The European Commission has launched a call for tenders for a framework contract for the evaluation of CAP measures applied to the starch, sugar and cotton sectors. The indicative budget for the framework contract is 1.6 M€, and interested operators must submit their offers by June 8th 2009.

In 2003, the reform of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) was adopted with the aim of promoting a more market-oriented and competitive agriculture. The biggest change was to remove the link between support and production, although coupled forms of direct support have continued to exist.

Within this framework, the DG Agriculture and Rural Development has issued a Call for Proposals aiming at evaluating the impacts of the CAP measures directed towards the sectors of starch, sugar and cotton. The evaluation projects envisaged will examine the effectiveness, efficiency, coherence and relevance of the measures in question, as well as their possible unintended side-effects.

The focus of the evaluation projects will be on decoupled and/or coupled direct payments, but other important drivers, in particular other CAP measures targeted at the sector concerned will have to be taken into account.

The Requests for Services for each specific evaluation project will define the specific  measures to be analysed. The individual evaluations will take into account the choices made by Member States in the implementation of the respective schemes at national level.

The focus of the evaluation projects will be on decoupled and/or coupled direct payments. Whereas it lies in the very nature of decoupled payments that they cannot be attributed to certain sectors, the evaluation projects will, nevertheless, have a sectoral perspective in order to capture the impact of the transition from coupled to decoupled support as well as the impact of maintaining coupled support. Moreover, analysing those impacts must take into account other important drivers, including other CAP measures targeted at the sectors concerned.

The indicative maximum amount of the framework contract is € 1,600,000. The deadline for submitting offers expires on 08 June 2009. The Commission intends to award the contract in the second half of 2009, following the evaluation of the offers received. The expected period of performance of the contract is 4 years.

Tenderers may submit their tenders either by mail or delivering them by hand. Registered post or courier submissions must be addressed to:

EUROPEAN COMMISSION
(Attn Mr Leo MAIER, Head of Evaluation Unit – Office Loi 130,  8/29)
Directorate-General for Agriculture and Rural Development, Unit
L.4. Evaluation of measures applicable to agriculture; studies
BE - 1049 BRUSSELS - Belgium

If delivered by hand, tenders must reach the following address no later than 16:00 on June 6th 2009:

Office 00/212 - Central Mailroom,
DG Administration
EUROPEAN COMMISSION
Avenue du Bourget 1-3,
BE - 1140 BRUSSELS (EVERE) - Belgium
(Attn Mr Leo MAIER, Head of Evaluation Unit – Office Loi 130,  8/29)
Directorate-General for Agriculture and Rural Development, Unit
L.4. Evaluation of measures applicable to agriculture; studies