Technical assistance unit for European Communities Investment Partners (ECIP)
The European Commission, DG I, has published information regarding a forthcoming invitation to tender for an external technical assistance unit for the European Communities Investment Partners (ECIP) financial instrument. The tender, which is expected to be launched sometime in July 1996, will concern the setting up, staffing and operation of an external technical assistance unit under the control of the Commission to carry out basic routine, information and dossier-processing tasks for the hundreds of annual ECIP financing requests and approved actions and the related correspondence, records and data processing. The Commission will retain responsibility for final appraisal of, and the final decision on, all actions financed, for general promotion of the instrument and for evaluation of its impact. The Commission already invited bids for these services in 1995, but it decided in March 1996 not to award a contract since none of the bidders fulfilled the criteria required for the services in question. For further information, and for background information on ECIP, please contact: European Commission DG I - External Economic Relations Director of North-South Relations Directorate (IB/D) 200 rue de la Loi (L53 7/7) B-1049 Brussels Tel. +32-2-2992299/2990926; Fax +32-2-2991034