International open invitation to tender

• 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 37 Member States (Albania, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, San Marino, 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:

  • (a) Purpose of the contract:

    Provision of in-house Infrastructure Service Desk services which include telephone switchboard and Facility Management Service Desk services at the European Patent Office in Munich, Germany (site Munich) and in Rijswijk (Z.H.), the Netherlands (site The Hague).

  • (b) Division into lots:

    Lot 1: Munich, Germany – site Munich

    Lot 2: Rijswijk (Z.H.), the Netherlands – site The Hague

    The EPO aims to harmonise the tendered services between the sites and would therefore prefer to award both lots to one single bidder. However, the two lots can also be awarded separately to different service providers.

  • (c) Any deposits and guarantees required: Not applicable.

  • (d) Main terms concerning payment:

    Payment of the Contractor's monthly invoice(s) in arrears shall be made within 30 days of receipt of the respective invoice in the correct form.

  • (e) Qualifications required by law: Not applicable.

• 4. Place and period of performance:

  • (a) Place at which the contract is to be performed:

    Lot 1: Munich, Germany – site Munich (inside EPO premises)

    Lot 2: Rijswijk (Z.H.), the Netherlands – site The Hague (inside EPO premises)

  • (b) Duration of contract or time limit for delivery or completion of services/work:

    The contract shall commence on 01 February 2011 and shall have a fixed term until 31 January 2012. Thereafter, it shall be automatically extended for a maximum of 4 (four) times of 12 (twelve) months each, unless the EPO gives notice of termination in writing at least 2 (two) months prior to the beginning of the respective extension period.

• 5. Variants: Not permitted.

• 6. Request for the Procurement Documents and receipt of bids:

  • (a) Name and address of department from which the Procurement Documents and clarification of the Procurement Documents may be requested:

    European Patent Office

    Central Procurement

    Tender No.1461

    Erhardtstr. 27

    80469 Munich

    Germany

    Fax No.: +49 – (0)89-2399-4497

    E-Mail: mntenderclarifications@epo.org

    Procurement Documents will be forwarded upon written, faxed or E-Mail request.

  • (b) Final date for receipt by the EPO of requests for the Procurement Documents:

    13 September 2010, 12.00 hrs (CET)

  • (c) Final date for receipt by the EPO of requests for clarification:

    29 September 2010, 12.00 hrs (CET)

  • (d) Final date for receipt of bids/number of copies to be sent:

    19 October 2010, 12.00 hrs (CET)

    the bid shall be submitted in its original only (without copies).

  • (e) Address to which requests for clarification and bids must be sent:

    As in point 6(a).

    Please submit bids by post or courier only and not by fax or E-Mail. Bids submitted by fax or E-Mail will be excluded.

  • (f) 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 according to Form A of the General Conditions of Tender (Part 1 of the procurement documents). References to prove professional competence according to Appendix TC 9 of the Technical Conditions.

• 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:

  The contract shall be awarded to the bidder(s) whose bid(s) is/are to be preferred having regard to the bidder's ability to meet the EPO's needs and requirements. These are to be measured by:

  • the bidder's technical and organisational capabilities to implement and operate the requested services in accordance with the requirements, (57% weighting). Focus hereby will be – amongst others – on the conclusiveness of the concept, the working experience (including references), the third party certification and on the answers to the questions in the questionnaire (Appendix TC 1 of the Technical Conditions).

  • economic advantage of the bid, (43% weighting)

• 11. Other information:

  Contract award is expected to take place at the end of 2010. The EPO reserves the right to invite short-listed bidders to present their bids in Munich. Respective costs incurred by the bidders relating to such a presentation will not be reimbursed.