Visit Swiss Cooperation Office websites.
List with the current
Call for Proposals and the Public tenders for the Swiss Enlargement Contribution to the new EU member states.In response to calls for greater transparency and competition in the awarding of contracts, the SDC has set up a platform on which to publish contracts it is planning as well as those it has already awarded.
- Information platform about SDC mandate allocation
In this platform we inform interested persons about planned and implemented service mandates to exte...
Awarding of Mandates by the SDC
The Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) is responsible for Swiss humanitarian aid and development cooperation, as well as for cooperation with the countries of Eastern Europe (joint programmes with SECO). It implements its own projects and programmes, works together with Swiss NGOs, supports multilateral organizations, and awards mandates to organizations and enter-prises with specialized competencies.
SDC contributions
Swiss non-governmental organizations (NGOs) are reputed and proven service providers and experts in international cooperation. The SDC provides
contributions to non-governmental organizations to support them in implementing programmes under their own responsibility.
SDC mandates
The SDC awards contracts (mandates) to competent mandatees (specialized non-governmental organizations, specialized institutions, and private companies) to
implement projects and programmes of international cooperation. To a lesser degree, it also awards institutional consultancy mandates.
The awarding of mandates is governed by the legal requirements of the 16 December 1994 Federal Law on Public Procurement (BöB) and the 11 December 1995 Ordinance on Public Procurement (VöB), as well as by the1 June 2011 FDFA Directive on the Public Procurement of Services and Mandates.
Threshold values of mandate awards
In accordance with the stipulations of the BöB (and the VöB), the awarding of mandates falls under three different categories: direct
procedure, invitation procedure, and tender procedure.
|
Object of procurement |
Upper values |
Type of procedure |
|
Goods |
< CHF 50,000 |
Direct procedure |
|
Goods |
CHF 50,000 < CHF 230,000 |
Invitation procedure |
|
Goods, Services |
CHF 230,000 and above |
Tender procedure |
The public procurement announcements can be found on the online platform of the Confederation, Cantons, and Communes http://www.simap.ch/.
Exceptions to the free-allocation procedure
As a rule, mandates for a value of CHF 230,000 and above (Services und Goods), and for CHF 2,000,000 and above (construction works) are the
object of a tender procedure.
Within the frame of the SDC’s domain of activity, the following exceptions are allowed to benefit from a direct procedure:
Follow-up phases
- Programmes and projects of international cooperation represent long-term investments;
- As a rule, a programme is calculated to last for about a 12-year period and is subdivided into several 3 to 4-year phases;
- Phase 1 is subject to a tendering procedure. The call for tenders mentions the option of a direct award for the follow-up phases.
Technical particularities
Exemption from standard regulations is invoked when due to technical particularities or for the protection of intellectual property, the
stakes involve only one supplier or no adequate alternative exists.
Reasons for other exceptions
The Federal Law on Public Procurement defines exceptions related to development cooperation and humanitarian aid. Free allocation is
possible for:
- Mandates within the frame of agricultural or food-aid programmes;
- Mandates based on an International treaty between the States Parties to the GATT Agreement or Switzerland and third countries;
- Mandates in the frame of a particular procedure of an international organization.
Project administrated funds
Programmes and projects of international cooperation oftentimes contain funds that are administered by the organization entrusted with the mandate. These
funds serve the purpose of fighting against poverty and flow directly into the SDC’s partner country. Such funds are to be distinguished from the fees and compensations paid to the mandated
organization and the sub-contractors that it works with. In terms of local procurement, at times the local partners have already been identified. In addition, an international call to tender would
hardly be convenient and would run contrary to the goal of strengthening local structures. In the event that for a given project or programme, several local suppliers are worth considering, the
contract between the SDC and the mandated organization regulates how the allocation of the project funds under management is to take place (e.g., local call to tender). In principle, the same rules
apply here as those for the SDC.
Please contact for further information: Competence Centre Contracts and Procurement