was undertaken in 2010/2011, and this new study should take into account the work done. The survey should cover all countries 12 concerned. For the business perspective, it is up to the tenderer to propose a representative sample of businesses that will be contacted for the survey. All concerned countries should be covered and it is also expected that a good mix of different types of businesses are part of the survey. Contact databases Higher Education: The contact database to be delivered should cover at least 3500 HEIs in the concerned countries. All concerned countries are covered. Business: The contact database to be delivered should cover at least 2000 relevant organisations. All concerned countries are covered. Case studies The case studies will present successful examples of UBC (good practice), identify and analyse the relevant success factors and their potential of transferability to other contexts. The contractor should propose a set of at least 80 possible case studies on UBC and describe the selection criteria; the global list will be discussed at a workshop, and the final set of 50 case studies will be identified in cooperation with the European Commission. These case studies should cover different types of successful UBC, giving the HE and/or Business perspective, and cover at least 20 concerned countries. 2.8 Logistics and timing Location For the most part, the contractor must carry out the project on their own premises and with their own equipment. However the work will also involve a substantial degree of fieldwork and fact-finding visits (including interviews). The meetings with the European Commission can take place in the premises of the European Commission in Brussels Facilities to be provided by the contractor The contractor shall ensure that experts are adequately supported and equipped. In particular, they shall ensure that there is sufficient administrative, secretarial, translation and interpreting provision when needed, to enable experts to concentrate on their primary responsibilities. 12 Erasmus+ Programme Countries: EU Member States, former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Turkey, 15

16 Commencement date & period of execution The indicative date for signature of contract is foreseen for December Actual commencement will take place after signature of the contract by both parties. The execution period for the contract will be maximum 22 months Time schedule The contractor will be required to meet the European Commission services (including a potential steering group) at least six times or more, when needed and agreed by all parties. Assuming that the contract is signed in month M, the overall schedule is as follows: M + max. 4 weeks: Kick off workshop (meeting); M + max. 8 weeks: Inception report; M + max 5 months: Workshop on surveys and case studies (meeting); M+ max.10 months: Draft interim report (meeting); M+ max.12 months: Revised interim report; M+ max.16 months: Presenting the findings during the 7 th University-Business Forum in 2017 (conference); M+ max.18 months: Draft final report; M+ max 19 months: Validation workshop (meeting) ; M + max. 20 months: Final report submission + presentation to DG EAC (meeting) Steering group The European Commission might set up a steering group with representatives from different Commission services and/or Commission executive agencies to follow the work of the contractor. 3. CONTENT, STRUCTURE AND GRAPHIC REQUIREMENTS OF THE FINAL DELIVERABLES All studies produced for the European Commission and Executive Agencies shall conform to the corporate visual identity of the European Commission by applying the graphic rules set out in the European Commission's Visual Identity Manual, including its logo 13. The European Commission is committed to making online information as accessible as possible to the largest possible number of users including those with visual, auditory, 13 The Visual Identity Manual of the European Commission is available upon request. Requests should be made to the following address: comm-visual-identity@ec.europa.eu 16

17 cognitive or physical disabilities, and those not having the latest technologies. The European Commission supports the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.0 of the W3C. For full details on European Commission policy on accessibility for information providers, see: Pdf versions of studies destined for online publication should respect W3C guidelines for accessible pdf documents. See: Content Final study report The final study report shall include: - an abstract of no more than 200 words and an executive summary of maximum 6 pages, both in English, French and German; - the following standard disclaimer: The information and views set out in this [report/study/article/publication ] are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official opinion of the European Commission. The European Commission does not guarantee the accuracy of the data included in this study. Neither the European Commission nor any person acting on the European Commission s behalf may be held responsible for the use which may be made of the information contained therein. - specific identifiers which shall be incorporated on the cover page provided by the Contracting Authority Publishable executive summary The publishable executive summary shall be provided in English, French and German and shall include: - the following standard disclaimer: The information and views set out in this [report/study/article/publication ] are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official opinion of the European Commission. The European Commission does not guarantee the accuracy of the data included in this study. Neither the European Commission nor any person acting on the European Commission s behalf may be held responsible for the use which may be made of the information contained therein. - specific identifiers which shall be incorporated on the cover page provided by the Contracting Authority Graphic requirements For graphic requirements please refer to the template provided in the annex 6. The cover page shall be filled in by the contractor in accordance with the instructions provided in the template. For further details you may also contact comm-visual-identity@ec.europa.eu.. 17

18 4. EVALUATION AND AWARD 4.1. Evaluation steps The evaluation is based on the information provided in the submitted tender. It takes place in three steps: (1) Verification of non-exclusion of tenderers on the basis of the exclusion criteria (2) Selection of tenderers on the basis of selection criteria (3) Evaluation of tenders on the basis of the award criteria Only tenders meeting the requirements of one step will pass on to the next step Exclusion criteria All tenderers shall provide a declaration on their honour (see Annex 2), duly signed and dated by an authorised representative, stating that they are not in one of the situations of exclusion listed in the Annex 2. The declaration on honour is also required for identified subcontractors whose intended share of the contract is above 10%. The successful tenderer shall provide the documents mentioned as supporting evidence in Annex 2 before signature of the contract and within the standstill period. The standstill period is a period of 10 days during which the contract cannot be signed by the contracting authority. This period counts from the day after simultaneous dispatch of the notification by fax or electronic means to all tenderers (successful and unsuccessful). If, due to technical reasons, the dispatch is made on paper, the standstill period is 14 days (Article 171 RAP). In the case of a negotiated procedure without prior publication of a contract notice, the standstill period of 14 days is applicable and starts the day after the contract award notice is published in the OJ S If the requested evidence is not submitted in due time, the Contracting Authority can award the Contract to the Tenderer evaluated as the next-best. This requirement applies to all members of the consortium in case of joint tender and to identified subcontractors whose intended share of the contract is above10% Selection criteria Tenderers must prove their economic, financial, technical and professional capacity to carry out the work subject to this call for tender. The evidence requested should be provided by each member of the group in case of joint tender and identified subcontractor whose intended share of the contract is above 10%. However a consolidated assessment will be made to verify compliance with the minimum capacity levels. The tenderer may rely on the capacities of other entities, regardless of the legal nature of the links which it has with them. It must in that case prove to the Contracting Authority 18

19 that it will have at its disposal the resources necessary for performance of the contract, for example by producing an undertaking on the part of those entities to place those resources at its disposal Economic and financial capacity criteria and evidence In order to prove their economic and financial capacity, the tenderer (i.e. in case of joint tender, the combined capacity of all members of the consortium and identified subcontractors) must comply with the following criteria: - Turnover of the last two financial years above The analysis of the financial capacity will be performed by the Contracting Authority based on the following methodology: The following evidence should be provided: Contracts <= EUR declaration on honour stating that the tenderer has the financial capacity to carry out the work subject to this call for tender (see annex 1 of the methodology mentioned above). Contracts > EUR annex 3 " Economic and financial capacity analysis form" filled in with the relevant statutory accounting figures, in order to calculate the financial ratios - for economic operators required under national law to keep a complete set of accounts: the balance sheet, profit and loss account and annexes of the last two years for which accounts have been closed; - for economic operators required under national law to keep a simplified set of accounts: the statement of expenditure and revenue and the annex showing assets and liabilities for the last two financial years for which accounts have been closed; - in all cases, a statement of overall turnover and turnover concerning the supplies or services covered by the contract, provided over the last two financial years for which accounts have been closed. If, for some exceptional reason which the Contracting Authority considers justified, a tenderer is unable to provide one or other of the above documents, he or she may prove his or her economic and financial capacity by any other document which the Contracting Authority considers appropriate. In any case, the Contracting Authority must at least be notified of the exceptional reason and its justification in the tender. The European Commission reserves the right to request any other document enabling it to verify the tenderer's economic and financial capacity. 19

20 Technical and professional capacity criteria and evidence a. Criteria relating to tenderers Tenderers (in case of a joint tender the combined capacity of all tenderers and identified subcontractors) must comply with the following criteria: - The tenderer must prove experience in the field of data collection in higher education and/or business with at least 2 projects delivered in this field in the last five years with a minimum value for each project of The tenderer must prove capacity to draft reports in English with at least 2 studies drafted in English of a minimum of 50 pages during the last three years. - The tenderer must prove experience in survey techniques, data collection, statistical analyses and drafting reports and recommendations, with at least 2 projects delivered in this field in the last three years. b. Criteria relating to the team delivering the service: All experts who have a crucial role in implementing the contract are referred to as key experts. The profiles of the key experts needed for this contract are set out below. Each profile does not necessarily have to correspond to a single individual; one expert may have the skills and experience required to cover more than one role within the contract. Equally, one role may be divided between two or more experts if the Tenderer believes that this will be the most effective way to achieve the desired results. However, the key experts' team must be composed of at least 4 individuals. The function of the Project Manager/Director can be assumed by one of the key experts, provided the qualifications and skills requirements are met. The team put forward by the Tenderer must have all the skills and experience described below: b.1 Project Manager/Director He/She will be responsible for overseeing the smooth running of the project, managing the content of the work-packages, their delivery and execution. Qualifications and skills: Excellent project planning and project management skills; Good knowledge of quality control measures and systems; Excellent capacity to build and lead an interdisciplinary team; Good management skills; Experience in working with stakeholders, especially higher education institutions and businesses; Excellent survey, questionnaire and structured interview designed skills; Skilled in interpreting and analysing survey data; 20

21 Excellent English oral and written communication skills demonstrated.. Professional experience: Proven relevant professional experience: at least 7 years and at least 5 years experience in management of teams. b.2 Institutional researcher in the field of higher education and/or business Institutional researcher in the field of higher education and/or business with in-depth professional experience of at least 5 years in conducting qualitative and quantitative research. He/She will have an excellent understanding of higher education, business and/or university-business cooperation. Qualifications and skills: Experience in higher education institutional research including knowledge of statistics (at least 3 years of experience);; Ability to present policy-relevant conclusions, based upon an assessment of complex issues (at least 3 years of experience); Excellent English oral and written communication skills demonstrated. Professional experience: Relevant professional experience: at least 5 years as researcher. b.3 University-Business cooperation expert He/She will have an excellent understanding of higher education and university-business cooperation. Qualifications and skills: Extensive knowledge and experience of the Higher Education sector and of university-business cooperation; Experience of working with higher education institutions and other stakeholders, especially with businesses; Very good knowledge of the field of higher education and experience of universitybusiness cooperation; Excellent English oral and written communication skills demonstrated. Professional experience: Relevant professional experience - at least 5 years and at least 3 years in the field of university-business cooperation. b.4. Other experts b.4.1. Social media manager He/she will manage social media and promotion activities during the lifetime of the study project. Duties include online advocacy, community-outreach efforts, promotions, etc. 21

22 He/she will set up and manage a presence in social networking sites including Facebook, Twitter, and other similar community sites, posting on relevant blogs, and seeding content into social applications as needed. He/she will become an advocate of the study project in social media spaces, engaging in dialogues and answering questions where appropriate. He/she will apply crowdsourcing for ideas and regularly provide feedback and insights gained from social media monitoring into the study team. Must have in-depth knowledge and understanding of social media platforms and their respective participants and how they can be deployed in a research/study scenario. Must have ability to effectively communicate information and ideas in written and verbal format, and build and maintain relationships. Ideally, he/she will have a background in higher education and at least 2 years of relevant professional experience. b.4.2. Researchers They are responsible for providing a coherent and detailed review of existing literature and research on university-business cooperation; as well conducting face to face interviews in a variety of languages (where necessary) for the case studies. b.4.3. Report writer He/She has clear writing skills, excellent written English and the ability to communicate complex issues to a broader audience. A relevant experience of at least 3 years is needed. b.4.4. Case study writer He/She will help in designing, compiling and creating the case studies out of the information collected. Must have previous experience in case studies writing, at least 2 years, and be able to create a narrative. b.4.5. Temporary experts They have good knowledge of the language of the selected case studies. The contactor should demonstrate how they will be able to assess documents in the languages of the EU when need arises. The expert is either mother tongue or able to demonstrate advanced level in the respective language (C1). Language quality check: at least 3 members of the team should have native-level language skills in English or equivalent, as guaranteed by a certificate or past relevant experience. Team for data collection: collectively the team should have knowledge of at least 10 EU languages. c. Evidence: The following evidence should be provided to fulfil the above criteria: - List of relevant services provided in the past three years, with sums, dates and recipients, public or private. The most important services shall be accompanied by certificates of satisfactory execution, specifying that they have been carried out in a professional manner and have been fully completed; 22