Call for Expressions of Interest

European Court of Auditors, 12, rue Alcide De Gasperi, L-1615 Luxembourg, LUXEMBOURG (LU)

Contact point(s)

For the attention of: Procurement Service

Telephone: +352 4398-1

E-mail: ECA-PROC-CEI-828@ECA.EUROPA.EU; ECA-PROCUREMENT.SERVICE@ECA.EUROPA.EU

Internet address(es)

General address of the contracting authority (URL): https://www.eca.europa.eu

Electronic access to information (URL): https://www.eca.europa.eu/en/public-procurement

Electronic submission of applications (URL): ECA-PROC-CEI-828@ECA.EUROPA.EU

Further information can be obtained from the above mentioned contact point(s)

Specifications and additional documents can be obtained from the above mentioned contact point(s)

Applications must be sent to the above mentioned contact point(s)

European institution/agency or international organisation

Economic and financial affairs

The contracting authority is purchasing on behalf of other contracting authorities: no

CEI 828 – Call for Expressions of Interest for Media Content Distribution Services

Services

Service category no: 15 Publishing and printing services on a fee or contract basis

Main site or location of works, place of delivery or of performance:

The place of performance of each service contract is the contractor’s premises.

To ensure information security and confidentiality, the contractor must follow all ECA instructions precisely and in full. The contractor must be available for teleconferences, meetings and debriefings when these are requested by the ECA, either at the ECA’s premises in Luxembourg (European Court of Auditors, 12 rue Alcide De Gasperi, L-1615 Luxembourg) or remotely, and not later than 3 working days after the request.

NUTS code: LU Luxembourg

The ECA is organising a call for expressions of interest (CEI) with a view to drawing up a list of pre-selected candidates that can provide the ECA with distribution services for its media content. There will be a special focus on disseminating the ECA’s publications, press releases and news items to audiences in particular geographical or linguistic areas, and for subject-specific interest fields. The purpose of this CEI is to set up a list of service provider companies which will be divided into sub-lists according to the different geographical areas and languages they serve or cover. One company can be selected for more than one of the sub-lists.

The contracting authority will draw up a list (CEI 828 list) with two types of sub-lists (by geographical area and language) of pre-selected candidates that meet the selection criteria set out in Section III below.

The ECA communication and media relations department wishes to enhance the visibility of its publications, news and press releases, and increase media coverage and media relations in member states. The ECA thus wishes to procure media content distribution services whose providers are specifically able to target media contacts (journalists, media platforms, bloggers, influencers) with a specific focus on geographical area and language, in order to disseminate ECA editorial content through news agencies, media platforms and social media.

The following distribution services may be requested by the ECA for its editorial content:

— dissemination of ECA publications,

— dissemination of ECA press releases and notices,

— dissemination of ECA news items or any other ECA multimedia content.

To the following specific target groups (non-exclusive list):

— journalists,

— media platforms,

— bloggers,

— influencers.

Pre-selected candidates whose name has been published on the CEI list and relevant sub-lists will be invited to submit a financial offer when a specific need arises. The list resulting from this call will be used exclusively for public procurement service contracts below the directive’s threshold (currently EUR 140 000).

When a specific contract relating to media content distribution services is to be concluded, the contracting authority will invite all the candidate(s) that are on the relevant geographical area and/or language sub-list(s) to submit an offer. The contracting authority will send these candidates a financial offer form relating to the contract in question.

Duration of contracts: The ECA will decide on the duration of contracts on a case-by-case basis, but individual contracts may not be longer than 12 months.

The ECA intends to send the first request for a financial offer in October 2023.

Candidates must offer the service of distributing ECA media content to their mailing lists of the target groups specified above and must guarantee that those lists (which are drawn up, developed and maintained by the contractor) are EU-GDPR compliant.

The distribution will take place via a dedicated contractor’s platform (e.g., on a website or using software tools that are accessible online), to which the ECA could upload its material. The ECA must be credited as the source. Any changes to the original content must be clearly indicated. The original meaning or message of the documents must not be distorted in anyway.

This call for expressions of interest is divided into lots: no

The subcontracting is accepted: no

Main vocabulary

Main object: 79416000-3

Additional object(s): 22120000-7

Supplementary vocabulary

Main object: 79416100-4; 79416200-5

The model application forms (Annex 1, Forms 1-4), along with the other information are available at: https://www.eca.europa.eu/en/Pages/PublicProcurement.aspx under ‘Ongoing public procurement procedures’ – CEI 828 ‘Call for expressions of interest for media content distribution services’.

Protection of personal data:

Processing your reply to the invitation to tender involves the recording and processing of personal data (such as your name and address). Such data will be processed pursuant to Regulation (EU) 2018/1725 on the protection of natural persons with regard to the processing of personal data by the Union institutions, bodies, offices and agencies and on the free movement of such data, and repealing Regulation (EC) 45/2001 and Decision 1247/2002/EC.

Unless indicated otherwise, any personal data will be processed solely for the purpose of the opening and evaluation of applications and tenders by the authorising officer responsible for this procedure. Details concerning the processing of your personal data are available in the Privacy Statement at: https://www.eca.europa.eu/ContentPagesDocuments/Privacy_statements/Public_procurement/Specific_Privacy_Statement_for_Procurement_and_External_Experts_EN.pdf

However, personal data may, where appropriate, be transferred to our external audit provider and the internal audit service, the panel referred to in Article 143 of the Financial Regulation and the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF) of the European Commission, the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO), and the Early Detection and Exclusion System (EDES) set up by the Commission. Data regarding economic operators which are in one of the situations referred to in Article 136 of the Financial Regulation may be recorded in the EDES System set up by the Commission and communicated to persons designated by the Commission and to other institutions, agencies, authorities and bodies referred to in Article 142(4) of the Financial Regulation. For more information, see the Privacy Statement at http://ec.europa.eu/budget/explained/management/protecting/protect_en.cfm

You may, upon request, obtain access to your personal data and ask for any inaccurate or incomplete personal data to be rectified. Should you have any queries concerning the processing of your personal data, please address them to the data controller indicated above. You may also contact the ECA’s Data Protection Officer (ECA-data- protection@eca.europa.eu). You have the right to lodge a complaint at any time to the European Data Protection Supervisor (edps@edps.europa.eu).

(i) Candidates must be legal entities from an EU Member State, or from a third country, which has a special agreement with the Union in the field of public procurement.

(ii) Candidates must ensure that no entities or subcontractors involved are subject to EU restrictive measures adopted under Article 29 of the Treaty on the European Union (TEU) or under Article 215 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU (TFEU), consisting of a prohibition to make available or transfer funds or economic resources or to provide financing or financial assistance directly or indirectly, or of an asset freeze. The prohibition applies throughout the whole duration of the contract.

In their expressions of interest, candidates must state in the declaration on honour (Annex 1, Form 2, available at: https://www.eca.europa.eu/en/public-procurement, CEI 828) that they are legally capable of performing future contracts under national law. Legal capacity will need to be proved on the basis of one of the following documents, which will be requested from tenderers who might be awarded a contract:

(i) legible copy from the trade register or professional register, or a sworn declaration or certificate, membership of a specific professional organisation, or entry in the value added tax (VAT) register, under the conditions laid down by legislation in the country in which the tenderers are registered;

(ii) legible copy of the notice of appointment of the person(s) authorised to represent the tenderer in dealings with third parties and in legal proceedings, if this is not included in the above-mentioned document.

Candidates must have sufficient economic and financial capacity to enable them to perform any future contracts in compliance with the contractual provisions, and they must state this in the declaration on honour (Annex 1, Form 2, available at: https://www.eca.europa.eu/en/public-procurement, CEI 828).

Tenderers who might be awarded a contract must provide proof of their economic and financial capacity by means of the following documents:

(i) financial statements for the last year for which accounts have been closed, including a statement of overall turnover and turnover concerning the services covered by this call for expressions of interest;

(ii) another document as proof of financial and economic capacity (such as appropriate bank references or proof of professional risk insurance cover) if the balance sheets or financial statements show an average loss over the last financial year for which accounts have been closed.

Candidates must have sufficient technical capacity to enable them to perform future contracts in compliance with the contractual provisions. The technical capacity of economic operators will be substantiated on the basis of the following document:

— a description of the potential reach of the distribution service, with particular reference to the geographical areas and languages covered (at least one EU member state and one EU official language should be covered, while multiple geographical areas and multilingual capabilities may mean candidates can be selected for several sub­lists), and including the following information:

• proportion of EU citizens covered by the distribution service offered;

• proportion of established national media outlets reached by the distribution service offered;

• the indicators or methodology used to measure the reach and monitor progress;

• a dissemination strategy to ensure sustainability and long-term impact at local, regional, national and EU level.

Candidates must have sufficient professional capacity to enable them to perform future contracts in compliance with the contractual provisions. The professional capacity of economic operators will be substantiated on the basis of the following document:

— a list of comparable contracts (at least one) executed in the last 3 years and provided to European or international organisations, or to companies operating at national or EU level (for ongoing contracts, execution must have started at least 6 months before the application) (Annex 1, Form 4, available at: https://www.eca.europa.eu/en/public-procurement, CEI 828).

In the description of the comparable contract(s), candidates must include the following elements:

• duration of each contract (only contracts of at least 6 months will be considered);

• type of client;

• tools or applications used to provide the services;

• reach, with particular reference to the geographical areas and languages covered; and

• indicators or methodology used to measure the reach and monitor progress;

• a dissemination strategy to ensure sustainability and long-term impact at local, regional, national and EU level.

Restricted

Applicants shall be excluded from participating in a contract if:

(a) they are bankrupt, being wound up or have suspended business activities, their affairs are being administered by the court, they have entered into an arrangement with creditors or similar measures or are the subject of any proceedings of that nature, or are in any analogous situation arising from a similar procedure provided for in national legislation or regulations;

(b) they have been convicted of an offence concerning their professional conduct by a judgment which is not open to appeal;

(c) they have been guilty of grave professional misconduct;

(d) they have not fulfilled obligations relating to the payment of social security contributions or taxes;

(e) they are guilty of serious misrepresentation in supplying the information required by the authorizing department;

(f) other: exclusion grounds described in Articles 136 and 141 of the Financial Regulation.

See Section III above for:

— criteria relating to legal capacity,

— criteria relating to financial and economic capacity,

— criteria relating to technical and professional capacity.

IV.4.1) File reference number: CEI 828

IV.4.2) Period of validity of the list resulting from this call for expressions of interests:

The list will be valid for 4 years from the date on which this notice is sent to the Office for Official Publications of the European Union.

Applications to appear on this list may be submitted at any time during the period of validity of this list, with the exception of the last 3 months of that period.

IV.4.4) Language(s) in which applications may be submitted: any EU official language

Expressions of interest should be submitted in one of the official languages of the European Union by electronic means to the following address:

ECA-PROC-CEI-828@eca.europa.eu

In their expressions of interest, candidates must provide all the following documents (as listed in the model application form and provided in Annex 1):

— Annex 1, Form 1: form for identification of the tenderer,

— Annex 1, Form 2: declaration on honour (as mentioned at point 10 in reference to the exclusion criteria) stating that the candidate is not in one of the situations of exclusion listed in the declaration,

— Annex 1, Form 3: coverage table to indicate geographical areas and languages covered,

— Annex 1, Form 4: list of three executed comparable contracts in last 3 years,

— documents relating to the selection criteria (see Section III).

The ECA reserves the right to request additional supporting documents.

The model application forms (Annex 1, Forms 1-4), along with the other information are available at: https://www.eca.europa.eu/en/Pages/PublicProcurement.aspx under ‘Ongoing public procurement procedures’ – CEI 828 ‘Call for expressions of interest for media content distribution services’.

The forms in Annex 1 can be filled in directly in Word.

21 July 2023