Provision of business coaching services to SMEs involved in the defence industry.

The contract timeline details are provided with options and placeholders rather than specific dates or durations.

The specific contract enters into force on the date the last party signs it. The provision of services can commence either on this entry into force date, on the later of the last party's signature date and a specified date (DD-MM-YY), or on a date communicated by the Contracting Authority, which must be no sooner than the entry into force date and no later than three months after the specific contract's signature.

The maximum period for service provision, encompassing all phases and renewals, is indicated by a placeholder "[number] [days/months/years]" or a placeholder end date "DD-MM-YY". This period may be extended with the express written agreement of both parties before its expiration.

The performance of the specific contract can be divided into phases. The first phase has a duration indicated by a placeholder "[number] [days/months/years]". Progress to a new phase is contingent upon the fulfillment of certain conditions, such as the successful completion of the previous phase and the availability of necessary funding. The contractor requires written consent from the contracting authority, provided a placeholder "[number][days/months]" before the start of the next phase, to proceed. This written consent will outline the start date, duration, and maximum amount for that subsequent phase.

The contract may also include renewals. An initial period, specified by a placeholder "[number] [days/months]" or "DD-MM-YY", can be renewed either automatically a specified number of times for a specified duration, or by written consent of the parties.

As specific dates, total duration, and exact numbers for phases or renewals are not explicitly stated and are represented by placeholders in the documents, these specific details cannot be provided.

The core scope of work for this tender is divided into two lots.

Lot 1: Business Coaching Services for SMEs

The contractor will outsource the provision of coaching services to SME beneficiaries of EDF calls. This includes:

• Recruiting and making coaches available to selected SMEs through a searching mechanism.
• Matching coaches and SMEs based on their skills and needs.
• Contracting selected coaches and providing instructions for the coaching service.
• Providing monitoring and quality assurance follow-up of delivered coaching.
• Offering further support to selected SMEs, such as webinars and access to a network.
• Acting as a "paying agent" for coach fees from advances placed by the contracting authority.
• Providing an Impact Report at the end of the Framework Contract period for the whole period and per coaching year.

Core deliverables for Lot 1 are:

• A list of registered coaches (by T0 + 2 months).
• A project charter describing the online system (by T0 + 1 month).
• Launch of an online platform where coaches and SMEs register, meet, and keep progress reports (by T0 + 2 months).
• Kick-off Meeting with registered SMEs (and eventually coaches).

Lot 2: Research and Evaluation Services

This lot involves research and analysis on specific topics, including short and medium briefings. The services include:

• Task #1: Assessment of the EU defence technological and industrial base (EDTIB).
• Task #2: Dependency Assessment. Quantifying current/future dependencies (critical, less-critical, non-critical) from an EU-27 perspective and defining criticality criteria. The output will be Dependency heatmaps/dashboards with quantitative metrics.
• Task #3: Recommendations. Providing prioritized, feasible recommendations for critical/less-critical dependencies at EU, Member State, and industry levels, including growth strategies for the EU industrial footprint in defence electronics. The output will be an Action matrix with timelines, responsible actors, costs/benefits, and impact indicators.
• Task #4: Workshops. Organizing one full-day physical workshop in Brussels (Month 4, ~50 participants) to present interim findings, validate assumptions, and gather feedback; and one half-day online workshop (Month 7, ~100 participants) to present final analysis/recommendations and incorporate feedback. Workshop outputs (agendas, minutes, feedback synthesis) will be integrated into the final report as Annexes.

Core deliverables for Lot 2 are:

• An Interim Report and a Final Report, including Key Performance Indicators (KPIs).
• Dependency heatmaps/dashboards with quantitative metrics.
• An Action matrix with timelines, responsible actors, costs/benefits, and impact indicators.
• Workshop outputs (agendas, minutes, feedback synthesis) integrated into the final report as Annexes.

For both lots, the contractor is expected to implement an effective management system and provide a draft Management Plan detailing planning and methodology, understanding of the subject matter and scope, proposed modifications for analysis improvement, organization, methods and means for report development, a work breakdown structure, a GANTT chart, and a reporting structure and tools.