Background information
The EEA and Norway Grants 2014-2021 represent funding from Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway to reduce economic and social disparities and strengthen cooperation with 15 EU countries in Northern, Central and Southern Europe. For the period 2014-2021, a total contribution of €2.8 billion has been agreed.
The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on the implementation of the EEA Grants 2014-2021 was signed by Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Greece on 31 October 2017, and can be accessed here. Among the nine Greek programmes are support to the programme areas Local Development and Poverty Reduction (programme I) and Asylum and Migration (programme II), for which the FMO has been entrusted the role of Programme Operator.
The MoU establishes an allocation of EUR 6.5 million to the Local Development and Poverty Reduction programme and an allocation of EUR 16.5 million to the Asylum and Migration programme in Greece. The total programme allocation for the two programmes is EUR 23 million.
The Fund Operator’s tasks and responsibilities
There are two programmes, however the main tasks of the Fund Operator in respect to both programmes will to a large extent be similar, therefore one Fund Operator will be contracted.
The Fund Operator shall carry out administrative and technical tasks related to the programmes’ preparation and management, including payments, contracting of projects, reporting, monitoring and control functions during programme implementation and closure. In addition, the Fund Operator shall prepare and manage one call for project proposals under programme II.
All the projects under both programmes may be implemented until 30 April 2024 at the latest, unless an earlier date is specified in the project contracts. The Fund Operator is expected to start work as soon as possible and all its activities shall be completed by 31 December 2024 at the latest.
The Fund Operator, its owners and subsidiaries are expected to work towards the core objectives of the Grants, assisting the Programmes in contributing to the reduction of economic and social disparities and strengthening of bilateral cooperation. The highest degree of transparency, accountability and cost efficiency shall be applied, and the Fund Operator is expected to contribute to the positive reputation of the Grants.
Submission of bid
The Fund Operator will be responsible for the technical management of the Local Development and Poverty Reduction and Asylum and Migration programmes in Greece.
The Terms of Reference is provided in the link below. Note that no specific Bid form is provided.
Bids should be submitted in electronic form ONLY, to frode.mortensen@efta.int AND agota.kovacs@efta.int. The deadline for submission of bids is 14 September 2018 at 12 (noon) Brussels time, as evidenced by the date of receipt by FMO. Late delivery will lead to the non-admissibility of the bid and its rejection from the award procedure for this contract.
No individual replies will be given to questions. All questions and answers that may be relevant to bidders during the course of the evaluation process will be published on the EEA and Norway Grants website. It is therefore advisable to consult the website regularly. Questions may be sent to frode.mortensen@efta.int and/or agota.kovacs@efta.int. The deadline for questions is 7 September 2018.
Questions and Answers - Publication date: 23 July 2018
Bid documents: