FEPS – GENERAL INFORMATION
FEPS is the leading think tank of the European centre left political family. It works with almost 50 Member political Foundations and think tanks across Europe. It embodies a new way of thinking on the social democratic, socialist and progressive scene in Europe. It seeks to serve as a platform for innovative research, policy advice, training and debates to tackle the long- and short-term challenges that Europe and European integration faces today. It strives for more and better-quality democracy in Europe.
To do so, it forges connections and coherence among stakeholders from local, regional, national, European and global levels, and fosters dialogue of between diverse stakeholders from the world of politics, academia and civil society.
FEPS’ work is in most cases carried out in the form of projects with its Members and partners. The outputs of said projects feed into the work of the broader progressive family – starting with the Party of European Socialists (PES), the Group of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats (S&D), their constituents and Member parties, as well as in the broader public debate.
PURPOSE OF THE PRESENT TENDER
The purpose of this tender is to select a company and/or a (delegated) individual willing and able to render editorial services for the recurrent flagship publications of the FEPS.
FEPS offers the possibility of a formal 5-years long contract (December 2020 – November 2025 included) which shall apply for to the following products: a magazine produced in print and online (i.e. Progressive Post), a series of connected publications available online (i.e. Thematic Dossiers, Election Analyses, Topical Debates and Book Reviews), a Yearbook (Ie. Progressive Yearbook) and the Annual Report of the FEPS.
Any relevant service required for the completion of the listed editorial services (e.g. software licenses, insurances, etc.) are to be included in the budget and dealt with directly by the selected service provider.
INDICATIVE PRODUCTION SEQUENCE REQUIRING EDITORIAL SERVICES
The indicative average number of publications and production sequence to be subject to the present tendering process is as follows:
“Progressive Post Family” publications (cf. https://progressivepost.eu/):
- Progressive Post Magazine (in print and online): 3 issues per year (Winter edition / February; Spring-Summer edition / June; Autumn edition / October)
- Progressive Page: once per week § Progressive Post occasional opinion articles (online): ca. 24 issues per year
- Election analyses (online): ca. 10 issues per year
- Thematic Dossiers and Debates (online): ca. 12 issues per year
- Book reviews (online): ca. 6 issues per year
Progressive Yearbook:
- (in print and online): 1 issue per year (December) Annual
FEPS Activity Report:
- (in print and online): 1 issue per year (May)
MAIN TASKS AND COMPETENCES
A non-exhaustive list of tasks and competences would be the following:
Indicative list of services required
- Participate in the meetings of the FEPS Editorial Board as external “Deputy Editor in Chief of the Progressive Post magazine”
- Collaborate with the FEPS in-house Editor in Chief and Deputy Editor in Chief of the Progressive Post magazine in their editorial tasks
- Provide expert advice on optimising the organic link between FEPS’ core activities on the one hand and published content on the other
- Identify and suggest new topics, angles and/or authors
- Liaise with authors both within and outside of FEPS
- Proceed with content and language editing as well as proofreading
- Finalise articles by identifying titles, leads, quotes and tags
- Manage the visual dimension of articles in compliance with applicable regulations
- Liaise with graphic designers for the layout of encompassed publications
- Occasionally produce content as assigned
- Support the maintainance of documentation related to assigned publications (e.g. publication archiving)
The workload may fluctuate. Availability on demand is required.
PARTICIPATION IN THE TENDERING PROCEDURE
Tender Process
FEPS reserves the right to conduct the tender process and select the successful tender. FEPS is not bound contractually or in any way to a bidder to this request for tender until FEPS and the successful winner have entered into a written contract.
The key dates of this call for tender are the following:
- 27/11/2020 => Deadline for the submission of applications: receive the offer in writting via email
- 30/11/2020 => Candidate selection
- 01/12/2020 => Provisional starting date
The price of the offer must contain the total cost VAT included and be divided in two categories (cf. Section 3 above):
- Monthly cost of editorial services for the “Progressive Post Family” related publications
- Annual cost of editorial services for the Progressive Yearbook and FEPS Annual Report
“Progressive Post Family” publications
Tender documentation
The following documents must be submitted in the application:
- A draft contract outlining the envisaged articulation of services to be rendered. FEPS is not bound to sign such contract, the FEPS reserves the right to amend the contract prior to the signature upon negotiation with the candidate.
- Comprehensive budget overview broken down in the two requested budget categories that allow to have a comprehensive understanding of the project costs.
- Two examples of comparable services rendered.
Tender qualitative evaluation criteria
Qualitative criterion 1: Quality of the assurance mechanisms proposed by the tenderer to ensure the production of a high quality service.
Qualitative criterion 2: A cost proposal – Best value for money tender
Qualitative criterion 3: Proven knowledge of the European Union’s political dynamics and functioning and of the progressive movement at European level.
Applicants must be able to work in English. French and other EU languages are an asset.
Contacts
If the above request is of interest to your company, we invite you to liaise with ainara.bascunana@feps-europe.eu (FEPS Head of Communication) to request further information and submit your application.
All written offers must be submitted to roberto.paredes@feps-europe.eu (FEPS Head of Finance and Audit) and put in copy to johan.robberecht@feps-europe.eu (FEPS Director of Operations), ainara.bascunana@feps-europe.eu (FEPS Head of Communication) and Hedwig Giusto (hedwig.giusto@feps-europe.eu).
Offers not provided in writing via email will not be considered.
TERMS OF PAYMENT
Prices must be fixed amounts in Euro.
The amount of VAT must be disclosed on the price offer and invoice. Services and items charged should be broken down as much as possible in the invoices order to have a comprehensive overview of the project costs.
Costs incurred in preparing and submitting tenders are borne by the tenderers and cannot be reimbursed
QUALITY ISSUES
In delivering the service the tenderer shall ensure the highest quality standards of which FEPS shall be the sole judge.
CONFIDENTIALITY AND CONFLICT OF INTEREST
The Tenderer undertakes that they will not at any time, either before or after the termination of this service, use or disclose or communicate to any person confidential information relating to the affairs of FEPS.
This restriction shall continue to apply after the termination of the service without limit in point of time.
To ensure the independence of terms of their contract, the winning tenderer will sign a declaration certifying that they have no conflict of interests in relation to the tasks to be undertaken and undertake to inform FEPS’ Director of Operations should this status change
TERMS AND CONDITIONS
FEPS reserve the right to reject any and all proposals, in whole or in part, to advertise for new proposals, to abandon the need for services, and to cancel or amend this call for tender at any time prior to the execution of the written contract. FEPS reserves the right to waive any formalities in the call for tender process. FEPS may respond to questions or provide information from tenderers, and is under no obligation to provide such responses or information to all other tenderers.
By submitting a proposal, the tenderer agrees that:
- FEPS may copy the proposal for purposes of facilitating the evaluation of the proposal and agrees that such copying will not violate the rights of any third party
- It will not bring any claim or have any cause of action against FEPS based in any misunderstanding concerning the information provided or concerning FEPS’ failure, neglect or otherwise, to provide the bidder with pertinent information as intended by this call for tender
The accomplishment of a tendering procedure imposes no obligation on the FEPS to award the contract. Should the invitation to tender cover several items or lots, FEPS reserves the right to award a contract for only some of them. FEPS shall not be liable for any compensation with respect to tenderers whose tenders have not been accepted. Nor shall it be so liable if it decides not to award the contract.
CONTRACTING AUTHORITY
Foundation of european Progressive Studies (FEPS)
Avenue des Arts 46 – 1000 Brussels
EUPF 4 BE0896.230.213
www.feps-europe.eu
The submission deadline was 27 November 2020. This call for tender is now closed.