Compliance requirements
A tenderer may be excluded for final convictions within the applicable period (generally the preceding five years, or while an exclusion period remains in force) involving participation in a criminal organisation, corruption, fraud, terrorist offences, money laundering or terrorist financing, child labour or human trafficking. The grounds also cover failure to pay taxes or social security contributions; breaches of environmental, social or labour obligations; bankruptcy, insolvency, liquidation, creditor arrangements, asset administration by a liquidator or court, suspended business activity or a comparable situation; serious professional misconduct; agreements distorting competition; an unmanageable conflict of interest; involvement in preparing this procurement where the resulting competitive advantage cannot otherwise be removed; and significant or persistent breaches of previous public contracts resulting in termination, price reduction, damages or penalties.
Exclusion may also apply for false or misleading information, failure to provide required information or documents, attempts to improperly influence the contracting authority or obtain confidential information, enabling a foreign national to work unlawfully, being subject to applicable international or government sanctions, or being ineligible to submit a tender under a restriction based on the tenderer’s place of establishment. For tax and social security debts, the stated threshold is EUR 0; the notice explains that an Estonian tax-debt certificate is not issued where the relevant debt is below EUR 100 (excluding interest not established by an administrative act) or payment has been rescheduled. Where legally permitted, a tenderer may provide evidence of measures taken to restore its reliability.
Qualification criteria and exclusion grounds
The tenderer must submit a description of the proposed team and the division of roles and tasks, using the provided team form. The team must comprise at least three members: one project manager and at least two fisheries specialists. The project manager must personally participate in contract performance, have at least a master’s degree or equivalent in hydrobiology or fisheries, and have acted as project manager in at least two fisheries monitoring or research projects during the 60 months preceding commencement of the procurement. Each of the at least two fisheries specialists must personally participate, hold at least a bachelor’s degree or equivalent in environmental or natural sciences, and have participated as a fisheries specialist in at least two fisheries monitoring or research projects during the same 60-month period. Experience gained through studies or internships does not count. CVs must describe the relevant education and experience; education documents may be requested by the contracting authority. The tenderer must confirm the named team members’ participation and their consent to the processing of personal data.
The tender must include a work-performance description meeting the mandatory requirements of the technical specification; the contracting authority’s technical specification itself cannot be submitted as a substitute. This description is assessed for award points. Additional social award points may be available for involving students in ichthyology, biology or another natural-sciences discipline; the tenderer must provide evidence of their field of study or a statement that no such students will be involved. The tender price must follow the structure specified in the pricing sheet. Conditional tenders are not permitted. The tenderer must confirm compliance with the procurement documents and explain any claimed equivalence, with supporting evidence where needed. A joint tender must include a power of attorney appointing a representative. The tenderer must identify authorised persons not shown in the commercial register who can control or represent the company, giving their names and personal identification codes, or confirm that there are no such persons. Any business secrets must be identified and justified; price and other specified evaluation-related numerical indicators may not be designated as business secrets.
Contract performance must meet the stated environmental requirements: minimise harm to nature and the aquatic ecosystem, conduct trawling only to the extent and during the periods specified in the technical description, hold meetings online where possible, keep digital files to an appropriate size and delete unnecessary digital materials after performance. Subcontractors and suppliers used during performance must be established in Estonia, another EU Member State, an EEA contracting state or a state party to the WTO Government Procurement Agreement. No exact financial turnover or general past-contract reference threshold is specified in the provided documents.