Internet address(es):

Main address: https://ekf.dk/

Tender Regarding the Provision of Credit Rating Systems

EFK Danmarks Eksportkredit (hereinafter ‘EKF’) is the Danish export credit agency. EKF’s objective is to facilitate Danish companies’ internationalisation opportunities and to create growth and jobs in Denmark. In that connection EKF among other things provides export loans. EKF is launching a call for tenders with the aim to establish contracts with suppliers of credit rating systems. The purpose of the tender is to obtain a contract for a rating and data solution on a global scale (contract I) including the functionality of calculating default ratings, scoring of corporates and projects, accessing a database (containing among others corporate financial information and external rating, etc.) and is used by the department’s handling customers, guarantees, risks and aftercare of the port-folio and to obtain a contract for a rating and data solution on a national scale (Nordic region) (contract II) including a functionality of calculating default ratings (National and Nordics).

Contract I: Rating and Data Solution — Global Scale

EKF Danmarks Eksportkredit (‘the Customer’) is Denmark’s export credit agency. The Customers objective is to facilitate Danish companies’ internationalisation opportunities and to create growth and jobs in Denmark. The Customer helps Danish enterprises to realise their export dreams by providing export credits, working capital guarantees and export loans to enable them to finance their activities and cover commercial and political risks in their export markets.

The Customer is the only organisation in Denmark that provides cover for extraordinary export risks that the private market is unable or unwilling to guarantee or provide financing to. The Customer operates with a long-term perspective and the risk exposure necessary in countries and markets where the political and commercial situation may be uncertain.

The Customer is utilising various score card models developed by internationally recognised credit rating agencies in the credit risk assessment and internal rating of corporate risk and project financing transactions. As part of present agreements, the Customer also has access to databases with financial information and external ratings of corporates and financial institutions. Rating results from these tools are used in internal communication of credit risk and in the decision making and pricing of new transactions, for ongoing portfolio monitoring purposes and in communication with the owner of the Customer, auditors and the reinsurance market.

EKF is looking for a rating and data solution which covers the following main functional areas, all described in Appendix 1 for contract I:

A. rating coverage and rating scale,

B. coverage of country risks in the rating models,

C. requirement for quantitative and qualitative inputs,

D. back testing and workshops,

E. financial data base.

The contract contains an option of 2 x 1-year extension.

Contract II: Rating and Data Solution — National Scale (Nordic region)

EKF Danmarks Eksportkredit (‘the Customer’) is Denmark’s export credit agency. The Customers objective is to facilitate Danish companies’ internationalisation opportunities and to create growth and jobs in Denmark. The Customer helps Danish enterprises to realise their export dreams by providing export credits, working capital guarantees and export loans to enable them to finance their activities and cover commercial and political risks in their export markets.

The Customer is the only organisation in Denmark that provides cover for extraordinary export risks that the private market is unable or unwilling to guarantee or provide financing to. the Customer operates with a long-term perspective and the risk exposure necessary in countries and markets where the political and commercial situation may be uncertain.

The Customer is utilising various score card models developed by internationally recognised credit rating agencies in the credit risk assessment and internal rating of corporate risk and project financing transactions. As part of present agreements, the Customer also has access to databases with financial information and external ratings of corporates and financial institutions. Rating results from these tools are used in internal communication of credit risk and in the decision making and pricing of new transactions, for ongoing portfolio monitoring purposes and in communication with the owner of the Customer, auditors and the reinsurance market.

EKF is looking for a rating and data solution which covers the following main functional areas, all described in Appendix 1 for contract II:

A. Scoring method,

B. calculation PD,

C. access and platform solutions.

The contract contains an option of 2 x 1-year extension.

The tenderer must submit the European Single Procurement Document (‘ESPD’) with the following information:

The tenderer's equity in the most recent financial year available.

If the tenderer relies on the economic and financial capacity of other entities, the tenderer and the entities in question undertake joint and several liability for the performance of the contract.

The ESPD serves as provisional documentation that the tenderer fulfils the minimum suitability requirements in respect of economic and financial capacity.

Before the decision to award the contract is made, the tenderer to whom the contracting entity intends to award the contract must submit documentation that the information stated in the ESPD is accurate.

Upon the contracting entity's request, the following documentation of economic and financial capacity must be submitted:

The operator's balance sheets or extracts from balance sheets in the most recent annual report/financial statement available if publication of the balance sheets is required under law in the country in which the operator is established or other documentation of the size of the equity. For groups of operators (e.g. a consortium), the information in the most recent annual report/financial statement available must be submitted for each participating operator in the group. Where an operator relies on the economic and financial capacity of other entities (e.g. a parent company, a sister company or a subcontractor), information for such other entities must be provided as well.

As a minimum requirement, a positive equity in the most recent annual report/financial statement available is required. If the tenderer relies on the capacities of other entities, the equity is to be calculated as the total equity of the operator and such other entities in the most recent annual report/financial statement available. For groups of operators (e.g. a consortium), the equity is calculated as the total equity of the operators in the most recent annual re-port/financial statement available. The information is to be stated in section IV.B of the ESPD.

The contract has incorporated the corporate social responsibility considerations, as appropriate, as laid down in the conventions on the basis of which the principles of the UN Global Compact are worded and as laid down in the OECD guidelines for multinational enterprises. The contract furthermore lays down requirements pursuant to ILO convention No 94 on labour clauses in public contracts and circular No 9471 of 30 June 2014.

Participation in the tendering procedure may only take place by electronic means via the electronic tendering system used by the contracting entity, see the address set out in section I.3). For access to the procurement documents, the tenderer must be registered or register as a user.

If the tender contains several versions of the same document, the latest uploaded version will apply.

All communication in connection with the tender procedure, including questions and answers, must take place through the electronic tendering system. Questions must be submitted not later than 14 August at 9 a.m. CET. Questions asked after this date will be answered if they are received in time for the contracting entity to provide the information required and communicate the answers not later than 6 days before expiry of the application deadline. Questions received later than 6 days before expiry of the deadline cannot expect to be answered.

Interested operators are requested to keep updated via the electronic tendering system. If the tenderer encounters problems with the system, please contact support by e-mail, dksupport@eu-supply.com or telephone (+45) 70208014.

The tenderer must together with its tender submit an ESPD as preliminary documentation of the circumstances set out in section 148(1), paras (1) to (3) of the Danish Public Procurement Act (udbudsloven). For groups of operators (e.g. a consortium), a separate ESPD must be submitted for each participating operator. If the tenderer relies on the capacities of other entities, an ESPD must be submitted for each of the entities on which the tenderer relies.

The tenderer will be excluded from participation in the tender procedure if the tenderer is subject to the compulsory grounds for exclusion set out in sections 135 and 136 of the Danish Public Procurement Act, unless the tenderer has submitted sufficient documentation of its reliability in accordance with section 138 of the Danish Public Procurement Act.

Before the decision to award the contract is made, the tenderer to whom the contracting entity intends toward the contract must provide documentation of the information submitted in the ESPD pursuant to sections 151-152, cf. section 153 of the Danish Public Procurement Act.

Further information:

As regards section II.2.6), it should be noted that the amount is an estimate of the expected contract price for the entire duration of the contract, including the price of all options.

As regards section II.2.7), the duration of the contract shall be measured from the date of signing of the contract.

The contracting entity may use the procedure of section 159(5) of the Danish Public Procurement Act in the event that applications or tenders do not comply with the formal requirements of the procurement documents.

Internet address: https://naevneneshus.dk/start-din-klage/klagenaevnet-for-udbud/vejledning/

Pursuant to the Danish Act on the Complaints Board for Public Procurement, etc. (lov om Klagenævnet for Udbud m.v.) (the Act is available (in Danish) at www.retsinformation.dk), the following deadlines apply to the lodging of complaints:

Complaints for not having been selected must be submitted to the Danish Complaints Board for Public Procurement before the expiry of 20 calendar days, see section 7(1) of the Act, from the day after submission of notification to the candidates concerned of the identity of the successful tenderer where the notification is accompanied by an explanation of the grounds for the decision in accordance with section 2(1), para (1) of the Act and section 171(2) of the Danish Public Procurement Act.

In other situations, complaints of award procedures, see section 7(2) of the Act, must be lodged with the Danish Complaints Board for Public Procurement before the expiry of:

1) 45 calendar days after the contracting entity has published a notice in the Official Journal of the European Union that the contracting entity has entered into a contract. The deadline is calculated from the day after the day when the notice was published.

2) 30 calendar days calculated from the day after the day when the contracting entity has notified the candidates concerned that a contract based on a framework agreement with reopening of competition or a Dynamic Purchasing System has been entered into where the notification has included an explanation of the relevant grounds for the decision.

3) 6 months after the contracting entity entered into a framework agreement calculated from the day after the day when the contracting entity notified the candidates and tenderers concerned, see section 2(2) of the Act and section 171(4) of the Danish Public Procurement Act.

4) 20 calendar days calculated from the day after the contracting entity has submitted notification of its decision, see section 185(2) of the Danish Public Procurement Act.

Not later than at the time of lodging a complaint with the Danish Complaints Board for Public Procurement, the complainant must notify the contracting entity in writing that a complaint has been lodged with the Danish Complaints Board for Public Procurement and whether the appeal was lodged during the standstill period, see section 6(4) of the Act. In cases where the complaint was not lodged within the standstill period, the complainant must furthermore indicate whether a suspensory effect of the complaint has been requested, see section 12(1) of the Act.

The email address of the Complaints Board for Public Procurement is set out in section VI.4.1).

The Complaints Board’s own complaints procedure is available at https://naevneneshus.dk/start-din-klage/klagenaevnet-for-udbud/vejledning/

Internet address: http://www.kfst.dk