CHAPTER I

GENERAL RULES

Definitions
Article 1
For the purposes of this Decision, the following definitions apply:
1. ‘contracts’ means contracts for pecuniary interest concluded in writing between the ECB and one or more suppliers and having as their subject matter the execution of works, the supply of products or the provision of services;
2. ‘supply contracts’ means contracts having as their subject matter the purchase, lease, rental or hire purchase, with or without an option to buy, of products. A contract having as its subject matter the supply of products and which also covers, as an incidental matter, siting and installation operations shall be considered a supply contract;
3. ‘service contracts’ means contracts, other than those referred to in point (2), having as their subject matter the provision of services. A contract having as its subject matter the provision of services including activities related to works that are only incidental to the principal subject matter of the contract shall be considered a service contract;
4. ‘works contracts’ means contracts, other than those referred to in points (2) and (3), having as their subject matter either the execution, or both the design and execution, of works. A ‘work’ means the outcome of building or civil engineering works taken as a whole which is sufficient in itself to fulfil an economic or technical function;
5. ‘concession contracts’ means contracts having as their subject matter either the provision of services or the execution of works, whose reward mainly consists of a permission granted by the ECB to exploit these works or to provide services to others;
6. ‘deliverables’ means the works to be executed, services to be provided or products to be supplied under a contract;
7. ‘innovation partnership’ means a procedure in which any supplier may request to participate and where the ECB sets up a partnership with one or more candidates admitted to that procedure with the aim of developing and purchasing innovative products, services or works;
8. ‘
dynamic purchasing system
’
means a completely electronic process for purchasing commonly used deliverables, the characteristics of which, as generally available on the market, meet the ECB’s requirements;
9. ‘framework agreement’ means an agreement between the ECB and one or more suppliers, the purpose of which is to establish the terms governing the specific contracts to be awarded during a given period, in particular with regard to price and, where appropriate, the quantity envisaged;
10. ‘supplier’ means any natural or legal person or public entity or group of such persons and/or entities which offers on the market the execution of works, the supply of products or the provision of services;
11. ‘candidate’ means a supplier that has submitted an application to participate in a restricted or negotiated procedure, a competitive dialogue or an innovation partnership;
12. ‘tenderer’ means a supplier that has submitted a tender;
13. ‘research and development contracts in the field of banknote security’ means contracts related to theoretical work or practical experimentation, analysis or research carried out under controlled conditions either:
  - for acquiring new knowledge or developing new or improved materials, manufacturing processes or devices for the origination, production, transport, issuance, authentication or destruction of euro banknotes, including the origination materials thereof, or
  - for initiating the manufacture of new or improved materials, products or devices for the origination, production, transport, issuance, authentication and destruction of euro banknotes, including the origination materials thereof.
Research and development contracts in the field of banknote security do not include contracts for the pilot printing of euro banknotes;
14. ‘open procedure’ means a procedure in which any interested supplier may submit a tender;
15. ‘restricted procedure’ means a procedure in which any supplier may request to participate but only those candidates invited by the ECB may submit a tender;
16. ‘negotiated procedure’ means a procedure in which the ECB consults the suppliers of its choice and negotiates the terms of any contract with one or more of them;
17. ‘competitive dialogue’ means a procedure in which any supplier may request to participate and where the ECB conducts a dialogue with the candidates admitted to that procedure, with the aim of developing one or more suitable alternatives capable of meeting its requirements;
18. ‘electronic auction’ means a repetitive process involving an electronic system in which new prices, revised downwards, and/or new values concerning certain elements of tenders are presented, which occurs after an initial full evaluation of the tenders, and which enables them to be ranked using automatic evaluation methods;
19. ‘invitation to tender’ means the invitation sent to candidates or suppliers to submit a tender and specifying the procedure, the ECB's requirements and the contractual terms and conditions;
20. ‘days’ means calendar days;
21. ‘written’ or ‘in writing’ means any expression consisting of words or figures which can be read, reproduced and subsequently communicated, including information transmitted and stored by electronic means;
22. ‘call for expression of interest’ means a procedure to establish a list of suitable suppliers that may be invited to participate in procurement procedures.
Substituted by Decision (EU) 2020/380 of the European Central Bank of 18 February 2020 amending Decision (EU) 2016/245 laying down the rules on procurement (ECB/2020/10).