WRITTEN QUESTION E-2780/01

by Armando Cossutta (GUE/NGL) to the Commission

(9 October 2001)

Subject: Call to tender for the trans-European telecommunications network

The call for tenders for projects involved in the creation of trans-European telecommunications networks was published on 28 July 2001(1). The stated deadline is 7 September 2001 (for the submission of projects).

1. Does the Commission not consider that the period of time between publication of the notice and the deadline (41 days in all) was excessively short, especially considering that most of the potential participants would have been working less during that period (the month of August)?

2. What means were used to inform the those potentially interested?

3. How many of those who have already responded are taking part, negotiating or have already taken part in other TEN-Telecom projects?

(1) OJ C 211, 28.7.2001.

Answer given by Mr Liikanen on behalf of the Commission

(12 December 2001)

While the delay between the call publication in the Official Journal and its close was shorter than normal, the Commission took steps to inform potential proposers of the forthcoming call in order to assist them in preparation before the summer period. In addition to publication in the Official Journal, the trans-European (TEN)-Telecom programme maintains a web site which contained notification of the call and an advance information which was placed on the site in May 2001.

All visitors to this site are asked to register, and are then sent e-mail notifications of events such as the call 2001/1. Further dissemination takes place through national information days organised in the Member States with the help of Commission staff. These mechanisms were put into operation before the publication of the call, subject to the advice to recipients that the information was of a provisional nature pending publication in the Official Journal.

The Commission organised an information day concerning this call on 19 June 2001, which was announced through the TEN-Telecom web-site and mailing lists; 3 959 invitations were sent on 29 May 2001, fourteen weeks before the call closure. 430 persons registered for the Commission information day, and a further 404 participated in national information days.

It was necessary to close the call early in September 2001 so that proposals could be properly evaluated, selected for funding and brought to contract before the end of budget year 2001.

The Commission considers that the reduced opening period of the call did not unduly disadvantage sufficiently mature consortia. Proposers who were not at a sufficient state of readiness will have the opportunity to submit on the 2001/2 call, which will be open for a period of approximately three months.

It should be noted that in the evaluation of received proposals, four were rated A, which compares with only two which received this rating in the evaluation of the 2000/2 call. This appears to confirm that the short opening period did not impede the presentation of good quality proposals.

44 proposals were received in response to the call. Co-ordinators of five proposals had previously been co-ordinator in TEN-Telecom projects or projects now under negotiation.