Current call for tenders for agencies in the field of change management and internal communication

Organizational Transformation (OT) process: for better staff communication

Overview of EIT Food

EIT Food is Europe’s leading food innovation initiative, working to make the food system more sustainable, healthy and trusted.

The initiative is made up of a consortium of key industry players, startups, research centres and universities from across Europe. It is one of eight Innovation Communities established by the European Institute for Innovation & Technology (EIT), an independent EU body set up in 2008 to drive innovation and entrepreneurship across Europe.

EIT Food aims to collaborate closely with consumers to develop new knowledge and technology-based products and services that will ultimately deliver a healthier and more sustainable lifestyle for all European citizens.

For more information about our company please visit the following website:

www.eitfood.eu

OT proves at EIT Food

EIT Food has been working through a robust Organizational Transformation (OT) process. This included a root and branch review; a structural reform and the teams are looking forward to implementing new roles. The timeline has already started and all staff of the EIT Food core hubs in Europe were presented the coming changes in an online town hall meeting in January. A number of key elements will underpin EIT Foods new structure, such as a new formation of the Leadership team, a new regional integration and ensuring that our Missions work and other programs.

EIT Food envisions to build an organization with a true matrix working approach at its heart where its teams are aligned and work together to deliver impact greater than they can do alone. In addition, EIT Food is developing a new business partnering approach for key tasks to ensure EIT Food is not trying to develop these skill-sets in isolation in each function. New roles are under development, pending the needs EIT Food sees for its future strategic direction.

EIT Food is already in the process to build a working group to support an agency to help with the immediate communication needs of the OT process.

As a pan-European organization, EIT Food has the opportunity to reach all employees in regular town hall meetings (so-called "all hands"). Additionally to the local, physical hubs, EIT Food has internal communication platforms for its staff, including an intranet, and a community platform called the FoodHIVE. So far, the only communication measure was a presentation of the new structure by the COO, followed by an opportunity for questions. Subsequently, however, more and more questions came directly to the CEO and other key staff via various communication channels. As a result, they already participated in dedicated small team meetings online.

With this in mind, the leadership team of EIT Food is mindful that a quick internal communication plan will need to be developed that will transparently involve the employees to a larger degree in the transformation process. This communication concept will need to focus, for example, on the possibility to ask questions/set up an FAQ, or possibly, with e.g. the help of an external moderator, ensure employees of their voice, and that all questions or criticism will be taken into consideration.

Terms of reference for the assignment for communicative support of the OT process

Your agency should be able to submit the following points for EIT Food in a detailed concept and outlining the human resources.

EIT Food would like a short analysis of the previous communication on the OT process as described above. Furthermore, a presentation of a possible future internal communication process necessary for a successful OT. We are looking for concepts that involve all employees in all locations in Europe transparently and which appreciate the potential of their contributions.

Which formats and which mode of communication should characterize the OT process in the future? How can we reach around 200 employees in the right way and how can questions but also criticism of the OT process be channeled and administered so that we can achieve a positive path to a newly positioned organization? The OT process also will be playing an important role in our Europewide employee day in June. In addition, communication to our partners in the EIT Food network must also be considered and adapted. We also expect guidelines and advice to ensure that communication is consistent. For EIT Food, the information to the employees always has priority, but our partners must also be informed promptly.

The agency's vision should include a mix of internal communication, OE and change management skills.

We want to work with the agency until end of this year. EIT Food intends to conclude a Framework Agreement with the selected company.

Requirements for participation in the call

Your agency should be able to provide the following information in order to submit a tender:

• Experience in change processes
• Experience in ogranisational transformation, and its successful communication
• Experience in government relations
• International experience with multicultural teams
• Very good command of English, other languages welcome
• Experience in internal communication procedures and processes
• Working in the EIT Food HQ near Brussels or at the EIT Food Colocation Centers also possible
• A very good understanding of the organization of EIT Food today
• A plus would be a good experience in the food industry and working with start-ups

Timeline for Proposals

Participation

Participation in this proposal procedure is open to all tenderers. For any question, please see contact of EIT Food in below.

Submission of proposal

Proposals must be emailed in English to the following address to:

Contact name: for the attention of Mr Frank Horlbeck

E-mail frank.horlbeck@eitfood.eu

The proposal shall contain:

• the technical response to the service requested (point 3)

• the financial offer (the price for the services.) The Financial offer shall be expressed in Euros, VAT shall be indicated separately.

Responses should be concise and clear. The tenderer’s proposal will be incorporated into any contract that results from this procedure. Tenderers are, therefore, cautioned not to make claims or statements that they are not prepared to commit to contractually. Subsequent modifications and counter-proposals, if applicable, shall also become an integral part of any resulting contract.

The tenderer confirms that the individual submitting the natural or legal entity’s proposal is duly authorized to bind its entity to the proposal as submitted. The tenderer also confirms that it has read the instructions to tenderers and has the experience, skills and resources to perform, according to conditions set forth in this proposal and the tenderers’ proposal.

Validity of the proposals

Tenderers are bound by their proposals for <insert the number of days (usually 90)> days after the deadline for submitting proposals or until they have been notified of non-award.

The selected winner must maintain its proposal for a further <insert the number of days, usually 60) X>days to close the contract.

Proposals not following the instructions of this Request for Proposal can be rejected by EIT Food.

1. Requests for additional information or clarification

In case the tenderers require additional information or clarifications, these should be addressed to the person indicated below. All communication between EIT Food and tenderers is only possible in writing, all requests will be done and answered by e-mail only. All questions should be sent prior to deadline for requesting clarification as specified in Section 3.1. In case of complex or high value procurements, EIT Food may arrange a clarification session of which it will inform all tenderers.

Contact name: for the attention of Mr Frank Frank Horlbeck

E-mail frank.horlbeck@eitfood.eu

EIT Food has no obligation to provide clarification.

1. Costs for preparing proposals

No costs incurred by the tenderer in preparing and submitting the proposal are reimbursable. All such costs must be borne by the tenderer.

1. Clarification related to the submitted proposals

After submission of the proposals, they shall be checked if they satisfy all the formal requirements set out in the proposal dossier. Where information or documentation submitted by the tenderers are or appears to be incomplete or erroneous or where specific documents are missing, EIT Food may request the tenderer concerned to submit, supplement, clarify or complete the relevant information or documentation within an appropriate time limit. All communication between EIT Food and tenderers is only possible in writing, all requests will be done and answered by e-mail only.

1. Negotiation about the submitted proposal

After checking the administrative compliance of the tenderers, EIT Food reserves the right to negotiate the contract terms with the tenderers. In this negotiation EIT Food may ask all tenderers to adjust the proposal or specific sections of the proposal within an appropriate time limit. In case of negotiation, EIT Food shall provide further information about the proceedings and timing.

1. Evaluation of proposals

The quality of each proposal will be evaluated in accordance with the below mentioned award criteria. The award criteria will be examined in accordance with the requested service indicated in Section 2 of the document.

Please list the chosen award criteria below. Remember that price only is acceptable in exceptional cases.

Award criteria Below text as an example, please adjust to the specifics of your contract:

1. Project experience and competences of the members of the proposed project teams (maximum: 20 points)
2. Methodology approach of project and proposed project implementation (maximum: 20 points)
3. Other criteria (maximum: 20 points)

Total technical score: 60 points maximum

1. Price or total cost: lowest offered expert unit price shall receive the highest score; the score for other offers shall be calculated in relation to that in linear equation (maximum: 40 points)

Total financial score: 40 points maximum

Total maximum score: 100 points

The results of the award procedure will be communicated in writing (via e-mail) to the successful and unsuccessful tenderers.

1. Appeals/complaints

Tenderers believing that they have been harmed by an error or irregularity during the award process may file a complaint. Appeals should be addressed to EIT Food. The tenderers have 3 calendar days to file their complaints from the dispatch of the award notification e-mail

1. Signature of contract

Please refer to Annex 1 for the template contract that shall apply to this procedure. Any changes desired by the tenderer in the provisions contained in the body of this Service Agreement must be communicated to EIT Food as part of the proposal of such tenderer. Any such changes will be considered as part of the evaluation of the proposal of each tenderer

Within 5 days of receipt of the contract from EIT Food, the winning tenderer shall sign and date the contract and return it to EIT Food. Upon receipt, EIT Food shall countersign and return one signed copy of the contract to the winning tenderer.

1. Cancellation of the proposal procedure

In the event of cancellation of the procurement procedure, EIT Food will notify tenderers of the cancellation. In no event shall EIT Food be liable for any damages whatsoever including, without limitation, damages for loss of profits, in any way connected with the cancellation of a proposal procedure, even if EIT Food has been advised of the possibility of damages.

1. Ethics clauses / Corruptive practices

EIT Food reserves the right to suspend or cancel the procedure, where the award procedure proves to have been subject to substantial errors, irregularities or fraud. If substantial errors, irregularities or fraud are discovered after the award of the Contract, EIT Food may refrain from concluding the Contract.

The supplier shall take all measures to prevent any situation where the impartial and objective implementation of the contract is compromised for reasons involving economic interest, political or national affinity, family or emotional ties or any other shared interest (‘conflict of interests’). The supplier should immediately inform EIT Food if there is any change in the above circumstances at any stage during the implementation of the tasks.

1. Annexes

Annex 1: Contract Template. The Contract Template is provided for information purposes only and might be subject to considerable modifications.