Bidding Documents for 
Entrepreneurship and SME Business Development
Training and Counselling Services
for
the OSCE Office in Baku

No. ITB AZE 05/2009

18 June 2009

Office in Baku

Invitation for Tender Bidding
No. ITB AZE 05/2009
For Entrepreneurship and SME Business Development
Training and Counselling Services
For the OSCE Office in Baku 
Date: 18 June 2009

The OSCE Office in Baku (hereinafter referred to as “the OSCE”) invites sealed proposals (hereinafter referred to as “Proposal(s)”) from eligible and qualified organizations (hereinafter referred to as “the Bidders”) for Entrepreneurship and SME Business Development Training and Counselling Services in the OSCE project no. 4300084 “Promoting Entrepreneurship and SME Business Development” (hereinafter referred to as “the Services”), according to the requirements as defined in the documents (hereinafter referred to as “the Bidding Documents”) attached hereto.
The Bidding Documents include:

Section I:	Instructions to Bidders (to be viewed at http://www.osce.org/tenders/)
Section II:	Bidding Data Sheet
Section III:	Technical Proposal Standard Forms
Section IV:	Financial Proposal Standard Forms
Section V:	Terms of Reference (“TOR”)

A pre-Proposal meeting, where the Bidders will have an opportunity to ask questions related to the assignment, will be held in the Landmark III, 96 Nizami St., Baku at 15:00–17:00 on Thursday, 25 June 2009. Attending the pre-Proposal meeting is optional.  
Proposals must be delivered to the OSCE to the following address on or before 9 July 2009, 12:00 hrs (GMT+4) in a sealed envelope marked with “No. ITB AZE 05/2009 – Bidding documents for entrepreneurship and SME business development training and counselling services - Do Not Open Before 9 July 2009, 12:00 hrs (GMT+4)”:

Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE)
Office in Baku
Attn: Fund Administration Unit
The Landmark III, 96 Nizami St.
AZ1010 Baku, Azerbaijan
Proposals sent by facsimile or e-mail will not be accepted.
The Services are expected to commence in August 2009.
The OSCE reserves the right to accept or reject any proposal, and to annul, in whole or in part, or to suspend the bidding process and to reject all Proposals, at any time and without reason prior to award, without thereby incurring any liability to the affected Bidder or Bidders.
Please address your queries or comments in writing and kindly refrain from any personal visits or telephone calls.
OSCE Office in Baku
Economic and Environmental Activities Unit
The Landmark III, 96 Nizami St., AZ1010 Baku, Azerbaijan

CONTENTS

Invitation for Tender Bidding
SECTION I – INSTRUCTIONS TO BIDDERS
1.	Introduction
2.	Eligibility of Bidders
3.	OSCE Privileges and Immunities
4.	Ethics
5.	Bidder’s responsibilities
6.	Only One Proposal
7.	Language
8.	Clarification of Bidding Documents
9.	Amendments to Bidding Documents
10.	Preparation of Technical Proposal
11.	Preparation of Financial Proposal
12.	Period of Validity of Proposals
13.	Bid Security
14.	Submission And Receipt of Proposals
15.	Deadline for Receipt of Proposals
16.	Late Proposals
17.	Withdrawal, Modification and Substitution of Proposals
18.	Opening of Technical Proposals
19.	Confidentiality
20.	Preliminary Examination and Determination of Responsiveness
21.	Evaluation of Technical Proposals
22. 	Opening and Evaluation of Financial Proposals: Ranking (QCBS, Fixed-Budget, and Least-Cost Selection Methods Only)
23.	Award Criteria
24.	Negotiations
25.	Contract Award
26.	Performance Security
27.	OSCE’s right to accept any Proposal and to reject any and all Proposals
SECTION II – BIDDING DATA SHEET
Section III – TECHNICAL PROPOSAL – STANDARD FORMS
Section III – A	Technical Proposal Submission Form
Section III – B	Qualification Form
Section III – C	Comments and Suggestions of Bidders on the Terms of Reference and on the Data, Services and Facilities to be provided by the OSCE
Section III – D	Description of the Methodology and Work Plan for Performing the Assignment
Section III – E	Format of Curriculum Vitae (CV) for Proposed Key Professional Staff
Section IV – FINANCIAL PROPOSAL – STANDARD FORMS
Section IV – A	Financial Proposal Submission Form
Section V - TERMS OF REFERENCE
Background
Objectives of the assignment
Scope of Services
Expected output and performance indicators
Qualifications of Bidder
Required Inputs
Liaison Arrangements
Reports and Time schedule
Data, Services, personnel, and Facilities to be provided by the OSCE

SECTION I – INSTRUCTIONS TO BIDDERS

Note to Bidders:  This section of the Bidding Documents can be viewed on the OSCE web site at http://www.osce.org/tenders/.  This section provides information necessary for Bidders to prepare responsive Proposals, in accordance with the requirements of the OSCE.  It also provides information on the submission, opening, and evaluation of Proposals, and on the award of contract.  Bidders should read these Instructions to Bidders in conjunction with the Bidding Data Sheet in Section II.  These Instructions to Bidders will not be part of the Contract/Purchase Order.	

1.	Introduction
1.1	The entity of the OSCE specified in the cover note to these Bidding Documents is inviting Bidders to submit a Technical Proposal and a Financial Proposal, in accordance with the Selection Method specified in the Bidding Data Sheet.  The Proposal will be the basis for contract negotiations and ultimately for a signed contract with the successful Bidder.
1.2	The successful Bidder is expected to perform the Services as further specified in the Bidding Data Sheet.
1.3	Throughout these Bidding Documents:
(a)	the term “in writing” means communicated in written form (e.g. by mail, e-mail, fax ) with proof of receipt;
(b)	if the context so requires, “singular” means “plural” and vice versa; and
(c)	“day” means calendar day.

2.	Eligibility of Bidders
2.1	The OSCE requires that Bidders provide professional, objective, and impartial advice and technical assistance, and at all times hold the OSCE’s interests paramount, without any consideration for future work, and strictly avoid conflicts with other assignments or their own corporate interests.  Bidders shall not be hired for any assignment that would be in conflict with their prior or current obligations to other entities of the OSCE, or that may place them in a position of not being able to carry out the assignment in the best interest of the OSCE.
2.2	Without limitation on the generality of ITB Article 2.1, a Bidder shall not be eligible to participate in this procurement or in the performance of the contract under consideration if such Bidder, or any employee, executive, manager or director thereof:
•	participated in the preparation of the concerned procurement notice or Bidding Documents, or any part thereof, being subsequently used by the OSCE; or
•	received assistance in the preparation of its Proposal or request to participate from a person or company who or that participated in the preparation of the concerned procurement notice or Bidding Documents, or any part thereof.
2.3	A Bidder shall not be eligible to participate in this procurement or in the performance of this contract under consideration if such Bidder, or any executive, manager or director thereof, has, in the past five years:
•	been determined by a court of competent jurisdiction to have committed a criminal or civil offence involving corrupt practices, money laundering, bribery, or other equivalent activities under the laws or regulations applicable in the country of location of the relevant entity of the OSCE or any country, or under international treaties or conventions;
•	been declared ineligible, by reason of conduct such as that described above, by any bank, institution or organization providing funds for general development, public investment or reconstruction;
•	been determined by a court of competent jurisdiction to have committed a serious offence by participating in the activities of a criminal organization, defined as a structured association established over a period of time and operating in a concerted manner to achieve financial gain through activities that are criminal or otherwise illegal where they take place; or
•	been determined by a court of competent jurisdiction to have committed an act of fraud or an act equivalent to fraud;
•	been determined to have engaged in unprofessional conduct by a court of competent jurisdiction, administrative agency or organization responsible for enforcing standards of professional conduct; or
•	been determined by the OSCE as ineligible, on the basis of substantial evidence, to have engaged in serious professional misconduct or made serious misrepresentations in documents submitted in connection with a procurement.
2.4	A Bidder shall not be eligible to participate in this procurement or in the performance of this contract under consideration if such Bidder: 
•	has, in the past two years, been adjudged to be bankrupt or insolvent by a court of competent jurisdiction;
•	is being wound up or administered, or its affairs are being wound up or administered, by a court of competent jurisdiction;
•	currently has in place an agreement or arrangement with its creditors providing for extended or reduced terms of payment if such terms were agreed to by such creditors because the Bidder had previously been unable to satisfy its obligations as they came due;
•	is currently the subject of a judicial or administrative order suspending or reducing payments by or to such Bidder and resulting in the total or partial loss of the Bidder’s right to administer and/or dispose of its property;
•	is currently the subject of legal or administrative proceedings that may result in a judicial or administrative order suspending or reducing payments by or to such Bidder if such proceedings may also result in the Bidder being adjudged bankrupt or insolvent;
•	has, in the past three years, been adjudged by an arbitration tribunal to have seriously breached a contract with the OSCE;
•	is currently delinquent in the payment of any social security contributions in the country of establishment of the Bidder;
•	is currently delinquent in the payment of taxes in the country of establishment of the Bidder;
•	is based in, or its tendered goods originate from, a country from which, as a matter of law or official regulation, the OSCE or the country where the Services are to be carried out (i) prohibits commercial relations with such country or (ii), by an act of compliance with a decision by the United Nations Security Council under Chapter VII of the Charter of the United Nations,  prohibits any imports of goods from, or payments to, a particular country, person or company.
2.5	Government-owned enterprises in the country/location where the Services shall be carried out may be eligible only if they can establish that (i) they are legally and financially autonomous from the beneficiary, (ii) operate under applicable commercial law, and (iii) are not a dependent agency of the beneficiary of the Services.
2.6	Bidders may be requested to provide such evidence of their continued eligibility satisfactory to the OSCE, as the OSCE shall reasonably request.

3.	OSCE Privileges and Immunities
3.1	Nothing in or relating to these Bidding Documents shall be deemed a waiver, expressed or implied, of any of the privileges and immunities of the OSCE.

4.	Ethics
4.1	In accordance with general OSCE procurement principles, it is the policy of the OSCE to require that Bidders, or any executive, manager or director thereof, observe the highest standards of ethics during each phase of any procurement and execution of contracts.  The OSCE defines for this purpose:
•	‘coercive practice’ means harming or threatening to harm, directly or indirectly, persons or their property to influence their participation in a procurement or affect the execution of a contract;
•	‘collusive practice’ means a scheme or arrangement between two or more Bidders, designed to establish bid prices or other terms at artificial, non-competitive levels;
•	‘corrupt practice’ means the offering, giving, receiving, or soliciting, directly or indirectly, of any thing, of value to influence the action of any OSCE official or any other person involved in any procurement or in contract execution;
•	‘fraudulent practice’ means a misrepresentation or omission of facts in order to influence a procurement or the execution of a contract;
4.2	In pursuance of this policy, the OSCE will:
•	Reject a Bidder if it determines that the Bidder has, directly or through an agent, engaged in corrupt, fraudulent, collusive or coercive practices in competing for the contract;
•	Terminate a contractor if it determines that the contractor has, directly or through an agent, engaged in corrupt, fraudulent, collusive or coercive practices in competing for, and in executing, the contract;
•	Sanction a Bidder or person, including declaring ineligible, either indefinitely or for a stated period of time, to be awarded any contract by the OSCE if it at any time determines that the Bidder has, directly or through an agent, engaged in corrupt, fraudulent, collusive or coercive practices in competing for, or in executing, the contract.

5.	Bidder’s responsibilities
5.1	The Bidder is expected to examine all instructions, forms, terms, drawings and specifications in the Bidding Documents, and, where reasonable, familiarize itself with location conditions.  Failure to furnish all information required by the Bidding Documents or to submit a Proposal not substantially responsive to the provisions in the Bidding Documents will be at the Bidder’s risk and may result in the rejection of its Proposal.
5.2	The Bidder shall bear all costs associated with the preparation, submission, and negotiation of its Proposal, including costs relating to any visits to the OSCE and relating to contract award.  Such costs shall not be reimbursable as a direct cost of the assignment.  The OSCE will in no case be responsible or liable for those costs, regardless of the conduct or outcome of the solicitation process.
5.3	The Bidders must familiarize themselves with local conditions and take them into account in preparing their Proposals.  To obtain information on the assignment, technical requirements, and on the local conditions, Bidders are encouraged to attend, at their own cost and risk, a pre-Proposal meeting, if one is specified in the Bidding Data Sheet.  Attending the pre-Proposal meeting is optional.  Minutes of the meeting, including questions raised and responses given, will be treated as an amendment to the Bidding Documents and, accordingly, uploaded on the OSCE web-site at http://www.osce.org/tenders, in accordance with ITB Article 9.1

6.	Only One Proposal
6.1	Any Bidder shall submit only one Proposal, either individually or as a partner in a joint venture.  A Bidder who submits or participates in more than one Proposal (other than as a sub-contractor including individual experts or in case of alternatives that have been permitted or requested) shall cause all Proposals with the Bidder’s participation to be disqualified.

7.	Language
7.1	Unless another governing language is specified in the Bidding Data Sheet, the governing language in respect to the Proposal prepared by the Bidder as well as all correspondence and documents relating to the Proposal exchanged between the Bidder and the OSCE shall be English.  Supporting documents and printed literature furnished by the Bidder may be in another language provided they are accompanied by an accurate translation in the governing language, in which case, for purposes of interpretation of the Bid, the translation shall govern.

8.	Clarification of Bidding Documents
8.1	Any prospective Bidder requesting any clarification on any contents in the Bidding Documents may notify the contact person of the OSCE stated in the cover note to these Bidding Documents in writing.
8.2	The OSCE will issue a clarification note in respect to any, in the opinion of the OSCE, reasonable request for clarification on the contents in the Bidding Documents, which it receives no later than seven (7) calendar days prior to the deadline for the receipt of Proposals.
8.3	Such clarification note, containing the OSCE’s response and a description of the contents of the query but without identifying the source thereof, shall be immediately uploaded under the relevant procurement notice on the OSCE’s web-site at http://www.osce.org/tenders.
8.4	If the OSCE determines that Bidders do not need the requested information, the OSCE shall immediately reject to respond to the request of the concerned Bidder.

9.	Amendments to Bidding Documents
9.1	At any time prior to the deadline for the receipt of Proposals, the OSCE may for any reason, whether at its own initiative or in response to a clarification requested by a prospective Bidder, modify the Bidding Documents by amendment which will be published on the OSCE web-site at http://www.osce.org/tenders/.
9.2	All prospective Bidders are advised to regularly visit the OSCE web-site to view any amendment made to the Bidding Documents.  The amendments pursuant to ITB Articles 8.3 and 9.1 will be binding on the Bidders.  The OSCE will assume neither responsibility nor liability for the Bidder's non-familiarity with any amendment issued pursuant to any provision herein. 
9.3	In order to allow prospective Bidders reasonable time in which to take the amendment into account in preparing their Proposals, the OSCE may, at its discretion, extend the deadline for the receipt of Proposals.

10.	Preparation of Technical Proposal
10.1	In preparing the Technical Proposal, Bidders are expected to examine the Bidding Documents in detail.  Material deficiencies in providing the information requested may result in the rejection of their Proposal.
10.2	If a Bidder considers that it does not have all the expertise for the assignment, it may obtain a full range of expertise by associating with individual firm(s) or expert(s) or entities in a joint venture or sub-consultancy, as appropriate.  No such joint venture or sub-consultancy may be required to assume a specific legal form in order to submit the Proposal; however, the joint venture selected may be required to do so after it has been awarded the concerned contract, to the extent that such a requirement is necessary for the satisfactory performance of the contract.  Any individual member of the joint venture or sub-consultancy shall be subject to the eligibility criteria set forth herein.
10.3	In the event of pre-qualification, Bidders must obtain the approval of the OSCE to enter into a joint venture with such firms, etc. not originally invited/pre-qualified for this assignment.  Proposals submitted by a joint venture of two or more firms as partners shall also comply with the following requirements:  (i) the Proposal shall be signed by all partners; (ii) one of the partners shall be nominated as being in charge, and this nomination shall be evidenced by submitting a power of attorney signed by legally authorized signatories of all partners;  (iii) the partner in charge shall be authorized to incur liabilities and receive instructions for and on behalf of any and all partners of the joint venture, and the entire execution of the contract, including payment, shall be done exclusively with the partner in charge; and (iv) the partner or combination of partners responsible for specific components of the assignment must meet the relevant minimum qualification, experience and capacity requirements for that component.  In the case of a joint venture, all partners shall be jointly and severally liable.
10.4	The Technical Proposal shall contain information and documentation as specified in the Bidding Data Sheet.
10.5	The Technical Proposal shall not include any financial information.  A Technical Proposal containing financial information may be declared non responsive.

11.	Preparation of Financial Proposal
11.1	In preparing the Financial Proposal, Bidders are expected to take into account the requirements and conditions outlined in the Bidding Documents.  The Financial Proposal should follow the standard forms contained in Section IV of the Bidding Documents.  It lists all costs associated with the assignment, including (a) remuneration for staff (foreign and local, in the field and at headquarters), and (b) reimbursable expenses such as subsistence (per diem, housing), transportation (international and local, for mobilization and demobilization), services and equipment (vehicles, office equipment, furniture, and supplies), office rent, insurance, printing of documents, surveys, and training, if it is a major component of the assignment.  If appropriate, these costs should be broken down by activity.
11.2	All activities and items described in the Technical Proposal must be priced separately; activities and items described in the Technical Proposal but not priced shall be assumed to be included in the prices of other activities or items.
11.3	The Financial Proposal should clearly estimate, as a separate amount, the local taxes (including social security), duties, fees, levies, and other charges imposed under the laws and regulations applicable at the location of the assignment, unless the Bidding Data Sheet specifies otherwise.
11.4	Unless otherwise specified in the Bidding Data Sheet, the rates and prices shall be quoted by the Bidder entirely in EURO.

12.	Period of Validity of Proposals
12.1	Proposals shall remain valid for the time period specified in the Bidding Data Sheet after the deadline for the receipt of Proposals.  A Proposal valid for a shorter period may be rejected by the OSCE as non-responsive.
12.2	During the period of validity, the Bidder is expected to keep available the professional staff proposed for the assignment.  The OSCE will make its best effort to complete negotiations within this period.
12.3	In exceptional cases, the OSCE may request Bidders to extend the validity period of their Proposals.  Bidders who agree to such extension shall confirm that they maintain the availability of the professional personnel proposed in their Proposals, or in their confirmation of extension of validity of the Proposals, Bidders may be permitted to submit replacement personnel having at least equivalent certifications, experience and qualifications than those originally proposed, who would be considered in the final evaluation for contract award.  Bidders granting the request will not be required nor permitted to otherwise modify their Bids.  The Bid Security provided under ITB Article 13 shall also be suitably extended.  Bidders who do not agree to a request of extension shall have the right to refuse to extend the validity of their Proposals, in which case the Bid Security, if any, should be returned by the OSCE forthwith.

13.	Bid Security
13.1	If required in the Bidding Data Sheet, the Bidder shall furnish as part of its Technical Proposal a Bid Security in original form.  The Bid Security is required to protect the OSCE against the risk of Bidder’s conduct, which would warrant the Bid Security’s forfeiture, pursuant to ITB Article 13.5.
13.2	The Bid Security shall be in the amount specified in Bidding Data Sheet and denominated in the currency of the country where the Services shall be carried out or the currency of the Proposal or in another freely convertible currency, and shall, at the Bidder’s option, be in the form of an original bank guarantee issued by a reputable bank, by using the Bid Security Form provided in Section III of the Bidding Documents or another original form acceptable to the OSCE and valid for twenty eight (28) calendar days beyond the validity of Proposals stipulated by the OSCE.
13.3	If relevant, any Proposal not accompanied by a Bid Security shall be rejected by the OSCE as non-responsive.
13.4	The Bid Security of unsuccessful Bidders shall be returned as promptly as possible upon the successful Bidder’s signing the Contract and/or furnishing of the Performance Security.
13.5	The Bid Security may be forfeited:
(a)	if the OSCE determines, on the basis of objectively verifiable evidence, that such Bidder has provided materially false or misleading information to the OSCE;
(b)	if a Bidder withdraws its Proposal during the period of validity specified by the OSCE; or
(c)	if the Bidder does not accept the correction of its proposed Price(s); 
(d)	offers key staff in its Proposal without confirming their availability, or
(e)	if the successful Bidder fails within the time specified by the OSCE to sign the Contract and/or to furnish the required Performance Security.
13.6 	The Bid Security of a joint venture must be in the name of the joint venture that submits the Proposal.  If the joint venture has not been legally constituted at the time of bidding, the Bid Security shall be in the names of all future partners as named in the letter of intent.
13.7	The successful Bidder’s Bid Security will be discharged upon such Bidder signing the Contract and furnishing the Performance Security, if applicable, pursuant to ITB Article 25.2.

14.	Submission And Receipt of Proposals
14.1	The original Proposal (Technical Proposal and, if required, Financial Proposal) shall be prepared in indelible ink, and shall be submitted on forms and templates provided for in the Bidding Documents.  It shall contain no interlineation or overwriting, except as necessary to correct errors made by the Bidder itself.  Any such corrections must be initialled by the persons or person who sign(s) the Proposals.
14.2	An authorized representative of the Bidder initials all pages of the Proposal.  The representative’s authorization may be confirmed by a written power of attorney accompanying the Proposal.
14.3	For each Proposal, the Bidder shall prepare the number of copies indicated in the Bidding Data Sheet.  Each Technical Proposal and Financial Proposal shall be marked “ORIGINAL” or “COPY” as appropriate.  In the event of any discrepancy between the original and the copies of the Proposal, the original governs.
14.4	The original and all copies of the Technical Proposal shall be placed in a sealed envelope clearly marked “TECHNICAL PROPOSAL” and the original and all copies of the Financial Proposal in a sealed envelope clearly marked “FINANCIAL PROPOSAL” and warning: “DO NOT OPEN WITH THE TECHNICAL PROPOSAL”.  Both envelopes shall be placed into an outer envelope and sealed.  This outer envelope shall bear the address of the OSCE and the Proposal Reference Number as indicated in the cover note to these Bidding Documents and be clearly marked, “Do Not Open, Except in Presence of the OSCE Bid Opening Board.”
14.5	When so specified in the Bidding Data Sheet, Bidders shall have the option of submitting their Proposals electronically.  Bidders submitting their Proposals electronically shall follow the procedures specified in the Bidding Data Sheet.
14.6	All inner and outer envelopes shall also indicate the name and address of the Bidder to enable the Proposal to be returned unopened in case it is declared late, pursuant to ITB Article 16.1 or the Proposal is validly withdrawn by the Bidder.
14.7	If the outer envelope is not sealed and marked as above, the OSCE shall assume no responsibility for the misplacement or premature opening of the Proposals.

15.	Deadline for Receipt of Proposals
15.1	Proposals must be received by the OSCE no later than the time and date specified in the cover note to these Bidding Documents.
15.2	The OSCE may, at its discretion, extend the deadline for the receipt of Proposals by issuing an amendment in accordance with ITB Article 9.3, in which case all rights and obligations of the OSCE and the Bidders previously subject to the original deadline shall then be subject to the new deadline as extended.

16.	Late Proposals
16.1	Any Proposal received by the OSCE after the deadline for receipt of Proposals will be rejected and returned unopened to the Bidder.

17.	Withdrawal, Modification and Substitution of Proposals
17.1	The Bidder may withdraw, substitute or modify its Proposal after its submission, provided that written notice of the withdrawal, substitution or modification is received by the OSCE prior to the deadline prescribed for the receipt by the OSCE of Proposals.
17.2	The Bidder’s withdrawal, substitution, or modification notice shall be prepared, sealed, marked, and delivered in accordance with the provisions of ITB Article 14, with the outer and inner envelopes additionally marked “WITHDRAWAL”, “SUBSTITUTION” or “MODIFICATION”, as appropriate.
17.3	No Proposal may be substituted or modified after the deadline for the receipt by the OSCE of Proopsals.
17.4	No Proposal may be withdrawn in the interval between the deadline for receipt by the OSCE of Proposals and the expiration of the period of validity of Proposals specified in the cover note of these Bidding Documents, or as extended pursuant to ITB Article 15.2.  Withdrawal of a Proposal during this interval may result in the Bidder’s forfeiture of its Bid Security, pursuant to the ITB Article 13.5 (a).

18.	Opening of Technical Proposals
18.1	After deadline for the receipt of Proposals, the Technical Proposals will be opened by the OSCE Bid Opening Board.  Any specific opening procedures required if electronic bidding is permitted in accordance with ITB Article 14.5 shall be as specified therein.
18.2	Envelopes marked “WITHDRAWAL” shall be opened first.  Proposals for which an acceptable notice of withdrawal have been submitted pursuant to ITB Article 17.2 shall be returned unopened to the Bidder.  Those envelopes of Bidders who have subsequently submitted a Proposal marked “SUBSTITUTION” shall also be returned unopened to the Bidders.
18.3	The Financial Proposal shall remain sealed and deposited within the OSCE until the date of opening of the Financial Proposals.

19.	Confidentiality
19.1	From the time the Proposals are opened to the time the Contract is awarded, if any Bidder wishes to contact the OSCE on any matter related to its Proposal, it should do so in writing to the address indicated in the cover note of these Bidding Documents.  Information relating to the examination, clarification, evaluation and comparison of Proposals, and recommendation for contract award shall not be disclosed to Bidders or any other person not officially concerned with such process 
19.2	Any effort by the Bidder to influence the OSCE in the Proposal evaluation, Proposal comparison or Contract Award decisions may result in the rejection of the Bidder’s Proposal.

20.	Preliminary Examination and Determination of Responsiveness
20.1	Prior to the detailed evaluation of Proposals, the OSCE shall determine whether each Proposal (a) meets the eligibility criteria defined in ITB Article 2, (b) has been properly signed; (c) is accompanied by a Bid Security, if required; and (d) is substantially responsive to the requirements of the Bidding Documents, and whether the Proposal in general is in order.
20.2	A substantially responsive Proposal is one which conforms to all the terms, conditions, and specifications of the Bidding Documents, without material deviation or reservation.  A material deviation or reservation is one (a) which affects in any substantial way the scope, quality, or performance of the terms of reference; (b) which limits in any substantial way, inconsistent with the Bidding Documents, the OSCE’s rights or the Bidder’s obligations under the Contract; or (c) whose rectification would affect unfairly the competitive position of other Bidders presenting substantially responsive Proposals.
20.3	If a Proposal is not substantially responsive, it shall be rejected by the OSCE, and may not subsequently be made responsive by correction or withdrawal of the nonconforming deviation or reservation.

21.	Evaluation of Technical Proposals
21.1	Evaluators of Technical Proposals shall have no access to the Financial Proposals until the technical evaluation is concluded.
21.2	The OSCE will evaluate the Proposals on the basis of their responsiveness to the Terms of Reference, applying the evaluation criteria and point system specified in the Bidding Data Sheet.  Each responsive Proposal will be given a technical score (St).  A Proposal shall be rejected at this stage if it fails to achieve the minimum technical score indicated in the Bidding Data Sheet.
21.3	To ensure an orderly and objective examination, evaluation and comparison of all Technical Proposals, the OSCE may, at its discretion, ask any Bidder for clarification of its Technical Proposal.  The request for clarification and the responses thereto shall be in writing and no change in the contents or substance of the Technical Proposal shall be sought, offered or permitted.  Failure of any Bidder to timely and duly respond to a request for clarification may result in the rejection of its Proposal.

22. 	Opening and Evaluation of Financial Proposals: Ranking (QCBS, Fixed-Budget, and Least-Cost Selection Methods Only)
22.1	After the evaluation of the Technical Proposals is completed, the OSCE Bid Opening Board shall proceed with the opening of the Financial Proposals of those Bidders whose Technical Proposals were found to be substantially responsive.
22.2	The OSCE will determine whether the Financial Proposals are complete (i.e., whether they have costed all items of the corresponding Technical Proposals; if not, such items will be costed and added to the initial price), and correct any computational or arithmetical errors.
22.3	Computational or arithmetical errors will be rectified on the following basis:  If there is a discrepancy between the unit price and the total price that is obtained by multiplying the unit price and the quantity, the unit price shall prevail and the total price shall be corrected.  If there is a discrepancy between words and figures, the amount in words will prevail.
22.4	The evaluation shall include any and all taxes, duties, levies, fees, duties, etc that are applicable under the laws and regulations of the location of the assignment and that may be payable by the OSCE.
22.5	Unless otherwise specified in accordance with ITB Article 11.4, Proposals shall be evaluated as quoted in the currency of the EURO.  In the event, (i) the OSCE has permitted Proposals in currencies other than the EURO, and (ii) substantially responsive Proposals have been received containing several currency options, the exchange rate to be applied by the OSCE shall be the applicable United Nations foreign exchange rate applicable for the month in which the deadline for the receipt of Proposals was set by the OSCE.
22.6	In case of the Quality and Cost Based Selection Method, the lowest Financial Proposal (Fm) will be given a financial score (Sf) of 100 points.  The financial scores (Sf) of the other Financial Proposals will be computed as follows:  Sf = 100 * Fm/F, where Sf is the financial score, Fm is the lowest price, and F is the price of the relevant Financial Proposal.  Proposals will be ranked according to their combined technical (St) and financial (Sf) scores using the weights (T = the weight given to the Technical Proposal; P = the weight given to the Financial Proposal; T + P = 1) indicated in the Bidding Data Sheet:

23.	Award Criteria
23.1	The OSCE shall apply the Procurement Selection Method specified in ITB Article 1.1 for this assignment.
23.2	Subject to ITB Article 27, the OSCE shall invite such Bidder for negotiations and subsequent contract award whose Proposal has been determined to be substantially responsive to the Bidding Documents and who has obtained the highest ranking in respect to such applied Procurement Selection Method pursuant to ITB Article 1.1.
23.3	In the case of the Quality and Cost Based Procurement Selection Method , the Bidder achieving the highest combined technical and financial score will be invited for negotiations.
23.4	In the case of Fixed-Budget Procurement Selection Method, the OSCE will invite the Bidder for negotiations that has submitted the highest ranked Technical Proposal within the budget (“evaluated” price).  Proposals that exceed the indicated budget will be rejected.
23.5	In the case of the Least-Cost Procurement Selection Method, the OSCE will invite the Bidder for negotiations that has submitted the lowest Proposal (“evaluated” price) among those that passed the minimum technical score.

24.	Negotiations
24.1	Upon determination of the selected Bidder, negotiations will be held with an aim to reach agreement on all aspects of the assignment and the Terms of Reference, following which contract award will be issued by the OSCE and the final contract signed.
24.2	Negotiations will include a discussion of the Technical Proposal, the proposed methodology (work plan), staffing and any suggestions made by the successful Bidder to improve the Terms of Reference.  The OSCE and the successful Bidder will then work out final Terms of Reference, staffing, and bar charts indicating activities, staff, periods in the field and in the home office, staff-months, logistics, and reporting.  The agreed work plan and final Terms of Reference will form part of the Contract.  Special attention will be paid to getting the most the successful Bidder can offer within its Proposal and to clearly defining the inputs required from the OSCE to ensure satisfactory implementation of the assignment.
24.3	The financial negotiations will include a clarification (if any) of the successful Bidder’s tax liability in the country of assignment, and the manner in which it will be reflected in the Contract; and will reflect the agreed technical modifications in the cost of the Services.
24.4	Having selected the Bidder on the basis of, among other things, an evaluation of proposed key professional staff, the OSCE expects to negotiate a Contract on the basis of the key professional staff named in its Proposal.  Before negotiations, the OSCE will require assurances that such key professional staff will be actually available for this specific assignment.  The OSCE will not consider substitutions during contract negotiations unless both parties agree that undue delay in the selection process makes such substitution unavoidable or that such changes are critical to meet the objectives of the assignment.  If this is not the case and if it is established that key professional staff were offered in the Proposal without confirming their availability, the Bidder may be disqualified and its Bid Security forfeited.  Any proposed substitute by the Bidder shall have equivalent or better qualifications and experience than the original candidate and be submitted by the Bidder within a period of time specified by the OSCE.
24.5	The negotiations will conclude with a review of the draft form of the Contract.  To complete negotiations, the OSCE and the Bidder will initial the agreed Contract, provided contract award has been issued by the relevant OSCE contract awarding authority.  If negotiations fail, for whatever reasons or the outcome of such negotiations are not satisfactory, at the sole discretion of the OSCE, or contract award is not issued by the relevant OSCE contract awarding authority, the OSCE will invite the Bidder whose Proposal received the second highest score to negotiate a contract.

25.	Contract Award
25.1	The Contract will be awarded subject to (i) successful negotiations of the Contract, (ii) approval of contract award by the relevant OSCE contract awarding authority, and (iii) the provision, if required, of a Performance Security in accordance with ITB Article 26.
25.2	After successful Contract Award pursuant to ITB Article 25.1, the OSCE will promptly notify the other Bidders whose technical scores exceeded the minimum technical score that they were unsuccessful and return the unopened Financial Proposals of those Bidders who did not pass the technical evaluation, in accordance with ITB Article 21.2.  If relevant, the OSCE shall also promptly discharge the Bid Securities of the unsuccessful Bidders and of the successful Bidder in accordance with ITB Articles 13.4 and 13.7.

26.	Performance Security
26.1	Within 21 days after receipt of the notification of Contract Award by the OSCE, the successful Bidder shall sign the Contract and deliver to the OSCE a Performance Security in the amount and currency stipulated in the relevant General/Special Conditions of Contract (Services) Sections of these Bidding Documents.
26.2	The successful Bidder is required to use the Performance Security Form that may be downloaded at http://www.osce.org/tenders.  If the Performance Security is provided by the successful Bidder in the form of a bank guarantee, it shall be issued, at the Bidder’s option, by a financial institution located in the country where the Services shall be implemented or by a foreign bank acceptable to the OSCE.
26.3	Failure of the successful Bidder to comply with the requirements of ITB Article 26.1 and 26.2 shall constitute sufficient grounds for cancellation of the award and forfeiture of the Bid Security.

27.	OSCE’s right to accept any Proposal and to reject any and all Proposals
27.1	Notwithstanding ITB Article 25, the OSCE reserves the right to accept or reject any Proposal, and to cancel the bidding process and reject all Proposals, at any time prior to the award of Contract, without thereby incurring any liability to the affected Bidder or Bidders or any obligation to inform the affected Bidder or Bidders of the grounds for the OSCE’s action.
27.2	The OSCE is not bound to accept any or all of the Proposals received.

SECTION II – BIDDING DATA SHEET

Note to Bidders:  This Bidding Data Sheet should be read in conjunction with Section I – Instructions to Bidders which can be downloaded from http://www.osce.org/tenders.	

Information to Bidders	Amendment/Modification of relevant Article of Section I - Information to Bidders	
ITB Article No.	Article Description. 		
1.1	Procurement Selection Method	The Procurement Selection Method applied in this Request for Proposal is: Fixed-Budget Selection.	
1.2	The Services	The Services to be provided are to deliver two training programmes and individual counselling of the participants:

- one programme for 100 potential entrepreneurs to support them in assessing the viability of their business ideas and getting started with their businesses

- one programme for 100 existing entrepreneurs (or managers of small and medium sized businesses) to support them in sustaining and further developing their businesses	
5.3	Pre-Proposal Meeting	A pre-proposal meeting will be held at 15:00-17:00 on Thursday, June 25, 2009, on the third floor of Landmark III, 96 Nizami St., AZ1010 Baku.	
7.1	Language of Proposal	The governing Language of the Proposal and all correspondence and documents exchanged between the Bidder and the OSCE shall be English.	
10.4	Contents of Technical Proposal	By using the standard forms in Section III, the Technical Proposal shall include:

(i)	Duly completed Technical Proposal Submission Form (Section III –A);

(ii)	Duly completed Qualification Form (Section III –B).  The Bidder should include on this form a brief description of the Bidder’s organization and an outline of recent experience on assignments of a similar nature.  For each assignment, the outline should indicate, inter alia, the profiles of the staff proposed, duration of the assignment, contract amount, and the Bidder’s involvement.

(iii)	Copy of Certificate of the State Registration;

(iv)	Copy of the official Statute/Charter in the original language and in English;

(v)	Any comments or suggestions on the Terms of Reference and on the data, list of services, and facilities to be provided by the OSCE (Section III - C).

(vi)	A description of the approach, methodology and work plan for performing the assignment (Section III - D).

 (vii)	CVs recently signed by the proposed professional staff and the authorized representative submitting the Proposal (Section III - E).  Key information should include number of years working for the firm/entity and degree of responsibility held in various assignments during the last ten (10) years.	
11.3	Local Taxes	This assignment is tax exempt.	
11.4	Currency	The budget of this tender is fixed in EURO (30,000 EURO). The contract currency will be AZN. The EURO/AZN exchange rate of the contract date shall be applied in determining the contract value in AZN.	
12.1	Validity of Proposal	Proposals must remain valid sixty (60) calendar days past the deadline for the receipt of Proposals.	
13.1	Bid Security	The Bid Security is not required.	
14.3	Number of Copies	Bidders must submit one original and one copy of each Proposal.	
14.5	Electronic Submission	Bidders may not submit their Proposals electronically.	
21.2	Evaluation Criteria and Point System	(i)	Specific experience of the Bidder related to the assignment [maximum score 10 points]

(ii)	Adequacy of the proposed training and counselling methodology and work plan in responding to the Terms of Reference
[maximum score 60 points]

(iii)	Qualifications and competence of proposed key staff for the assignment
[maximum score 20 points]

(iv)	General project management skills and administrative capacity to deliver the intended training and counselling programmes
[maximum score 10 points]

	Total maximum score: 100 points.

	The successful Bidder must achieve in each criterion at least half of the maximum score.

Section III – TECHNICAL PROPOSAL – STANDARD FORMS

Section III – A	Technical Proposal Submission Form

Note to Bidders:  The Bidder shall fill in and submit this Technical Proposal Submission Form together with all other Forms contained in Section III of these Bidding Documents, forming the Bidder’s Technical Proposal.  Bidders are advised to check with ITB Article 10.4 for all documents that are required to be submitted as part of the Technical Proposal..	

Date: [Bidder to insert location and date]

Bid Reference Number: ITB AZE 05/2009

To:	OSCE Office in Baku

Ladies/Gentlemen:

	We, the undersigned, offer to provide the Entrepreneurship and SME Business Development Training and Counselling Services in the OSCE project no. 4300084 “Promoting Entrepreneurship and SME Business Development” in accordance with your Invitation for tender bidding AZE 05/2009 dated 18 June 2009 and our Proposal.  We are hereby submitting our Proposal, which includes this Technical Proposal, and a Financial Proposal sealed under a separate envelope.

	We represent and warrant that we are not participating, as Bidders, in more than one Proposal (other than as a sub-contractor, individual experts or in case of alternatives that have been permitted or requested) in this Request for Proposal.

	We, including any sub-contractors proposed as part of our Proposal, confirm to comply with any and all eligibility requirements specified in your ITB Article 2.  We also confirm that any and all information provided on the Qualification Form attached hereto and being an integral part of this Technical Proposal is correct and truly reflects our experience, qualifications and capacities.

	If negotiations are held during the period of validity of the Proposal, i.e., before 7 September 2009, we agree to negotiate on the basis of our proposed key professional staff.  Our Proposal is binding upon us and subject to the modifications resulting from contract negotiations.

	We understand you are not bound to accept any Proposal that you receive, and that you reserve the right to accept or reject any Proposal and to cancel the bidding process and reject all Proposals at any time prior to the award of contract, without thereby incurring any liability whatsoever.

	We remain,

Yours sincerely,

Authorized Signature:
Name and Title of Signatory:
Name of Firm:
Address:

Section III – B	Qualification Form

Note to Bidders:  The Bidder shall fill in and submit this Qualification Form as part of its Technical Proposal.	

General Information

1a. Name of Bidder (in English):		
1b. Name of Bidder (in Azerbaijani):		
2. Street Address:	Postal Code:
	City:	Country:	
3. Telephone Number: 		
4. Fax Number:		
5. E-mail Address:		
6. WWW Address:		
7a. Name of Contact Person:		
7b. Title of Contact Person:		
8. Parent Company, if any (full legal name): 		
9. Principal subsidiaries, associates, and/or representative(s), if any and relevant to the Services:
	
10. Legal form of the Bidder:		
11. Main field(s) of activities of the Bidder:		
12. Date of Founding the Bidder:		
13. Date of Registration of the Bidder:		

Key Figures

Year	Budget / turnover (AZN)	Operating profit (AZN; if applicable)	Average number of full-time staff employed	
2006 (actual)				
2007 (actual)				
2008 (actual)				
2009 (forecast)				

Experience

16. Contracts of similar scale/volume during the last three years:	
Customer	Value (EUR)	Year	Services Provided	Country	

					

Relevant Services Carried Out in the Last Three Years That Best Illustrate Qualifications

Note to Bidders:  Using the table format below, the Bidder is kindly requested to provide information on each assignment for which your organization was legally contracted during the past three years. Each assignment should be presented in a table of its own; therefore the Bidder is requested to make the necessary number of copies of the table.	

Name of Your Client:

	Country/Location:	
Assignment Name:
	
Narrative Description of Project:

	
Start Date (Month/Year):

	Completion Date (Month/Year):	Approx. Value of Assignment (AZN):	
Name(s) of Senior Staff (Project Director/Coordinator, Team Leader) Involved and Functions Performed:

	
Profile(s) of Professional Staff Provided by Your Organization:

	
Description of Actual Services Provided by Your Staff:

	
Name of Associated Organizations, if any:

	No of Months of Professional Staff Provided by Associated Organizations:	

Section III – C	Comments and Suggestions of Bidders on the Terms of Reference and on the Data, Services and Facilities to be provided by the OSCE

Note to Bidders:  The Bidder is kindly requested to present and justify in this Section any modifications or improvements to the Terms of Reference that are proposed to improve the performance in carrying out the Assignment (such as deleting some activity considered unnecessary, or adding another, or proposing a different phasing of the activities).  Such suggestions should be concise and to the point, and incorporated into the Bidder’s Technical Proposal.  Please note that any comments and suggestions made by the Bidder forms an important part of the evaluation of Proposals, in accordance with ITB Article 21.2.	

On the Terms of Reference:

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

On the data, services, and facilities to be provided by the OSCE:

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Section III – D	Description of the Methodology and Work Plan for Performing the Assignment

Note to Bidders:  In this subsection the Bidder is kindly requested to describe how it would conduct the two training programmes and individual counselling of the participants:
-	one programme for 100 potential entrepreneurs to support them in assessing the viability of their business ideas and getting started with their businesses.
-	one programme for 100 existing entrepreneurs (or managers of small and medium sized businesses) to support them in sustaining and further developing their businesses.

The questions of this subsection will address the Bidder’s conceptual approach and methodology, work plan, and staffing. The Bidders are encouraged to be proactive and creative in presenting their concepts which, in their view, would best meet the objectives of the current OSCE project.

The Bidders are kindly requested to use only the fields shaded with light grey colour. The fields expand while typing, so there will be enough space. The descriptions should, however, be as concise, clear and concrete as possible.	

D.1.  Regional and sectoral focus

D.1.1.  Please describe below which regions and, if applicable, which field(s) of business activity your training and counselling programmes would mainly address. State also your envisaged distribution of the participants between the regions. Kindly provide justification for your regional focus and, if applicable, also for your sectoral focus.

D.2.  Admission of the participants

D.2.1.  Please describe below how you would disseminate information on the training and counselling programmes to attract a high number of qualified candidates. (Note that the possible marketing expenses should be covered by the contract amount; the OSCE will not compensate separately any marketing costs.)

D.2.2  Please describe below the main selection criteria on which you would select the participants from among the applicants.

D.2.3  Please describe below how you would seek to achieve gender-balanced participation in the training and counselling programmes.

D.2.4  Please describe below if there are, in your view, specific vulnerable groups to whom the programmes should give special attention, and how you would give this attention.

D.2.5  Would the contract value (equivalent to 30,000 EUR) be sufficient to cover all the costs of your proposed programmes or would you collect enrolment fees or any other charges from the participants? If you see that the contract value is not sufficient, kindly provide details of your suggested fees and charges that the participants would need to pay to your organization.

D.3A.  Programme for potential entrepreneurs
Please describe below, month by month, the types (classroom lectures, group sessions, group assignments, individual assignments, distance learning, individual counselling, study tours, etc.), themes and hours of activities that your proposed programme would include. In group activities please specify the planned group size. In assignments and distance learning please describe how you would support the participants in performing these activities and how you would give them feedback.
D.3A.1.  Programme for potential entrepreneurs – activities in August:

D.3A.2.  Programme for potential entrepreneurs – activities in September:

D.3A.3.  Programme for potential entrepreneurs – activities in October:

D.3A.4.  Programme for potential entrepreneurs – activities in November:

D.3A.5.  Programme for potential entrepreneurs – summary of the scope and content of the programme
Please indicate the training and counselling hours foreseen to be spent by an individual participant in each activity. Also summarize the issues addressed through the different activities.
	Hours	Summary of the issues addressed	
Classroom lectures			
Group sessions			
Group assignments			
Individual assignments			
Distance learning			
Individual counselling			
Study tours			
Other (please specify)			
Other (please specify)			
Total			

D.3B.  Programme for existing entrepreneurs and SME managers
Please describe below, month by month, the types (classroom lectures, group sessions, group assignments, individual assignments, distance learning, individual counselling, study tours, etc.), themes and hours of activities that your proposed programme would include. In group activities please specify the planned group size. In assignments and distance learning please describe how you would support the participants in performing these activities and how you would give them feedback.
D.3B.1.  Programme for existing entrepreneurs and SME managers – activities in August:

D.3B.2.  Programme for existing entrepreneurs and SME managers – activities in September:

D.3B.3.  Programme for existing entrepreneurs and SME managers – activities in October:

D.3B.4.  Programme for existing entrepreneurs and SME managers – activities in November:

D.3B.5.  Programme for existing entrepreneurs and SME managers – summary of the scope and content of the programme
Please indicate the training and counselling hours foreseen to be spent by an individual participant in each activity. Also summarize the issues addressed through the different activities.
	Hours	Summary of the issues addressed	
Classroom lectures			
Group sessions			
Group assignments			
Individual assignments			
Distance learning			
Individual counselling			
Study tours			
Other (please specify)			
Other (please specify)			
Total			

D.4A.  Training materials in the programme for potential entrepreneurs

Please describe below the training materials and other deliverables that your would use in the training and counselling programme for the potential entrepreneurs.

D.4B.  Training materials in the programme for existing entrepreneurs and SME managers

Please describe below the training materials and other deliverables that your would use in the training and counselling programme for the existing entrepreneurs and SME managers.

D.5A.  Resource persons in the programme for potential entrepreneurs
Please indicate below the key resource persons who would conduct the training and counselling services in the programme for potential entrepreneurs. In addition, more detailed, recently signed CVs should be provided as separate attachments. (In case of more than five persons, press TAB in the last cell to expand the table.)
	Name	Age	Education (degree, institution, time of graduation)	Summary of professional experience	
1					
2					
3					
4					
5					

D.5B.  Resource persons in the programme for existing entrepreneurs and SME managers
Please indicate below the key resource persons who would conduct the training and counselling services in the programme for existing entrepreneurs and SME managers. In addition, more detailed, recently signed CVs should be provided as separate attachments. (In case of more than five persons, press TAB in the last cell to expand the table.)
	Name	Age	Education (degree, institution, time of graduation)	Summary of professional experience	
1					
2					
3					
4					
5					

D.6.  Proposed facilities where the training events and individual counselling would take place

Please describe below the facilities where your organization would conduct the training events and individual counselling. (Kindly note that the possible rent expenses should be covered by the contract amount; the OSCE will not compensate separately any rent costs.)

D.7.  Proposed measures to link the beneficiaries up with credits and/or grants

Please describe below how your organization could possibly facilitate the beneficiaries’ access to credits and/or grants in connection with the training and counselling programmes.

D.8.  Other measures to improve the impact of the training and counselling programmes

Please describe below any other measures that your organization would carry out in connection with the training and counselling programmes to improve their effectiveness in creating new businesses and jobs, and in diversifying the economy of Azerbaijan.

Section III – E	Format of Curriculum Vitae (CV) for Proposed Key Professional Staff

Proposed Position:  	
Name of Firm:  	
Name of Staff:  	
Profession:  	
Date of Birth:  	
Years with Firm/Entity:  	Nationality:  	
Membership in Professional Societies:  	

Detailed Tasks Assigned:  	

Key Qualifications:

[Please give an outline of staff member’s experience and training most pertinent to tasks on assignment.  Describe degree of responsibility held by staff member on relevant previous assignments and give dates and locations.  Use about half a page.]

Education:

[Summarize college/university and other specialized education of staff member, giving names of schools, dates attended, and degrees obtained.  Use about one quarter of a page.]

Employment Record:

[Starting with present position, list in reverse order every employment held.  List all positions held by staff member since graduation, giving dates, names of employing organizations, titles of positions held, and locations of assignments.  For experience in last ten years, also give types of activities performed and OSCE references, where appropriate.  Use about two pages.]

Languages:

[For each language indicate proficiency: excellent, good, fair, or poor in speaking, reading, and writing.]

Certification:

I, the undersigned, certify that to the best of my knowledge and belief, these data correctly describe my qualifications, my experience, and me.

	Date:  	
[Signature of staff member and authorized representative of the firm]	Day/Month/Year

Full name of staff member:______________________________________
Full name of authorized representative: ___________________________

Section IV – FINANCIAL PROPOSAL – STANDARD FORMS

Section IV – A	Financial Proposal Submission Form

Note to Bidders:  The Bidder shall fill in and submit this Financial Proposal Submission Form together with all other Forms contained in Section IV of these Bidding Documents, forming the Bidder’s Financial Proposal.  Bidders are advised to check with ITB Article 11.1 for all documents that are required to be submitted as part of the Financial Proposal..	

Date: [Bidder to insert location and date]

Bid Reference Number: ITB AZE 05/2009

To:	OSCE Office in Baku

Ladies/Gentlemen:

	We, the undersigned, offer to provide the Entrepreneurship and SME Business Development Training and Counselling Services in the OSCE project no. 4300084 “Promoting Entrepreneurship and SME Business Development” in accordance with your Invitation for tender bidding  AZE 05/2009 dated 18 June 2009 and our Proposal (Technical and Financial Proposals).

Our Financial Proposal is for the sum equivalent to thirty thousand euro (30,000 EUR).  We acknowledge and agree to hold the OSCE exempt from any responsibility and liability for any damages or claims on any taxes, duties, levies, VAT, etc that may be applied or imposed by any public authority or authoritative institution and pertaining to this assignment.

	Our Financial Proposal shall be binding upon us subject to the modifications resulting from contract negotiations, up to expiration of the validity period of the Proposal, i.e., 7 September 2009.

	We understand you are not bound to accept any Proposal you receive.

	We remain,

Yours sincerely,

Authorized Signature:
Name and Title of Signatory:
Name of Firm:
Address:

Section V - TERMS OF REFERENCE

Background
The Azerbaijani economy experienced double-digit growth rates in 2003-2008, the real GDP growth rate peaking at 35 % in 2006. The impressive growth was mainly attributable to the growth of the oil sector and the rising oil price. Given the strong economic situation at the onset of the global financial crisis, and the country’s limited integration to the global financial system, Azerbaijan remained long relatively resilient to this crisis. Year 2009 has, however, started with an indication that the global economic downturn is hitting the country: the real GDP growth has come down from double-digit figures to single-digit rate: the growth in the first quarter of 2009 was 4.1 % year-on-year.

Reports on job cuts and lay-offs have lately become commonplace in the Azerbaijani media. As the workers are often formally sent to forced vacation, the deteriorating labour market situation may not be duly reflected in the official unemployment statistics. According to them, there were approximately 45,000 unemployed people at the end of 2008, accounting for only 1 % of the workforce, while at the same time the International Labour Organisation (ILO) estimates an unemployment rate above 10 %. Official information says that  6,000 people lost their jobs in January-February 2009. The single biggest reported job losses have occurred in Sumqait chemical plant (20,000 people – reported in April 2009) and Ganja aluminium plant (5,000 people – reported in March 2009). 

The global economic downturn obviously accounts for most of the recent decline in the demand for workforce. At the same time there are reasons to believe that the supply of workforce in the Azerbaijani labour market may be on the increase: Firstly, Azerbaijani migrant workers may be increasingly returning to their home country as the economic conditions in their current countries of residence deteriorate. Secondly, the amnesty act adopted by the Azerbaijani Parliament in March 2009 may result in near-term release of some 1700 prisoners, most of whom in all likelihood entering into the labour market. The project’s overall goal is to contribute to creating new and sustaining existing jobs by stimulating entrepreneurship and helping small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) keep up and improve their businesses.

The OSCE Office in Baku has been engaged in entrepreneurship and business training in Azerbaijan since 2007. The ILO-designed Start and Improve Your Business training concept was introduced in Azerbaijan by the Office’s support in 2007-2008. The Office has also supported private farmers as well as food processing and wholesale entities in developing their marketing, financing and production methods. The present project would build on the Office’s past experience in entrepreneurship and business training.

Objectives of the assignment
The assignment forms an essential part of the implementation of the OSCE project no. 4300084 “Promoting Entrepreneurship and SME Business Development” whose overall objective is to contribute to creating new and sustaining existing jobs by stimulating entrepreneurship and helping small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) keep up and improve their businesses.

Scope of Services
The successful Bidder is supposed to design, market, deliver and administer the delivery of two training  programmes, and to conduct individual business counselling for the participants:

•	one programme for one hundred potential entrepreneurs to support them in assessing the viability of their business ideas and getting started with their businesses.
•	one programme for one hundred existing entrepreneurs (or managers of small and medium sized businesses) to support them in sustaining and further developing their businesses.

Through the present tender the OSCE Office in Baku is outsourcing a complete range of services needed to deliver the above referenced training and counselling programmes. This means that, in addition to the professional expertise in the subject matter concerned, the Bidders must possess the administrative capacity to conduct all support activities that are needed to make the delivery of the training and counselling programmes possible.

Expected output and performance indicators
The expected output is a successful delivery of relevant training and counselling programmes, serving towards achieving the objective of the OSCE project no. 4300084 “Promoting Entrepreneurship and SME Business Development”.

In a mid-term review, to be conducted by the OSCE Office in Baku through surveys and interviews among the beneficiaries, the performance indicators are:
- the beneficiaries’ assessment of the relevance of the training and counselling programmes
- the beneficiaries’ assessment of the expertise of the staff of the successful Bidder in conducting the programmes

The end state review will focus on evaluating the effectiveness of the project, seeking to identify its immediate contribution in light of the following main indicators:
- percentage of enrolled beneficiaries who passed the training and counselling programmes
- number of new enterprises founded, including self-employment, or seriously being planned by the beneficiaries
- number of new jobs created or sustained in the beneficiaries’ businesses
- credits or grants raised by the beneficiaries’ businesses

Qualifications of Bidder
Any duly registered commercial or non-profit entity possessing relevant professional expertise and sufficient administrative capacity may participate in the tender.

Eligibility criteria set out in subsection 2 (“Eligibility of Bidders”) of Section I (“Instructions to Bidders”) of these Bidding Documents apply.

Required Inputs 
In their Technical Proposals the Bidders are expected to describe in detail their training and counselling programme concepts. It should be noted that the programme concept, i.e. the content, scope and delivery modalities, is an essential element in scoring the Technical Proposal.

The main inputs, required from the successful Bidder, are listed below:

•	human resources to conduct the training and counselling services
•	human resources to administer the delivery of the training and counselling programmes (including but not limited to handling the admission and keeping accurate records of the beneficiaries)
•	marketing the training and counselling programmes to attract qualified candidates
•	conducting the selection of participants to the programmes based on clear and transparent admission criteria that will be agreed upon with the OSCE in advance
•	arranging facilities where the training events and counselling sessions take place
•	arranging the training materials
•	producing certificates of the training
•	any other support services necessary to make the successful delivery of the training and counselling programmes possible

As the OSCE Office in Baku is outsourcing the delivery of the training and counselling programmes on an all-inclusive basis, an exhaustive list of the required inputs from the successful Bidder cannot be presented. The Bidders should understand that they are supposed to sort out, at their own expense, also possible unforeseen issues that may arise in connection with the delivery of the training and counselling programmes.

Liaison Arrangements
The OSCE Office in Baku reserves the right to liaise with relevant state agencies and other stakeholders and may invite their representatives to deliver presentations in connection with the training programmes. Should such presentations be agreed upon with the OSCE Office in Baku and the respective state agencies or other stakeholders, the successful Bidder is required to incorporate the respective presentations in the training and counselling programmes.

Reports and Time schedule
Indicative timeline of the activities:
•	Late June – mid July, 2009:  Selection of the successful Bidder.
•	Late July / August – early September, 2009:  The successful Bidder is supposed to market the training and counselling programmes and conduct participant admission. In parallel with this the successful Bidder is supposed to fine-tune the contents and delivery modalities of the training and counselling programmes as well as to plan ahead and handle in advance as many as possible practical arrangements.
•	September – November, 2009:  Delivery of the training and business counselling programmes by the successful Bidder.
•	December, 2009:  Final reporting.

The successful Bidder is required to report to the OSCE Office in Baku twice per month on the progress of the implementation of its services. In addition it is required to respond promptly to any other inquiries or requests that the OSCE Office in Baku may have in the course of the contract period.

The successful Bidder shall prepare and submit to the OSCE Office in Baku the final report by December 15, 2009.

Data, Services, personnel, and Facilities to be provided by the OSCE
The project will be supported and monitored by the staff of the Economic and Environment Affairs Unit of the OSCE Office in Baku. Regular contacts will be held with the successful Bidder, and site visits will be paid while it is carrying out the training and counselling programmes.

Two formal reviews will be conducted by the OSCE Office in Baku, consisting of surveys and interviews among the beneficiaries. In the mid-term review, the beneficiaries will be requested to assess the relevance and quality of the training programmes and counselling services, and if need be, suggest corrective action towards the end of the project implementation. The end state review will focus on evaluating the effectiveness of the project.