## 4. FORM AND CONTENT OF THE TENDER 

## 4.1. Form of the tender: how to submit the tender? 

Tenders are to be submitted via the e-Submission application according to the instructions laid down in the Invitation to tender letter and the e-Submission Quick Guide. 

  Make sure you prepare and submit your electronic tender in e-Submission early enough to ensure it is received within the deadline specified under Heading IV.2.2 of the contract notice. A tender received after this deadline will be rejected. 

## 4.2. Content of the tender: what documents to submit with the tender? 

The documents to be submitted with the tender in e-Submission are listed in Annex 1. 

The following requirements apply to the technical and financial offer (to be uploaded as Technical tender and Financial tender in e-Submission): 

• Technical offer. 

The technical offer must provide all the information needed to assess the compliance with Section 1.4 of these specifications and the award criteria. Tenders deviating from the minimum requirements or not covering all the requirements may be rejected on the basis of non-compliance and not evaluated further. 

• Financial offer. 

A complete financial offer, including the breakdown of the price needs to be uploaded. For this purpose, the Financial Model in Annex 6  shall be completed, duly signed and uploaded in e-Submission. 

It is the responsibility of each tenderer to ensure that the total amount of the tender inserted in the relevant field of the e-Submission application corresponds to the amount indicated in the uploaded financial offer. In case of discrepancies, only the amount indicated in the financial offer will be taken into account. 

The financial offer shall be: 

• expressed in euros. Tenderers from countries outside the euro zone have to quote their prices in euro. The price quoted may not be revised in line with exchange rate movements. It is for the tenderer to bear the risks or the benefits deriving from any variation. 

• quoted free of all duties, taxes and other charges, i.e. also free of VAT. The tenderer may indicate the amount of VAT but it must be shown separately. 

  The European Union Institutions are exempt from such charges in the EU under Articles 3 and 4 of the Protocol on the Privileges and Immunities of the European Union of 8 April 1965 annexed to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union. Exemption is granted to the Commission by the governments of the Member States, either through refunds upon presentation of documentary evidence or by direct exemption. 

For those countries where national legislation provides an exemption by means of a reimbursement, the amount of VAT must be shown separately. In case of doubt about the applicable VAT system, it is the tenderer's responsibility to contact his or her national authorities to clarify the way in which the European Union is exempt from VAT. 

