Call for proposals: Timely High-Frequency Indicators for Global and Regional Trade (ref. ECFIN/D/2012/004)

The European Commission is launching a call for proposals for the construction and monthly production of timely indicators of global and regional trade developments. The global indicators are constructed bottom-up from regional indicators. The regional level includes all EU Member States, as well as the Candidate Countries. The indicators of global trade will be essential elements in the timely assessment of the global cycle. The project will also improve the assessment and forecast of the trade and GDP forecasts of non-EU countries and regions in the Commission’s full-fledged and interim forecasting exercises. The regional indicators will be used by the Commission to calculate timely monthly measures of export performance for the EU, the euro area and each individual Member State. Such measures will be very useful tools in the EMU economic surveillance process, for present as well as future euro-area Member States. This co-operation shall take the form of a framework partnership agreement between the Commission and one institute over a period of four years.

Instructions and rules for drawing up and submitting proposals – text of the call for proposals:

OJEU C 93/09 of 30 March 2012

The proposals must be presented in three sections:

1. Administrative proposal
2. Technical proposal
3. Financial proposal

Please find hereafter the standard DG ECFIN forms to be completed by interested candidates.

 1. The administrative proposal must include:

• A duly completed and signed standard grant application form(42 kB)  .
• A duly completed and signed standard legal entity form and the requested supporting documentation proving the legal status of the institute.
• A duly completed and signed standard financial identification form.
• A duly signed standard declaration form of honour with respect to the exclusion criteria (see pages 8 and 9 of the above standard grant application form)
• The organisation chart of the institute, showing the names and positions of the management and of the operational service responsible for the construction and delivery of the required results
• Proof of sound financial situation: balance sheets and profit and loss accounts from the previous two financial years for which the accounts have been closed

 2. The technical proposal must include:

• A description of the activities of the institute
• Detailed description of the operational organisation for producing the data set
• Detailed description of the methodology

 3. The financial proposal must include:

• A duly completed and detailed standard budget statement(27 kB)   for year 1 (in euro and exclusive of VAT)
• A document certifying the financial contribution from other organisations (co-financing), if applicable

Please find hereafter documentation regarding the contractual aspects of the grant:

• The model of the framework partnership agreement (93 kB)  

  The partnership agreement formalizes the four-year co-operation between the Commission and the partner and includes a description of the action planned under the partnership as well as a model of the specific grant agreement.

• The model of the specific grant agreement(33 kB)  

  The grant agreement will be concluded annually and includes a description of the action and timetable, the estimated yearly budget as well as the standard form to list the actually incurred costs(42 kB)   at the end of the action.

Deadline for submission of proposals: 30 April 2012

Please complete and send all the documents requested in the Call for proposals no later than 30 April 2012 to the address specified in point 8.3 of the Call for proposals.

Additional information

The Commission may provide additional information solely for the purpose of clarifying aspects of the call for proposals. Any requests for additional information must be made, in writing only, to ECFIN-CALL-2012-TRADE-INDICATORS mentioning clearly in the subject line of the e-mail the following reference: ‘Call for proposals — ECFIN/D/2012/004'. Requests for additional information received less than five working days before the final date for submission of proposals may not be processed.