Management of a Contact Centre for Industrial Property Services

Summary

The Portuguese National Institute of Industrial Property is procuring management of a contact centre for industrial-property matters. The contractor will handle telephone calls and emails, provide information and explanations, and assist users with formalising industrial-property procedures. The contract starts on 1 January 2027, runs for 12 months and may be extended for a further 12 months. The base price is EUR 206,000 excluding VAT for the initial term and any extension. The estimated average monthly workload is 3,500 inbound calls and 2,000 emails. The assumed average total waiting and handling time per call is five minutes. Call-back must be offered to callers who have waited more than 60 seconds, and call-backs must account for less than 1% of inbound calls. An estimated 30% of emails are advertising; of the remaining emails, 10% are to be forwarded, answered or otherwise handled according to their technical complexity. Service is provided on working days from 9:00 to 17:00. The required efficiency level is at least 75%: at least 75% of calls must be answered in under 30 seconds, and all emails must be handled within two working days. The tenderer must submit one bid electronically through VORTAL, including acceptance of the tender requirements, a financial offer, team details, CVs and evidence for the required staff, and a schedule of services. The team must include a project manager, a technical-area manager, a quality manager, sufficient supervisors (at least one per seven teleoperators on duty) and at least three teleoperators. All team members must have education equivalent to at least the 12th school year; the project manager, supervisors and teleoperators must have at least B1 English. At least one supervisor must have at least 12 hours of relevant industrial-property training or a corresponding academic qualification. Bid documents must bear a qualified electronic signature, and no bid guarantee is required. The tenderer must provide suitable premises, staff, technology and information security, including call recordings retained for at least 90 days and backup and continuity arrangements that limit downtime to five hours. The documents conflict on the award criterion: the procurement procedure programme states that price is the sole factor subject to competition, while the contract notice names quality. This discrepancy should be checked against the official tender documents before preparing the bid.