Compliance requirements
The bidder must declare whether any exclusion grounds apply to it or to relevant members of its management or representatives. These include certain criminal convictions within the previous five years, including participation in a criminal organisation, corruption, fraud, terrorism-related offences, money laundering, human trafficking and child labour; unpaid taxes or social security contributions; breaches of environmental, social or labour obligations; bankruptcy, insolvency or similar circumstances; serious professional misconduct; anti-competitive agreements; conflicts of interest or involvement in preparing the procurement; serious failures under previous contracts; false or withheld information, failure to provide requested documents, or attempts to obtain confidential information improperly. The grounds also cover enabling the unlawful employment of foreign nationals, being subject to international sanctions, and certain tax offences. Where permitted, the bidder may provide evidence of measures taken to restore its reliability. The notice states that a tax-debt certificate may not be issued for a debt below EUR 100, excluding certain interest, or where payment has been deferred.
Qualification criteria and exclusion grounds
The bidder must submit a communication strategy using Form V. It must cover the objective; target and stakeholder groups; decision-makers and influencers; key messages; communications activities linked to the relevant groups; channels and the reasons for their strategic importance; spokespersons, with verbal preliminary agreements from at least three; and the main measures for assessing effectiveness. The bidder must also submit Form IV and a CV signed by the proposed communications manager, confirming consent to perform the contract. The CV must demonstrate at least 36 months of work experience as a marketing or communications manager before the procurement began, and participation as a communications manager in at least one project similar to the service being procured. The bidder must submit its price as hourly unit rates in the required form and state the total comparison price calculated using the contracting authority’s estimated hours. For a joint bid, each joint bidder must submit a procurement passport and the bidders must provide an authorisation appointing their representative. If the bidder relies on another entity’s capacity, that entity must also submit a procurement passport. The bidder must identify authorised representatives not visible in the commercial register, or confirm that it has none. No specific financial turnover threshold is stated in the supplied documents.