Framework Contract for Copernicus Service in … · Framework Contract for Copernicus Service in...

EUROPEAN UNION SATELLITE CENTRE

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Framework Contract for

Copernicus Service in Support to EU External

Action Geospatial Production

Tender Specifications

Invitation to tender SATCEN-OP-01/17


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Disclaimer to website content.

Throughout the tender documents, reference is made to web content hosted on the SatCen web site, European Commission web sites or web sites of third parties. Links to these web sites are provided solely for convenience. Knowledge of the content on these web sites is not essential for the understanding of this tendering procedure. When accessing third party web sites, keep in mind that the SatCen has neither control over the functionality of such sites nor over their content.

Any link to a third party web sites does not imply or mean that the SatCen endorses or accepts any responsibility for the content or the use of such web site. The SatCen does not give any representation regarding the quality, safety, suitability, or reliability of any third party web sites or any of the content or materials contained in them. When visiting third party web sites, users shall review those web sites' disclaimers, copyright notices and privacy policies and other terms of use.


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Table of contents

1. Definitions and Acronyms .................................................................................................... 5

2. Background and context of the Copernicus SEA service ...................................................... 10

2.1. The Copernicus programme .................................................................................................. 10

2.2. Origins of GMES/Copernicus SEA projects ............................................................................. 10

2.3. Overall scope of Copernicus SEA ........................................................................................... 11

3. About the SatCen .............................................................................................................. 11

3.1. SatCen mission ..................................................................................................................... 11

3.2. SatCen status ....................................................................................................................... 11

4. Subject matter of the procurement procedure ................................................................... 12

5. General information concerning the invitation to tender ................................................... 13

5.1. Principles and objectives ...................................................................................................... 13

5.2. Applicable rules ................................................................................................................... 13

5.3. Copernicus financing ............................................................................................................ 14

6. Contract description .......................................................................................................... 14

6.1. Type of contract ................................................................................................................... 14

6.2. Duration .............................................................................................................................. 14

6.3. Location ............................................................................................................................... 14

6.4. Contract Value ..................................................................................................................... 14

6.5. Pre-financing ....................................................................................................................... 15

6.6. Guarantee Fund ................................................................................................................... 15

6.7. Invoicing and payments ....................................................................................................... 15

6.8. Intellectual Property ............................................................................................................ 16

6.9. Audits and checks ................................................................................................................ 16

7. Subcontracting .................................................................................................................. 16

8. Participation of Consortia .................................................................................................. 17

9. Eligibility ........................................................................................................................... 17

10. Exclusion of successful tenderers in upcoming calls for tenders .......................................... 18

11. Criteria for Choosing the Contractor................................................................................... 19

11.1. Exclusion criteria .................................................................................................................. 19

11.2. Selection Criteria .................................................................................................................. 19

11.2.1 Legal capacity ........................................................................................................................ 20

11.2.2 Economic and financial capacity ........................................................................................... 20

11.2.3 Technical and professional capacity ...................................................................................... 21

11.3. Award criteria ...................................................................................................................... 29

11.3.1 Technical Merit (TM) ............................................................................................................. 29

11.3.2 Price Merit (PM) .................................................................................................................... 32

11.3.3 Final assessment .................................................................................................................... 33

12. General Terms and Structure of the Tender ....................................................................... 33


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12.1. General terms and conditions for the submission of tenders ................................................. 33

12.2. Structure of the tender......................................................................................................... 34

12.2.1 Envelope No 1 - Administrative Section ................................................................................ 35

12.2.2 Envelope No 2 - Technical Offer ............................................................................................ 37

12.2.3 Envelope No 3 - Financial Offer ............................................................................................. 39

12.2.4 Envelope No 4 - Digital Copy ................................................................................................. 39

13. Abnormally Low Tenders ................................................................................................... 39

14. Complaints procedures ...................................................................................................... 40

15. Technical specifications ..................................................................................................... 40

15.1. Service Activation Modes/Intensity Levels ............................................................................ 40

15.2. SatCen responsibilities ......................................................................................................... 42

15.3. Contractor responsibilities ................................................................................................... 43

15.3.1 Operational responsibilities .................................................................................................. 43

15.3.2 Coordination responsibilities................................................................................................. 44

15.4. Space data component ......................................................................................................... 44

15.4.1 Satellite Imagery provision and the CSCDA mechanism ....................................................... 45

15.4.2 Access to satellite data .......................................................................................................... 46

15.5. Communications between the Contractor and the SatCen ..................................................... 46

15.5.1 Technical Point of Contact ..................................................................................................... 46

15.5.2 Administrative Point of Contact ............................................................................................ 47

15.5.3 Production online meeting .................................................................................................... 47

15.5.4 Videoconference ................................................................................................................... 47

15.6. Set-up phase ........................................................................................................................ 48

15.7. General formats and templates ............................................................................................ 48

15.8. Technical deliverables .......................................................................................................... 48

15.9. Reporting ............................................................................................................................. 48

15.9.1 Technical Reports .................................................................................................................. 49

15.9.2 Progress Reports ................................................................................................................... 49

15.10. Language ............................................................................................................................. 49

15.11. Meetings ............................................................................................................................. 50

List of Annexes ......................................................................................................................... 51


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1. Definitions and Acronyms The terms and acronyms below, appearing either in a complete or in an abbreviated form, when

used in this document and its annexes, the Invitation to Tender and the Draft Framework Contract,

shall be understood to have the following meaning:

Activation: The process comprising the initiation, performance of the Service and delivery

of each Service per Order.

Contractor: The Economic Operator in charge of providing the Services, after successfully

tendering and signing the Framework Contract.

Contracting Authority: The SatCen, acting as the authority awarding the Framework

Contract under EU procurement rules.

Consortium: A grouping of eligible Economic Operators created under a consortium

agreement for the specific purpose of bidding for the Framework Contract.

Consortium Leader: One of the Economic Operators forming the Consortium, elected by all

the Consortium members for the purposes of submitting the tender, signing the

Framework Contract, acting as an interface with the Contracting Authority and making

binding commitments on behalf of the Consortium and its members.

Deliverables or technical deliverables: Outputs generated during the implementation of

the Framework Contract and its Activations, which may include, inter alia, documents,

maps as hard-copies (digital) and geospatial information products, in different formats (as

specify in Annex A).

Reports: Information derived from the coordination activities, including documents,

financial sheets and equivalent information.

Economic Operator: Any natural or legal person or public entity or group of such persons

and/or entities, including any temporary association of undertakings, which offers the

execution of works and/or a work, the supply of products or the provision of services on

the market.

Entrusted Entity: The SatCen, acting as the entity designated by the European Commission

under a Delegation Agreement for the provision of Copernicus Services in Support to EU

External Action.

European Union Satellite Centre: The SatCen.

Framework Contract: The Contract governing the rights and obligations between the

SatCen and the Contractor for the provision of the Service, and establishing the terms and

conditions applicable to Orders.

Group: Two or more enterprises are considered to belong to the same group if they

function as a single economic entity through a common source of control. Control means


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having the power to appoint the majority of directors or to approve the budget or the

business plan, by holding a majority of the voting rights in the management board.

Information and data: means any drawings, specifications, photographs, samples, models,

processes, procedures, instructions, software, reports, papers, or any other technical

and/or commercial information, know how, data or documents of any kind, including oral

information, other than Intellectual Property Rights.

Order(s): Binding request(s) placed by the Contracting Authority under the terms of the

Framework Contract for the activation of Services.

Pre-existing rights: means any industrial and intellectual property rights, including

background technology, which exist prior to the Contracting Authority or the Contractor

ordering them for the purpose of the Contract performance and include rights of

ownership and use by the Contractor, the creator, the Contracting Authority and any other

third parties.

Result(s): Means any intended outcome of the performance under the Framework

Contract which is delivered and accepted.

Services: The twenty-four (24) hours a day, seven (7) days a week, on-demand services

required for the production of deliverable geospatial products resulting from the analysis

of satellite imagery and collateral data, as described in Annex A (Technical Requirements)

and according to the examples provided in Annex E (SEA Portfolio).

Small and Medium Enterprise: An enterprise which employs fewer than 250 persons and

which has either an annual turnover not exceeding 50 million Euro, or an annual balance

sheet not exceeding 43 million Euro, according to the European Commission

Recommendation, of 6 May 2003, concerning the definition of micro, small and medium-

sized enterprises (OJ L 124 of 20.05.2003, p.36).


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Acronym Complete name

AOI Area Of Interest

AP Activation Price

BCP Border Crossing Point

CCD Coherent Change Detection

CCM Copernicus Contribution Mission

CET Central European Time

CFSP Common Foreign and Security Policy

COVAMCOH Coefficient of Variation-Amplitude-Coherence

CPU Central Processing Unit

CSCDA Copernicus Space Component Data Access system

CSR Corporate Social Responsibility

CV Curriculum Vitae

DAP Data Access Portfolio

DB Database

DCR Token Daily Consumption Rate

DCRlevel Token Daily Consumption Rate by Service Intensity Level

DEM Digital Elevation Model

DOC Microsoft word compatible file

DSM Digital Surface Model

DTM Digital Terrain Model

EDES Early Detection and Exclusion System

EO Earth Observation

ESA European Space Agency

ESRI Environmental Systems Research Institute

EU European Union

Euratom European Atomic Energy Community

FP7 7th Framework Programme

FTP File Transfer Protocol

FWC Framework Contract

GCP Ground Control Points

GDB ESRI File Geodatabase

GEOINT Geo-Intelligence


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GeoPDF Geospatial Adobe Portable Format

GeoTIFF Geospatial TIFF

GIS Geographic Information System

GMES Global Monitoring for Environment and Security

G-NEXT Pre-Operational Copernicus Services in Support to EU External Action

G-SEXTANT Geospatial Intelligence Services in Support of EU External Action

HTTP Hypertext Transfer Protocol

IDP Internal Displaced People

IMINT Imagery Intelligence

ISO International Organization for Standardization

It Idle time

KML Keyhole Markup Language

LYR ArcMap Layer file

MoM Minutes of Meeting

MTC Multi-temporal Coherence

MXD ArcMap Map Document File

OSINT Open Source Information

OSM OpenStreetMap

PD Product Design

PDF Adobe Portable Format

PHLA Potential Helicopter Landing Areas

PM Price Merit

PoC Points of Contact

POIs Points of Interest

QC Quality Control

REST Representational State Transfer

SAR Synthetic Aperture Radar

SatCen European union Satellite Centre

SEA Support to External Action

SFTP Secure File Transfer Protocol

SHP ESRI Shapefile

SME Small and Medium-sized Enterprises

SPM Service Intensity Level Price Multiplier


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SRTM Shuttle Radar Topography Mission

TC Technical Criteria

Tk Token

TkBP Token Base Price

TkP Token Price offer provided by the tenderer

TM Technical Merit

TS Total Score

TTS Token Tracking Sheet

TTSys Token Tracking System

UAV Unmanned Aerial Vehicle

UTM Universal Transverse Mercator

VAT Value-Added Tax

VHR Very High Resolution

WCS Web Coverage Service

WFS Web Feature Service

WFS-T Web Feature Service Transaction

WGS World Geodetic System

WMS Web Map Service

WMTS Web Map Tile Service

XLS Microsoft Excel compatible file


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2. Background and context of the Copernicus SEA service

2.1. The Copernicus programme Copernicus, previously known as GMES (Global Monitoring for Environment and Security), is the

European programme, coordinated and managed by the European Commission, for the

establishment of a European capacity for Earth Observation.

Copernicus consists of a complex set of systems, which collect data from multiple sources: earth

observation satellites and in situ sensors such as ground stations, airborne and sea-borne sensors.

It processes these data and provides users with reliable and up-to-date information through a set

of services related to environmental and security issues.

The services address six thematic areas: land, marine, atmosphere, climate change, emergency

management and security. They support a wide range of applications, including environment

protection, management of urban areas, regional and local planning, agriculture, forestry,

fisheries, health, transport, climate change, sustainable development, civil protection and tourism.

In particular, the Copernicus Security Service aims to support EU policies by improving crisis

prevention, preparedness and response capacities in three key areas: border surveillance,

maritime surveillance and Support to EU External Action (SEA).

Further information on the Copernicus programme can be found at: http://www.copernicus.eu.

2.2. Origins of GMES/Copernicus SEA projects The Copernicus Regulation establishes that the security service will provide information in support

of the challenges that Europe is facing in the security field, notably Border Control, Maritime

Surveillance and SEA.

With regard to the SEA, an informal working group1 was created in 2009. The conclusions of the

working group provided the necessary inputs for the definition of the functional specifications for

the pre-operational services that ran from 2013-2014, through the FP7–financed projects G-NEXT

and G-SEXTANT. These research projects, which were validated under a user-driven pre-

operational environment, were successfully performed by consortia composed of different entities

(both public and private) across the EU.

Building on the lessons learned in the G-NEXT and G-SEXTANT research projects, the Framework

Contract for the provision of Copernicus SEA Service seeks to provide continuity to the G-NEXT and

G-SEXTANT research projects, while avoiding reliance on a single operator and encouraging the

most open participation possible throughout the EU by all economic operators, including SMEs

and new entrants, through the recourse to consortia or grouping of entities and sub-contracting.

1 Copernicus working group on Security – Support to EU External Action

http://www.copernicus.eu/


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2.3. Overall scope of Copernicus SEA The Copernicus SEA service will assist the EU in its operations and interests outside EU territory,

providing decision makers with geo-information on remote, difficult to access areas, where

security issues are at stake. It will also assist third countries in situations of crisis or emerging crisis

and to prevent global and trans-regional threats having a destabilising effect.

The SEA service will primarily target European users (EU and Member States decision makers) but

cooperation with key International stakeholders is foreseen.

3. About the SatCen

3.1. SatCen mission The SatCen was founded in 1992 and incorporated as an agency into the European Union on 1

January 2002.

SatCen’s core mission is to support the decision making of the European Union in the field of the

Common Foreign and Security Policy, in particular the Common Security and Defence Policy,

including European Union crisis management missions and operations, by providing products and

services resulting from the exploitation of relevant space assets and collateral data, including

satellite imagery and aerial imagery, and related services.

SatCen, as the manager and coordinator of the Copernicus SEA service, seeks to acquire services

to provide timely and accurate geospatial information derived from the analysis of satellite

imagery and collateral data, in order to assist the EU decision-making processes as regards crisis

management and its operations outside EU territory.

A description of the SatCen’s activities can be found at:

https://www.satcen.europa.eu

3.2. SatCen status In accordance with Article 13 of Council Decision 2014/401/CFSP, of 26 June 2014, on the

European Union Satellite Centre, the SatCen has certain privileges and immunities which are set

out in Protocol (No 7) on the privileges and immunities of the European Union, attached to the

Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union.

The Protocol grants the SatCen two important immunities: Its property and income are exempted

from all direct taxes; and it is immune from jurisdiction and execution.

With respect to VAT and Taxes, please refer to the relevant clause in the draft Framework

Contract.

https://www.satcen.europa.eu/


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With respect to the settlement of disputes, please refer to Section 14 of this document

(Complaints Procedure) for the settlement of disputes that may arise out of this call for tenders,

and to the relevant clause in the draft Framework Contract for the resolution of disputes relating

to the execution of the Framework Contract.

4. Subject matter of the procurement procedure The subject matter of this procurement procedure is the award of a Framework Contract for the

provision of geospatial services, comprising the following activities:

Establishing and maintaining, throughout the whole duration of the Contract, a service,

available twenty-four (24) hours a day, seven (7) days a week, for receiving SatCen’s Orders

for products resulting from the analysis of satellite imagery and collateral data, as specified

in Annex A (Technical Requirements). Such products include, inter alia, layers, maps and

databases under different formats. By way of example, a list of the products of the

Copernicus SEA service is provided in Annex E (SEA Portfolio).

Activating production for generating the ordered products within a maximum period of four (4) hours from the reception of the Order (unless otherwise specified), under different activation modes (or intensity levels) corresponding to levels of Contractor’s responsiveness needed to address specific users’ needs, according to the Token System described in Annexes C and D.

Delivering the products to the SatCen within the deadlines specified in the Orders, via File Transfer Protocol (FTP) and/or On-line GIS Platform, along with technical and progress reports.

The Copernicus SEA service is an on-demand service by nature. The products will be ordered, and

the production work will be activated upon users’ request or if a specific need is addressed by

users.

The production work to be performed under the Framework Contract will be based on Activations

coordinated by the SatCen and executed by the Contractor. The SatCen may add value to the

production of the Contractor when needed.

As an on-demand service, it is not possible to estimate in advance the areas of interest and the

volume of work that will take place during the execution of the contract. The workload will depend

on the contextual situation and the evolving needs of users. Activations can greatly differ from one

another depending on the areas of interest, scale and products to be delivered.

Copernicus is a user driven programme, thus requiring the continuous and effective involvement

of users, particularly regarding the definition and validation of service requirements.


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Considering that the implementation of the Copernicus SEA service has to take into account the

evolving users' needs and requirements and allow for adaptation to technical progress, the SatCen

and the Contractor may, by mutual consent, adjust the service specifications in order to achieve

the goals of the Copernicus security service in the most effective way.

5. General information concerning the invitation to tender

5.1. Principles and objectives This procurement procedure must comply with the general procurement principles of

transparency, proportionality equal treatment and non-discrimination, as described in the Treaty

on the Functioning of the European Union.

In addition, this procurement procedure pursues the objectives of public procurement under the

Copernicus programme:

I. Ensuring the best use of existing capabilities at EU level.

II. Fostering of EU Industrial competitiveness.

III. Promoting the widest and most open participation possible throughout the EU by all

Economic Operators, in particular by new entrants and SMEs, preferably through the

recourse to consortia or grouping of entities and sub-contracting.

IV. Avoiding possible abuse of dominant position and reliance on a single supplier.

V. Pursuing multiple sourcing wherever appropriate.

VI. Ensuring fair competition.

5.2. Applicable rules This procurement procedure is governed by the following provisions:

I. Title 5 of Regulation (EU, Euratom) No 966/2012, of 25 October 2012, on the financial rules

applicable to the general budget of the Union (hereinafter, the “Financial Regulation”).

II. Delegated Regulation (EU) No 1268/2012, of 29 October 2012, as amended by Delegated

Regulation (EU) No 2015/2462, of 30 October 2015, on the financial rules applicable to the

general budget of the Union, particularly its Title V on Public Procurement (hereinafter, the

“Rules of Application”).

III. Regulation (EU) No 377/2014, of 3 April 2014, establishing the Copernicus Programme,

particular its Chapter III on Public procurement (hereinafter, the “Copernicus Regulation”).

IV. Mutatis mutandis Directive 2014/24/EU, of 26 February 2014, on public procurement.

V. SatCen’s procurement manual, available at www.satcen.europa.eu.

http://www.satcen.europa.eu/


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5.3. Copernicus financing The Services are solely financed by a financial contribution effected by the European Commission

under the Copernicus programme. Accordingly, the extension of the Framework Contract after the

initial period for a subsequent twelve-month period, the pre-financing and payments are subject

to budgetary availability and to the effective transfer of Copernicus’ funds to the Contracting

Authority.

6. Contract description

6.1. Type of contract The contract for which this call for tenders is issued is a Framework Contract to be awarded to a

single Economic Operator, which may consist of a grouping or consortium of Economic Operators.

The Framework Contract will be implemented via specific contracts or Orders for geospatial

production services, in accordance with the terms of the Framework Contract.

The Framework Contract gives rise to no direct obligation for the Contracting Authority. Only the

placement of Orders create a legal obligation for the purchase.

6.2. Duration The Framework Contract has a maximum duration of twenty-one (21) months, comprising an

minimum initial period of nine (9) months, renewable to an additional period of twelve (12)

months.

6.3. Location The Services shall be produced at the Contractor's premises or at any other place indicated in the

Tender Specifications, located in the territory of either one of the 28 member States of the EU,

Norway or Iceland.

6.4. Contract Value The total value of the Framework Contract is estimated at a maximum of seven million five

hundred thousand Euro (€7,500,000). However, this must in no way be construed as a

commitment of the Contracting Authority to purchase for the maximum amount.

The maximum value is not subject to revision and it applies for the whole duration of the

Framework Contract, including its renewal.


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6.5. Pre-financing In order to provide the Contractor with an advance payment to initiate and maintain the Service

before the placement of Orders or in the absence of Orders, a pre-financing payment of up to

three million Euro (€3,000,000), equivalent to 40 % of the maximum value of the Framework

Contract, will be made within thirty (30) days from the signing of the Contract, if requested by the

Contractor.

The Contracting Authority will only pay the pre-financing if the Contractor’s request is

accompanied by:

A receipt indicating the reference of the Contract; and

a duly constituted financial guarantee equal to the amount of the pre-financing payment.

6.6. Guarantee Fund A guarantee fund amounting to two per cent (2%) of the maximum value of the Framework

Contract will be established to cover the risks associated to the performance of the Framework

Contract and the non-recovery of any sums due under the Contract, other than pre-financing.

6.7. Invoicing and payments For each Activation, the Contractor shall submit an invoice in Euro equal to 100% of the total price

of the relevant Order, based on the Token System Tables (see Annex D) and the results of the TTS

Update Process (Annex B).

During the pre-financing phase, if this were the case, invoices issued for services delivered and

accepted by the Contracting Authority will be offset against the amount of the pre-financing.

Once the pre-financing is exhausted, payments shall be made only after the Contracting Authority

has accepted:

I. The technical deliverables and the technical and progress reports; and

II. the invoices for each service rendered and approved.

Contractor’s request for payment shall be accompanied by:

I. The relevant invoice;

II. the relevant Order; and

III. all the relevant additional documents (i.e. technical and progress reports).


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Subject to verification and acceptance of the invoice by the Contracting Authority, payments shall

be made no later than thirty (30) days from the acceptance of the invoice.

6.8. Intellectual Property The ownership of the Results created within the context of the implementation of the Framework

Contract shall be fully, directly and irrevocably acquired by the Union, including copyrights and

other intellectual or industrial property rights, and all technological solutions and information

contained therein. Accordingly, the Contractor waives any Intellectual Property Rights over the

Results of the Framework Contract and/or any Order, including the rights to use and disseminate

the Results.

By virtue of the Framework Contract, the Contracting Authority is granted at no additional cost, a

non-exclusive, irrevocable, worldwide license to use and modify all Results, without limitation in

time. This includes the right to grant sub-licenses.

6.9. Audits and checks SatCen may carry out ex-ante and ex-post controls including visits to the Contractor’s premises

during the lifetime of the Framework Contract, at any time in order to perform reviews or audits

to ensure proper implementation of the Framework Contract and that the actions financed from

the Copernicus budget are effectively carried out and implemented according to the applicable EU

rules.

SatCen will give prior notice to the Contractor at least 24 hours in advance. The Contractor must

ensure that all the SatCen personnel can access the Contractor premises. No costs incurred by the

Contractor during this visit shall be charged to the Contracting Authority.

7. Subcontracting Tenderers shall provide in their tenders a list of the activities that they intend to subcontract and

details of the subcontractors. The Contractor may not select subcontractors other than those

mentioned in the Tender unless it obtains the prior written authorisation of the Contracting

Authority.

Subcontracting is permitted as long as:

It does not cover the core activities identified as such in Section 15.3.1;

Subcontractors are independent Economic Operators (Economic Operators that do not belong to the Group of the Contractor);

At least forty per cent (40%) of the total subcontracted activities are reserved to independent SMEs.


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Subcontractors must be selected through a competitive selection process, requiring the submission of a minimum of three quotes, unless subcontractors have an established framework contract with the Contractor for the provision of services or the supply of goods.

Subcontractors must provide a signed letter of intent that confirms their participation in case of award of the Framework Contract.

8. Participation of Consortia Tenders can be submitted by consortia of 2 or more Economic Operators ('joint tender'). Each

Economic Operator forming the bidding consortium will be required to become a party to the

Framework Contract in the case of award, and shall assume joint and several liability towards the

Contracting Authority for the fulfilment of the terms and conditions of the Framework Contract.

The consortium shall nominate one Economic Operator (the Consortium Leader) who will be

responsible for the submission and signing of the tender and associated documents, the signing of

the Framework Contract and the administrative management of the Contract (invoicing, receiving

payments, etc.) on behalf of all the other entities.

Bidding consortia or groupings do not need to have any given legal form, but they shall be formed

under a Consortium Agreement that must be specific for this tendering procedure.

The Economic Operators forming the awarded Consortium must sign the Consortium Agreement

prior to the signing of the Framework Contract. The signed Consortium Agreement shall be

submitted to the Contracting Authority before the signing of the Framework Contract.

For the purposes of tender submission, members of the consortium or grouping shall submit a

signed letter of intent confirming their participation in case the Framework Contract is awarded.

The composition of the consortium must not be altered during the life of the Framework Contract.

After the award of the contract, no consortium member can be replaced without the Contracting

Authority’s prior written authorisation and without the new member having signed the

Consortium Agreement.

9. Eligibility Tenderers and, if applicable, Economic Operators forming bidding consortia and subcontractors,

must meet the following requirements:

I. Have their registered address or head office in either one of the 28 Member States of the

EU, Norway or Iceland. This requirement must be attested with the Legal Entity Form,

provided as Annex G, duly filled out and signed by an authorised representative, and

supported by copies of official documents (register(s) of enterprises, official gazette, VAT

registration, etc.).


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II. Not to fall under any of the grounds of exclusion and conflict of interest specified in

Articles 106 and 107 of the Financial Regulation, which include:

bankruptcy and insolvency situations;

non-payment of taxes or social security contributions;

grave professional misconduct;

fraud, corruption, participation in a criminal organisation etc.;

serious breach of contract.

Compliance with this requirement must be attested with the Declaration on Honour provided as

Annex H duly filled out and signed by an authorised representative of the tenderer or, if

applicable, by each member of the bidding Consortia and the subcontractors.

Should the Framework Contract be awarded, the successful tenderer shall produce the supporting

documents (extracts from judicial records and official certificates) confirming the declaration on

honour, as required in Article 141(2) in conjunction with Article 141(3) of the Rules of Application.

The SatCen makes use of the Early Detection and Exclusion System (EDES), a centralised database

managed by the European Commission, in order to verify whether individuals or organisations are

suitable to receive EU funding.

That SatCen, as an entrusted entity in charge of implementing the EU budget, shall report to the

European Commission any risk threating the Union’s financial interests stemming from the

grounds of exclusion identified in Articles 106 and 107 of the Financial Regulation. Tenderers are

expected to cooperate with the SatCen as regard the protection of the financial interests of the

EU, by reporting any possible ground of exclusion as listed in Articles 106 and 107 of the Financial

Regulation.

10. Exclusion of successful tenderers in upcoming calls for tenders This call for tenders is the first of a potential series of calls for tenders to be launched by the

Contracting Authority within the context of the Copernicus SEA Service.

Subject to budgetary availability and to the effective transfer of Copernicus’ funds to the

Contracting Authority, the SatCen plans to award the following contracts (lower in budgetary

terms) during year 2017:

IT Infrastructure Development for Copernicus SEA.

Service Evolution for Copernicus SEA.

User Uptake Support for Copernicus SEA.


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In order to avoid conflicts of interests, the Contractor to be selected under the present call for

tenders for the “Framework Contract for Copernicus in Support to EU External Action Geospatial

Production” cannot be considered for award of the calls for tenders listed above without providing

to the Contracting Authority adequate and sufficient means to prevent conflicts of interests.

This restriction shall apply to members of the awarded consortium and to the Economic Operators

that belong to the same Group of the Contractor or members of the awarded Consortium.

11. Criteria for Choosing the Contractor The criteria for choosing the Contractor are divided into three consecutive eliminating stages:

I. Verification of tenderers’ eligibility (exclusion criteria), to check, in the first stage, whether

tenderers can take part in the tendering procedure.

II. To check, in the second stage, the economic, financial, technical and professional capacity

of each tenderer who has passed the exclusion stage (selection criteria); and

III. To assess, on the basis of the award criteria, the tenders submitted based on technical

merit and price and establish a ranking list, by order of merit, of all tenders having passed

the exclusion and selection stages.

Exclusion and selection criteria are related to the tenderer as a candidate in the procurement

process, whereas the award criteria are related to the tender.

If the tenderer does not pass one criteria, it will not be evaluated under the other categories.

Tenderers capacity will not be assessed if tenderers are not eligible. Bids will only be evaluated if

tenderers fully satisfy the eligibility and capacity requirements.

11.1. Exclusion criteria Tenderers and, if applicable, subcontractors will be excluded from participation in the

procurement procedure if they do not meet the eligibility requirements laid down in Section 9.

The participation of an ineligible entity (i.e. an entity established outside the EU, Norway or

Iceland or falling under the grounds of exclusion specified in Articles 106 and 107 of the Financial

Regulation) will result in the automatic exclusion of that entity. In particular, if that ineligible entity

belongs to a Consortium, the whole Consortium will be excluded.

11.2. Selection Criteria Tenderers must submit evidence of their legal, economic, financial, technical and professional

capacity to perform the Framework Contract.


20

The assessment will be based on the information provided in the tender. The SatCen reserves the

right to use any other information from public or specialised sources.

11.2.1 Legal capacity

Requirement:

All the tenderers are asked to prove that they are authorised to perform the Framework Contract

under the law of their country of establishment.

Evidence required:

Tenderers and, if applicable, members of bidding consortia shall prove that they are enrolled in a

trade or professional register by providing, along with the Legal Entity Form (Annex G), a copy of

their certificate of registration.

If such Economic Operators are not required or entitled to access such register for reasons based

on their legal status or applicable national legislation, an explanation should be provided and the

Contracting Authority may accept, as satisfactory evidence, a sworn declaration, membership of a

specific organisation, express authorisation, or entry in the VAT register, in lieu of the certificate of

registration.

11.2.2 Economic and financial capacity

Requirement:

Tenderers must be in a stable financial position and have an individual annual turnover (or, if

applicable, a group’s consolidated annual turnover) of at least two million Euro (€2,000,000)

during the last three (3) accounting years.

Evidence required:

Evidence of tenderers financial reliability shall be attested by the following documents:

The Financial and Economic Capacity Overview Form, provided as Annex I, duly completed

and signed by the legal representative of the tenderer or each consortium partner, in the

case of bidding consortia, on the basis of which the Contracting Authority will perform a

preliminary verification of the tenderer’s financial capacity.

Only the successful tenderer shall provide the Contracting Authority with a copy of the

financial statements (balance sheets, profit and loss accounts and any other related

financial information) for the past three (3) accounting years, published and/or audited or,

where publication/auditing is not required under applicable national laws, self-certified as

exact and sincere by a duly authorised representative.


21

If the provided documents show net loss in any of the requested years, the tenderer must furnish

an alternative document supporting its financial and economic capacity, such as appropriate bank

references or a letter/statement by certified auditors attesting to the economic operator's

financial stability, proof of professional risk insurance, or an appropriate guarantee from a third

party (e.g. the parent company).

The Contracting Authority reserves the right not to select a tenderer where the evidence provided

gives rise to major concerns on its financial viability to perform the Framework Contract.

11.2.3 Technical and professional capacity

11.2.3.1. Tenderers’ experience in the field of the Framework Contract

Requirement:

The tenderer or, if applicable, the Economic Operators forming the bidding consortia must have at

least 3 years of experience in the following fields:

Geographic information systems (GISs) and production of maps in standard digital formats

and suitable for hard copy printing,

earth Observation, and

provision of services for EU external action or related policies.

Evidence required:

The tenderer must submit the table below duly filled. This table summarises the tenderer’s

reference projects in the course of the past three (3) years in the fields of expertise mentioned

above in this Section 11.2.3.1. The reference projects must link to the profiles indicated below in

Section 11.2.3.2.

Project

title/authority

(client)/year

Project Value Fields covered Matching profiles

In case of joint tendering, the above table should be filled by each Economic Operator forming the

bidding Consortium.


22

Should a contract be awarded, the successful tenderer shall provide the relevant certificates

attesting completion of the referred projects, duly issued or countersigned by the relevant

authority. If a contracting authority does not issue such certificates, the economic operator should

provide written proof of this fact.

11.2.3.2. Team composition and experts qualifications

Requirement:

The tasks and responsibilities under the Framework Contract must be implemented by a

geospatial production team of experts, composed of the following minimum number of members

for each of the six (6) profiles indicated below:

I. Two (2) project managers, ultimately responsible for the Service performance,

including the supervision of all the operational aspects, team management, product

delivery and financial management.

II. Two (2) production coordinators, responsible for the production plan, the

production under each Activation, the coordination of team members’

contributions and quality control.

III. Four (4) experts in processing of satellite and aerial sensor data, responsible for

processing Earth Observation data, including reception, assessment of EO products,

rectification and production of EO derived products.

IV. Seven (7) experts in thematic image processing and interpretation, responsible for

image processing, interpretation and extraction of thematic information from

geospatial data sources (e.g. land, geomorphology, environment, land cover and

land use, security, humanitarian aid).

V. Four (4) experts in digital cartography and GIS, responsible for the production of

cartographic products using geospatial data, creation and maintenance of

geospatial databases, management and conversion of geospatial format and

analysis of vector based data.

VI. Two (2) experts in IT support, responsible for system administration management

and databases management with specific knowledge of Geospatial Information

Systems (GIS) solutions.

In addition to the geospatial production team, two points of contact (PoC) are required for

communication purposes, as provided in Section 15.5 and in the Framework Contract:

I. One technical PoC, available twenty-four (24) hours a day, seven (7) days a week

(24/7), to act as a focal point for issues relating to production, including Orders’

reception, Services activation, reporting on Services progress and any possible

incidences.


23

II. One administrative PoC, available eight (8) hours a days, five (5) days a week, to act

as a focal point for administrative, legal and financial issues including, without

limitations, invoicing, payments, and submission of deliverables and reports.

The technical point of contact must be a member of the geospatial production team. The

administrative point of contact does not need to be a member of the geospatial production team,

although the project manager could fulfil this function. The same person cannot simultaneously be

technical and administrative PoC.

In case of consortia, one additional technical PoC per partner is required.

The experts proposed for the above profiles, as well as the PoC, need to be employees of the

tenderer or, if applicable, of the Economic Operators forming the bidding consortia.

Evidence required:

Tenderers must propose a team of experts for geospatial production with the minimum

composition described above in this Section, as well as a technical and an administrative PoC and,

if applicable, one technical PoC per partner in case of consortia.

For each expert forming the proposed geospatial production team, a Curriculum Vitae (CV) must

be provided in accordance with the Commission Recommendation on a common European

format, available on: http://europass.cedefop.europa.eu/en/documents/curriculum-vitae. The

CVs must be signed by the experts.

Each CV must indicate, at least:

a) The number of years of specific professional experience required for each profile or the

number of years of related studies after secondary school in lieu of professional

experience, up to a maximum of 4 years. Doctorate degree (PhD) is considered professional

experience up to a maximum of 3 years. Internships directly linked to the professional

experience specific to the profile are considered professional experience up to a maximum

of 2 years. Training during studies is not considered professional experience.

b) Thematic knowledge for each profile, as described below in this Section.

c) Language competence level by Common European Framework of Reference for Languages2

Each expert must fulfil the minimum level of qualifications per profile, as indicated below:

1. Project Manager:

a. Minimum of seven (7) years of professional experience in the field of satellite

remote sensing, data processing, GIS and digital cartography, of which:

At least five (5) years of experience in a managerial position (managing a

team of no less than five (5) people under direct supervision);

2 http://europass.cedefop.europa.eu/sites/default/files/cefr-en.pdf

http://europass.cedefop.europa.eu/en/documents/curriculum-vitae


24

One (1) year of experience in 24/7 service operation; and

One (1) year of experience in projects related with external action

(humanitarian aid, international cooperation or security and defence).

b. At least four (4) years of experience in project management relating to the supply

of geospatial information derived from satellite remote sensing and GIS.

c. A level of education of at least four (4) years of studies, attested by a university

diploma.

d. Thematic knowledge of:

Geo-information use in crisis/emergency/security management contexts, or

equivalent

Project management standards and methodologies

Quality control of delivered service

Client orientation

Conflict resolution experience

Financial management

e. Minimum English skills: listening, reading, speaking and writing — C2 or equivalent

f. At least two (2) CVs have to be submitted.

2. Production Coordinator:

a. Minimum of four (4) years of professional experience in the field of satellite remote

sensing and GIS, of which at least one (1) year of experience in 24/7 service

execution.

b. A level of education of at least four (4) years of studies, attested by a university

diploma.

c. Thematic knowledge of:

The geospatial information use in crisis/security management contexts, or

equivalent.

High interpersonal skills and ability to communicate with other

organizations.

Very good GIS and Remote Sensing knowledge on the field of security and

Geo-Intelligence (GEOINT).


25

d. Minimum English skills: listening, reading, speaking and writing — C2 or equivalent.

e. At least two (2) CVs have to be submitted.

3. Specialist in processing of satellite and aerial sensor data:

a. Minimum of three (3) years of professional experience in the field of remote

sensing data processing.

b. Thematic knowledge of:

Tools including remote sensing data (derived from optical and SAR sensors)

Processing tools and software

Relevant scripting and programming skills for batch processing of remote

sensing data

c. Minimum English skills: listening, reading, writing —C1 or equivalent.

d. At least four (4) CVs have to be submitted.

4. Specialist in thematic image processing and interpretation:

a. Minimum of three (3) years of professional experience in the field of digital map

production and GIS.


Generating fast geospatial information within the security domain using

optical and SAR sensor

Visual and automatic image interpretation techniques

Imagery Intelligence (IMINT)


d. At least seven (7) CVs have to be submitted.

5. Specialist in digital cartography and GIS:

a. Minimum of three (3) years of professional experience in the field of digital and

hard copy map production and GIS.



26

Cartographic and map production standards including those from the

security domain

Geo-Intelligence (GEOINT), Open Source Intelligence (OSINT) and data

collection

Scripting or programming to customise and automatize the map production

chain

Relational database systems


d. At least four (4) CVs have to be submitted.

6. Specialist in IT support:

a. Minimum three (3) years of professional experience with handling of software and

hardware for remote sensing GIS.


Operating systems (Windows, Linux, Unix, Mac)

Software and hardware requirements necessary for running remote sensing

and GIS software

Networks and internet services

Data back-up solutions

Programming languages used mainly for software customisation and

hardware optimisation including CPU parallelisation

Relational database systems

c. Minimum English language skills: listening, reading, writing C1 or equivalent.

d. At least two (2) CV have to be submitted.

The minimum capacity levels will be assessed in relation to the team of experts as a whole,

including the combined capacities of all the team members and subcontractors.

The proposed members of the geospatial production team, as well as the technical and

administrative PoC, need to be identified in the table below, indicating their respective positions

as employees at the tenderer’s organisation and their dedication to the Framework Contract.


27

Profile Type/PoC Name Organisation

Position (Junior/Senior)

Full time - % of

time dedicated

to the Contract

(*)

(*) At least 21 members of the geospatial production team must have full time dedication to the

Framework Contract.

A given expert can be assigned to more than one profile at a time, provided that the proposed

team has at least twenty-one (21) members with full dedication to the Framework Contract and

the six (6) profiles are covered as indicated above.

Teams exceeding the minimum number of twenty-one (21) members are accepted if the

additional experts match any of the above-mentioned six (6) profiles.

Should a contract be awarded, the successful tenderer shall provide evidence (individual salary slip

or a statement from an official external body, e.g. the taxation office or a social security

secretariat) that the employees listed are indeed employed at the date of the publication of the

contract notice.

It is expected that the persons responsible for the execution of the Framework Contract will

remain bound to the performance of the services during the lifetime of the Framework Contract. A

situation where the withdrawal of any these persons could jeopardise the timely and due

execution of the Framework Contract should be avoided. Any replacement of team member

during the execution of the Framework Contract shall only be made with the prior approval in

writing of the Contracting Authority. The proposed substitute(s) will have to fulfil the same

minimum requirements mentioned in this Section.

11.2.3.3. IT Capacities

Requirements:

Tenderers must have the necessary technical equipment (i.e. hardware and software licenses and

telecommunication infrastructure) to receive Orders in a timely manner, fulfil the production

required under the Framework Contract, hold videoconferences and deliver the products to the

Contracting Authority.

Required evidence:

Tenderers must provide in their tenders a description of their IT capacities:

Hardware: Number of workstations.

Software: Number of licenses and versions.


28

Network and telecommunications infrastructure for receiving Orders and for high data

volume download and transmission of deliverables in an adequate format. In particular,

tenderers must ensure a fast and secured transfer of data via File Transfer Protocol (FTP),

meeting the following specifications:

- Secure and fast transmission of the Service deliverables over the Internet. Transfer

speed of at least 100 Mbps in upload and download.

- Provision, management and maintenance of SFTP storage server with 1TB capacity. The

SFTP could be used for multiple purposes such as transferring geospatial data to

SatCen.

- Capacity for on-line meetings: Fast Internet connection to hold videoconferences,

appropriate software (WebEx, Skype Business, etc.) and business virtual rooms with

speaking, listening and sharing screens capacities.

11.2.3.4. Quality Control

Requirement:

Tenderers must have a quality management system in place to ensure quality control in the field

of geospatial production.

Evidence required:

Tenderers shall provide details of any quality assurance certification (e.g., ISO 9000 – Quality

Management) as regards quality control processes applied to the geospatial production. If no

accreditation is provided, tenderers shall submit an outline of an adequate quality assurance

policy specifying the following information:

The status of implementation and details of any quality assurance accreditations for which

they have applied.

How quality will be managed.

Quality assurance and controls activities and standards applied.

11.2.3.5. Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)

Requirement:

Corporate Social Responsibility3 refers to enterprises voluntarily going beyond what the law

requires to achieve social and environmental objectives during the course of their daily business

activities. It covers a range of areas:

Europe 2020 (especially new skills and jobs, youth, local development)

3 Further information is provided at: http://ec.europa.eu/social/main.jsp?catId=331

http://ec.europa.eu/social/main.jsp?catId=331


29

Business and human rights

CSR reporting

Socially responsible public procurement

Evidence required:

Tenderers shall provide details of any CSR accreditation (e.g., ISO 26000 - Social responsibility,

AA1000 Assurance Standard, IQNet SR10, SA 8000) that they hold. Should this accreditation not be

available, tenderers shall provide a description of their CRS policy specifying the status of

implementation.

11.3. Award criteria The Framework Contract will be awarded to the tender having the best value for money on the

basis of the following criteria:

Technical Merit (TM): Maximum 70 points

Price Merit (PM): Maximum 30 points

The highest total score will determine the offer with the best value for money. A maximum of 100

points can be obtained. Offers shall be ranked according to the best value for money (i.e. the

highest value for money shall be first, the second best value for money shall be ranked second,

etc.)

11.3.1 Technical Merit (TM)

The Technical Merit (TM) sums up to a maximum of 70 points and it is evaluated on the basis of

the sub-criteria indicated in the table below:

Technical

Criteria

(TC)

Award criteria

Maximum

Points

(70)

Minimum

Points

(37)

TC1

This criterion (TC1) refers to chapter 1 of the tenderers’

technical offer, “Proposed management and

Organisational set-up”, as described in Section 12.2.2.1.

12 6


30

This criterion evaluates the clarity, soundness and fitness

for the purpose of the tenderers’ internal organisation

and management, based on the following aspects:

- Contract supervision (0 – 2 points)

- Internal organisation of the production team,

including decision-making and balanced

distribution of tasks (0 - 2 points)

- Openness of the production team to the

participation of different economic operators,

including SMEs, throughout the EU (0 - 2 points)

- Risk analysis system (0 – 1 point)

- Production plan and workflow (0 – 3 points)

- Set-up of the different Service Activation Modes

(0 – 2 points)

TC2


technical offer, “Token Daily Consumption Rate (DCR)”,

as described in Section 12.2.2.2. The DCR value is

adjusted proportionally to the tenderer offering the

highest DCR.

𝐓𝐂𝟐 = 𝐃𝐂𝐑 × 𝐓𝐂𝟐𝐦𝐚𝐱

𝐃𝐂𝐑𝐡𝐢𝐠

Of which:

- DCR = DCR offered by the tenderer

- TC2max = Maximum TC2 = 15 points

- DCRhig = Highest DCR offered among the tenderers

15 6

TC3


technical offer, “proposed geospatial production

capacities and technical methodologies”, as described in

Section 12.2.2.3.

The scoring will be based on the quality and pertinence

of the following technical methodologies:

- Activation Planning (0-3 points).

- Quality Control Plan (0-4 points).

20 13


31

- Data dictionary (0-4 points).

- Production Manual (0-9 points).

TC4


technical offer, “Results of scenarios”, based on the

proposed 5 scenarios that bidders need to solve, as

specified in Annex F and described in Section 12.2.2.4.

Each scenario is worth up to 4 points.

20 12

TC5


technical offer, “Value added”, as described in Section

12.2.2.5.

The offers are evaluated based on the degree to which

they pertinently detail the proposed additional features

and demonstrate that these are fit for the purpose of

quality of the products, timely delivery and workflow

improvement:

- Impact on the quality of final products (0 - 1

point)

- Impact on the delivery timeliness of final

products (0 - 1 point)

- Improvements to ease steps and actions of the

workflow (0 - 1 point).

3 0

Only tenders obtaining the indicated minimum score for each award criterion (from TC1 to TC5)

will be considered for the next stage, which involves determining the Technical Criteria (TC) as the

sum of each Technical Criterion as expressed in the following formula.

𝐓𝐂 = 𝐓𝐂𝟏 + 𝐓𝐂𝟐 + 𝐓𝐂𝟑 + 𝐓𝐂𝟒 + 𝐓𝐂𝟓

Only tenders obtaining the indicated minimum score for Technical Criteria (37) will be considered

for the next stage, which involves determining the TM of the tender. The value of the Technical

Criteria for each tender is normalised, meaning that the bidder having obtained the highest

number of points obtains the maximum possible score for the Technical Merit (70 points), and the

number of points obtained by all the other bidders is adjusted proportionally:

𝐓𝐌 =𝐓𝐂

𝐓𝐂𝐡𝐢𝐠× 𝐓𝐌𝐦𝐚𝐱


32

In which:

- TMmax = Maximum possible Technical Merit = 70 points

TChig = Highest Technical Criteria obtained among all the received tenders

11.3.2 Price Merit (PM)

The PM corresponding to the tender's price and summing up to a maximum of 30 points is

evaluated as follows:

𝐏𝐌 = 𝐟(𝐓𝐤𝐏 , 𝐓𝐤𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐟) {

𝐢𝐟 𝐓𝐤𝐏 ≤ 𝐓𝐤𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐏𝐌 = 𝐏𝐌𝐦𝐚𝐱 𝐢𝐟 𝐓𝐤𝐏 ≥ 𝟐 × 𝐓𝐤𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐏𝐌 = 𝐏𝐌𝐦𝐢𝐧

𝐢𝐟 𝐓𝐤𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐟 < 𝐓𝐤𝐏 < 𝟐 × 𝐓𝐤𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐏𝐌 = 𝐏𝐌𝐰

}

In which:

- TkP = Token Price offered by the tender (as included in the Financial Offer – as per

Annex D)

- TkPref = Reference Token Price among all tenders

- PMmax = Maximum Price Merit = 30 points

- PMmin = Minimum Price Merit = 0 points

- PMw = Weighted Price Merit of the tenderer

The PMw is calculated based on the following formula:

𝐏𝐌𝐰 = 𝐏𝐌𝐦𝐚𝐱 × (𝟏 −𝐓𝐤𝐏 − 𝐓𝐤𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐟

𝐓𝐤𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐟 )

The TkPref is calculated based on the following formula:

𝐓𝐤𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐟 = 𝐓𝐤𝐏𝐦𝐢𝐧 + 𝐓𝐤𝐏𝐚𝐯𝐠 − 𝐓𝐤𝐏𝐦𝐢𝐧

𝟐

In which:

- TkPmin = Minimum Token Price offered among all tenders


33

- TkPavg = Arithmetic mean of the Token Price of all tenders

As indicated in the formula, the Price Merit (PM) is calculated by the comparison of the Token

Price offered by the tender with the Reference Token Price among all tenders. This reference is

calculated using all the offers submitted. The reference is an intermediate value between the

minimum offer and the average of all the offers.

PM will be assigned to each Token Price offered, based on the following criteria:

Any bidder with a Token Price offered equal or lower than the reference price will obtain

the maximum value (30 points).

Any bidder with the Token Price offered equal or higher than twice the reference price will

obtain the minimum PM (0 points).

Bidders with a Token Price offered between the reference price and twice the reference

price will obtain a PM inversely proportional to the PMmax.

11.3.3 Final assessment

The Framework Contract will be awarded to the tenderer whose bid has obtained the highest

Total Score (TS) resulting from adding the Technical Merit (TM) and Price Merit (PM):

𝐓𝐒 = 𝐓𝐌 + 𝐏𝐌

Should tenders obtain the same Total Score and tie for first place, the winning tender will be

decided on the basis of the following successive criteria: (i) Highest PM, (ii) Lowest Token Price

(TkP) if the tenders have the same PM, and (iii) Highest Token Daily Consumption Rate (DCR), if

tenders have the same PM and TkP.

12. General Terms and Structure of the Tender

12.1. General terms and conditions for the submission of tenders Tenderers shall observe precisely the indications in these Tender Specifications in order to ensure

that their tenders are admissible.

Tenders shall be perfectly legible so that there can be no doubt as to words and figures.

Tenders shall be clear and concise, with continuous page numbering, and assembled in a coherent

fashion (e.g. bound or stapled, etc.). Moreover, it is requested for tenders to be submitted in an

environmentally friendly way, e.g., by choosing a simple and clear structure (list of contents and

consecutive page numbering), double-sided printing, limiting attachments to what is required in

the technical specifications (no additional material) and avoiding plastic folders or binders.


34

Tenders shall be written in English. The Framework Contract (and its deliverables) will be executed

in English language.

The prices provided in the tenders shall be in Euro, for all tenderers, including those

headquartered in non-Eurozone countries. No revision of Euro-country currency is envisaged. The

responsibility of finding an adequate exchange rate lays at the Contractor level.

The Contracting Authority reserves the right to reject a tender that does not contain all the

required information and documentation.

Once the Contracting Authority has accepted the tender, it shall become the property of the

Contracting Authority and the latter shall treat it confidentially.

The Contracting Authority shall not reimburse expenses incurred in preparing and submitting

tenders.

Variants are not allowed.

Completing the procedure of the call for tenders in no way imposes on the Contracting Authority

an obligation to award the Contract. The Contracting Authority shall not be liable for any

compensation with respect to tenderers whose offers have not been accepted, nor shall the

Contracting Authority be liable when deciding not to award the Contract.

Tenderers shall not:

I. Consult, communicate or agree with any other tenderers, other than consortium

members, on any matter whatsoever related to the invitation to tender.

II. Disclose its proposed price, whether directly or indirectly, to any other tenderer,

although this shall not preclude the tenderer from publishing its standard list prices.

III. Make any attempt to induce any other person or organisation to submit or not to

submit a tender.

Any attempt by a tenderer to obtain confidential information, enter into unlawful agreements

with competitors or influence the evaluation committee or EU SatCen during the process of

examining, clarifying, evaluating and comparing tenders will lead to the rejection of the tender

and may result in financial penalties.

Without prejudice to their rejection from this procurement procedure, tenderers who have made

false declarations concerning situations of their respective entities, or misrepresented the

information required, shall be subject to financial penalties.

12.2. Structure of the tender Tenders shall be submitted in accordance with the double envelopes system, consisting of the

outer envelope (or parcel) and four inner envelopes. The offer shall be structured in four sections


35

each of one inside of a closed enveloped, following the instructions provided in the present

document and in the Invitation to Tender.

Offers shall be structured as follows:

12.2.1 Envelope No 1 - Administrative Section

This Envelope must include the following documents:

Signed tender submission form:

Tenderers and, if applicable, bidding consortia shall provide the Tender Submission Form

(Annex K) signed by an authorised representative.

Power of attorney:

Tenderers shall provide an official document (statutes, power of attorney, notary

statement, etc.) proving that the person who signs on behalf of the bidder is duly

authorised to do so.

In the case of joint tendering, the model of power of attorney in favour of the Consortium

Leader (representative of the grouping), provided as Annex L, should be signed by all the

members of the grouping or consortium and returned together with the tender. By signing

this authorisation template, the members of the consortium designate a leader to sign on

their behalf the tender submission form and, should this be the case, the Framework

Contract.

Powers of attorney and authorisations may be originals or copies. If copies are submitted,

the originals must be dispatched to the Contracting Authority upon request.

Letters of intent of consortium members and subcontractors:

Members of bidding consortia and subcontractors must provide a signed letter of intent

that confirms their participation in case of award of the Framework Contract.

Legal entity form:

Tenderers and, if applicable, members of bidding consortia and subcontractors shall

complete and sign the Legal Entity Form (Annex G) and return it along with the supporting

documents mentioned in this form (copies of register(s) of companies, official gazette, VAT

registration, etc.).

Declaration on honour:

All tenderers and, if applicable, members of bidding consortia and sub-contractors shall

provide a Declaration on Honour (Annex H) on the exclusion and selection criteria, duly


36

signed and dated by an authorised representative stating that they are not in any of the

situations of exclusion listed in Articles 106 and 107 of the Financial Regulation.

Financial identification form:

Tenderers and, if applicable, the respective leaders of bidding consortia shall complete and

sign the Financial Identification Form (Annex J), and return it along with the supporting

documents mentioned in this form (copy of a recent bank statement).

Financial and Economic Capacity Overview Form:

All tenderers and, if applicable, members of bidding consortia shall complete and return

the Financial and Economic Capacity Overview Form (Annex I). Subcontractors shall also

complete and return this form if they perform activities for a value exceeding 10% of the

maximum value of the Framework Contract.

Table on tenderers’ reference projects:

All tenderers and, if applicable, members of bidding consortia shall complete and return

the table provided in Section 11.2.3.1 on tenderer’s reference projects during the past

three (3) years in the field of the Framework Contract.

Signed CVs:

For all the members of the proposed team of experts for geospatial production, CVs should

be submitted in the form and with the content mentioned in Section 11.2.3.2.

Subcontractors’ CVs need to be provided if their share of tasks represents 10% or more of

the maximum value of the Framework Contract.

Table on the identification of team members:

The table on the identification of the members of geospatial production team, as required

in Section 11.2.3.2, shall be completed and returned.

Description of IT capacities:

All tenderers and, if applicable, members of bidding consortia shall provide a description of

their IT capacities, as indicated in Section 11.2.3.3.

Quality assurance certification:

All tenderers and, if applicable, members of bidding consortia shall provide (e.g., ISO 9000

– Quality Management) as regards quality control processes applied to the geospatial

production or, should this accreditation not be available, an outline of quality assurance

policy, in the terms of Section 11.2.3.4.

CSR accreditation:


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All tenderers and, if applicable, members of bidding consortia shall provide CSR

accreditation (e.g., ISO 26000 - Social responsibility, AA1000 Assurance Standard, IQNet

SR10, SA 8000) or, should this accreditation not be available, a description of their CSR

policy, as provided in Section 11.2.3.5.

12.2.2 Envelope No 2 - Technical Offer

The technical offer shall include all the necessary information that shows compliance with the

Technical Specifications. This section will be evaluated on the basis of the Technical Merit criteria

listed in Section 11.3.1.

12.2.2.1. Chapter 1: Proposed management and organisational set-up

This chapter shall contain the following information including feasible and effective breakdown of

the organisation and management and the activities to be performed under the Copernicus SEA

Geospatial Production. A complete description of the activities related to:

Contract supervision from the project management perspective.

Internal organisation of the production team, including decision-making and clear criteria

for a balanced and diversified distribution of tasks among team members. For the purposes

of describing the distribution of tasks, tenderers are required to complete and sign the

Token Actions Responsible Template (Table 2 –“Technical Offer“- provided in Annex D,

Token System Tables).

Openness of the production team to the participation of different economic operators,

including SMEs, throughout the EU.

Risk analysis and mitigation measures including incident and problem management system

within the project.

Assessment and control of the production plan and workflow, including milestones

achievement and information update to the SatCen, risk recovery actions and back-up

measures.

Set-up of the different Service Activation Modes / Intensity Levels described in Section

15.1.

12.2.2.2. Chapter 2: Token Daily Consumption Rate (DCR)

Token Daily Consumption Rate (DCR) per each of the Intensity Levels. Table 2, Technical Offer of

Token System Table (Annex D), should be used to provide these figures.


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12.2.2.3. Chapter 3: Proposed geospatial production capacities and technical methodologies

This chapter shall include comprehensive documentation explaining how production will be

performed. It should address the following items:

Activation planning, organisation of the geospatial production team including the service

criteria for the distribution of actions as defined in the Token System (see Annex C and D) and

preparation of activation working documents as response to the Product Design. These

annexes provide a list of actions with a short description, related examples and whether the

action could or could not be subcontracted.

Quality Control Plan (as specified in Annex A), including QC rules applicable to all the potential

results of all the actions as expressed in Annex C and D.

Data dictionary, as specified in Annex A.

A Production Manual (max. 50 pages) to be used in operations in order to fulfil each of the

possible actions as defined in the Token System (Annex C and D). This document should

express the rules that need to be followed for the production of each of the results expected

as output of each of these actions. If appropriately applied, these extraction rules must

guarantee that the QC will be performed successfully. When making these rules, the following

tasks must share the same extraction rules:

Change Detection (Manual, LIGHT)

Change Detection (Manual, DENSE)

Feature Extraction (IDENTIFICATION)

Feature Extraction (Mapping, LIGHT)

Feature Extraction (Mapping, DENSE)

Feature Extraction (Mapping, URBAN DENSE)

Feature Extraction (Semi-Automatic)

12.2.2.4. Chapter 4: Results of scenarios

This chapter shall include the outputs requested in Annex F – Scenarios. This annex includes a

number of scenarios for which applicants must propose a solution. For the purpose of this

Chapter, each scenario represents an Activation. The instructions to solve the scenarios and the

assessment parameters are provided in each scenario definition.


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12.2.2.5. Chapter 5: Value added

Value added represents any additional feature offered by the tenderer that, although not included

in the Tender Specifications, may add value to the final service. Even if the value added elements

may be described in their appropriate section (e.g. new methodologies for a number of the

actions, enhanced virtual production environment, etc.), they need to be specifically mentioned in

this chapter in order to be taken into consideration. The following value added features will be

evaluated:

Impact on the quality of final products.

Impact on the delivery timeliness of final products.

Improvements to ease the steps and actions of the workflow.

12.2.3 Envelope No 3 - Financial Offer

The tenderer is required to include in the Table 1. Financial Offer (“Financial Offer”), provided in

Annex D – Token System Tables, duly filled and signed by the authorised representative of the

individual tenderer or the Consortium Leader.

12.2.4 Envelope No 4 - Digital Copy

One DVD or USB key containing the information in digital format (documents and GIS files) for all

the sections of the offer.

Administrative Section – A digital copy of all the documents included in Envelop 1.

Technical Offer – A digital copy of all the documents and information included in Envelop 2.

One folder for each chapter. Chapter 04 must contain one folder with the results of each

scenario.

Financial Offer – A digital copy of the documents included in Envelop 3.

13. Abnormally Low Tenders If the price or cost proposed in a tender appears to be abnormally low, the Contracting Authority

shall request in writing details of the constituent elements of the price or cost, which it considers

relevant and shall give the tenderer the opportunity to present its observations.

The Contracting Authority may, in particular, take into consideration observations relating to:

(a) the economics of the provision of services;

(b) the technical solutions chosen or the exceptionally favourable conditions available to

the tenderer;


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(c) the originality of the tender;

(d) compliance of the tenderer with applicable obligations in the fields of environmental,

social and labour law;

(e) compliance of subcontractors with applicable obligations in the fields of environmental,

social and labour law;

(f) the possibility of the tenderer obtaining State aid in compliance with applicable rules.

The Contracting Authority may only reject the tender where the evidence supplied does not

satisfactorily account for the low level of price or costs proposed.

The Contracting Authority shall reject the tender, where it has established that the tender is

abnormally low because it does not comply with applicable obligations in the fields of

environmental, social and labour law.

Where the Contracting Authority establishes that a tender is abnormally low because the tenderer

has obtained State aid, it may reject the tender on that sole ground that the tenderer is unable to

prove, within a sufficient time limit fixed by the Contracting Authority, that the aid in question is

compatible with EU State law.

14. Complaints procedures As provided in the SatCen’s procurement manual available at the SatCen’s website, economic

operators may ask for more detailed reasons for the SatCen´s decisions made during the

procurement procedures. Those who believe that they have been harmed in their interests and

fair competition has not been respected due to an error or irregularity may write the complaint to

the Authorising Officer of the SatCen (SatCen’s Director) with a request to investigate their

complaint. This request must be received within 10 working days from the day the economic

operator/tenderer was informed of the decision.

The complaint shall be investigated and answered within 10 working days (unless additional

documents might be needed for the complaint procedure) by the Legal Service staff member that

has not been involved in the procurement procedure as the Initiator and/or Opening/Evaluation

Committee member.

15. Technical specifications

15.1. Service Activation Modes/Intensity Levels

As an on-demand Service, products will be ordered and the Service will be activated upon users’

request or if a specific need is addressed by users.


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The production work performed within the Copernicus SEA Geospatial Production Service will be

based on activations coordinated by the SatCen and executed by the Contractor. The SatCen may

add value to the production of the Contractor if needed.

Upon reception of a user’s request, SatCen will perform a feasibility study, resulting in an Order,

which comprises a Product Design and a Token Tracking Sheet, as provided as Annex IV of the

Framework Contract.

Orders are binding and cannot be rejected. If further clarifications are needed to initiate an

Activation, the Contractor may contact the Contracting Authority through the communication

channels that will be defined and agreed during the set-up phase referred to in Section 15.6.

The Contractor must be available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, during the whole duration of the

Contract, to acknowledge receipt of Orders and activate the Service within 4 hours upon

reception, unless otherwise specified in the Order.

The Contractor commits to deliver to SatCen the results of the Activation within the deadline

specified in the Order.

At the beginning of each Activation, the SatCen, as Service Coordinator, will declare the activation

mode based on users’ needs and their specific requests for products within a given time frame.

The activation mode will be notified to the Contractor via the Product Design included in the

Order.

Activation modes correspond to levels of Contractor’s responsiveness, needed to address specific

users’ needs. Activation modes are classified into six Intensity Levels, according to the Token

System described in Annexes C and D:

Intensity Level A

Intensity Level B

Intensity Level C

Intensity Level D

Intensity Level E

Intensity Level F

Under the lowest possible level of intensity, operational interactions between the Contracting

Authority and the Contractor will normally take place in between 9:00 AM and 6:00 PM CET, from

Monday to Friday. As the Intensity Level increases such interactions are likely to progressively

extend beyond this time frame.


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15.2. SatCen responsibilities The SatCen, as the Contracting Authority, is responsible for the coordination and operation of the

Service. In particular, SatCen’s responsibilities comprise:

- Interface with users:

For all the Activations, SatCen shall be the only interface and point of contact with users.

- Creation of Product Design:

Product Design is the core activity of the Service provision. It represents the translation of user’s

needs into product specifications. The Product Design is a document describing the Service to be

provided to the user. It is composed of a description of user’s needs and the list of products to be

delivered to cover such needs (a template of Product Design is provided in the Order Form,

enclosed as Annex IV of the Framework Contract).

The Product Design is always produced by the SatCen and sent to the Contractor so that the latter

initiates the Activation.

- Satellite Imagery ordering:

The SatCen will identify the appropriate imagery that will be used for each Activation and will

launch the requests trough the Copernicus Space Component Data Access system (CSCDA)

mechanism. The SatCen will be in charge of the overall satellite imagery provision to the

Contractor.

- Providing the Contractor with guidance in products generation:

The SatCen, as the Service Coordinator, will provide the Contractor with the necessary guidance

during the Activation.

- Products validation and products distribution:

The SatCen will validate all the products requested in the Product Design of the Order Form before

distributing them to the users, according to the validation and acceptance procedure defined in

the Workflow (Annex B).

The SatCen will distribute to the users the validated products in accordance with the appropriate

dissemination policies.

- Dissemination policy implementation:

The SatCen is responsible for products distribution to end users.


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15.3. Contractor responsibilities The Contractor, as the service provider, is responsible to carry out the specific production tasks,

including the processing of data, data analysis and the generation of final products according to

the product specifications defined by the SatCen in the Product Design as agreed with the users.

Without prejudice to other Contractor’s responsibilities defined in the procurement documents,

Contractor responsibilities include operational and coordination responsibilities, as defined below:

15.3.1 Operational responsibilities

Maintain the communication channels operational.

Download the EO data acquired via CSCDA mechanism and perform the Quality Check.

Generate the Products in accordance with the SEA Portfolio (Annex E), Technical

Specifications (Annex A), Product Design (Annex IV to the Framework Contract) and the

actions described in the Token System (Annex C).

Core Actions (cannot be subcontracted):

Change Detection (Manual)

Feature Extraction (IDENTIFICATION)

Feature Extraction (Mapping, DENSE)

Feature Extraction (Mapping, LIGHT)

Feature Extraction (Mapping, URBAN DENSE)

Freely Available Sources Mining (Geospatial Data)

Freely Available Sources Mining (Non-Geospatial Data)

Image beautification (mosaicking, histogram matching, etc.)

Optical Imagery Preparation (Orthorectification)

Optical Imagery Preparation (Pansharpening)

SAR (Imagery Preparation)

Layer Preparation (Symbolization)

Layer Preparation (extra format)

Cartographic Production

Cartographic Production (Extra format)

Written Report

Follow production guidelines provided by SatCen for production.


44

Perform Quality Control over the products.

Review of products based on SatCen validation activities.

Provide of outputs via the pre-defined delivery mechanisms.

Provide Technical reports as described in the Section 15.9 - Reporting

Non-core Actions (may be subcontracted):

Activity Analysis

Automatic Classification

Change Detection (Automatic)

Feature Extraction (Semi-Automatic)

Network Semi-automatic analysis

SAR (Composite Products: MTC...)

SAR (Feature Interpretation)

SAR (Orthorectification)

Spatial Semi-automatic analysis

Multilingual Support (extra language)

Web Publication

15.3.2 Coordination responsibilities

Handling of administrative, legal and financial tasks including, without limitations, invoicing

and payments.

Reporting to SatCen.

Prepare minutes of meetings (MoM), nomination of PoCs per activity and per partner in

case of a Consortium.

Perform risk analysis and mitigation measures.

In case of a Consortium, manage the Consortium internal organisation and arrangements.

Manage all aspects of the subcontracting.

15.4. Space data component The European Space Agency (ESA) has been entrusted by the European Commission with the

responsibility of coordinating access to satellite data, including the Copernicus Contributing


45

Missions (CCMs). ESA is responsible for the management and implementation of the Copernicus

Space Component Data Access system4.

15.4.1 Satellite Imagery provision and the CSCDA mechanism

The Copernicus SEA service will rely on the provision of Earth Observation (EO) imagery via the

Copernicus Space Component Data Access system (CSCDA), mainly Very High Resolution (VHR)

optical data and Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) imagery. The Copernicus SEA Service is supported

with a dedicated EO data quota5 to be used for Activations.

The characteristics of the imagery available for the Copernicus services are defined in the

Copernicus Space Component Data Access Portfolio (DAP): Data Warehouse 2014 – 2020. It is the

responsibility of the Contractor to review the latest DAP version available6. The Contractor shall be

aware of the process of EO data ordering as well as the parameters and conditions applicable to

the Copernicus Contributing Missions, as for example the delivery timeliness. Information about

the Sentinel dedicated missions is available at the Sentinel Online website.

Satellite data will be made available to the Contractor free of charge, under the CSCDA mechanism

procuring licensing for space data. After signing the Framework Contract, the Contractor will be

asked to sign the ESA-User license for the use of Copernicus Contributing Missions data - Data

Warehouse phase 2 (2014-2020)7. Acceptance of this license is necessary if data other than

Sentinel and ESA data are to be downloaded. The Contractor will accept the licensing terms and

conditions applicable to the use of Copernicus Contributing Missions.

During the Set-up phase, as provided in Section 15.6, all the necessary technical and

administrative arrangements will be established for the appropriate use of the satellite imagery

during the execution of the Framework Contract.

The use of imagery from non-satellite but airborne sensors such as Unmanned Aerial Vehicle

(UAV) and aircrafts is not foreseen during the operational phase of the Copernicus SEA service.

Nevertheless, if any other type of imagery is available to the SatCen during an Activation, such

imagery may eventually be used under a license agreement.

The Contracting Authority may provide other imagery sources if the licensing conditions are

equivalent or better than those of the CSCDA mechanism and such alternative images: (i) are free

of charge and do not involve any additional cost; (ii) they do not create any additional

administrative burden, and (iv) they are properly credited in the Results. A part of this imagery

could relate to open and free satellite imagery such as Landsat, Modis or any other sensor.

4 https://spacedata.copernicus.eu/ 5 The main website for the CSCDA is: https://spacedata.copernicus.eu/web/cscda/data-offer 6 At the time of preparing this tender document the most recent version of the DAP was 1st August 2016. https://spacedata.copernicus.eu/documents/12833/14545/DAP_Release_Phase_2 7 Further information available at: https://spacedata.copernicus.eu/web/cscda/data-offer/legal-documents

https://spacedata.copernicus.eu/

https://spacedata.copernicus.eu/web/cscda/data-offer

https://spacedata.copernicus.eu/documents/12833/14545/DAP_Release_Phase_2

https://spacedata.copernicus.eu/web/cscda/data-offer/legal-documents


46

With regard the provision of imagery and the production of geospatial information, tenderers who

are or expect to be active as CCM under the CSCDA system shall provide a proof that they do not

have a conflict of interest arising out of their involvement in both contracts. The supply of imagery

data via CSCDA system has to be completely independent from the Framework Service Contract

for Copernicus in Support to EU External Action Geospatial Production.

15.4.2 Access to satellite data

The Contracting Authority will be responsible for ordering the imagery to ESA via the CSCDA

mechanism and will be the unique interface with ESA for the Copernicus SEA Service.

For all Activations, the identification, selection and ordering of the imagery will be performed by

the SatCen.

The Contractor shall download the imagery, perform a Quality Control (QC) and report to the

SatCen the results of the QC and any incidences found so that the SatCen can take the appropriate

actions if necessary.

The awarded tenderer must ensure the capacity for fast download, storage and process such EO

imagery.

15.5. Communications between the Contractor and the SatCen Communications between the Contractor during the whole duration of Framework Contract will

be channelled through the persons and means described in this section.

15.5.1 Technical Point of Contact

As provided in the Framework Contract, the technical PoC shall be appointed for the purposes of

receiving Orders, activating production and reporting on Service progress and any possible

incidences. The technical PoC shall be available twenty-four (24) hours a day, seven (7) days a

week, during the whole duration of the Contract (including its renewal), via e-mail and telephone.

The e-mail address and telephone number must remain unchanged during the duration of the

Framework Contract unless otherwise agreed. The SatCen will contact the technical PoC for any

communications relating to Orders and production.

Technical issues during Activations shall be managed immediately.


47

15.5.2 Administrative Point of Contact

As provided in the Framework Contract, the administrative PoC shall be designated by the

Contractor to act as an interface with the Contracting Authority for the handling of administrative,

legal and financial tasks including, without limitations, invoicing and payments.

The administrative PoC shall be available by telephone or e-mail during office hours (9 – 17h CET).

The administrative PoC shall always be responsible for the provision of deliverables and reports.

The administrative PoC shall be available during office hours to reply, either by telephone or in

writing (by e-mail or formal letters), to SatCen’s requests for information on administrative, legal

and financial issues relating to the performance of the Framework Contract.

SatCen’s requests to the administrative PoC may be addressed either by e-mail or phone (e.g.

leaving a message in the voicemail).

In exceptional circumstances (e.g. holidays or sickness), the Administrative PoC can be replaced by

another PoC with equivalent qualifications. A prior written request for replacement shall be

submitted to the SatCen, along with a proposal for a substitute.

The administrative PoC’s responses shall be provided within the following time limits:

Technical requests shall be responded within a maximum of two (2) working days.

Technical issues may also be dealt with by a technical PoC to be established between the

SatCen and the Contractor during the set-up phase.

Requests on administrative, managerial and financial issues must be responded within a

maximum period of four (4) working days.

The administrative PoC shall be available to hold a telephone conversation during work

hours, within four (4) hours from the SatCen’s request.

15.5.3 Production online meeting

During Activations the SatCen will connect via the on-line GIS Platform with the Contractor.

Production online meetings will be convened with at least one (1) hour in advance during an

Activation. If applicable, representatives of all Consortium members participating in the Activation

must attend the meeting unless otherwise specified.

15.5.4 Videoconference

The SatCen will contact the administrative PoC via videoconference during working hours. This

channel shall be used for administrative and management activities, debriefing activities, etc. The

videoconference will be convened with at least two (2) days in advance, either by the SatCen or

the Contractor.


48

Minutes of the meetings (MoM) shall be subject to the SatCen’s approval. The minutes will consist

in a synoptic document with the agreed actions.

15.6. Set-up phase A fifteen (15)-day set-up phase, following the signature of the Framework Contract, is foreseen in

order to align Contractor’s workflow and production capacities with the requirements of this call

for tenders and define communications channels between the Contractor and the Contracting

Authority.

During this set-up phase reference documents and operational elements, such as the Manual of

Procedures, Feature Extraction Guide and the Databases, will be prepared.

15.7. General formats and templates All Contractor’s documents shall be made available as Microsoft Office compatible documents (or

equivalent) and in a PDF electronic format. Geospatial information will be delivered as specified in

the Annex A – Technical Requirements.

All documents delivered by the Contractor must contain, at least, the following references:

Framework Contract number, type of document, version number and revision history. The exact

layout and possible references will be agreed between the SatCen and the Contractor during the

set-up phase.

15.8. Technical deliverables All technical deliverables, their formats, applicable standards and quality parameters are fully

described in Annex A – Technical Requirements. The technical deliverables will be delivered to the

SatCen within the deadlines specified in the Order and according to the Product Design set out

therein.

Based on the type of deliverables the foreseen mechanism for their distribution is either FTP

and/or On-line Platform including GIS capacities. The final workflow, to be defined during the set-

up phase, may be subject to possible updates throughout the life of the Framework Contract.

In the case of maps (printable and/or georeferenced), documents and layer package symbology,

the exact layout will be agreed between the SatCen and the Contractor during the set-up phase.

15.9. Reporting The Contractor must submit technical and progress reports to the SatCen, as indicated below.


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15.9.1 Technical Reports

Technical reports have to be provided at the end of each Activation. The reports will be provided

by the Contractor to the SatCen immediately after the finalisation of each Activation, no later than

five (5) working days after the finalisation of the Activation.

Technical reports shall include: List of Deliverables, Results of the QC performed, list of datasets

used for production including the EO data report. The template and the content will be further

defined during the set-up phase.

15.9.2 Progress Reports

The project manager shall submit Progress Report to the SatCen, on a quarterly basis, at the latest

five (5) days after the termination of the reporting period. This report will include:

A summary of the activities carried out under the Contractor tasks.

Financial and administrative reporting.

Technical reporting.

Risk management activities.

The format of the document and the details of the content of the reports will be defined during

the set-up phase.

For the purposes of progress reports, the Contractor may re-use information already provided to

SatCen via different communication mechanisms such as e-mail or any other means of

communication. Likewise, the Contractor shall authorise the SatCen to make use of these reports

for any purpose (internal or external).

Additional reports may be requested by the SatCen to the Contractor if new needs emerge

regarding the execution of the Service. Should this be agreed among the Parties, the Project

Manager shall be used as a communications channel to this end.

15.10. Language Deliverables and reports will be delivered in English by default. However, if requested by Service

users certain specific elements of the technical deliverables could be delivered in other languages

as described in the Technical Requirements (Annex A).


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15.11. Meetings The Framework Contract for the Copernicus SEA Service foresees a number of meetings between

the SatCen and the Contractor. The following meetings are expected to be held during contract

implementation:

Meeting Estimated timing

(T0= signature of the

Framework Contract)

1 Kick-off meeting T0

2 1st intermediate progress meeting T6

3 Annual Review (subject to renewal of

the contract) T12

4 Technical meetings as requested by

SatCen or Contractor to discuss the

details of the service TBD

Table 1: Planned meeting schedule for implementation of the contract

Any additional meeting that may occur during the implementation of the Contract will have to be

approved in advance by the SatCen.

Minutes of the meetings will be prepared by the Contractor and sent for approval to the SatCen

within ten (10) working days from the date of the meeting.

The SatCen will convene meetings with a sufficient prior notice.

Costs for attending meetings shall be reimbursed as provided in the Framework Contract.


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List of Annexes

Annex A - Technical Requirements

Annex B - Workflow

Annex C - Token Tracking System

Annex D – Token System Tables – (Excel sheet)

Annex E - SEA Portfolio

Annex F - Scenarios

Annex G – Legal Entity Form

Annex H - Declaration on Honour

Annex I - Financial and Economic Capacity Overview Form

Annex J - Financial Identification Form

Annex K - Tender Submission Form

Annex L – Model of power of attorney in favour of the Consortium Leader

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