Section I: Contracting authority

I.1) Name, addresses and contact point(s):

European Central Bank
Attn: Mr Ezequiel Gomez
Kaiserstraße 29
DE-60311 Frankfurt-on-Main
Tel.: +49-69-13 44 85 87
Fax: +49-69-13 44 71 10
E-mail:
General address of the contracting authority : www.ecb.europa.eu

Further information and Specifications and additional documents (including documents for competitive dialogue and a dynamic purchasing system) can be obtained from the above-mentioned contact point(s). Tenders or requests to participate must be sent to the above-mentioned contact point(s).

I.2) Type of the contracting authority and main activity or activities: European institution/agency or international organisation. Economic and financial affairs. The contracting authority is purchasing on behalf of other contracting authorities: no.

Section II: Object of the contract

II.1) Description

II.1.1) Title attributed to the contract by the contracting authority: Interpreting services.

II.1.2) Type of contract and location of works, place of delivery or of performance: Services.

Service category No 27.
Main place of delivery:
ECB; D-Frankfurt-on-Main, National Central Banks of the ESCB.
NUTS code DE 712.

II.1.3) The notice involves: The establishment of a framework agreement.

II.1.4) Information on framework agreement: Framework agreement with a single operator.

Duration of the framework agreement: 4 years with the possibility of extending the contract for up to 2 additional years.

II.1.5) Short description of the contract or purchase(s):

The European Central Bank requires interpreting services at some of its high-level meetings and events, the large majority of which take place in Frankfurt (approximately 6 events per annum take place elsewhere in Europe). Whilst interpreting may be requested from and into English from and into all languages of EU

Member States, in practice, almost all meetings and events require interpreting from either French, German, Italian and/or Spanish into English and sometimes vice versa. Generally, participants at ECB meetings speak English; however on occasions the participants may revert to their (European) mother tongue and simultaneous interpreting is essential to ensure the success of the proceedings. As such, although interpreters are expected to be available throughout the entire duration of the meeting/event, interpreting services may only be required intermittently.

Occasionally, interpreting may be requested for other language-to-language combinations, e.g. from Chinese, Japanese into English and vice versa, etc.

The ECB is seeking to contract a single supplier for the coordination and provision of simultaneous interpreting services. Applications are invited from companies specialising in interpreting and/or from individuals working as consultant interpreters and having a network of suitable freelance interpreters to provide the requested services. The technical equipment will be provided by the ECB and does not form part of this procurement.

II.1.6) Common procurement vocabulary (CPV): 74831400-7.

II.1.7) Contract covered by the Government Procurement Agreement (GPA): Yes.

II.1.8) Division into lots: No.

II.1.9) Variants will be accepted: Yes.

II.2) Quantity or scope of the contract

II.2.1) Total quantity or scope: Approximately 50 meeting days per annum, with interpreting needs from a maximum of 5 languages into a maximum of 3 languages.

II.2.2) Options: Yes. The contract will contain an option for extending the duration of the services further, from the initial 4 years for a maximum of up to 2 years.

II.3) Duration of the contract or time-limit for completion: Duration in months: 48. The intended date for the start of the contract is 1.1.2009.

Section III: Legal, economic, financial and technical information

III.1) Conditions relating to the contract

III.1.1) Deposits and guarantees required: No deposit is required, but where applicable, the successful tenderer (or in the case of a successful consortium bid, each member of the consortium) may be required to provide a parent-company guarantee.

III.1.2) Main financing conditions and payment arrangements and/or reference to the relevant provisions regulating them: Method of payment will be in accordance with the terms and conditions of the contract.

III.1.3) Legal form to be taken by the grouping of economic operators to whom the contract is to be awarded: The establishment of a temporary grouping of companies is allowed. Experienced freelance interpreters and/or consultant interpreters may form a temporary grouping to present a joint tender and compete for this contract. In the application, all the members of the temporary grouping must declare in writing that:

1. in case of an order they will provide all services as a temporary grouping; and
2. all the members will have joint and several liability for the performance of the contract;
3. a single legal entity shall represent the whole grouping. The parts of the supplies and/or services that will be performed by the individual companies shall be specified.

III.1.4) Other particular conditions to which the performance of the contract is subject: Yes.

III.2) Conditions for participation

III.2.1) Personal situation of economic operators, including requirements relating to enrolment on professional or trade registers: Information and formalities necessary for evaluating if requirements are met:

Candidates wishing to participate must provide information (including that indicated below) by requesting in writing, and completing the ECB's application form from the address in I.1 above. The completed application form must be returned in paper copy format by the date indicated in IV.3.4 below.

1. Full company name, business address and registered address (if different) and registration number;
2. all requested information must be returned in hard copy format by the date indicated in IV.3.4 below.

III.2.2) Economic and financial capacity: Information and formalities necessary for evaluating if requirements are met: Economic capacity.

Minimum level(s) of standards possibly required: The candidates must demonstrate that the fulfilment of this contract will not cause the contractor to become financially dependent on the ECB. Candidates (companies or consultant interpreters) are expected to provide either information on scope, size, duration and value of at least 3 past or ongoing contracts or the number of days worked in interpreting over the past 2 years of each of the interpreters expected to execute the requested services.

III.2.3) Technical capacity: Information and formalities necessary for evaluating if requirements are met:

Technical capacity - tenderers must provide information that demonstrates that they have: appropriate ability and experience, sufficient resources. Minimum level(s) of standards possibly required: staffing level: Companies specialising in interpreting must employ at least 12-15 interpreters and consultant interpreters must operate within a network of at least 12-15 interpreters in order to offer the expected services and for the required languages.

Languages serviced: From and into English from and out of all EU languages, including languages of accession and acceding countries. For the large majority of high-level meetings and events interpreting from French, German, Italian and/or Spanish into English (and sometimes vice versa) is required.

Experience: For the most frequently required languages (i.e. English, French, German, Italian and Spanish) interpreters delivering the required services must have at least 10 years' experience in the subject matter of banking, economics and financial services. All interpreters delivering the required services for any other language must have at least 5 years' experience in the subject matter of banking, economics and financial services.

Professional memberships: For the most frequently required languages (i.e. English, French, German) at least 70 % of the interpreters delivering the required services must be a member of the AIIC.

III.2.4) Reserved contracts: No.

III.3) Conditions specific to services contracts

III.3.1) Execution of the service is reserved to a particular profession: No.

III.3.2) Legal entities should indicate the names and professional qualifications of the staff responsible for the execution of the service: Yes.

Section IV: Procedure

IV.1) Type of procedure

IV.1.1) Type of procedure: Restricted.

IV.1.2) Limitations on the number of operators who will be invited to tender or to participate: Envisaged minimum number of operators: 5.

IV.1.3) Reduction of the number of operators during the negotiation or dialogue: No.

IV.2) Award criteria

IV.2.1) Award criteria: The most economically advantageous tender in terms of the criteria stated below:

1. price; weighting: 40 %;
2. quality, weighting: 60 %.

IV.2.2) An electronic auction will be used: No.

IV.3) Administrative information

IV.3.1) File reference number attributed by the contracting authority: 3950/CO/PAC/2007

IV.3.2) Previous publication(s) concerning the same contract: Yes. Other previous publications: notice number in OJ: 2007/S 173-212029.

IV.3.3) Conditions for obtaining specifications and additional documents or descriptive document:

Time-limit for receipt of requests for documents or for accessing documents: 8.5.2008 (17:00), CET. Payable documents: no.

IV.3.4) Time-limit for applications: 14.5.2008 (17:00), CET, noon.

IV.3.7) Language(s) in which tenders or requests to participate may be drawn up: English.

IV.3.8) Minimum time frame during which the tenderer must maintain the tender: Duration: 9 months.

IV.3.9) Conditions for opening tenders: Place: Tenders shall be opened shortly after the deadline for receipt of tenders has expired, at the address in I.1. Persons authorised to be present at the opening of tenders: no. Members of staff of the ECB only.

Section VI: Complementary information

VI.1) This is a recurrent procurement: Yes. It is expected that this will be a recurrent procurement, and if required, further notices shall be published prior to the termination of any new contract that results from this procurement exercise.

VI.2) Contract related to a project and/or programme financed by Community funds: No.

VI.3) Additional information:

This procurement procedure is governed by the Decision of the European Central Bank of 3.7.2007 laying down the Rules on Procurement (ECB/2007/5), OJ L 184, 14.7.2007, p. 34. The Decision can also be retrieved from the ECB's web site (see please the part 'for suppliers' under www.ecb.europa.eu).

The contract is intended initially for 4 years, with the possibility of extension for up to 2 additional years.

The contract shall be governed by and interpreted under German civil law.

The deadline for questions or requests for clarification relating to the invitation to tender from tenderers shall be 6 calendar days prior to the deadline for receipt of tenders. Tenders and all supporting documents must be priced in euro and all contract payments will be made in euro. All communications, discussions and meetings will be conducted in English and no interpretation facilities will be provided. Tenderers are also informed that presentations, interviews, and/or site visits may be required to confirm information contained in their offers.

The ECB reserves the right not to make any award and reserves the right to accept all or part of any tender unless the tenderer expressly stipulates otherwise in their tender. The ECB reserves the right to disqualify any applicant who provides information which proves to be incorrect.

The ECB will not be liable for any costs, nor shall it reimburse any expenses or losses that tenderers may incur in connection with the submission of their proposals. Proposals received will not be returned and will remain the property of the ECB.

Applications shall be delivered, sealed in an envelope, not bearing any indication of the candidate on the envelope, or in the franking, clearly marked with the contract name and addressed as in I.1 above, so as to arrive no later than the date and time specified in IV.3.4 above.

VI.4) Procedures for appeal

VI.4.1) Body responsible for appeal procedures:

Procurement Review Body of the European Central Bank
c/o Central Procurement Office
Kaiserstraße 29
DE-60311 Frankfurt-on-Main
Tel.: +49-69-134 40
Fax: +49-69-13 44 71 10
E-mail:
URL: www.ecb.int

VI.4.2) Lodging of appeals: Precise information on deadline(s) for lodging appeals: 15 days from receipt of the notification to unsuccessful bidders.