Technical Assistance to the Ministry of Economy and Finance in Peru

Notice/Contract Number: EuropeAid/130268/C/SER/PE Project Summary PE-Lima: budgetary support programme for the Joint Nutrition Programme — EuroPAN 2010/S 178-270614 Additional assistance Peru 1.Publication reference: EuropeAid/130268/C/SER/PE. 2.Procedure: Restricted. 3.Programme: Budgetary support programme for the Joint Nutrition Programme — EuroPAN, Peru. 4.Financing: Financing agreement No ALA/DCI//2009/021/-564, between the European Community and the Republic of Peru: ‘Budgetary support programme for the Joint Nutrition Programme — EuroPAN’. 5.Contracting authority: The European Union, represented by the European Commission. Contract specifications 6.Nature of the contract: Fee-based. 7.Contract description: The company shall provide 1 long-term expert (36 man-months) to act as general adviser to the budgetary support programme for the Joint Nutrition Programme — EuroPAN. In addition, it shall provide short-term experts (at least 350 man-days) to act as ad hoc advisers in technical areas and in particular in areas related to verifying progress towards the objectives concerning fixed and variable tranche indicators. The tender also includes expenses to be recovered. The total for fees and expenses to be recovered must not exceed the amount indicated in point 9. The signing of the national agreement in 2002 and the forum set up since then have led to the introduction of state policies with a shared vision for the country. Among these policies, those concerning poverty reduction and the promotion of food security and nutrition favour assistance to the extremely poor, excluded and vulnerable, within a concept of integral human development. The multiannual macroeconomic framework 2009–2011 (MMM) is entitled ‘Del Crecimiento Económico al Bienestar Social’ (from economic growth to social well-being) and is the principal instrument for medium-term guidance. In order to confront the above in a joint effort involving various parties and different types of intervention, a strategy has been set up to coordinate and strengthen actions at all levels of government. This strategy, known as ‘CRECER’, is characterised by giving priority to the poorest rural areas with the greatest incidence of child malnutrition, and also by using the logic of Budget by Results. The key to this strategy is combining 2 types of coordination. Horizontal: multisectoral; and vertical: with regional and local governments (in accordance with the process of decentralisation the country is undergoing). Planning and implementation is carried out in the framework of strategic programmes designed with an evidence-based logical focus using the Budget by Results method, and concentrating on areas of poverty reduction (namely, mother and child health care, nutrition, basic education, identity documents, etc.). The Joint Nutrition Programme (PAN) is one such programme which was designed in response to the problem of malnutrition, considered a determinant of poverty in the country. The PAN programme corresponds to the policies of the national agreement, with the objective of reducing chronic child malnutrition from 25 % in 2005 to 16 % in 2011. On this basis, in 2009 the European Union and the State of Peru signed a financing agreement for a maximum value of 60 800 000 EUR over a period of 54 months with the following objectives, implemented by means of budgetary support instruments (60 000 000 EUR) and additional assistance (800 000 EUR), stating: ‘The general objective of the Joint Nutrition Programme is to improve the quality of life of the rural population of Peru, and the specific objective is to reduce chronic malnutrition in children under the age of 5 years from 25 % (in 2005) to 16 % (in 2011). The objective of EuroPAN is to contribute, financially and technically, to the implementation of the Joint Nutrition Programme, with the aim of speeding up the process of reducing chronic child malnutrition and fighting effectively against poverty in Peru. Expected results of the Joint Nutrition Programme: 1) improvement in nutrition of children under 36 months; 2) reduction in mortality due to acute respiratory infection, acute diarrhoea and other prevalent illnesses in children under the age of 5 years; 3) reduction in incidence of low birthweight’. In cooperation with groups of donors linked to macroeconomics and public finance, the committee on poverty reduction, public and private institutional players in the health sector, and the regional governments of Apurimac, Ayacucho and Huancavelica, the aim is to support the Ministry of Economy and Finance in order that it may achieve the expected results under the ‘EuroPAN’ financing agreement, developing actions in order to fulfil conditions related to: macroeconomic aspects (on a wider scale): — monitoring of the macroeconomic environment, — monitoring principal macroeconomic indicators, covering definition as well as regulatory basis and development, — monitoring principal national and regional social indicators (poverty, human development index, millennium indicators), covering definition as well as regulatory basis and development. Public finance aspects (on a wider scale): — credibility of the budget, — universality and transparency of the budget, — policy-based budget process, — accuracy and control of budget implementation, — accounting, registration and information, — external examination and audit, — planning perspectives and application of reforms. Aspects related to health sector policy: — performance, development and results of State policies, — performance, development and results of the integral health system, — performance, development and results of the ‘CRECER’ strategy, — performance, development and results of the general health policy, aimed at the most vulnerable population in Peru’s rural sector. Aspects related to the 4 indicators of the financing agreement’s variable tranche, focusing on the 54 priority districts in the departments of Apurimac, Ayacucho and Huancavelica: — proportion of children under 36 months fully vaccinated for their age, — proportion of children under 36 months in the integral health system that have reached full growth and development for their age, — proportion of children under 24 months in the integral health system taking iron supplements, — proportion of pregnant women in the integral health system taking iron supplements. Visibility: — drawing up and implementation of a visibility plan. Audits: — organisation and implementation of 2 audits of the system for compiling and processing data on the selected indicators. 8.Number and titles of the lots: Not applicable. 9.Maximum budget: 750 000 EUR. 10.Any additional services: The contracting authority may, at its own discretion, extend the duration and/or scope of the project, subject to the availability of funds. Under no circumstances may this exceed the duration and value of the initial contract. Any contract extension will be subject to satisfactory performance by the contractor. Conditions for participation 11.Eligibility criteria: Participation is open to all legal entities, individually or grouped together in a tenderers’ association (consortium), established in the EU Member States or the countries and territories of the regions which fall within the scope of application of the specific instruments applicable to the programme under which the contract is financed, or which are authorised by said legal instruments (see point 30). International organisations may also take part. Participation of natural persons is governed by the specific programme funding the contract. 12.Application: Natural persons or legal entities who are eligible (see point 11) or groupings of said parties (consortia) may take part in the invitation to tender. A consortium can be a permanent grouping with a legal status or an informal grouping created for a particular invitation to tender. All the members of a consortium (i.e. lead tenderer and all other members) are to be jointly and severally liable vis-à-vis the contracting authority. Should a natural person or legal entity not meeting the eligibility criteria take part (see point 11), the party concerned will be automatically disqualified. Furthermore, should said party belong to a consortium then the whole consortium will be disqualified. 13.Number of applications: Natural persons and legal entities may only submit 1 application, irrespective of the form their participation may take (as a single legal entity, or as lead tenderer or member of a candidate consortium). Should a natural person or legal entity submit more than 1 application, all the applications involving said party will be rejected. 14.Prohibition on alliances between shortlisted candidates: Tenders which include companies not mentioned on the application forms used to compile the shortlist will be disqualified from this restricted procedure. Shortlisted candidates may not form alliances or subcontract to each other for the contract. 15.Grounds for exclusion: Candidates must enclose with their application form a signed statement confirming that they are not in any of the situations listed in section 2.3.3 of the ‘Practical Guide to contract procedures for European Union external actions’. This statement forms part of the application form. 16.Subcontracting: Subcontracting is not permitted. 17.Number of shortlisted candidates: Between 4 and 8 candidates will be invited to submit detailed tenders for this contract, depending on the applications received. If the number of eligible candidates meeting the selection criteria is less than the minimum of 4, the contracting authority may invite these candidates to submit a tender. Provisional timetable 18.Provisional date for the invitation to tender: 10.11.2010. 19.Provisional date for commencing the contract: 1.3.2011. 20.Initial contract length, and possible extension: 36 months, with the possibility of an extension of up to 3 months. Selection and award criteria 21.Selection criteria: The following selection criteria will be applied to candidates. Where applications are submitted by a consortium, then the criteria will apply to the consortium as a whole: 1) Candidate’s economic and financial capacity: — the candidate’s annual turnover must be at least 3 times the contract’s maximum annualised budget (i.e. the maximum budget stated in the contract’s invitation to tender notice divided by the number of years, if more than 1, the contract will in principle run for), — at least 3 ongoing contracts each worth more than 750 000 EUR. 2) Candidate’s professional capacity: — the candidate has at least 15 employees working at present in fields related to this contract: macroeconomics, public finance management, sectoral policy support. 3) Candidate’s technical capacity: — in the past 5 years, the candidate must have worked satisfactorily on at least 3 sectoral or general budgetary support programmes in fields related to this contract (macroeconomics, public finance management, sectoral policy support). Experience in Latin America will be considered an advantage. If more than 8 applications prove to be eligible, i.e. meet all the selection criteria, then the merits of the applications from these candidates will need to be re-examined so as to determine which 8 applications for the invitation to tender are the most suitable. Only criterion 3 will be considered in the re-examination. 22.Award criteria: Economically most advantageous tender. Application 23.Deadline for the receipt of applications: 20.10.2010 (13:00), local time in Peru. Applications received after this deadline will not be considered. 24.Information to be supplied and application form: Applications must be submitted on the standard application form, available from the following web address: http://ec.europa.eu/europeaid/work/procedures/implementation/services/index_es.htm The instructions given in this form and its format must be strictly adhered to. Additional documentation (brochure, letter, etc.) enclosed with the application will not be considered. 25.Application submission procedures: Applications must be sent to the contracting authority using 1 of the following methods: — registered post (official postal service) addressed to: Delegation of the European Union in Peru, Finance and Contracts Department, Avenida Comandante Espinar, 719, Miraflores, Lima 18, PERU. Tel. +511 24150811. Fax +511 24465100. — or delivery by hand (including courier service) straight to the contracting authority, in return for a signed and dated acknowledgement of receipt, at the following address: Delegation of the European Union in Peru, Finance and Contracts Department, Avenida Comandante Espinar, 719, Miraflores, Lima 18, PERU. Tel. +511 24150811. Fax +511 24465100. The envelope containing the application must be clearly marked with the contract title and the publication reference (see point 1). These must also be quoted in all correspondence with the contracting authority. Tenders submitted in any other way will not be considered. 26.Amendments to, or withdrawal of, applications: Candidates may give notice in writing before the deadline for submission of applications that they intend amending or withdrawing their application. Applications may not be amended after this deadline. Notice of amendments to, or withdrawal of, applications must be sent as per the instructions given in point 25 of this notice. The word ‘Modificación’ (amendment) or ‘Retirada’ (withdrawal), as applicable, must be written clearly on the outside envelope (and where an amendment is involved, on the inside envelope too). 27.Working language: All correspondence regarding this invitation to tender procedure must be in Spanish. 28.Additional information: Not applicable. 29.Date of publication of the prior information notice: 2.7.2010. 30.Legal basis:Regulation (EC) No 1905/2006 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 18.12.2006 establishing a financing instrument for development cooperation. Contacts: EuropeAid Co-operation Office, European Commission EUROPEAID-info@ec... Phone: +32.2.299.11.11