Request for the Services of a Feasibility Study on Digital Receipt Processes in the local electronics e-Commerce online market sector.

Section A: Instructions

All submissions will be dealt with in strictest confidence.

The Estimated Procurement Value for this Call for Quotations has been based on comprehensive research including appropriate financial analysis. In the context of this procurement, the Estimated Procurement Value, based on market research, is that of €8,000 excluding VAT.

The purpose of this value shall be the guidance of prospective bidders when submitting their offer and is not to be considered as a binding capping price.

Therefore, the published Estimated Procurement Value is not restrictive and final on Tech.mt. Economic Operators are free to submit financial offers above or below the Estimated Procurement Value. However, Tech.mt reserves the right to accept or reject Financial Offers exceeding the Estimated Procurement Value.

The place of acceptance of the services shall be at Tech.mt, AM Business Centre, level 1, Triq il- Labour, Zejtun and the time-limits for the execution of the contract shall be the 17th of November 2023, and the INCOTERM2010 applicable shall be Delivery Duty Paid (DDP).

Section B: General Information

1) Purpose

The purpose of this CfQ is to invite professionals to conduct a feasibility study among merchant acquirers, B2B and B2C retailers, to analyse relevant factors to create the required framework for an integrated digitalised process or certain processes related to online payments and the issue of digital receipts in the local electronics e-Commerce online market sector taking into consideration the EU directive on digital invoicing¹ and Digital VAT EU Directive². The service includes the preparation of surveys, meetings with third parties, collection of feedback from organisations participating, analysation of data collected, and the production and delivery of a final report.

2) Beneficiary

The beneficiary, being Tech.mt is the point of contact for this CfQ.  Any inquiries are to be referred to and directed to: Tech.mt, AM Business Centre, Level 1,Triq il-Labour, Żejtun, Malta.

Telephone: +356 22262100
Email: techmt.contact@tech.mt

3) Scope and Terms & Conditions

1. Interested bidders are expected to register their interest through the etender portal for the provision of services for a feasibility study, as specified in the Purpose of this same document.
2. The bidder shall perform the services under the contract with due care, efficiency and diligence, in accordance with the best professional practice.
3. The bidder shall treat all documents and information received in connection with the contract as private and confidential, and shall not, save in so far as may be necessary for the purposes of the performance thereof, publish or disclose any particulars of the contract without the prior consent in writing of the Contracting Authority or the Project Manager after consultation with the Contracting Authority. If any disagreement arises as to the necessity for any publication or disclosure for the purpose of the contract, the decision of the Contracting Authority shall be final. The Contracting Authority can however, for service contracts with a value which is equal to or exceeds one million Euro, disclose any part of this contract subject to the applicable national rules on access to documents and data protection.
4. The bidder shall at all time act loyally and impartially and as a faithful adviser to the Contracting Authority in accordance with the rules and/or code of conduct of its profession as well as with appropriate discretion. It shall, in particular, refrain from making any public statements concerning the project or the services without the prior approval of the Contracting Authority, and from engaging in any activity which conflicts with its obligations towards the Contracting Authority under the contract. It shall not commit the Contracting Authority in any way whatsoever without its prior written consent, and shall, where appropriate, make this obligation clear to third parties.
5. Bidders who have been found to have seriously failed to meet their contractual obligations shall also be subject to financial penalties representing 10% of the total value of the contract.
6. The Contractor shall not publish articles relating to the services or refer to them when carrying out any services for others, or divulge information obtained from the Contracting Authority, without the prior written consent of the Contracting Authority.

4) Response Format

Responses are to be straightforward, clear, concise and specific to the information requested. In order for submissions to be considered complete, Economic Operators must provide all the requested information mentioned in this document as well as any other comments, observations or suggestions which potentially may assist the Contracting Authority in the Call for Quotations.

¹ Directive 2014/55/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 16 April 2014 on electronic invoicing in public procurement Text with EEA relevance ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/dir/2014/55/oj

² Council Directive 2006/112/EC of 28 November 2006 on the common system of value added tax Access initial legal act ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/dir/2006/112/2022-07-01

Section C: Details of Information Requested

1)  General Economic Operator Information

The Contracting Authority is asking interested bidders to submit a response containing, the following information:

• Declaration concerning exclusion grounds as follows:
  I hereby declare that I do not fall under any of the grounds listed under Part VI of LN352/2016 (S.L.601.03).
  ^{□ I confirm the above}

• Declaration concerning Selection Criteria

Bidders submitting their interest in the delivery of the feasibility study must complete the study by the 17th November 2023.

2) Specific Project Overview

The trend towards digital business processes has given rise to the emergence of complementary solutions that aim to support the digitalisation of the relevant steps before and after the actual payment process.

Technological innovation, regulatory reforms and the increasing digitalisation of people’s daily lives have reshaped the European retail payments landscape and are set to continue to do so.

To facilitate continued open collaboration with stakeholders and to drive change, it is necessary on retail payments to evolve in line with the changing world of digitalisation; the EU directive on digital invoicing¹ and the Digital VAT EU directive².

Overview of Information on the Services Requirements:

Interested bidders are to:

Analyse the current market to create the required framework for an integrated digitalised processes related to online payments and the issue of digital receipts in the local electronics e-Commerce online market sector taking into consideration the fiscal/taxation implications mentioned in the expected outcomes with reference to.

Overview of technical requirements:

The bidder will be expected to collect enough feedback from the study to be analysed and produce a final document as a report for the required framework.

3)  Response Format and Award Criteria

Responses are to be straightforward, clear, concise and specific to the information requested. In order for submissions to be considered complete, Economic Operators must provide all the requested information mentioned in this document as well as any other comments, observations or suggestions which potentially may assist the Contracting Authority in the Call for Quotations.

The selection of the offers would be evaluated in the following order:

1. Administrative
2. Technical and
3. Financial

The award criteria for this Call for Quotations is the Price.  The contract will be awarded to the cheapest priced tender satisfying the administrative, technical and financial criteria as well.

^[1] Directive 2014/55/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 16 April 2014 on electronic invoicing in public procurement Text with EEA relevance.
ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/dir/2014/55/oj

^[2] Council Directive 2006/112/EC of 28 November 2006 on the common system of value-added tax Access initial legal act
ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/dir/2006/112/2022-07-01

Section D: Financial Bid Form

Financial Offer
NB – Offers Are to be submitted up to two (2) decimal points.

Fees for delivery of the feasibility study which includes preparation of surveys, meetings with third parties, collection of feedback from organisations participating, analysation of data collected and the production and delivery of the final report.

Name of Bidder: _________________________

Financial Breakdown:

Quotations are to be submitted and shall be awarded including taxes/charges and any import duties applicable but excluding VAT.