Call For Tender: Policy Consultancy Knowledge Communities

About the Green European Foundation

The Green European Foundation (GEF) is a European-level political foundation funded by the European Parliament. GEF is affiliated to but independent from the European Green Party and Green movement in Europe. Our mission is to encourage European citizens to participate in European political discussions and in particular when it comes to envisioning what a Green Europe would look like. As a forum for cooperation at the European level, we work closely with our national member foundations and thereby aim to strengthen the Green political movement and green ideas in Europe.

 

About the Flagship Initiative Knowledge Communities  

The Green European Foundation (GEF) is looking for a Policy Consultancy to cooperate within its Knowledge Communities.  

The battle of ideas is a key field of interest of the Green European Foundation and, as stated in its Work Programme 2022-2024, this requires research, reflection and proposals to bring new and forward looking and cutting-edge concepts and ideas to European debates – within both the Green movement and beyond. GEF therefore seeks to create communities of experts that constitute pools of expertise and collaboration, that will help new political ideas to ultimately shape tomorrow’s politics and policies.  

In particular, GEF’s Knowledge Communities are aimed at advancing political and public debates towards a green, socially just Europe, through establishing lasting networks of knowledge production, exchange and dissemination. They are structured around and with (a group of) GEF core experts, who deliver a political stock-take as well as new proposals and ideas for discussion with a wider group of actors (i.e. the Knowledge Community).   

The Policy Consultancy will primarily be involved in one of these Knowledge Communities, i.e. Bolstering Fair Participation in the EU’s Energy Transition, and potentially in more areas of the Foundation’s policy work. 

 

Purpose of Tender 

Our organisation is currently seeking a dynamic and engaged Policy Consultancy to join GEF’s policy team. The successful candidate will support GEF’s Policy Manager and contribute to the growing EU policy-focused portfolio of the Foundation. We are looking for an individual that has: 

• Excellent research and analysis skills;  
• Demonstrated expertise in and understanding of EU policy and politics, and its institutions;  
• Demonstrated expertise in the field of EU energy policy (sustainable energy systems, energy efficiency, buildings and clean heating, just transition,…). Experience in other European policy areas (in particular one or more of the following: social, economic, international, climate policy) is desirable, but not required;  
• Experience in reporting, working with funders, European institutions and/or auditors; 
• Experience in moderating discussions and feels comfortable public speaking; 
• Demonstrated writing skills (of policy papers, briefing, op-eds,…);  
• The capacity to work well in a team; 
• Excellent time management skills;   
• A policy consultant dedicated to this assignment with at least 2 years of experience in a similar role (e.g. policy consultant, assistant or officer, researcher);
• A policy consultant dedicated to this assignment who holds a Master’s degree, preferably in economics, social science, law. 

 

Mission 

• Conducting policy research and analysis, primarily related to the topic of EU energy policy (depending on the consultant, this task can be extended towards other topics that are part of GEF’s policy work).
  
• Attending conferences, meetings, … representing GEF and maintaining/building network.
  
• Liaising with NGO’s think tanks, policy makers, on behalf of GEF’s policy team. 
• Coordinating one of GEF’s Knowledge Communities, which looks into strengthening the level of participation and inclusion of the EU’s energy transition, under supervision of GEF’s policy manager: 

• • • Moderating expert roundtables; 
    • Notetaking and reporting on expert roundtables; 
    • Overseeing collaborations with external experts involved in the project; 
    • Providing input and feedback on political briefs (draft publications); 
    • Writing of (parts of) political briefs. 

• (Optional tasks to be discussed in agreement with GEF) Supporting the Policy manager with work on additional thematic priorities and Knowledge Community projects: 

• • • Providing input and feedback on political briefs (texts) on different topics (EU social policies, Economy, Sustainable Welfare,…); 
    • Providing policy analysis and input; 
    • Moderating discussions; 
    • Providing support in the organisation of events and meetings. 

• Delivering financial and content reporting on the tasks conducted. 

 

Technical Specifications  

The Policy Consultancy will be contracted as a service provider on the basis of around 12 to 14 days per month performed in the GEF office, in Brussels, with the possibility to telework. 
The mission will take place from July 2024 to the end of March 2025, with the potential to renew collaboration after this initial period.
The selected tenderer will be contracted with a framework contract, ideally starting from July 2024 and maximum until the end of March 2025.
GEF reserves itself the possibility to propose to renew the contract for a maximum period of 4 years. 

Throughout the project period, the consultant is expected to coordinate one Knowledge Community and provide support to GEF’s policy work more broadly: 

• Coordination of Knowledge Community “Bolstering fair participation in the EU’s energy project”, with support and under supervision of GEF’s policy manager: 

• • • Continuously: engaging with relevant people within GEF (administration and finance, communication and outreach,…) 
    • July until September 2024: organising, moderating, notetaking of online expert group meetings on 5 topics; liaising with core experts/authors to guarantee the timely delivery of 5 draft political briefs. 
    • September – October 2024: organising, moderating, notetaking of full hybrid Knowledge Community group meetings, covering the 5 topics; liaising with core experts/authors around their role and presentations during this meeting. 
    • August until November: provide input on 5 political briefs, give feedback to the authors, and oversee the quality and direction of the briefs. 
    • September – November 2024: organising of launch event to showcase the toolbox, including the 5 political briefs; define a program: content, speakers and participants; contact speakers/panellists; organise logistical aspects; etc. 
    • October – December 2024: lead on financial and content reporting: report on the deliverables and spending; liaise with funding partner to the project. 
    • December 2024 – March 2025: engaging in and organising of follow-up activities of the Knowledge Community.  

• Horizontal tasks: 

• • • July 2024 – March 2025: Conduct policy research and analysis, primarily related to the topic of EU energy policy (depending on the consultant, this task can be extended towards other topics that are part of GEF’s policy work). 
    • September 2024 – March 2025: Attend relevant conferences, meetings, … representing GEF and maintaining/building network. 
    • September 2024 – March 2025: Liaise with NGO’s think tanks, policy makers,… on behalf of GEF’s policy team. 

• (Additional optional deliverables, to be discussed in agreement with GEF). Support policy manager on additional thematic priorities and Knowledge Community projects (timing to be discussed): 

• • • Provide input and feedback on political briefs (texts) on different topics (EU social, economic and climate policy, Sustainable Welfare,…). 
    • Moderate discussions of GEF’s Knowledge Communities. 
    • Provide support in the organisation of events and meetings.
    • Deliver financial and content reporting on the tasks conducted, related to additional thematic priorities and Knowledge Community projects. 

The total estimated value for this contract is: around 30.000 to 40.000 euros VAT excluded.
This figure is not definitive and does not represent a commitment from the Green European Foundation. 

GEF reserves the right to not proceed if no reasonably priced tenders are received. 

 

Exclusion Criteria 

Please find as follows criteria to fulfill in order to not be excluded by the tendering procedure. 

• The tender and tenderer do not incur in any exclusion criteria as per art 136 FR 2018/1046, and any kind of conflict of interest. 
• Only offers submitted via the application form will be evaluated. 
• Minimum requirements that all tenderers shall meet in order to be considered for evaluation include compliance with applicable environmental, social and labour law obligations established by Union law, national law, collective agreements or the applicable international social and environmental conventions listed in Annex X to Directive 2014/24/EU. 

 

Selection and Award Criteria 

Selection Criteria:

The selection criteria are assessed with comply or fail questions. The tenderers that comply with the criteria are going to be further examined and considered for award. The tenders that do not comply with the requirements shall be rejected. 

The selection criteria for this tender are: 

• The tenderer shall propose a policy consultant with at least 2 years of experience in the tasks proposed by GEF (we are looking for profiles such as policy consultants, policy assistants or officers, and researchers). These criteria will be assessed from the consultancy offer and the CV of the consultant proposed; 
• The tenderer shall propose a policy consultant who holds a Master’s degree in economics, political sciences, social sciences, law, or similar. This criterium will be assessed from the consultancy offer and the CV of the consultant proposed; 
• Only complete offers, that are tailored to the technical specifications of the tender and are not a generic price listing will be evaluated. 
• Only offers in English will be evaluated. 
• The tenderer is based in Europe and willing to travel to Brussels in the framework of contractual needs and deliverables. 

 

Award Criteria: 

The award criteria for this tender are the dependent on best value for money.
The following criteria will be evaluated according to the listed weight:

Award Criteria	Weight
A competitive price offer matching the mission scope and purpose, expressed in the form of a daily fee (VAT excluded and indicated on the side of the price proposal).	20%
Demonstrated experience of at least 2 years in working in a highly political and nonprofit environment that will be evaluated via the application documentation.	10%
Demonstrated research, analysis and writing skills that will be evaluated via the samples or weblinks/ introduction letter/ CV of the tenderer.	15%
Demonstrated expertise in the field of EU policy and politics that will be evaluated via the samples or weblinks/ introduction letter/ CV of the tenderer.	10%
Demonstrated expertise in the field of EU energy policy (sustainable energy systems, energy efficiency, buildings and clean heating, just transition,…) that will be evaluated via the samples or weblinks/ introduction letter/ CV of the tenderer.	15%
Demonstrated expertise in other European policy areas (e.g. social, economic, international, climate policy) that will be evaluated via the samples or weblinks/ introduction letter/ CV of the tenderer.	5%
Demonstrated experience in reporting, working with funders, European institutions and/or auditors that will be evaluated via the introduction letter/ CV of the tenderer;	5%
Demonstrated experience in moderating discussions and feels comfortable public speaking that will be evaluated via the samples or weblinks/ introduction letter/ CV of the tenderer.	10%
A track record of working well with others, and of excellent time management that will be evaluated via introduction letter/ CV of the tenderer.	10%

 

The methodology for ranking the tenderers is numerical scoring system, with weights. 
Each criterion will be evaluated with a score ranging from 0 (lowest score for the criteria) to 3 (highest score for the criteria). These values will be multiplied by the weight associated with each criterion. The tenderers ranking the highest after the evaluation shall be pre-selected for interviews. 

 

Practical Information 

All tenders should be submitted by 17/06/24, at 16h00 am Brussels times via the application form,. 

The selection committee reserves the right to schedule short exchanges to clarify unclear information.

Tender(s) selection:  around 15 working days from the submission deadline.
Envisioned start of the service provision agreement: preferably July 2024.

Please submit your application by providing a detailed proposal in English, encompassing the following elements: 

• A brief introduction of the company or individual consultant, outlining the interest, experience and competences relevant to this role. This introduction shall outline the extent to which the consultancy services fulfill the criteria mentioned above. In case of a company proposing a consultant, please make sure to  additionally include a brief introduction of the company. 
• The Curriculum Vitae of the consultant applying.  
• A competitive price offer matching the mission scope and purpose, expressed in the form of a daily fee, VAT excluded. Please mention the applicable VAT rate in your application separately.  
• Policy writing samples, either via PDF or weblinks (highly recommended); other documentation of specific expertise or skills via weblinks. 
• Officially declare that that you do not incur in any exclusion criteria as per art 136 FR 2018/1046, and any kind of conflict of interest. 

Please ensure that your proposal addresses each of these elements comprehensively. Please ensure that your proposal addresses each of these elements comprehensively. Incomplete submissions affect the evaluation of your proposal.

Interviews with pre-selected candidates will be conducted in the week of 24 June 2024.

Thank you for your interest in providing services to The Green European Foundation (GEF).
We actively encourage tenderers from diverse backgrounds, including those from underrepresented communities, to apply.
A rolling Q&A document is available at this link . Please, make sure to write anonymous questions and to not write above other questions. 

 

Confidentiality 

Tenderers accept to not disclose nor communicate in any way and at any time confidential information regarding their relationship and work with GEF. This commitment remains valid after the termination of the service, permanently. 

The winning tenderer will commit to sign a declaration to certify the absence of conflict of interest in relation to the tasks and mission contracted by GEF and will make sure to inform the organization of any changes in this status. 

 

Terms and Conditions 

The collection of the tenders, the first screening, selection, and award procedures shall be conducted by distinct members of the GEF team and an appointed selection committee, with the aim of guaranteeing adherence to standards concerning conflicts of interest. GEF retains the right to reject any or all proposals, either wholly or partially, initiate a new call for proposals if deemed necessary, cease the requirement for services, or amend or terminate this call for tender before the written contract is finalized.  

Moreover, GEF maintains the discretion to waive certain formalities in the tender process. GEF is not bound to reply to requests for additional information made less than 6 working days before the deadline for receipt of tenders. The completion of the tendering process does not oblige GEF to grant the contract.  

If the tender encompasses multiple items or lots, GEF maintains the right to award a contract for only a portion of them. GEF will not be held responsible for compensating tenderers whose proposals have not been accepted, nor will it be liable if it chooses not to award the contract. 

By submitting an offer, the tenderers authorize GEF to safely and privately archive the offers received for auditing purposes and agrees to not advance any claim or cause of action against GEF based on any misunderstanding on the information provided relatively to the tender, or any eventual failure to provide pertinent information as intended by this call for tender. 

The tenders will remain confidential until opening and archived accordingly to GDPR. 

Submission of a tender implies acceptance of the terms and conditions set out in the procurement documents and that such submission binds the contractor to whom the contract is awarded, if any, during the performance of the contract. 

Submission of a tender implies acceptance of receiving notification of the outcome of the procedure by electronic means. 

 

Contracting Party 

Green European Foundation (GEF)
Legal and billing address: Rue du Fossé 3, 1536 Luxembourg, Luxembourg.
VAT: LU24419770
Headquarters: Avenue des Arts 7-8, 1210 Brussels, Belgium. 

 

Contact 

For any questions regarding this call for tender, please refer to taube.vanmelkebeke@gef.eu