BG16RFOP002-2.002 „Development of management capacity and growth of SMEs“
The MA of OPIC informs all applicants, that with State Gazette (SG) No 76/30.09.2016 a CMD №243/30.09.2016 for adoption of the Regulation for determining the terms and mechanism of functioning of the unified information system for management and monitoring of resources from the European structural and investment funds (UMIS) and for the conduct of proceedings before the managing authorities accordingly via UMIS is promulgated.
According to § 2 of the final provisions of the Decree: „In § 4 of the transitional and final provisions of the Decree № 160 of the Council of Ministers from 2016, determining rules for consideration and evaluation of offers and contracting procedure for selection with an open call by beneficiaries of grants from the European structural and investment funds (SG No52 from 2016) a new para. 4 is created:
„(4) In the cases of art. 2 para. 1 and 7 and art. 5 para. 2 – to ensuring technical possibility of using the UMIS, the physical and juridical persons and their associations – applicants for a grant by the ESIF, publish the public calls and messages for raising bids on the Single information portal, and the offers must be submitted to the address of the grant applicant, specified in the public invitation.“
The said provision creates an opportunity for the conduct of procedures for selection of contractor on behalf of grant applicants. In this respect, MA of OPIC draws attention, that no later than three days prior to the date of announcement of the procedure, it must be submitted to e-mail tenders@mi.government.bg for publishing on the Single information portal for general information about the management of Structural Funds and Cohesion Fund of the European Union in Bulgaria.
Given the opportunity for starting the implementation activities of project proposals submitted before signing a grant contract, stipulated in the Act for management of the funds from the European Structural and Investment Funds (amend. and supplemented. SG No 43 of 06.07.2016), MA of OPIC informs all potential applicants, that by 08.07.2016 is in force Decree № 160 from July 1, 2016 determining the rules for consideration and evaluation of bids and contracting procedure for selection with an open call by beneficiaries of grants from the European structural and investment funds (into force on 08.07.2016). In this regard, the selection of a contractor shall be in compliance with the provisions of Chapter Four of the Act for management of the funds from the European Structural and Investment Funds and DCM 160/01.07.2016 and the actual samples of the published on the Internet site of the MA Guidelines on implementation of grant contracts under OPIC. (only in Bulgarian language)
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS UNDER THE PROCEDURE (only in Bulgarian language)
NOTICE
MA of OPIC published amended package of documents under procedure № BG16RFOP002-2.002 „Development of management capacity and growth of SMEs“ (only in Bulgarian language)
In connection with changes in the regulatory framework, following of § 3 of the Supplementary Provisions of CMD № 162/2016 on, § 9 of the transitional and final provisions of the CMD № 160/2016 on, § 3 and § 8 of the Transitional and Final Provisions of CMD № 189/2016 on, and § 2 pt. 2 of the Supplementary Provisions of Regulation on administration of irregularities under EU Structural and Investment funds (adopted by DCM № 173 of 13.07.2016, the prom. SG. 57 on 07/22/2016), by Order №РД-16-863/02.09.2016 г. of the Head of the Managing Authority changes are made in:
1. Requirements for Application
2. Criteria and methodology for evaluating of project proposals
3. Declaration of irregularities
4. Requirements for Implementation
5. „General conditions for financed under the operational Program "Innovation and Competitiveness" 2014-2020 administrative grant contracts“
Directorate General "European Funds for Competitiveness" - Managing Authority of Operational Programme "Innovation and Competitiveness" 2014-2020 invites those wishing to submit project proposals under Priority Axis 2 „Entrepreneurship and capacity for growth of SMEs“, Investment Priority 2.2 "Capacity growth of SMEs" Specific Objective 2.2: Raising the productivity and the export potential of Bulgarian SMEs by ANNOUNCING a procedure for selection of projects: № BG16RFOP002-2.002 „Development of management capacity and growth of SMEs“
The main objective of the procedure is to develop the management capacity and growth of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Bulgaria through supporting specialized services and promoting the use of information and communication technologies and services.
The applicable state aid regime is „de minimis“ aid under Regulation (EC) № 1407/2013.
Eligible under the procedure are projects, including the following activities:
I. Activities for development and strengthening the management capacity of enterprises, incl.:
1/ Implementation and certification of quality management systems in accordance with national / European / international standards;
2/ Achieving compliance of products with national / European / international standards;
3/ Implementation and certification of good manufacturing practices (GMP);
4/ Re-certification of management systems;
5/ Reengineering of the business processes;
6/ Presentation the company to potential investors and participation in the capital markets at home and abroad.
II. Activities for promoting the use of information and communication technologies and services:
1/ Service activities for the development and introduction of ICT-based software for managing business processes within companies;
2/ Activities for acquisition and introduction of ICT-based software for managing business processes within companies;
3/ Activities for investments in new equipment and/or specialized software applications, contributing for the introduction of ICT based software for management of business processes within companies;
4/ Service activities for using the software management systems as a service - SaaS (Software as a service);
5/ Service activities for "co-location" of servers.
III. Activities for project visualization
The submission of the project proposal under the current procedure is carried out entirely electronically by completing a web based application form and submitting the application and accompanying documents via the Unified information system for management and monitoring of the EU Structural Instruments in Bulgaria (UMIS 2020) solely using a qualified electronic signature (QES), by module „Е-application“ at the following web address: https://eumis2020.government.bg.
Applicants may ask additional questions and request clarifications regarding their application up to 3 weeks before the deadline for submission of project proposals. Additional questions can be asked only by the e-mail shown below, clearly indicating the name of the procedure for the selection of projects:
E-mail address: sme_mcapacity@mi.government.bg
Clarifications that contain opinion on the quality of a specific project proposal will not be given. Answers to questions, set over the phone, will not be given. Individual replies to questions, asked by candidates under the procedure, will not be sent.
The full package of documents (Requirements for Application, Requirements for Implementation and their Annexes /only in Bulgarian language/) under the procedure is published on the website of the Operational programme: www.opic.bg, as well as on the Single information portal for general information about the management of Structural Funds and Cohesion Fund of the European Union in Bulgaria: www.eufunds.bg.
The procedure is with deadline for submission of project proposals: 17:30 p.m. on 15/08/2016.