Socio-economic cost-benefit analyses of transport links to Estonia’s large islands

The bidder must confirm that neither it nor its management, supervisory or representative persons are subject to relevant final convictions within the previous five years, or to a continuing exclusion period, for participation in a criminal organisation, corruption, fraud, terrorist offences, money laundering or terrorist financing, or the use of child labour or other forms of human trafficking. Where permitted, the bidder may provide evidence of measures taken to restore its reliability. Exclusion may also apply where the bidder has unpaid taxes or social security contributions, or has breached environmental, social or labour-law obligations; is bankrupt, insolvent, in liquidation, subject to similar proceedings, has an administrator managing its assets, or has suspended its business; has committed serious professional misconduct or entered into agreements intended to distort competition; has an unmanageable conflict of interest or obtained an unfair advantage through involvement in preparing the procurement; or has materially or persistently breached an earlier contract, leading to early termination, damages, a price reduction or a comparable penalty. A bidder may also be excluded for false or misleading information, withholding required information or documents, or improperly seeking confidential information. The notice refers to a zero-euro threshold for tax and contribution debts; under the stated national rule, a tax debt certificate is not issued where the debt is below EUR 100 (excluding interest not established by an administrative act) or payment has been deferred. National exclusion grounds include enabling a person without lawful status to work, a contract that would breach international or Estonian sanctions, tax-related criminal convictions, and any restriction on the bidder’s right to participate based on its place of establishment. Participation is prohibited for undertakings established in Russia or Belarus, their representatives, and bidders relying on the capacity of undertakings from those countries.

The bidder must be registered in the Estonian Commercial Register or an equivalent register in its country of establishment, where registration is required. A foreign bidder must provide an officially certified extract from its register if requested by the contracting authority. Within the 60 months preceding commencement of the procurement, the bidder must have completed at least one socio-economic study or analysis worth at least EUR 50,000 excluding VAT. The bidder must provide details of the work, including its title, value, completion period, client or funder and the bidder’s role; for contract work, the other contracting party and, where applicable, the public procurement register reference must also be given. The team must include at least one economic impact expert, one social impact assessment expert and one legal expert. Each expert must hold a master’s degree or equivalent qualification in the relevant field. The economic impact expert must have completed at least one economic impact assessment in the preceding 36 months as part of preparing a spatial plan, draft legislation, plan, programme or strategy, or a related study or analysis. The social impact expert must have comparable experience conducting at least one social impact assessment during that period. The legal expert must have experience in the preceding 36 months conducting at least one assessment of the legal basis of a spatial plan, draft legislation, plan, programme or strategy, or a legal assessment in the transport sector. One person may fill more than one expert role if they meet the requirements for each role. At least one team member must be appointed as the responsible person or lead expert for coordinating the work and ensuring quality control. The bid must include the team list with roles, tasks and work allocation; experience details; a list of persons responsible for the framework agreement, including task allocation and workload; CVs; evidence of education or other qualifications; and signed consent from each team member to be named and to participate in performing the agreement. For specified justified absences from work, the experience reference period may be extended by the duration of the absence; evidence must be provided for an absence such as sick leave lasting at least four months. The bid must include a description of the bidder’s understanding of the work’s objectives and tasks, proposed methodology, and planned activities and schedule, consistent with the deadlines in the tender documents. The price must follow the required structure: the total price for the base scope in euros excluding VAT, to two decimal places, and a breakdown by work stage and expert using Form B. Joint bidders must appoint an authorised representative and include their power of attorney. If subcontracting is planned, the bid must state its intended share, the subcontractors’ names, and the nature and scope of their work; the contracting authority must be notified before engaging unnamed subcontractors for a substantial part of the work. The bidder must identify and justify any information claimed as a trade secret; prices and numerical figures used for evaluation may not be treated as trade secrets. Any claimed equivalence must be explained and supported by evidence. By submitting a bid, the bidder confirms acceptance of and compliance with the tender-document conditions. The bidder must provide the required sanctions confirmation and details of its governing bodies and authorised representatives, or confirm that no such persons exist. The documents provided do not specify the exact award criteria; these should be checked in the tender documents.