Call for tenders' details Call for tenders question list

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Call for tenders questions summary

Call for tenders' details

Title: User Support in Information Technologies Start date: 05/08/2021 Time limit for receipt of tenders: 22/09/2021 Contracting authority: European Parliament, DG Innovation and Technological support (ITEC) Status: Closed

Call for tenders question list

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Question subject Question Answer

1 05/08/202115:26

06/08/202111:32

Forms in editable format Can you please provide us with theeditable format of the Forms 0, 1,3.1, 3.2A, 3.2B, 3.3A, 3.3B and 4?

06/08/2021The previously published "02 TenderSpecifications" PDF file has beenreplaced with an editable Word file.The content is identical.

2 05/08/202115:26

06/08/202111:33

Annex IV Checklist to documents tobe submitted with the tender

Our understanding is that theDocument proving the actual statusof thegroup and the Form 3.2B-Power ofAttorney (both listed in theChecklist), include the sameinformation/description. Can youpleaseconfirm that the Form 3.2B-Power ofAttorney, signed by all the groupmembers is sufficient in order to bedescribed the actual status of thegroup?

06/08/2021Indeed, IN CASE of a group ofeconomic operators that does NOThave a legal personality, the FORM3.2 B) - AGREEMENT/POWER OFATTORNEY will constitute the"Document proving the actual statusof the group".

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3 05/08/202115:27

06/08/202111:33

Form 4 – Declaration on Honour It is our understanding that points5(a) and 5(b) under section VII –SELECTION CRITERIA, should beanswered N/A by all the consortiummembers(including consortium leader) andsubcontractors (if any), since theselection criteria do not applyINDIVIDUALLY to any company in aJointTender and the option YES in 5(a)and 5(b) fields are only applicable inthe case of a sole tender. Inaddition, the consortium capacity isdeclared in the consortium leader’sdeclaration where 6(c) request willbe answered YES. Please confirmthat our understanding is correct oradvise accordingly.

06/08/2021The contracting authority confirmsyour understanding.

4 06/08/202119:14

10/08/202108:01

Delay of the date of submission. Due to the holiday period andvarious religious festivals in AugustandSeptember (Muslim New Year,Assumption, Birthday of GaneshHindu, RoshHashannah, Yom Kippur, Sukkot,Autumn Equinox, etc...), would it bepossible to delay the date ofsubmission of the tenders by 2 or 3weeks?

10/08/2021When setting the time limit for receiptof tenders, the contracting authorityhas chosen to go way beyond theshortest legally possible deadline, andadded more than three weeksadditionally to that, in order to alloweconomic operators to have sufficienttime to prepare their tenders.Consequently, the contractingauthority does not consider to extendthe submission time limit.

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5 06/08/202112:14

10/08/202110:45

Reimbursable expenses Can the Authority please republish"EN-03A03 ITUSS21 - Annex III toFWC - Reimbursable Expenses.pdf"as the tables are cut off and donot show the detail clearly, fromPage 3 onwards.

10/08/2021 The file "EN-03A03 ITUSS21 - AnnexIII to FWC - ReimbursableExpenses.pdf" has been republish.

6 06/08/202119:06

11/08/202116:12

CVs based on the profiles of "AnnexD to Technical Specifications -Profiles"

Is our understanding correct if aJunior on profiles 13. RAPC, 14.LAP,16. LTA, 17. SAC and 18.CAC, hasa min. 300 ECTS or equivalent /EQFLevel 7 diploma, he/she does notneed to have any year ofprofessionalexperience? Is our understandingcorrect if a Senior on profiles 13.RAPC, 14. LAP and 16. LTA has amin. 300 ECTS or equivalent / EQFLevel7 diploma, he/she does not need tohave any year of professionalexperience? If our understanding isNOT correct, how many years ofexperience does the junior and thesenior need to have in addition to amin. 300 ECTS or equivalent / EQFLevel 7 diploma?

11/08/2021Yes, your understanding is correct, ifthe profile has min. 300 ECTS orequivalent /EQF Level 7 Diploma inthe field referenced in the profile,he/she does not need to have anyyear of professional experience.17/08/2021Additional clarification: for the seniorlevel, for the profiles SAC and CAConly, a second cycle (min. 300 ECTSor equivalent / EQF Level 7) diplomais not sufficient on its own, butrequires as well 3 years of relevantexperience, as indicated in theexperience sections of those profiles.

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7 10/08/202110:19

24/08/202114:38

Annex M to Technical specifications– Questionnaire on the Technicalandprofessional capacity – QuestionM.1.

With reference to question M.1 ofannex M to the TechnicalSpecification- Questionnaire on the technical andprofessional capacity, it isrequested a list of 2 principal ITsupport services references, wherethe ‘’Tenderer (group leader or anyof the co-contractors) carried outthe role of the leadingimplementer/service provider". Toourunderstanding a contract referencewhich fulfils all the tender’srequirements (e.g. provided in thepast 3 years, more than 50 man-years,etc) and the Tenderer is/was actingas a consortium partner and a majorservice provider is eligible to beprovided. Please confirm ourunderstanding or clarify further.

24/08/2021Yes, your understanding is correct.

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8 10/08/202110:19

24/08/202114:42

Annex M to Technical specifications– Questionnaire on the Technicalandprofessional capacity

With reference to question M.1 ofannex M to the TechnicalSpecification- Questionnaire on the technical andprofessional and professionalcapacity, it is requested a ‘’list of 2principal IT support servicesreferences provided in the past threeyears (i.e. they were on-going in2018, 2019, 2020’’. To ourunderstanding: a) A contract thatstartedbefore 1/1/2018, but we present onlyspecific agreements for projectsand services starting on or after1/1/2018, covering a similar scopeandthe minimum volumes required, iseligible to be provided. Pleaseconfirmour understating or clarify further. b)A Framework Contract thatstarted in 06/2020, covering a similarscope and the minimum 50man-years required, is eligible to beprovided. Please confirm ourunderstating or clarify further.

24/08/2021a) Your understanding is correct. b)Your understanding is correct.

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9 10/08/202116:36

24/08/202114:43

CVs to be provided In the annex M to technicalspecifications, page 5/6 "Only theexact number of CVs per profile asrequested will be considered,additional CVs provided will beignored". Could you please confirmthat the CVs to be provided are the45 CVs (no more no less) listed inthe table included in thequestionnaire?

24/08/2021Your understanding is correct.

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10 06/08/202116:37

24/08/202115:48

Annex IV to TS Checklist ofdocuments to be submitted with thetender /Assurance of undertaking

On page 13 of the tenderspecifications, we read "Thetenderer mayalso rely on the capacity of otherentities, irrespective of the legalnature of the links between him andthose entities. In that case, hemust prove to the EuropeanParliament that he will have theresourcesneeded to perform the contract, forinstance by providing an assuranceof the undertaking..." However, inAnnex IV, the "Assurance ofundertaking" is selected for "Memberof the Group" and"Identified Contractor", but not forthe "Entities onwhose capacity is being relied". Ourunderstanding is that this isa clerical error, and no assurance ofundertaking is required by theMembers of the Group, while it isrequired by the IdentifiedSubcontractor and by the Entity onwhose capacity is being relied.Please confirm our understanding orclarify further.

24/08/2021Yes, your understanding is correct. Insuch cases the assurance ofundertaking may be provided by the"Identified Subcontractor" and will beprovided by the "Other entity onwhose capacity is being relied", butnot by the "Member of the group". Thecorrected checklist will be publishedsoon.

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11 10/08/202110:20

25/08/202110:24

Annex M to Technical specifications– Questionnaire on the Technicalandprofessional capacity

With reference to Annex D toTechnical Specifications – Profiles,theITIL 4 Foundation certificate isrequired for all the profiles of thistender, (or where absent, a TM-1 orFP-2) penalty may apply andcertification must be passed within 3months after the start of thecontract. To our understanding CVsof candidates that have the ITIL v3Foundation certificate are eligible tobe provided for the coverage ofthe technical and professionalcapacity questionnaire M.2. Pleaseconfirm our understanding or clarifyfurther.


12 10/08/202116:29

25/08/202110:26

Annex B Service Requirements ITILCertification versions and proposedCVs

In this Annex it is mentioned thatstaff must be trained in ITIL V3 orV4. We understand that bothversions are eligible ?


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13 10/08/202116:32

25/08/202110:28

CVs - German level In the Annex D to technicalspecifications - Profiles, for some oftheprofiles it is requested "Part of theconsultants needs to befluent in German both written andoral as well". Our understandingis that for these profiles, a good levelof German is not mandatory inthe tendering stage and will only berequested during the execution ofthe contract depending on the needsof EP. Please, confirm ourunderstanding is correct.


14 13/08/202113:56

25/08/202110:30

Service Volumes According to Annex C of theTechnical Specifications, the servicevolumes provided refer to year 2019that was an Election year and toyear 2020 which was a pandemicyear and as such they cannot beconsidered as representative(especially the latter ones) for theupcoming years. Could you pleasespecify, which of these volumesshouldbe considered as the baseline forfinancial offer pricing purposes?

25/08/2021Service volumes provided are basedon activity in 2019 and 2020, but werereviewed by relevant EuropeanParliament stakeholders for relevancebefore being indicated as baselineservice volumes. Therefore, theyshould be considered as validatedbaselines, with the 2020 figures orindicated service-specific figuresbeing used as basis for any fixed-price service pricing purposes.

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15 15/08/202110:57

25/08/202110:33

Annex I - Technical Specifications (1) section 5.3 - You mention in the2nd par that the Proximity supportis 'also a 2nd level assignmentgroup'. In addition to what? (2)section5.3. - The Mobility Support is a 1stand 2nd level assignment group.What do you mean by 'assignmentgroup'. Your text is confusing. (3)section 5.4 - is the Local LogisticsSupport serving the EP's CentralLogistics and Procurement Servicesor directly the users? (4) youmention often the role of the agent.is that the Contractor and itspersonnel? (5) section 6Procurement - the services listedunder 6.1.2have nothing to do with what thedefinition of procurement is about. Isthat a mistake? Especially asProcurement is dealt with theservices ofsection 7? Can you please elaboratewhat is the difference and to whatyou are referring to exactly?

25/08/2021(1) The Proximity support team is alsoa 2nd level assignment group inaddition to being a first levelassignment group. (2) An assignmentgroup is a specific group of people towhom specific categories of ticket areassigned. An assignment group maybe both first or second level as theyhandle tickets assigned directly tothem following user contact or ticketswhich are assigned by a service desk.(3) The Local Logistics Support teamservices the users directly as part ofthe User Support Unit. CentralLogistics and Procurement would be asecond contract by the IndividualEquipment and Logistics Unit. (4) Forthe purposes of this contract, theagent is the individual consultantworking in any of the servicesconcerned. (5) This service relates tointernal procurement for the UserSupport Unit and covers acquisitionand delivery of software from theservices described under part 7(provided by the Individual Equipmentand Logistics Unit). The tasksconcerned are what will need to becarried out under this service.

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16 15/08/202111:06

25/08/202110:36

Annex I - Technical Specifications 1) section 7.3 - you mention oftenthe service element of a 'project'.What is your definition of a project?any service instance that includesall parts of section 7.3.3 (serviceworkflow)? 2) in the case ofundertaking a project, will ENGAGEbe expected to be used? 3) isProjectManagement an Additional ITservice element per se or can it berequested within other Servicegroups i.e. Operational ManagementServices?

25/08/2021(1) Yes per elements in 7.3.3 and7.3.4 (2) Not necessarily, particularlyin cases of smaller projects. Ithowever can be considered to bebeneficial in discussion by thestakeholders. The necessaryelements of how projects are to becarried out within this service elementare specified in 7.3.3 and 7.3.4 (3)Project management is includedunder IT Additional ServicesComponent. See section 8 where thisis noted.

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17 15/08/202112:15

25/08/202110:38

Annex B - Service Requirements (1) In section 7 you mention thetransition phase. Is that the Phase Inat the beginning of the contract? Ifnot what is the definition oftransition? (2) You state in setion7.3that a Problem Manager should beprovided for every servicecomponent? Do you mean oneProblemManager/Management function forthe IT Operational ManagementServices,one for Procurement... and so on?How many PM functions do youenvisage?(3) You mention in section 7.7Continuous Service Improvement.This isan ITIL v3 term. ITIL 4 usescontinual improvement. Can we useeitherterm in the description of ourapproaches? Can we use CI as theacronymfor either Continuous ServiceImprovement or ContinualImprovement? Andcan you confirm we can use ITIL 4 inthe description of the CI?

25/08/2021(1) we confirm that this is the phase inat the beginning of the contract. (2) Aproblem management role should beprovided for each service componentin the case of fixed price contractsonly. (3) We confirm that you may useITIL 4 in the description of continuousimprovement activities.

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18 15/08/202119:56

25/08/202110:47

Annex E - Service Governance (1) you state in section 2.5 that 'onepf the following organisationschemes regarding... will beselected before the transmission oftherequest to the Contractor'. What areyour selection criteria and whatwill be the choice between? Yourtext is highly confusing. (2) section2.5.2.2. Does the TechnicalCommittee apply to all assignmentsindividually or as a whole? (3) Whatis SMART plan and to what does itrefer to? (4) You state that the CSIactions will be part of theTechnical Committees for FO only?Will CSI ONLY apply to Fixed Price?(5) Section 2.5.2.3. what are the LogFiles and where are they defined?(6) Section 2.6. Please can youprovide us with the details of theescalation procedure? (7) Section3.2. Indicator SM-6. Which ProgressMeetings? Defined where exactly?(8) Section 3.3.1. Please can youprovide with an example of ERQ-1failure or compliance from thecurrentrunning of the contract to help usunderstand? (9) Section 3.3.2. Youstate 'staff retired', do you meanreplaced? If not, what exactly do youmean? Thank you...

25/08/2021(1) The criteria relates to what type ofspecific contract is underconsideration be it a time and meanscontract, fixed price contract orquoted time and means, and theassociated volume of agents. (2) Thetechnical Committee applies to allassignments as a whole. (3) ASMART plan is one which is SpecificMeasurable Achievable RelevantTimely. It relates to serviceimprovement plans. (4) Yourunderstanding is correct. CSI planningwill relate to FP contracts only. (5)This is defined in section 2.5.2.3 (6)This is outlined in section 2.6. (7)These meetings are defined in section2.5 Service Meetings (8) No. (9) Thisrefers to staff which should bereplaced by request of the EuropeanParliament.

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19 16/08/202109:58

25/08/202110:49

Technical Specifications Confusion between ITIL v3 and ITIL4. Please can you confirm that wehave to use, describe and explainITIL 4 Practices? If yes, please canyou be specific in your specificationsre the use of ITIL? We believethat some parts of the specificationsneed re-addressing to reflect ITIL4 practices. This to be done, pleasedo consider a deadline extension of2-3 weeks. Thank you...

25/08/2021Per Section 7 Annex B - ServiceRequirements the Contracting Partyspecifically outlines that both V3 andV4 are possible in this context.Additional time will not be madeavailable as the time made availablehas already extended beyond thenormal minimum.

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20 16/08/202116:35

25/08/202110:51

Annex L to Specifications -Technical Evaluation Questionnaire

(1) Question L.2.2. QualityMonitoring. You request fpr our CSIproposals, while in Question L.2.14you request for the entire approachto CSI? What different aspects doyou want us to address in the twoquestions? Do take into account thatthe CSI question is limited to 1page, not even enough space tohave headings and sub-heading. (2)Question L.2.16. There seems to bea mistaken phase. You ask us toconsider both Time and Means andwhat else exactly? Do you meanboth TMand FP cases? and what is exactlythe scenario you are referring to? (3)Please can you consider increasingall 1 page questions to 2 pages. Itshould make perfect sense, forexample for questions such as RiskManagement with 6% weight to bedescribed in 2 pages instead of 1...Weonly aim at offering to you highlyqualitative answers but the pagelimitations are extremely limiting ourroom for manoeuvring

25/08/2021(1) Question L.2.2 refers specificallyto how you intend to measure andmaintain the quality of your servicedelivery. L.2.14 is specific to the CSIprocess itself. (2) We confirm that thisshould apply to both time and meansand fixed price contract types. Thescenario relates to planning for aproject of regular work that is larger inscope than the activity be be ascarried out under business as usual.(3) We cannot increase the size of thequestion answers.

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21 17/08/202111:41

25/08/202110:59

Annex D, profile description. TM-1,FP-2 penalty

For some profiles, we have noticedthe following "ITIL V4Foundation Certified (or whereabsent, a (TM-1 or FP-2) penaltymayapply and certification must bepassed within 3 months after thestartof the contract)" Can you please letus know where the descriptionof TM-1 and FP-2 is stated as wecannot find it in Annex F SLA?

25/08/2021The location of TM-1 is in Annex EService Governance on page 21. Thelocation of FP-2 is in Annex E ServiceGovernance on page 24

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22 25/08/202112:05

26/08/202112:11

PE/ITEC-ITUSS21 Annex D toTechnical Specifications - Profiles

The Experience requirement for bothsenior and junior RAPC and LAPprofiles is capped at EQF 7 withoutexperience, although the lowerlevels of education come withdifferent levels of experience. CantheAuthority confirm if ourunderstanding is correct and if yes,provide a correction?

26/08/2021For those profiles, persons with EQF7+ levels of education (i.e. 300+ECTS / second cycle of highereducation+) can be engaged at bothjunior and senior levels without anywork/non-educational experience as itis considered that such persons havegained the necessary experiencethrough education to act in a seniorrole in those profiles if the contractorwishes to engage them at that leveldirectly. Whether or not a person withEQF 7+ education and no experienceis proposed in a junior or senior role inthese profiles is left for theconsideration of the tenderer, inparticular when operating in fixed-price mode (as the service elementsconnected to the RAPC and LAPprofiles are) and therefore having theconsideration of achieving therelevant SLAs.

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23 25/08/202112:32

30/08/202110:49

Tender Specifications/Section 15.3.Technical and professional capacity

Can we consider staff of our affiliateentity (which is part of the samegroup company) as permanent staff?

30/08/2021Please refer to Section M.2 in AnnexM to Technical Specifications -Questionnaire on the Technical andprofessional capacity. Permanent staffof (1) a single tenderer or of (2) anymember of a group of economicoperators or of (3) an entity on whosecapacity the tenderer relies on, isconsidered as permanent staff of thetenderer. Permanent staff of asubcontractor is not considered aspermanent staff of the tenderer.

24 15/08/202111:50

30/08/202115:18

Annex B - Service Requirements Sections 3 - you mention that within10 days... the Contractor shallreturn a comprehensive technicaland financial offer, includingdescription of tasks... (page 4/35).Can you please confirm that adetailed technical proposal is onlyrequired for Fixed Price (FP) andQuoted Times and Means (QTM)services?

30/08/2021Your understanding is incorrect. Eachresponse will require a proposal inresponse to a contract statement ofwork.

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25 18/08/202110:55

30/08/202115:19

ITUSS21 - Annex M to TechnicalSpecifications - Questionnaire on theTechnical and professional capacity

Under heading M.1 Tenderer'sexperience in the domain withreference tosimilar contracts, thequestions/instructions specify thatanswers tothe questions must be in the rangebetween 2 to 4 pages. Can theContracting Authority confirm ourunderstanding as follows: 1)descriptions of references as percriterion M.1 must be minimum 2pagesand maximum 4 pages in length, 2)the page limitation does not apply tothe documents to be provided inresponse to criterion M.3 -Tenderer'squality assurance methodology


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26 10/08/202110:28

30/08/202115:23

M.3 Tenderer’s quality assurancemethodology

"...provide a minimum of 3documents assessing qualityprocedures,service management methodologiesand project managementmethodologies..." a) Can you pleaseconfirm if 3 such documents arerequired for the tendering group as awhole and not for each and everyco-contractor? It is indicated in"Annex IV - Checklist" to berequired for the Group Leader. b)Can you please clarify what youmeanby "documents _assessing_ ..."?Does this refer to assessmentsof our procedures, e.g. audits(internal or external)? Does this referto written manuals or policies usedby our delivery organisation? Doesthis refer to an ISO 9000certification? c) Can you pleaseclarify whatyou precisely mean by "must refer todifferent methodologies"?In case, our Quality ManagementSystem is based on at least 3differentmethodologies, we understand thatthis covers this requirement.

30/08/2021(A) Annex M states that “In case of ajoint offer, provide the relevantinformation for the group leader andeach co-contractor.” (B) This refers toassessments of your procedures (C)your understanding is correct in linewith Annex M. Section M.3

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27 19/08/202115:34

01/09/202111:20

Case Study L.1.2 - "central logisticsand procurement services handover"

In relation to Case Study L.1.2 -"central logistics andprocurement services hand over",could you please confirm if allthe tenderers, being the incumbentcontractor or not, should answer withthe same approach so that thedifferent tenders can be comparable,assuming that the contractor takingover will be different from theprevious contractor?

01/09/2021All tenderers are expected to presenttheir case studies in an agnosticfashion to their potential currentincumbent status as a hand-over mustoccur between the incumbentcontractor and the laureate, even ifsome or all of the economic operatorsthat are incumbent are selected aslaureates. Please note as well thatservices requested under ITUSS21have evolved over services offeredunder the incumbent ITUSS17framework contract, necessitating ahand-over and phase-in.

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28 25/08/202113:53

01/09/202114:23

Electronic signature of tenderdocuments

Regarding the documents that needto be signed, our understanding isthat we can use a QualifiedElectronic Signature. Can youplease confirm?

01/09/2021As the method of submission fortenders is exclusively via e-Submission, all documents uploadedto e-Submission (except thedocuments that do not require anysignature) will initially be acceptedwhen (1) signed electronically (atleast "advanced electronic signature")OR (2) signed by an authorizedsignatory via Qualified ElectronicSignatures (QES) issued by TrustService Providers recognized by theEuropean Commission(esignature.ec.europa.eu/efda) OR (3)hand signed, and scanned (there isNO need to send in an original paperversion per post). In case option (2) ischosen the tender documents thatneed to be signed must be provided inPDF and signed with QES as part ofthe digital file component of thesubmission (to allow for signaturevalidation). Should the conversion toPDF cause issues with displaying thedocument properly, both a signedPDF version as well as the equivalentfilled out version in the originaleditable format (such as MicrosoftOffice formats) must be submitted, inorder to allow the contracting authorityto properly evaluate the submission.Please note that the contractingauthority reserves the right to requestthe authentic version (i.e. "qualified

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the authentic version (i.e. "qualifiedelectronic signature" or original paperversion of hand-signed document) ofany document during the procurementprocedure.

29 27/08/202110:21

02/09/202110:50

L.2.8 Organisation model - jrseniority level

Can you please confirm if "jr"seniority level in the tablefrom question L.2.8 Organisationmodel is a typo error? Weunderstand itcorresponds to the std (standard)seniority level as defined in thePrice Evaluation Form. Can wereplace "jr" with"std" in our answer?

02/09/2021Regarding the table in question L.2.8Organisation model, "Jr" senioritylevel is equivalent to standard "Std"seniority level as defined in PriceEvaluation Form. We confirm that inthe table in L.2.8 the junior "jr"seniority level should be replaced bystandard "std" seniority level forprofiles LAP, LTA, SAC.

30 03/09/202109:51

03/09/202110:07

SOFTCLOUD At page 15 of annex H, thedocument reads “Software andCloud AssetsManagement (SOFTCLOUD)”. Ourunderstanding is that SOFTCLOUDis the“nickname” of the internal EPdepartment “Software and CloudAssetsManagement”, where the SAC andCAC’s are operating (and not thename oftool, solution or service in place atthe EP). Could you confirm orclarify?

03/09/2021Your understanding is correct

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31 03/09/202110:55

03/09/202111:47

L.2.8 Organisation model - RAPCprofile

We understand that there is a typomistake in the table to be filled inquestion L.2.8. RAPC profile hasstandard and seniority levels, andweunderstand that this should bespecified in this table. Can youpleaseconfirm if we should split this RAPCrow into 2 or we should leave itlike this?

03/09/2021Regarding the table in question L.2.8Organisation model, yourunderstanding is correct, the theRAPC profile can be split in 2 linescorresponding to Std (Standard) andSr (Senior) seniority level in youranswers.

32 30/08/202110:35

03/09/202111:58

Cloud Asset Management services We understand that the potentialadd-on option of Cloud AssetManagementservices should be considered aspart of our answers (L.2.7, L.2.8 andalso possible transition/ additionalcosts). Can you confirm ourunderstanding is correct?

03/09/2021Yes, it is correct. Each tenderershould reply to the Cloud AssetManagement requirement. The "add-on option" refers to the fact that theSoftware Asset Management serviceelement (staffed by SAC profiles) canbe ordered by the ContractingAuthority with or without theaccompanying Cloud AssetManagement (staffed by CACprofiles) add-on service element. TheCloud Asset Management serviceelement cannot be ordered withoutthe underlying Software AssetManagement service element being inplace.

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33 03/09/202109:51

03/09/202112:20

Licence Managers Question: At section 7.4.3.2.2 ofAnnex I, the document reads “2. TheSAM team contacts the relevantlicence manager(s), as well as theimpacted CRMs and LSAs in orderto request relevant optimizations”.Could you please explain who the“licence managers” are? What istheirrole (job description)? How many arethey? Where are they located in theorganization? Which interactions dothey have with the SAM team?

03/09/2021The licence manager is typically thesoftware owner or softwareresponsible in the EP for that specificsoftware. The exact assignment of therole depends on internal agreementfor a specific software. Those are thepersons responsible for the softwarefrom a business (software owner) ortechnical (software responsible)perspective, that are responsible forthe strategy, policies and evolution ofthe specific software in questionwithin the Parliament. Softwareresponsibles are typically IT stafflocated in the various units of DGITEC or within the IT units in theResources directorates of other DGs.They can be internal or external staff.Software owners are typically Headsof Unit of the unit whose businessneeds are being addressed by thesoftware in question. They can befrom any DG. They are alwaysofficials. Transversal softwareintended for wide use often hasassigned as software responsible theProject Leader in charge of SAMwithin SOFTCLOUD and as softwareowner the Head of Service ofSOFTCLOUD. In the role of licencemanager of a software, such personsare responsible primarily forconfirming the rules/scope forassignment of licenses and their

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assignment of licenses and theirdeployment to the SAM team, as acontact point for the SAM team incase clarifications are neededregarding those in specific instancesand, importantly, they are the contactfor the software to confirm continuingneed of licencing the software (andthe quantities involved) during annualsoftware renewal exercises,conducted by the SAM team, duringwhich the maintenance/subscriptionrenewals for the following year areplanned out. Question30

https://etendering.ted.europa.eu/qa/question.html?questionId=89567

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34 11/08/202115:35

03/09/202122:16

M.2 CVs - ITIL V4 certification Annex D defines the requirement of"ITIL V4 FoundationCertified" for the profiles with inbrackets "or where absent,a (TM-1 or FP-2) penalty may applyand the certification must be passedwithin 3 months after the start of thecontract". Since TM-1 andFP-2 are ordering related qualityindicators, not applicable attendering stage, could you pleaseconfirm our understanding that anITILV4 Foundation Certification is notmandatory for the CVs proposedwithour tender? We understand that aCV without ITIL V4 FoundationCertification will be accepted duringthe tendering stage. However,during the execution, we ensure thatthe proposed candidates forrequests have passed thecertification or will pass it within thefirst3 months.

03/09/2021This requirement is not uniformacross all profiles. For those profileswhich specify the possible applicationof a TM-1 or FP-2 penalty for non-compliance at execution, thecertification is not mandatory attendering stage. For any other profile,the CVs should be compliant with thedetails in each individual profile.

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35 15/08/202110:52

03/09/202122:21

Annex I - Technical Specifications (1) section 2.3 - can you pleaseconfirm that VIP services includesboththe MEPs and the APAs? (2) section2.3 - can you please confirm thatMEPIT Support Unit (MPEITSUP) andUser Support Unit are 2 separateunits ofthe DG ITEC? (3) section 2.3 - in thedescription of the Support Unit inthe par following the description ofMPEITSUP (page 8/51). Can youplease confirm that the Support Unitis part of the MEPITSUP and thatthe consequent ref to 'each unit willmanage...' refers to departmentsmentioned above? (4) section 2.4 -Are LaP and RaP the names of theITEC's units or will they be thenames/structured of the Contractors'service structures? (5) section 3.3 -what do you mean by ProjectManagement and Governance. PMof what exactly? Governanceservices inwhat sense? (6) section 4.3 - In thepart refering to Transition to TMand vice versa. you mention that Allthe services in User Support andMEP IT Support will move to Timeand Means. Are there any plansregarding this and what is thestrategy behind such a possibleservice

03/09/2021(1) We do not confirm that VIPservices include both MEPs andAPAs and refer you to Section 1.1.5of Annex C of Volumes and ServiceRequirement variables which has adetailed breakdown of the differentcategories of users. (2) MEPITSUPand User Support are 2 separate unitswithin DG ITEC (3) Support Unit isUser Support Unit, not MEPITSUPunit. The reference to each unit is toUser Support Unit and to MEPITSUPUnit. (4) the two names refer toservice teams to be deployed withinthe Individual Equipment andLogistics Unit (EQUILOG). In thiscontext, LaP refers to the "Logisticsand Planning" service element withinthe ICT Logistics and Operations(LOGOPS) Service of the EQUILOGUnit, while RaP refers to the "Requestand Procurement" service elementshared between the ICT Equipmentand Services Procurement(EQUIPROC) Service and theSoftware and Cloud AssetsManagement (SOFTCLOUD) Serviceof the EQUILOG Unit. Please see thedefinitions provided in sections 7.1and 7.2 of the TechnicalSpecifications for further info on LaPand RaP, respectively. (5) Projectmanagement means the managementof any incidental projects. For

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serviceelement? (7) section 4.4 - ITIL. youmention that the ManagementServices refer to ITIL... Do you meantha Operational ManagementServices? And if yes, why does ITILnot also cover the other servicesrequested under this contract e.gCentral Logistics and Procurement?(8)section 5.1. - can you please confirmthat the IT Service ManagementTool is EPSD soon to be replaced byServiceNow (defined in section 5.9)?(9) section 5.2 - why is theSwitchboard a separate service oftheservice desk? i.e. why is service ofsection 5.1 different to that of5.2? we are perplexed...

of any incidental projects. Forgovernance, it includes those contractand service delivery managementactivities required to support thecontract. (6) Your response to CaseStudy 1 should reflect how you wouldplan for the move to time and meansin these two teams. Regarding thestrategy, it is not relevant to this CFT.(7) The references to the use of ITILshould be understood to encompassall the service elements defined,especially when used in fixed-pricemode. (8) We confirm that the servicemanagement tool is EPSD to bereplaced by ServiceNow. (9) TheSwitchboard is not an IT supportfunction, but the general telephoneswitchboard for the entire EuropeanParliament. As such it does nothandle IT calls. However, it is aservice within the User Support Unitand is included here forcompleteness.

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36 16/08/202107:48

03/09/202122:25

L.2.3-Pricing MethodologyOperational management services

We understand that our pricingmethodology and subsequentfinancialoffer should be built considering theentire operational managementservices (IT Support and MEP ITSupport units) and the servicevolumescurrently operated by both externalagents and agents hired by theEuropean Parliament (as mentionedin Case Study 1). Can you confirmourunderstanding is correct?

03/09/2021The answer to this question shouldtake into account the context forwhich this pricing methodology maybe applied and ultimately, it should beapplicable and generalisable to anyone or several of the serviceelements. It is not safe to assume thatall service elements would convert tofixed price at the same time. In theevent that a fixed price contract wasbeing applied to a particular serviceelement, the EP would reassigninternal resources to other serviceelements.

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37 16/08/202116:40

04/09/202111:20

Questions L.2.16 - ProjectManagement

We cannot understand the notion of'project management' and 'project' inthis question. In the specificationsyou mention projects as anyassignment under the ADDITIONALIT SERVICES group but here yourequestthis question for the OperationalManagement Services. Does thismakesense? If for example there is a TMassignment with the people workingintra-muros how do you conceive thePM management function? Andwhatdoes Project Management has to dowith staffing as the question clearlyrefers to?

04/09/2021This refers to the managing of largeamounts of regular work which areoutside the scope of Business asusual, ie, greater in scale. Thequestion ask you to reflect how youmight manage this as a project ratherthan as business as usual. Thequestion L2.16 refers also to this textfrom Annex B: In the context of theservice transition projects at the startof the ITUSS21 contract and in thecontext of projects in the context ofchange management or of the tasksperformed as miscellaneous services,the contractor must provideprofessional project managementfunctions. The project manager isresponsible for organising andcontrolling a project. During thetransition phase, the contractor willprovide a detailed written descriptionof the responsibilities/tasks of theProject Managers. He will also give acompetence profile detailing hardskills and soft skills. He will explain hisapproach to project management inthe contexts mentioned. Projectmanagement will be provided in aTimes and Means model.

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38 18/08/202112:08

04/09/202111:24

ITUSS21 - Annex D to TechnicalSpecifications - Profiles

The descriptions of technical skills itis specified that the profilesmust have an ITIL v4 Foundationcertification. Question: can theContracting Authority confirm if thisv4 certification has to beavailable at time of submission ofthe tender, or if this must be inplace by the start of the contract, i.e.that profiles with ITIL v3certification will be accepted at timeof submission of the tender, withthe understanding that v4certification will be passed beforethe stratof the contract.


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39 24/08/202109:45

04/09/202111:28

Annex H - Case Studies - CaseStudy 7: EP elections

For the purposes of the Case Study,please could you kindly answer thefollowing: (1) Which department(s)and personnel on your side will beinvolved and collaborating with us inthe EP elections exercise? (2) Canyou please clarify which assumptionshould be taken regarding theassistants of the MEPs? In the siteof the Eur. Parliament (staffingarrangements) it is stated that:"MEPs may recruit three accreditedassistants, or, in certaincircumstances, four. ". Do we thenassume 3 per MEP or 4 per MEP?(3) Which moves may occur andtake placeduring the 2 months following theelections? we ask this as you statethat everything should be workingclockwise on day 1 after theelectionsand although some moves andadjustments may naturally occur, wecan notcomprehend the 2 months period.Many thanks in advance

04/09/2021(1) The whole unit is involved andcollaborating in the exercise: all staffand external agents are involved.Usually a "Welcome Village" isorganised to welcome the Memberselected (re-elected or newly elected)and DG ITEC, represented by MEP ITSupport, has a dedicated desk toperform the follow tasks: reception ofemail account, creation of thepassword and of Wifi certificate,reception of administrative documentsand explanation on the IT serviceavailable for Members, delivery of theiPad provided by the EuropeanParliament (2) According to the rules,each Member has the possibility torecruit 3 accredited assistants. Byway of derogation, a fourth accreditedassistant can be allowed by thePresident. At this stage of thelegislature, around 35% of theMembers have asked and receivedthe authorisation for a 4th accreditedassistant. (3) After the elections andduring a period of stabilisation of thepopulation of users, the agents will beasked to solve all issues related toarriving and leaving Members andaccredited assistants: The actions toundertake are the following: - Forleaving users (MEPs and APAs-depending on the results of theelections, potentially 3500 users

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elections, potentially 3500 usersconcerned): restitution of devices,wiping of devices, backup preparationand delivery, update of the data baseand eventual reporting; - For arrivingusers (MEPs and APAs – at thebeginning of the Term 705 MEPs +1500 APAs the recruitment of APAs isincreasingly progressive during thefirst year of the Term): creation of theaccount, the password and of the Wificertificate, reception of administrativedocuments and explanation on the ITservice available for Members,configuration and delivery of thedevices (iPad and/or hybrid) providedby the European Parliament, specificadaptation/trainings, update of thedata base and eventual reporting

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40 24/08/202112:03

04/09/202111:34

ITIL 4 For some profiles, we have noticedthe following "ITIL V4Foundation Certified (or whereabsent, a (TM-1 or FP-2) penaltymayapply and certification must bepassed within 3 months after thestartof the contract)" Our understandingis that the ITIL 4 is requieredfor the execution and therefore, CVsprovided in the tender without thecertificate at this stage, would beacceptable. It would be at the awardstage and in case those CVs areaccepted for the execution, that wewillneed to ensure that already hold theITIL 4 or assume the TM-1 or FP-2penalty. Can you please confirm?

04/09/2021Your understanding is correct; theCVs provided should comply with therelevant profiles in this regard.

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41 25/08/202117:25

04/09/202111:37

Compensation of missingeducational level(s) by additionalexperience

For some profiles, candidates areavailable with long professionalexperience, but they do not hold anyformal education beyond secondary,leaving them at EQF 4 or 5. Can theEP confirm that additionalexperience will be considered tocompensate for missing formaleducationbeyond secondary school graduationand if so provide an indication ofthe number of years of experiencerequired to obtain the required level?

04/09/2021Each profile lists the minimumrequired educational level as well asthe minimum required years ofexperience, in most cases allowing fora higher educational level tocompensate for lower experience andvice versa, therefore alreadyimplementing the requestedcompensatory mechanism. Where aminimum educational level is set atEQF 6 and no provision is given forcompensation by experience at lowereducational levels (such as in theSAC and CAC profiles), this has beendecided deliberately based onrequirements of the domain and thecharacteristics of high-qualityconsultants to be engaged in thatdomain. It is therefore a requirementwhich will not be changed and whereno additional compensation byexperience can be made, even if itmay filter out certain edge-casecandidates which may have longprofessional experience but a loweducational level which would, in thejudgment of the tenderer, be a good fitfor the role.

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42 26/08/202117:07

04/09/202111:37

Service components Annex I, page 9, states that thescope of this call for tenders isstructured along 5 servicecomponents and asks us to lookfurther in thedocument for the list. Can theAuthority clarify if this is a typo andshould in fact be 4 servicecomponents (including OMS, CLP,IT-MG andOther Services)?

04/09/2021We confirm that this is a typo and thecorrect number is 4.

43 30/08/202112:15

04/09/202111:40

ITUSS21 - Annex M to TechnicalSpecifications - Questionnaire on theTechnical and professional capacity> M.1 Tenderer’s experience inthe domain with reference to similarcontracts

As the Annex M reads "The servicerequired a minimum of 50man-years", we understand that thiscriterion is satisfied if, forinstance, 25 FTE's have beenworking during 2 years on thereferencedcontract. In other words, the criterionis "50 man-years" andNOT "50 FTE's over the duration ofthe contract". Could youplease confirm that ourunderstanding is correct?


44 30/08/202112:32

04/09/202111:43

50 Man-Years in the references Could you please confirm that ourunderstanding is correct that yourequire min 50 man-years over thelast 3 years and NOT 50 man-yearsperyear in the references?


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45 30/08/202117:00

04/09/202111:46

Case studies L.1.1 Case Study 1 -Mode of operation

The case study is about “Phase in ofOperational management ServiceElements in Time and Means mode”.The case study elaborates that theservice will continue to be deliveredin fixed price mode by the newcontractor along with EP hiredagents. Should we consider that theservice will continue to be operatedin fixed price mode by the newcontractor or time and means.Please clarify.

04/09/2021Your understanding is incorrect. Youshould respond to the case study asrequired to transition from thesituation described to a time andmeans service delivery mode.

46 30/08/202117:03

04/09/202111:47

Case studies L.1.1 Case Study 1 -Internalization and take-over plan

We understand at the start ofcontract 50% of the resources will beagents hired by EP. To be able tocreate a proper takeover plan weneedto understand which servicecomponents will be internalized.Should weunderstand that the 50% is appliedacross all services in Operationalmanagement services or will it applyto only a subset of services, andif so which are these services? Inthe case of services shared 50%between new contractor and EPhired agents, how will theresponsibilitybe split of SLA and KPIs on the newcontractor. Please clarify

04/09/2021Please note that this case study refersto a transition to time and meanscontracts

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47 10/08/202116:30

04/09/202113:10

CVs - ITIL V4 In the Annex D to technicalspecifications - Profiles, for some oftheprofiles it is requested "ITIL V4Foundation Certified (or whereabsent, a (TM-1 or FP-2) penaltymay apply and certification must bepassed within 3 months after thestart of the contract)". Ourunderstanding is that for thoseprofiles, certificate is not mandatoryin the tendering stage and will onlybe requested during the executionof the contract. Please, confirm ourunderstanding is correct.

04/09/2021Your understanding is correct forthese profiles.

48 10/08/202116:40

04/09/202113:12

M.1 Tenderer’s experience in thedomain with reference to similarcontracts

In the annex M to technicalspecifications, page 2/6: (1)"servicesreferences provided in the past threeyears (i.e. they were on-going in2018, 2019, 2020)" and (2) "Theservice, which is referred to,started on or after 01.01.2018." Ourunderstanding is that servicesstarted before 01.01.2018 are alsoaccepted as long as only the partexecuted after 01.01.2018 isincluded in the reference (andrequirementslisted are meet only with partexecuted before 01.01.2018).Please confirm.


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49 03/09/202116:29

06/09/202110:26

Annex D to technical specifications-Profiles SAC (Software AssetConsultant)/ CAC (Cloud AssetConsultant)

1/ We understand that both profilesSAC and CAC has some similarities.Can we consider that both profilesare interchangeable? 2/ Can weassumethat the European Parliament willallow us to deliver only CAC profilesor only SAC profiles to cover bothroles?

06/09/2021The profiles, while, as noted, havingsimilarities and being related, are notinterchangeable. Challengessurrounding managing on-premisesoftware assets on workstations andservers raise different issues thanmanaging SaaS and PaaS/IaaSassets. While it is quite conceivablethat a consultant would be a fit forboth profiles, this is not necessarilythe case. Nor is it, in the estimate ofthe Contracting Authority, the case formost consultants. Thus, those profilescannot be considered interchangeableand any candidates proposed for anengagement must fit the profilerequested for that engagement. Theseparation of the profiles also allowstenderers to fine-tune their tendersdepending on their tendering strategyand prevailing market conditions forthose different specific profiles,without forcing a "one-size-fits-all"approach that has a risk of leading todifficulties in staffing/recruiting expertspecialists for assignments.

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50 17/08/202119:56

07/09/202114:31

Response format We note that ITUSS21 - Annex L toTechnical Specifications - TechnicalEvaluation Questionnaire lists all thetechnical questions we are beingasked to answer. In each case,following a brief title of eachquestion(with the full details of the questionto answer for the case studiescontained in Annex H), there isspace for an answer. Do you wantus toput each of the answers in the spaceintroduced? We ask because thiswill mean that we submit only onedocument which will be quite longandwill be more difficult for you both tojudge whether we have satisfiedthe page count requirements and tosplit up for assessment purposes.

07/09/2021The contracting authority will accept aseparate document with the answersto Annex L.

51 30/08/202118:38

07/09/202114:41

Technical evaluation - Role of theTTL

We understand that the EuropeanParliament will undertake the role ofTTL in the case of Operationalmanagement service in Time &Means.Namely, it will not be the awardedcontractor who will undertake thisrole. Could you please confirm thisassumption?


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52 31/08/202120:37

07/09/202114:54

Request for extension of tendersubmission deadline

Due to the holiday period in Augustand considering the time taken bythe contracting authority to respondto clarifications, can we kindlyrequest you to extend the tendersubmission deadline by at least 2weeks?

07/09/2021See question 4. The contractingauthority has not exceeded thedeadline for responding toclarifications.

53 31/08/202120:39

07/09/202114:58

Annex L to Technical Specifications- Technical Evaluation Questionnaire

Answer to L.2.16 ‘Projectmanagement’. The question refers to(ourcapitals): ‘Consider BOTH Time &Means scenario for OperationalManagement Services’. Pleaseclarify the meaning of the term‘both’.

07/09/2021See the answer to question 20.2

54 01/09/202110:08

07/09/202115:05

Computer Associates (Annex I,section 8.12)

Please could you clarify thereference to ‘Computer Associates’.

07/09/2021Computer Associates is the softwaremanufacturer of the EPSD ticketingtool (CA Service Desk). ComputerAssociates is the original name oftoday's CA Technologies, a Broadcomsubsidiary. For public open sourceinformation about the company,please find more information athttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CA_Technologies

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55 01/09/202111:14

07/09/202115:07

Annex I, section 5.9 We note in your requirements thatthe ITSM toolset will be replaced in2021. Can the Authority confirm thatServiceNow has been implementedandis now live, and which release of theServiceNow platform has beenimplemented i.e. Quebec? Can theAuthority provide a list of theServiceNow modules or plugins thathave been implemented?

07/09/2021The project to replace the ITSM toolset is currently under way and has notbeen completed. We can confirm thatServiceNow ITSM will beimplemented, exact release to beconfirmed later.

56 01/09/202114:14

07/09/202115:09

Switchboard Would the EP consider an offer tofully staff the EP switchboard orwould you prefer to continue thepresent operating model with EPstaff?

07/09/2021The EP would prefer to continue withthe current operating model featuringEP staff.

57 01/09/202123:48

07/09/202115:11

FP& QTM - Extra muros/ServiceRequirements

Our understanding is that Extramuros services under FP and QTMcan bedelivered in the contractor'spremises in any location within EU.Canyou please confirm?

07/09/2021Annex E, Section 2 Scope andobjectives states that “The EuropeanParliament may be interested ininvestigating alternative deliverysolutions including near site locationsduring the course of the futureframework contract. In essence, thismeans agents working in teleworkingmode at a site no further than 30minutes from European Parliamentbuildings.”

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58 01/09/202123:49

07/09/202115:18

FP& QTM - Extra muros/ServiceRequirements

Can you provide the estimated %volume of work that is expected toberequested in Extra muros mode?

07/09/2021This information is not available asplanning for extra muros is notfinalised. An estimate has not beenprepared. The requirement for QTMcontracts is on a case by case basisover the course of the frameworkcontract.

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59 02/09/202111:16

07/09/202115:56

ITIL requirements for proposedresources

Section 7 of the Annex B toTechnical Specifications - ServiceRequirements document specifiesthat all staff must be trained in ITILV3 or V4 and have very goodknowledge of the OperationalProcesses ofIncident Management, ProblemManagement, Request Fulfilmentand ChangeManagement. Can the contractingauthority confirm our understandingonthe following points: 1) all proposedstaff is required to haveknowledge of ITIL for all of theprofiles specified in the tenderspecifications document; 2) at timeof tender submission, it will besufficient to demonstrate in the staffCVs that staff has acquired ITILknowledge either through training orvia field experience, i.e. formalITIL certification via a recognizedcertification body is not requiredat this stage. 3) formal ITILcertification (v3 or v4) will bemandatoryonly at the start of the contract


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60 03/09/202109:49

07/09/202115:59

Annex E - Service Governance QITM-4- Effective presence of staffduring execution

We understand this indicator will notapply in case of unforeseenabsence due to sickness or casesbeyond the tenderer's control(weatherconditions for instance). Can the EP(i) confirm our understanding iscorrect and (ii) provide the tendererswith all the criteria ofapplicability for this indicator?

07/09/2021In general, the EP may choose not toinvoke TM-4 for most cases ofunavoidable absences of which illnessis clearly one; however, this should beseen in the context of what might beseen as a reasonable absence. Byexample, extended illness withoutcoverage might be considered lessacceptable. Flexibility is desirable forthis case as the unforeseen is bydefinition, unforeseeable.

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61 03/09/202116:26

07/09/202116:02

Annex D to Technical Specifications-Profiles SDO (Service DeskOperator)/ITSS (IT supportspecialist)

1/ Can we consider that both profilesSDO and ITSS are interchangeableas described in the Annex D? 2/ Canwe assume that the EuropeanParliament will allow us to deliveronly ITSS profiles or only SDOprofiles to cover both roles?

07/09/2021The profiles, while, as noted, havingsimilarities and being related, are notinterchangeable. While it is quiteconceivable that a consultant wouldbe a fit for both profiles, this is notnecessarily the case. Nor is it, in theestimate of the Contracting Authority,the case for most consultants. Thus,those profiles cannot be consideredinterchangeable and any candidatesproposed for an engagement must fitthe profile requested for thatengagement. The separation of theprofiles also allows tenderers to fine-tune their tenders depending on theirtendering strategy and prevailingmarket conditions for those differentspecific profiles, without forcing a"one-size-fits-all" approach that has arisk of leading to difficulties instaffing/recruiting expert specialistsfor assignments.

62 05/09/202115:31

08/09/202111:25

Liability cap Could you please confirm that allpenalties and damages, except foradministrative fines, will be limited to30% of the remaining value ofthe specific contract?

08/09/2021No, the 30% limitation mentioned inArticle I.11.2 does not apply either toArticle I.11.1 or to the immediateactions, penalties and liquidateddamages detailed in Annex E to theTender specifications.

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63 06/09/202110:30

08/09/202116:56

Annex M, criterion M.1 + Q&A #25 According to Q&A #25, “descriptionsof references as per criterionM.1 must be minimum 2 pages andmaximum 4 pages in length”. Are wesupposed to add the description ofboth references just below the tablein the Annex M itself? Or do youwant tenderers to attach a separatedocument per reference?

08/09/2021The documents may be added asannexes to Annex M, provided theyare compliant with the page formatrules provided.

64 04/09/202114:22

08/09/202117:00

Case Study 6: Support Organisationfor teleworkers - mobile users

Should we consider that allconcerned services are operated bythecontractor only, and if this is thecase, should we consider a FixedPrice or a Time & Mean scenario?

08/09/2021You may consider all concernedservices are delivered in cooperationwith other operational parts of DGITEC and that you may consider aTime and Means Scenario.

65 03/09/202116:41

08/09/202117:06

Profiles The European Parliament hasdescribed 19 different profiles in theAnnexD. We understand that the selectedcontractor (first ranked contractor)must be able to deliver each profiledescribed. Can you confirm ourunderstanding?

08/09/2021Your understanding is correct

66 01/09/202123:52

08/09/202117:15


Our understanding is that we can weprovide the answer to eachindividual question of the TechnicalEvaluation Questionnaire in aseparate document and refer to thefile name of these documents underthe specific questions in Annex L.Can you please confirm?

08/09/2021The contracting authority will accept aseparate document with the tenderer'sanswers to Annex L, but eachquestion and answer has to be clearlylabeled and should contain therequested information.

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67 01/09/202111:16

08/09/202117:18


It is our understanding that the frontpage of each answer to thequestions that includes the questiontitle, table of contents etc., willnot be counted in the maximumnumber of pages permitted of eachquestion. Please confirm ourunderstanding or clarify further.


68 01/09/202111:15

08/09/202117:21


Our understanding is that the CaseStudies and the TechnicalEvaluationQuestions can be submitted in theform of separate documents withformatting and page limitation as peryour instructions. Please confirmour understanding or clarify further.

08/09/2021In respect of Annex L yourunderstanding is correct. In respect ofAnnex M, please use the tableprovided and add required annexes.

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69 31/08/202121:28

08/09/202117:24

Annex D to Technical Specifications- Profiles

For certain profiles, skills arerequested in multipletechnologies/areas in the Profiledescription. For example, the LocalSystem Administrator profile isexpected to have good skills in MSWindows server, RedHat Server,SharePoint services, Networkstorage andassociated managementtechnologies. Our understanding isthat theproposed CVs need to haveexperience/skills in some of thelistedtechnologies and not all of themsince it is unusual to find candidateswho have experience in all thetechnologies. Can you pleaseconfirm our understanding?

08/09/2021The understanding of the tenderer iscorrect. The list of competencescontains all specialities identified (thatmay evolve) which can be requestedduring the contract. Each time an offeris requested, the requiredcompetences will be specified.

70 31/08/202121:27

08/09/202117:25


Regarding Question #25 -description of references - Is thepage limitof 4 pages applicable for eachindividual reference or for the 2references combined?

08/09/2021The page limit applies to question M.1- description of references must be atminimum 2 pages and maximum 4pages in length (please see Q25).

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71 31/08/202121:26

08/09/202117:29


Regarding Question #25 - Ourunderstanding is that we need tocompletethe information requested in theReferences table provided on page3 ofAnnex M for the 2 principal ITsupport services references. 1) Isthecontracting authority also expectinga description of references also tobe provided in addition to theReferences table? 2) If yes, is thereaspecific format to provide thisdescription or is it free format?

08/09/20211) your understanding is correct 2)see instructions given in Annex M toTechnical Specifications -Questionnaire on the Technical andprofessional capacity, point M.1Tenderer’s experience in the domainwith reference to similar contracts.The size limits, font and layoutrequirements should be respected.

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72 31/08/202120:38

08/09/202117:31


Answer to L.2.16 ‘Projectmanagement’. On the one hand, thequestion,firstly, refers to ‘See Annex B toTechnical Specifications’, while,secondly, in Annex B the theme of“Project Management” is describedinChapter 8 ‘Project Management’ONLY in terms of the ProjectManagerprofile – which should be understoodas referring to the TechnicalProject Manager (PM) profile ofAnnex D. On the other hand, thequestionrefers to ‘adding resources forprojects’, which apparently refers toprofiles beyond that of the TechnicalProject Manager – e.g. andconceivably a Software AssetConsultant (SAC) and a Cloud AssetManager(CAC). Please clarify whether theanswer should address: (a) TheTechnical Project Manager (PM)ONLY (b) Beyond the PM profile,someADDITIONAL profiles out the 19profiles of Annex D and in particularthose profiles in which Annex D hasa section entitled ‘Indicative rolesin a project’.

08/09/2021The Authority clarifies that you shouldaddress (b) when responding to thisquestion.

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73 31/08/202110:41

08/09/202117:33

EN-02A01L ITUSS21 - Annex L toTechnical Specifications - TechnicalEvaluation Questionnaire - p. 2 -page limit

We are aware there is a strict sizelimit for answers in the technicalquestionnaire. Would younevertheless accept a cover pageand a table ofcontents page, on top of thespecified limit?

08/09/2021Contracting authority confirms that thesize limit concerns technical answersonly, so a cover page and a table ofcontents page are excluded from thepage limit.

74 31/08/202109:09

08/09/202117:34

M.1 Tenderer's experience in thedomain with reference to similarcontracts

We understand that tenderers areonly required to fill-in the “referencetable” detailed in the questionnaireand that page limits requirementsdo not apply to this section. Can youplease confirm our understandingis correct? If not, can you pleaseclarify?

08/09/2021In section M.1 the tenderer is requiredto fill-in the "References table" and thepage limitation applies to this section,please see Q25.

75 30/08/202117:18

08/09/202117:38

Pricing methodology/ Financialevaluation for IT OperationalManagement services

The page limits (6 pages) foranswering question L.2.3 for allOMSelements does not enable coveringall aspects of the pricingmethodology. We understand thattenderers can provide an Annex tothePrice evaluation form demonstratingthe consistency of its pricingmethodology (incl. all elements ofcosts related to staff, governance,overhead, missions, transition, etc.)with regards its proposedfinancial offer (as it was allowedduring ITUSS17). Can you confirmourunderstanding is correct?

08/09/2021The proposal should describe theapproach to pricing which should thenbe applicable or form a template toany given service element

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76 30/08/202116:07

08/09/202117:40

Answer 25: heading M.1 Tenderer'sexperience in the domain withreference to similar contracts, thequestions/instructions specify thatanswers to the questions must be inthe range between 2 to 4 pages

Can you please clarify which ofthose 2 alternatives is correct:1/Consortium presentation: Eachcompany within a consortium has todescribe its capacity (business unit,similar references...). Between 2and 4 pages by company. 2/ Projectreferences: We have to complete atable. Do we have in addition to thistable, to provide a detaileddescription for each of them (2-4pages). If yes, could you pleaseprovide a template?

08/09/2021In question M.1 Tenderer'sexperience in the domain withreference to similar contracts thetenderers are requested to fill in allfields of the References table. Pagelimitation 2-4 pages apply.

77 09/08/202117:08

08/09/202117:45

Information to be provided in relationto Annexes L and M

It is our understanding that adequateinformation is to be provided inresponse to the specificrequirements as laid out in annexesL(Technical evaluation questionnaire)and M (Technical & professionalcapacity). Can the contractingauthority confirm if this information isto be provided directly into theannexed documents as supplied bythe CAor if we may use separatedocuments with the condition thattheserespect the format requested by theCA (i.e. font Times New Roman11pt,margins settings, limit on the numberof pages per topic, etc).

08/09/2021The Contracting Authority will accepta separate document with theanswers to Annex L. However, thetable in document provided in respectof Annex M should be used for thosequestions and answers compliant withthe directions in the relevantquestions in Annex M may beannexed as required.

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78 05/09/202115:49

09/09/202110:03

ARTICLE II.2 – LIABILITY Could you please confirm that thestandard liability limit on theBelgian market will also apply here,i.e. the annual amount of thespecific contract concerned?

09/09/2021No, it does not apply. See theprovisions of Draft Framework ServiceContract, I - Specific Terms andConditions, Article I.11 - Delay,Manifest Negligence, Non-Performance, Non-Conformity andIncorrect Performance. See theanswer to Q62

79 30/08/202109:56

09/09/202118:20

Annex II - Price evaluation form -Mission costs

It is mentioned in Annex II that "noadditional costs for travel,accomodation, subsistenceexpenses will be charged to theParliament forthe delivery of this on-site service inStrasbourg or Brussels duringpart-sessions or mini-sessions".Considering (i) the impact of themission costs on the financial modeland (ii) that at the time of thestart of the new framework contract,50% of the services will bedelivered by EP agents (as specifiedin case study 1), can the EPclarify the exact volume of externalstaff travelling on missions thatthe tenderers should consider intheir financial model?

09/09/2021The answer to this question dependson how you intend to deliver theservice in fixed price mode. Theinformation provided in case study 1does not have a bearing on how youshould answer this question.Indicative figures for time and meansinclude 9-10 proximity agents splitacross proximity, proximity mobile andvideo conferencing, 2 LDOs and 5application support agents and anumber of back office agents.However, this number of Time andMeans agents is expected to reducevia the use of EP internal agents.However, it is for the tenderer toassess how they might best providethis service in fixed price modewithout recourse to EP internalresources.

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80 03/09/202116:28

09/09/202118:22

Annex D-Profiles LSO (LogisticSupport Operator)/ LAP (Logisticsandplanning consultant)

1/ We understand that both profilesLSO and LAP has some similarities.Can we consider that both profilesare interchangeable? 2/ Can weassumethat the European Parliament willallow us to deliver only LSO profilesor only LAP profiles to cover bothroles?

09/09/2021The profiles, while, as noted, havingsimilarities and being related, are notinterchangeable. While it is quiteconceivable that a consultant wouldbe a fit for both profiles, this is notnecessarily the case. Nor is it, in theestimate of the Contracting Authority,the case for most consultants. Thus,those profiles cannot be consideredinterchangeable and any candidatesproposed for an engagement must fitthe profile requested for thatengagement. The separation of theprofiles also allows tenderers to fine-tune their tenders depending on theirtendering strategy and prevailingmarket conditions for those differentspecific profiles, without forcing a"one-size-fits-all" approach that has arisk of leading to difficulties instaffing/recruiting expert specialistsfor assignments. Both roles should bedelivered.

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81 07/09/202115:41

09/09/202118:27

Service Governance and allspecifications documents

(1) At EO side are there ServiceManagers responsible for each ofthe 5service components? If not, howmany are there and what is their roleand responsibility. (2) How manyOperations Managers do exist? (3)Whatis the difference between ServiceManagers and OperationalManagers onyour side? (4) with respect tosections 7 of the ServiceRequirementsAnnex B, how many ProblemManagers do you expect on ourside? and whatfor? same question for the incidentmanagers? (5) in your design is theTTL profile destined for TM or FPprojects and if the latter what is itsrelationship with a PM?

09/09/2021(1) At EP side, each servicecomponent has at least oneoperational manager. (2) the numberof operational managers is evolving atpresent but you should consider thateach service component withinOperational Management has at leastone operational manager and in mostcases, two. (3) Operational managersfocus on day to day operations.Service Managers analyse servicerelated reporting to propose serviceimprovements. (4) The roles ofproblem and incident managersshould be present for each servicecomponent. Please note that role maynot necessarily be on a one role toone human basis. (5) Regarding theTTL, this role is required to support afixed price contract type. Otherwisethe role of TTL should be coveredwithin the European Parliament fortime and means contracts.

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82 08/09/202110:41

09/09/202118:29

Request for deadline extension We acknowledge that theContracting Authority has madeavailable to thetenderers additional time beyond thenormal minimum for the preparationof their tenders. Nevertheless, dueto the complexity of the tenderspecifications (i.e. several veryspecific to the EP case studies), andin order for all bidders to be able toprovide their best value formoney offers, we would like to kindlyrequest the Contracting Authorityto extend the deadline by 2 moreweeks.

09/09/2021The Contracting Authority hasconsidered this request and cannotprovide the extension requested.

83 06/09/202112:38

13/09/202122:03

Annex C to Technical Specifications- Service Volumes

In section 1.3.1 of Annex C toTechnical Specifications there is atablepresenting the average volumes oftickets for the last 2 years. Can youplease clarify whether the "numberof incidents" and"number of requests" presented inthe first two rows of thistable relate to incidents and requestsissued by European Parliament'sstaff or to the total numbers ofincidents and requests issued byboththe European Parliament's staff andMEPs & APAs? The same questionapplies to the tables presented insections 1.4.1 and 1.5.1.

13/09/2021These figures refer to all incidents andrequests handled by the Support Unitteams in the timeframe concerned.

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84 03/09/202116:49

13/09/202122:21

SLA, KPI 1.9 and 3.7 Does the Authority wish to have <1% Total Complaints in each of thecomplaints sections rather than >99%? Or is is that for every 100complaints (not enquiries) received,99 tickets must be opened? Arethere any statistics on complaintsavailable for the present service?

13/09/2021The Authority expects that less than1% (Total complaints0)or 0.5%(specific for VIP or Super VIPs) of thetickets opened will generatecomplaints. Current statistics are notavailable.

85 11/09/202117:42

13/09/202122:48

M.1 Tenderer's experience in thedomain with reference to similarcontracts

With reference to answer #74, canthe EP confirm that the referencetable is the only element to be filled-in for section M.1?

13/09/2021for M.1, both table and description ofreferences are requested. Pleaserefer to answer of question #25

86 11/09/202117:40

13/09/202122:58

Pricing methodology/ Financialevaluation for IT OperationalManagement services

With reference to answer to question#75, can the European confirm thattenderers can provide an Annex tothe Price evaluation formdemonstrating the consistency of itspricing methodology?

13/09/2021Pricing methodology for Fixed price inOperational management servicescan be described in Annex L toTechnical Specifications - TechnicalEvaluation Questionnaire, case studyL2.3

87 30/08/202117:04

13/09/202123:15

Case studies L.1.1 Case Study 1 -Savings

We need to address the question“What savings could be achieved– ineconomic terms for the EP”. Howshould we interpret this, is it savingsrelated to phase in activity or overallcontract saving after deploymentof all services? Please clarify

13/09/2021It should be considered savingsrelated to overall contract savings(including phase-in) when moving toTime and Means mode.

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88 02/09/202112:10

13/09/202123:26

KPI 1.11 and 1.12 Can the Authority explain how KPI1.11 and 1.12, function with respectto footnote 6, each KPI has a limit (>99% positive outcome and =>98% positive outcome – nopenalty) and footnote 6 implies lessthan97% positive outcome could also bea penalty for the same data set aspart of a spot check. The value of <1% in a sample of 100 means100% accuracy is the required SLAunless a different data set is used toidentify candidates for KPI 1.11. Canthe Authority confirm that thethreshold for KPI 1.11 is =< 1% to atleast fall below a 100% SLArequirement.

13/09/2021Contracting Authority confirms thatthreshold is

89 09/09/202112:30

14/09/202122:29


Our understanding is that crossreferences between questions areallowedto avoid repeating information. Canyou please confirm?


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90 14/09/202119:34

14/09/202122:34

Annex B - 4.4 Critical Staff Level -Proximity and Mobility Support

We note that in the critical staff leveltable on page 14, there is arequirement to provide an ITSSprofile for delivery inBazoches-sur-Guyonne. In Annex Cto the Technical Specifications 1.3and1.4 there is no mention of theCurrent Team Organisation havingthisITSS profile. Can the Authorityplease confirm that the ITSS profileinBazoches-sur-Guyonne will be aRequest for presence requested bythe EPfor conferences at this location, likethe table for the ITSS resourceon page 16 with the stated footnote"Request of presence duringAugust in the European ParliamentBuilding in Bazoches-sur-Guyonneissubject to change according toevents planned to be hold during thisperiod"?

14/09/2021Authority confirms that the ITSSprofile in Bazoches-sur-Guyonne is aRequest for presence at this location.

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91 10/09/202111:44

14/09/202122:37

Technical Team Leader (TTL) profile Our understanding is that, for theTechnical Team Leader (TTL)profile,the ITILV4 certification is notmandatory at the tendering stageand CVswith ITILV3 certification will beaccepted at the time of submissionofthe tender. Can you please confirm?


92 13/09/202109:54

14/09/202122:53

ServiceNow integration and tools According to Annex I page 27, theEP’s EPSD (based on CA ServiceDeskManager) is integrated with aCMDB. Please clarify: (a) Whetherthecurrently ongoing migration from theaforementioned CA tool toServiceNow will include theintegration of the ServiceNowsolution witha CMDB. (b) At the time theITUSS21 contractor completes thePhase-in(i.e., the take-over from theincumbent) the tool(s), thecommercialtool(s) on which the CMDB will bebased

14/09/2021(a) ServiceNow will have a new re-created CMDB, not migrated fromEPSD. (b) Current plan is to havemigrated to Service now beginning ofnext year. ITUSS21 contractor shouldexpect to work directly in Service now.

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93 13/09/202119:53

15/09/202109:55

Draft Framework Art II.2: We do not understand whythe contracting authority decided notto adhere to market standardliability, or even limit to go a little bitbeyond that standard and limit theliability to X times the fees peryear, and/or include one cap in total.There is also no limitationstowards direct and indirect damages.We would highly appreciate if thecontracting authority wouldreconsider this clause in light of themarket standards.

15/09/2021The Contracting authority does notintend to modify Article II.2 – Liabilityin the way suggested.

94 13/09/202119:53

15/09/202109:57

Draft Framework Art II.6.5: can you confirm that thisclause applies to subcontractorsand not to consortium partners?


95 13/09/202119:49

15/09/202109:59

Draft Framework Art I.11.4: A term of 15 calendardays is insufficient period of remedy,please alter to 30 days: that is alsoin advantage for the contractingauthority, as it gives any contractorsufficient period to analyze andremedy, before you have toterminate a contract that could havebeen remedied.

15/09/2021Contracting authority does not intendto modify Article I.11.4 – Delay,manifest negligence, non-performance, non-conformity andincorrect performance in the waysuggested.

96 13/09/202119:48

15/09/202110:00

Draft Framework Art I.11.2: The contracting authorityhas included a maximum of 30% ofthe penalties, we kindly request theContracting authority to adjustthis number to 10%: this is marketconform and usual to include, shouldthere be any penalties in the firstplace.

15/09/2021Contracting authority does not intendto modify Article I.11.2 – Delay,manifest negligence, non-performance, non-conformity andincorrect performance in the waysuggested.

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97 13/09/202119:45

15/09/202110:02

Draft Framework Art I.11.1: It is not clear on whichobjective grounds such deductionwill be based. As it is described now,it is an open subjective clausefor the Contracting Authority towithhold amounts if it is believed itis in some way a remuneration ofloss etc. Please re-evaluate theclausefrom a Contractor perspective,making in more objective. Also, thisclause does not contain anotification, period of remedy etc. fortheContractor, it would be highlyappreciated if such is added, inorder tomake it market conform and matchcivil law principles.

15/09/2021The Contracting authority does notintend to modify the Article I.11.1 –Delay, manifest negligence, non-performance, non-conformity andincorrect performance. Please notethe last sentence of said articlestating: "Without prejudice to anyproceedings initiated by theContractor, the European Parliamentshall determine the amount ofdamages, late-performance interestand costs with a view to the deductionthereof and/or subsequent claimsfollowing notification to the Contractorby registered letter withacknowledgement of receipt of thefailure to comply with the contract."

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98 05/09/202115:38

15/09/202110:07

Copy of insurance policy The Draft Framework Contract, II.General Terms and Conditions –Article1.4 states "A copy of all theinsurance policies concerned shallbeforwarded to the EuropeanParliament, should it so request,within 15calendar days of such a requestbeing dispatched in writing". Sucha request should be raised, couldyou please confirm that a certificateof insurance demonstrating ourcoverage is accepted?

15/09/2021See Article 15.Selection Criteria of theTender Specifications. A certificateissued from the insurance company(or an equivalent document) isaccepted as evidence for the purposeof demonstrating the subscription of aprofessional risk indemnity insurance.In conformity with Article II.1 - GeneralTerms and Conditions relating toperformance of the Contract of theDraft Framework Contract, thecontractor shall provide a copy of itsinsurance policies as defined in saidarticle upon specific request of theEuropean Parliament.

99 13/09/202119:52

15/09/202110:09

Draft Framework Art II.1.4. Please add to the text thata certificate of the relevantinsurance also suffices, as thepolicies themselves containbusinessconfidential information which is notallowed to be disclosed.

15/09/2021Contracting authority does not intendto modify Article II.1.4 in the waysuggested. Please also refer to Q#98.

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100

13/09/202119:42

15/09/202111:14

Draft Framework Art I.8: Is the Contracting Authorityable to confirm that such mid-termreview will include conversationswith Contractor and not only a mere'accept or refuse' situation? And willthe review also include legalconditions or only pricing and/ortechnical related?

15/09/2021The mid-term review does not entail anegotiation with the contractor. Thearguments of the contractor would betaken into account exclusively underthe conditions established in ArticleI.8 - Evaluation of the conditionsoriginally laid down in the contract ofthe draft Framework Contract, seespecifically I.8.3 and I.8.4.

101

13/09/202119:50

15/09/202111:16

Draft Framework Art I.16.2: Please confirm that anylicense or transfer of thesepre-existing rights will be agreedupon on a case by case basis in thespecific contract, in order to alignwith the contracting authority'sneeds and any possible limitationson the licenses.

15/09/2021Article I.16.2 of the draft FrameworkContract applies. The frameworkcontract is drafted to cover all types ofresults. However, certain situationsmay require some tailored provisions.Such provisions will be dealt at thespecific contract level. As stated in theGeneral Conditions, the contractingauthority obtains a non-exclusivelicense to pre-existing rights. In suchcase, the contracting authority mayuse the result as envisaged in thedetailed list of modes of exploitation ofthe results. The owner of these pre-existing rights remains owner andmay continue to use them freely andfully.

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102

13/09/202119:41

15/09/202114:18

Draft Framework Article I.4.6: Is the ContractingAuthority able to confirm that thesuspension of the payment will onlybe applicable to the part of therespective services for which the a -f grounds of suspension are calledin?

15/09/2021All reasons for the suspension of thepayment period are defined in ArticleI.4.6 a) – f) of the draft Frameworkcontract. The notification sent to theContractor will include the reasons forthe suspension and an indication ofhow to remedy the issue. A partialsuspension is in general not possible.Any such request from the Contractorwould be evaluated by the contractingauthority on a case-by-case basis.

103

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15/09/202115:52

Draft Framework Art II.16: Can you confirm that thereis always a period of remedy madeavailable to the Contractor in yourregistered letter?

15/09/2021Specific conditions apply toterminations under points h) and i) ofArticle II.16.1 (see also II.16.3), butthere is no general remedy periodapplicable in this Article.

104

13/09/202119:59

15/09/202116:03

Draft Framework II.10: We would assume thatconfidentiality during the contractgoesboth ways and that it is mutuallywritten down. Can you confirm?

15/09/2021The contracting authority will applyconfidentiality and discretion asrequired by the relevant provisions ofthe Regulations 2018/1046,2018/1725 and 1049/2001.

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105

30/08/202110:04

15/09/202117:26

Annex II Price evaluation form andITUSS21 budget

1. We understand that the estimatedamount for this call for tenders(88M EUR) is given for themaximum duration of the contract (5years).2. Considering that financial offer C1is only an option and volumes arealready included in the financial offerC3, we understand that only theaggregate of financial offers C2 andC3 will be compared to theestimated maximum budget. Canyou confirm our understanding iscorrect?

15/09/20211. Your understanding is correct. 2.Your understanding is incorrect. Asexplained in section 16.2 of theTender specifications, and on theIntroduction tab of the price evaluationform, financial offer C1 is not optional,but obligatory and the amount enteredthere is taken into consideration in theTotal cost with an appropriateweighting, and thus taken intoconsideration in the financialevaluation. For an explanation on thevolumes and weights of parts C1, C2and C3, please refer to section 16.2 ofthe Tender specifications.

106

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15/09/202117:59

ITIL process implemented inServiceNow

Referring to the point in time onwhich the ITUSS21 contractor wouldhave completed the Phase-in (i.e.,the take-over from the incumbent),please inform us which specific ITILprocesses would have beenimplemented in ServiceNow, e.g.,Incident Management, ChangeManagement,IT Asset Management.

15/09/2021For the time where take-over fromincumbent it is expected that SMT willhave implemented all ITIL processesmentioned in the call for tender.

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107

13/09/202109:53

15/09/202118:01

Case Study 8, support for new typeof licenses

The sole reference in theSpecifications about EP’ SAM isfound in AnnexI “It is based on the Flexera FlexNetManager SAM tooling”. Pleaseclarify: (a) Whether the EP’s SAMsystem is based on the Flexeraproducts: (i) Flexnet Manager forData Centers, (ii) Flexnet ManagerforClients, (iii) both (i) and (ii). (b) Theversion(s) of theaforementioned Flexera product(s)(c) Whether the aforementionedFlexeraproduct(s) are linked with the EP’sConfiguration Management DataBase(CMDB) (d) If the answer to (c) isaffirmative, whether the link isbi-directional, whether it isautomated (i.e., near-real time) orbatch.

15/09/2021The EP SAM system is a customizeddeployment of FlexNet ManagerSuite, deployed on-premise in the EPand administered (application layer)by the SOFTCLOUD service. It is oneof the primary operational tools for theSAM team (SAC profiles) and, withthe upgrades explained below, theCloud Management team (CACprofiles). Responding to the specificquestions: (a) The EP SAM systemcontains both mentioned products (i.e.mentioned option (iii)). (b) Currently,the EP SAM system is based onFlexNet Manager Suite 2019 R2. (c) aproject to link EP SAM with the futureEP ServiceNow implementation, andits CMDB in particular, is ongoing, aspart of the ServiceNowimplementation. (d) the link isunidirectional (EPSAM - > EPServiceNow), automated, with a dailyupdate. The EP is currentlyconsidering and preparing theexpansion of the EP SAM system tothe Flexera One capability level i.e.integrating as well SaaS managementand Cloud Management capabilities,which would then be the primary toolfor the CAC profiles, if engaged.

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108

11/09/202117:21

15/09/202118:02

SLA section 3.6 - ContinualImprovement (CI) [referring also toContinual Service Improvement as inITIL v3]

In the SLA section 3.6 you state thatthe contractor must set up a CIPlan and a CI Register. (a) Can youplease confirm that the CI registeris a tool to be provided by theContractor? If not, please specify (b)Can you please confirm that the CIregister although a tool by theContractor will be accessible by theEP? (c) How do you expect the CIPlan and the Action Lists to have animpact on the BSC for Fixed PriceProjects? (d) can you please confirmthat the Change Management Boardisan EP-set and EP-related body? Ifnot clarify

15/09/2021(a) Contractor can propose their owntools and can also use the toolsalready available in EP (i.e MS officesuite) (b) EP must have access to CSPlan and CS register (c) BSCcontains several indicators measuringcustomer satisfaction. CSI actionsshould directly and indirectly impactcustomer satisfaction. (d) ChangeManagement board is composed ofEP officials.

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109

03/09/202111:19

15/09/202118:03

Annex F - SLA We cannot possibly understand yourintroductory statement in the SLAsection 3.2 - KPIs, in thepresentation of the Global KPIswhere youstate that these KPIs apply to alllevels of support in Fixed PriceMode. (a) Why don't they apply forTime and Means assignments?surelystaff qualification (KPI 1.6),Complaints (KPI 1.9) and StaffPresence(KPI 1.10 - specifically mentioningon-site presence in the requiredlocation) should also apply to Timeand Means requests? (b) Please canyou correct the SLA if the above istrue and provide with a newdocumentation and a deadlineextension? (c) What is in our eyesthedifference between the roles of theTechnical Account Manager and theService Manager? Will the TAMsupervise all the Service Managers?Andwhere do you expect the ServiceManagers to play a role? Manythanks.

15/09/2021(a) Authority confirms that section 3.2of Annex F to Technical Specifications- Service Level Agreement appliesonly to services in fixed price mode(b) N/A (c) Role of Technical Accountmanager is to coordinate andsupervise the whole servicesdelivered from the technical point ofview whereas service managers arespecific for each service element.

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110

06/09/202110:31

15/09/202118:07

Annex M, criterion M.1 We understand that tenderers mustpresent two references. But thedescription of the criterion M.1specifies “In case of a group ofeconomic operators (except whenthe information should be providedforthe group as a whole), the 2 to 4pages are allowed for each of thegroup members (group leader andco-contractors)”, which is a bitstrangein the context of references. On topof the references, do you expect usto provide a 2-4 page description ofactivities executed by eachconsortium member in the domainsrelevant for this framework contracttodemonstrate our experience?

15/09/2021The page limit must include thereferences which should be listed inthe table in Annex M. Only therequested tables are mandatory.

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111

09/09/202109:28

15/09/202118:08

Re L.2.16, and the relatedclarifications that you have provided

In respect to the clarifications youprovided by question L.2.16, pleasedo consider and address thefollowing: (1) your replies areconfusing.you state that the PM function will beprovided in Time and Means yestin the question you refer to both FPand TM projects. Can you pleaseclarify? (2) Can you please providean example for such a large projectthat was implemented in the past.Please do not reply, as this isimportant for the Tenderers tounderstand what you have in yourmind (3)On 08 09 21 you answered that thequestion concerns ONLY the profilesofAnnex D that include the description'roles in a project'. Can youplease confirm that this ONLYconcerns profiles RAPC, LAP, WO,SAC andCAC? (4) Can you please rephrasethe question correctly so that it iseasy to understand where theemphasis is? on ProjectManagement? Ontreating request a s a project? orhow to resources theabovementionedprofiles? (5) Please can you providewith a deadline extension of 2weeks now so that we reflect on the

15/09/2021(1) it applies to both FP and T&M (2)Example of project: Removal of allDesktops (3) It applies to all profiles ofAnnex D, not only the ones mentionedin your question (4) ContractingAuthority requests a description onhow the tenderers plan to quickly addthe specific resources needed when aproject arises (for example addproximity agents and or logisticagents for mass office moves), andhow these resources added would beready to be efficiently on board. (5)There will be no extension of deadline

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weeks now so that we reflect on thenumerous clarifications and providewith a more qualitative proposal toyou? Many thanks for your attentionand for providing with informationnon-stop.

112

09/09/202114:32

15/09/202118:09

Annex M to Technical specificationsâ Questionnaire on the Technicaland professional capacity / QuestionM1

After your answers to numerousquestions concerning the format ofouranswer to the question M1, we needthe EP to clarify the following: Ourunderstanding is that our answer toquestion M1 needs to include: a) thecompletion of Reference table withthe required details for the twoReferences b) an additionaldocument in free format that willincludeonly the description of the tworequired references, length 2 to 4pagesin total for both references, that willbe annexed to the Annex M -Questionnaire on the Technical andprofessional capacity. No additionaldescription concerning thetendererâs capacity is required atthispoint of our response. Pleaseconfirm our understanding or clarifyfurther.

15/09/2021Your understanding is not correct.Annex M/ Question M1 only requeststo fill in the table "References table".Description is not requested. Howeverit could be added. Answer includingtables must be in the range 2 to 4pages.

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113

13/09/202109:44

16/09/202108:37

Annex C to Technical Specifications In Annex C to TechnicalSpecifications, page 22, Section3.15, Table 5,it is mentioned that the "averagetime spent on project" is 50days. In Annex I to TenderSpecifications, page 30, Section7.1.1, it ismentioned that the LaP team willparticipate in "obsolescenceprograms". Should we assume thethe "projects" mentionedin Annex C refer to theobsolescence programs? If not, canyou pleaseprovide also an estimate of theaverage days spent on theobsolescence programs?

16/09/2021Obsolescence programs are one typeof projects that might need to be runby the LaP team. Others include, forexample, setting up new stock rooms,introducing (i.e. acting as key userstakeholders) new tooling in thedomain, participating in workshops tochange procedures and other projectsaimed at service evolution andimprovement.

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16/09/202108:48

Annex C to Technical Specifications In Annex C to TechnicalSpecifications, page 22, Section3.15, Table 5,it is mentioned that the "averagetime spent on project" is 50days. Does this refer to averagedays spend by the LAP team in total(50man-days), or to the averageduration of a project (with each teammember involved with differenteffort)? The use of ‘days’ (instead of‘man-days’) for volumetrics can be abit misleading.

16/09/2021The reference to 50 days is areference to the average number ofdays per year that each LAP profileagent spends on projects.

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115

13/09/202119:51

16/09/202109:48

Draft Framework Art II.1.3: Please add that whereneeded, contracting authority will aidthe Contractor in receiving allrequired information, intelligence orother sources, in order to be able toobtain the required permit.

16/09/2021Contracting authority does not intendto modify Article II.1.3 in the waysuggested.

116

13/09/202119:43

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Draft Framework Art I.9: Please confirm ourassumption: Acceptance is not to bewithheldon other grounds than those relatingto the explicitly agreedspecifications between the parties,nor because of the existence ofminor errors, that is, errors that donot reasonably preclude puttingthe software to operational orproductive use, notwithstandingContractor's obligation to fix theseminor errors under the agreed uponguarantee provisions if applicable. Inaddition, acceptance may not bewithheld for aspects of the softwarethat can only be evaluatedsubjectively, such as the design ofuser interfaces.

16/09/2021According to Article I.9.2 and I.9.3, thefinal acceptance of the services willbe declared by the EuropeanParliament if the services performedunder the contract comply with thecontractual provisions. The finalacceptance will be performed on acase by case basis for each specificcontract.

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Draft Framework Art II.9.3: As mentioned earlier,some licenses on pre-existing rightsare not able to be provided on airrevocable basis. Do you agree thatany of such licenses will be agreedupon in a case by case basis (andits terms) in the respective specificcontract?

16/09/2021Taking into account the services to beprovided in the context of the putativeFramework Contract, it is expectedthat any licences would be of suchnature that they should be perpetual(irrevocable), as any subscriptionlicences would be incompatible withthe results-oriented nature of IP rightsexpected under this contract. Pleasenote that this framework contract isnot intended for provision oracquisition of COTS tooling software,which would imply potentialacceptance of subscription licencingas part of market standards. Instead,it is a services contract, where anyresults created should haveirrevocable licencing in case of use ofpre-existing rights. As noted in theframework contract, specific contractscan indeed specify in details termsapplicable to their scope, but withoutconflicting with the clauses of theframework contract.

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Draft Framework Art II.9: Are you able to confirm ourfollowing assumptions: If theparties explicitly agree in writing thatintellectual or industrialproperty rights regarding results ofthe services, software, websites,databases, equipment or othermaterials specifically developed fortheContracting authority shall betransferred to the contractingauthority,this shall not affect Contractor’ rightto apply and to use, either foritself or for third parties, the parts,general principles, ideas,designs, documentation, works,programming languages and the likeunderlying the respective services,without any limitation on otherpurposes. 8.2 Similarly, no transferof intellectual or industrialproperty rights shall affectContractor’ right to undertake thedevelopment of products or services,as the case may be, either foritself or for third parties, which aresimilar to the products and/orservices developed for thecontracting authority.

16/09/2021Article II.9 makes a clear distinctionbetween ownership of the results andexclusive rights on one side andlicensing rights on pre-existingmaterials on the other. As stated, theUnion acquires irrevocably worldwideownership of the results and of allintellectual property rights on thenewly created materials producedspecifically for the Union under theframework contract and incorporatedin the results, without prejudicehowever to the rules applying to pre-existing rights on pre-existingmaterials. As stated under Art. II.9.3the materials with pre-existing rightsand materials which are results (note:materials is used in this response torefer to all artefact types mentioned inArticle II.9 generically). Materials withpre-existing rights are governed byArticle II.9.3. i.e. they are not requiredto be exclusive. However, theremaining clauses of Article II.9essentially focuses on results and, asthe second paragraph of Article II.9.4clearly states, rights to results areexclusive. Hence in line with ArticleII.9.4, the contractor will not have theright to "use, either for itself or for thirdparties, the parts, general principles,ideas, designs, documentation, works,programming languages and the likeunderlying the respective services,

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underlying the respective services,without any limitation on otherpurposes" insofar as such materialsare newly created results or resultscomprised of newly created resultsand materials with pre-existing rightsand not materials with pre-existingrights. Any development of "productsor services, as the case may be,either for itself or for third parties,which are similar to the productsand/or services developed for thecontracting authority" is not affectedas long as it such products or servicesdo not rely on/incorporate resultscreated for the Contracting Authority.

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