Published notice: International open invitation to tender no. 1543 (D - Munich)

Support for the EPO's Internal Communication Department relating to IC strategy, IC consulting and management communication, support in the set up of new communication channels, e.g. social media, cross media packages, editorial support and layout supervising for the EPO's staff magazine,“gazette” and editorial support for several internal media 

  1. Awarding Authority:

    The European Patent Organisation (EPO) through the European Patent Office: Headquarters, Erhardtstraße 27, 80469 Munich, Germany.
    The European Patent Organisation is an intergovernmental organisation set up pursuant to the European Patent Convention which entered into force in 1977. At present it has 38 Member States (Albania, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Malta, Monaco, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, San Marino, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey and United Kingdom). The executive body of the EPO is the European Patent Office which is charged with the searching and examination of European patent applications and the granting of European patents. It employs approximately 6700 staff at EPO headquarters in Munich, a branch at The Hague/Rijswijk (NL) and sub-offices in Berlin and Vienna (the number of Member States and staff members indicated may change).

  2. Award procedure:

    International open invitation to tender with discretionary award of contract.

  3. Description of the contract:

    1. Purpose of the contract:

      Support for the EPO's Internal Communication Department relating to IC strategy, IC consulting and management communication, support in the set up of new communication channels, e.g. social media, cross media packages, editorial support and layout supervising for the EPO's staff magazine,“gazette” and editorial support for several internal media.

    2. Division into lots:

      Lot 1: Support relating to:

      • execution of Internal Communication objectives
      • internal communication consulting for line managers and project leaders, mainly in relation to the strategic orientations
      • design of communication packages for line managers
      • set up of new communication channels, e.g. social media, cross media packages
      • design, run and moderate internal communication workshops with EPO stakeholders on strategic topics

      Lot 2: Support relating to:

      • editorial support for various internal media (e.g. staff magazine “gazette”, intranet, newsletters)
      • editorial consulting and coaching for the editorial team
      • supervise the internal Graphic Design department for the layout of the staff magazine "gazette"
      • photography support

    3. Any deposits and guarantees required:

      Not applicable.

    4. Main terms concerning payment:

      Payment shall be effected within 30 days of acceptance of rendered services and receipt of a monthly invoice in the correct form.

    5. Qualifications required by law:

      Not applicable.

  4. Place and period of performance:

    1. Place at which the contract is to be performed:

      Most parts of the work are to be performed at the EPO's Office in Munich or The Hague (layout services to be performed in Munich).

    2. Duration of contract or time limit for delivery or completion of services/work:

      The contract will commence upon signature of a respective agreement by both parties. It will have a duration of thee years. The EPO may extend the contract up to two times, each time for a period of one year, by sending a written notification to the Contractor not later than two months before the expiry.

  5. Variants:

    Proposals for variants, the effect of which would be to reduce significantly the rights and safeguards of the EPO, are not allowed.

  6. Requests for the Procurement Documents and receipt of bids:

    1. Name and address of department from which the Procurement Documents and clarification of the Procurement Documents may be requested:

      European Patent Office
      Central Procurement (4.8.2)
      Tender No. 1543
      Erhardtstraße 27,
      80469 Munich,
      Germany

      Fax No. 0049-(0)89-2399-4145
      e-mail: mntenderclarifications@epo.org

      Procurement Documents will be forwarded upon written, faxed or e-mailed request.

    2. Final date for receipt by the EPO of requests for the Procurement Documents:

      Thursday 21 June 2012, 12.00 hrs (CET)

    3. Final date for receipt by the EPO of requests for clarification:

      Thursday 5 July 2012, 12:00hrs (CET)
      Questions must be submitted by letter, fax or e-mail.

    4. Final date for receipt of bids/number of copies to be sent:

      Thursday 19 July, 12.00 hrs (CET)
      the bid must be provided in its original only

    5. Address to which the requests for clarification and bids must be sent:

      As in point 6(a).
      Bids must be submitted by post or courier. Bids submitted by fax or e-mail will be excluded.

    6. Language or languages in which requests for clarification and bids must be drawn up:

      English.
      The Procurement Documents will be available in English only.

  7. Legal form of the grouping in the event of a joint bid:

    If several bidders submit a joint bid, one must be designated as prime contractor responsible for performance of all the obligations under the contract.

  8. Information and evidence concerning the bidder's financial and economic standing and technical and professional competence:

    Customer and bank references (as provided for in Annex 1 of the General Conditions of Tender - Part 1 of the Procurement Documents).

  9. Period during which the bidder is bound by his bid:

    Six months following the final date for receipt of bids indicated in point 6(d).

  10. Criteria for the award of contract:

    Lot 1: exclusion criteria

    1. completeness of bid
    2. office infrastructure in the area of Munich and/or The Hague (the bidder must have an office in the area of Munich and/or The Hague or have proven and flexible access to reliable partners that can be subcontracted as needed – either on an ad-hoc or regular basis)
    3.  ability to provide support in Munich and/or The Hague
    4. confirmation that methods of L. Ron Hubbard (founder of scientology) will not be applied

    Lot 1: Award criteria:

    1. Contractor's organisation, structure and capacity
    2. qualification and experience of the proposed team who will run the project
    3. overall cost level
    4. experience (of proposed team) with similar projects and references
    5. overall impression of the bid
    6. presentation (in English) of the bid in Munich or The Hague (based on the offers received the Office will short-list bidders and invite them to give a presentation at the Office's premises in Munich or The Hague. The final selection will then be based on the above mentioned criteria and the results of the oral presentation)

    Lot 2: exclusion criteria:

    1. completeness of bid
    2. own office infrastructure in the area of Munich and/or The Hague (the bidder must have an office in the area of Munich and/or The Hague or have proven and flexible access to reliable partners that can be subcontracted as needed – either on an ad-hoc or regular basis)
    3. ability to provide support in Munich and/or The Hague (except for layout services, which must be available in Munich)
    4. confirmation that methods of L. Ron Hubbard (founder of scientology) will not be applied

    Lot 2: Award criteria:

    1. Contractor's organisation, structure and capacity
    2. qualification and experience of the proposed team who will run the project
    3. overall cost level
    4. quality of the network of journalists regarding content needs (to be proved by CV and work samples) and regarding language skills (English, German and French)
    5. experience with similar corporate publications
    6. presentation of the bid (in English) in Munich or The Hague (based on the offers received the Office will short-list bidders and invite them to give a presentation at the Office's premises in Munich or The Hague. The final selection will then be based on the above mentioned criteria and the results of the oral presentation - for details see below)
    7.  overall impression of the bid

  11. Other information:

    Contract award is expected to take place in October 2012..
    The EPO reserves the right to invite short-listed bidders to a presentation of their bids at the EPO premises in Munich or The Hague. Costs incurred by the bidders relating to such presentations cannot be reimbursed.

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