Call for Proposals ref. ECFIN 2014 001/A4 Joint Harmonised European Union Programme of Business and Consumer Surveys

The BCS programme was set up based on the Commission's institutional prerogatives and constitutes an important source for decision-making of EU economic policy makers. The programme was initiated by a Commission decision in November 1961 and was modified through subsequent Council and Commission decisions. It was last approved through Commission decision C(97) 2241 of 15 July 1997 and presented in Commission communication COM(2006) 379 of 12 July 2006.

The BCS programme is designed to gather information on the state of the economies in the EU Member States and Candidate Countries, in order to be able to compare their business cycles for EMU (Economic and Monetary Union) management purposes. It has become an indispensable tool in the EMU economic surveillance process, as well as for general economic policy purposes. It constitutes an essential tool for the European Commission (Commission) in fulfilling its Treaty-based obligations of surveillance of the EU economies. The surveys target managers in the manufacturing sector (industry and investment surveys), construction, retail trade and services sectors as well as consumers.

Instructions and rules for drawing up and submitting proposals, covering all relevant information, formalities and documentation:

(OJEU 2014/C 113/07 of 15 April 2014)

Questions and Answers(346 kB)   (until 13 June)

Please note that we corrected the e-mail address provided in chapter 14.1 of the specifications, which specifies where the Excel documents must be sent. The correct e-mail address is ECFIN-BCS-CALL-Budgets-Methodology@ec.europa.eu

Specifications(396 kB)  of the call for proposals

The proposals must be presented in three sections:

I.Administrative proposal
II. Technical proposal
III. Financial proposal

I. The administrative proposal must include :

Grant application form(197 kB)   containing compulsory standard forms (unless explicitly indicated that documents are to be submitted in free format):

1. Form 1 Application letter
2. Form 2 Administrative information
3. Form 3 Consortium (joint proposal): mandate for co-ordinating applicant (if applicable)
4. Form 4 Affiliated entity's statement (if applicable)
5. Form 5 Declaration on honour on exclusion criteria, operational and financial capacity (choose the right form, applicable for grants >60 000 EUR or for grants ≤60 000 EUR)
6. Form 6 Financial capacity - key figures (only for grants >60 000 EUR) together with balance sheets and profit and loss accounts for the last two financial years for which the accounts have been closed (not applicable for public bodies and grants ≤60 000 EUR)
7. Form 7 Operational capacity - details
   together with
   • CVs or description of the profile of the people primarily responsible for managing and implementing the action
   • Description of the technical equipment, tools or facilities
   • Last activity report and current organisational chart
   • Experience of subcontractor(s), if relevant
8. Standard legal entity formto be downloaded:
9. Standard financial identification formto be downloaded:

II. The technical proposal must include:

1. Forms 8 providing a detailed description of the methodology for each survey (Consumer survey(122 kB)   - Business survey(112 kB)  ) an application is submitted and an outline of the (envisaged) questionnaire in original language
2. A detailed description of the action (work flow)
3. A description of the applicant's use of survey results for cyclical and economic analysis and research (if applicable)
4. Worksheet (in excel) on subcontracting (using model financial statement Annex V of FPA – see point 14 budget proposal) regarding subcontractors involved in the action, including a justification and a detailed description of the tasks to be subcontracted

III. The financial proposal must include:

1. A duly completed and detailed budget proposal(561 kB)  for year 1 of the action (1 May 2015 - 30 April 2016) which must show a balanced budget (revenue/ expenditure) (using model financial statement Annex V of FPA)

Documentation regarding the financial aspects of the grant:

Model framework partnership agreement (FPA)(218 kB)  and its annexes:

• Annex I Action plan(34 kB)  
• Annex II General Conditions
• Annex III Model specific grant agreement (SGA) (see below)
• Annex IV Model technical report(36 kB)  
• Annex V Model financial statement (see point 14 budget proposal)
• Annex IX Declaration on actual costs(50 kB)  

Model specific grant agreement (SGA)(87 kB)   and its annexes:

• Annex I Description of the action(221 kB)  
• Annex II Estimated budget (see Annex V of FPA)

Guidelines(2 MB)   for the financial management of grant agreements

Please note that all forms must be duly completed and signed; where needed free format documentation must be included.

Applications must be sent no later than 18 June 2014 (date of postmark or date of deposit slip to courier service or date of receipt by Commission when delivery by hand) to the address specified in point 14.1 of the specifications of the Call for proposals.