Glossary and Abbreviations for European Commission / Europeaid Contracts

@LIS	Alliance for the Information Society
ACP	Africa, Caribbean & Pacific Countries
ACP Region	Africa, Caribbean, Pacific (South Africa and Cuba) Region
ACS	Association of Caribbean States
Administrative order	Any instruction or order issued in writing by the Supervisor (W) or Project Manager (SER) to the Contractor regarding the execution of the contract (SER, W)
AIDCO	EuropeAid Cooperation Office
AIDCO	Europe Aid Co-operation Office
ALA	Asia & Latin American Countries
ALA	Asia and Latin America (ALA) countries
AO	Administrative Order
Appropriate media	Publication in the Official Journal of the European Union and on the EuropeAid website is obligatory for most contracts covered by this Guide. Publication in the press of beneficiary countries and, if need be, specialised publications may be necessary or advisable.
Assessor	An expert with an in-depth knowledge of the issues covered by a grant programme who is engaged by a Contracting Authority to carry out a detailed written assessment of a grant application using the published evaluation grids. He/she cannot be a member of the Evaluation Committee.
AWP	Annual Work Plan
BCS	Background Conclusion Sheet
Beneficiary country	The country or state outside the European Union with which the European Communities have an agreed programme of cooperation.
Beneficiary of a grant	Person who receives a grant(G)
Breakdown of the overall price	A heading-by-heading list of the rates and costs making up the price for a lump sum (global price) contract. (SUP, W)
Budget breakdown	The schedule which breaks down the contract value according to the different items or services, stating out fee rate, unit prices and lump sums for each item provided(W, SER, SUP)
CAIPA	Caribbean Association of Investment Promotion Agencies
Call for proposals	A public invitation by the Contracting Authority, addressed to clearly identified categories of applicant, to propose operations within the framework of a specific EU programme.
CARDS	Community Assistance for Reconstruction, Development and Stabilisation
CARICOM	Caribbean Community
CARIFORUM	Caribbean Forum of ACP States
CFCD	Central Financing and Contracting Department within Ministry of Finance
Clearance	The amount of expenditure incurred in accordance with the Contract which the Contracting Authority, after examination of the expenditure verification report, accepts for deduction from the sum total of pre-financing under the Contract.
Commission	The Commission of the European Communities.
Competitive Dialogue (Budget only)	Procedure only used for particularly complex contracts. A contract notice sets out the needs and requirements and the Contracting Authority opens a dialogue with candidates.
Competitive negotiated procedure	Procedure without prior publication of a procurement notice, in which only candidates invited by the Contracting Authority may submit tenders.
Conflict of interests	Any event influencing the capacity of a candidate, tenderer, contractor or grant beneficiary to give an objective and impartial professional opinion, or preventing it, at any moment, from giving priority to the interests of the Contracting Authority. Any consideration relating to possible contracts in the future or conflict with other commitments, past or present, of a candidate, tenderer, contractor or grant beneficiary. These restrictions also apply to any sub-contractors and employees of the candidate, tenderer, contractor or grant beneficiary. There is also a conflict of interests within the meaning of Article 52 of the Financial Regulation where the impartial and objective exercise of the functions of a player in the implementation of the budget or an internal auditor is compromised for reasons involving family, emotional life, political or national affinity, economic interest or any other shared interest with the beneficiary.
Consortium	A grouping of eligible natural and legal persons or public entities which submits a tender or an application, under a tender procedure or in response to a Call for Proposals. It may be a permanent, legally-established grouping or a grouping which has been constituted informally for a specific tender procedure or Call for Proposals. All members of a consortium (i.e., the leader and all other partners) are jointly and severally liable to the Contracting Authority.
Consultant	The party which contracts to perform the services. (SER)
Contract	An agreement, between two or more persons or entities, with specific terms and an undertaking to provide services, supplies and/or works in return for a financial consideration (SER, SUP, W).
Contract award procedure	The procedure followed by a Contracting Authority to identify, and conclude a contract with, a suitable contractor to provide defined goods or services.
Contract budget	A summary of the costs of performing the contract. The total of these costs is the contract value or contract price. Where grants are concerned: the budget shows the eligible costs for funding and the total costs. The income must also be detailed.
Contract description	Brief outline (maximum 10 lines) of the contract for inclusion within a procurement notice and an explanatory note.
Contract price	See "Contract budget"
Contract value	See "Contract budget"
Contracting Authority	The European Commission, acting for and on behalf of the beneficiary country, in the case of centralised approach. The Contracting Authority appointed by the government of the beneficiary country, in the case of decentralised approach.
Contractor	Any natural or legal person or public entity or consortium of such persons and/or bodies selected at the end of the procedure for the award of the contract. The successful tenderer, once parties have signed the contract.
Corrigendum	Correction of a notice already published in the Official Journal of the European Union and on the EuropeAid website.
CPD	Continuous Professional Development
CREAM	Clear, Relevant, Economic, Adequate, Measurable
CRIS	Common Relex Information System
CS	Civil Society
CSME	Caribbean Single Market and Economy
CSP	Country Strategy Paper
CTPSDP	Caribbean Trade and Private Sector Development Programme
CV	Curriculum Vitae
DAC	Development Assistance Committee
Day	Calendar day unless otherwise specified.
Dayworks	Varied work inputs subject to payment on an hourly basis for the Contractor's employees and plants (W)
Description of the Operation	A detailed description of the proposed project and its various activities (preparation, implementation, evaluation, etc).
DFID	Department for International Development (UK)
DG	Directorate-General
DG DEV	Development Directorate-General
DG RELEX	External Relations Directorate-General
Direct award	The award of one or more grants without organising a call for proposals. A direct award is only appropriate under certain, special circumstances and must always be the subject of an evaluation report.
Direct labour operations	Contracts executed by public or public-private agencies or services of the beneficiary country, where that country's administration possesses qualified managers.
DIS	Decentralised Implementation of EU IPA assistance
Drawings	Drawings provided by the Contracting Authority and/or the Supervisor, and/or drawings provided by the Contractor and approved by the Supervisor, for the carrying out of the works (W)
DSA (Daily Subsistence Allowance)	(see perdiem)
Dynamic purchasing system	An electronic procedure used for making commonly used purchases. It is limited in duration and open throughout its validity. For each individual contract a contract notice is published inviting all the contractors admitted to the system.
EBM	Evidence-based Medicine
EC	European Commission
EC	European Community
EC	The European Commission
EC-PRAG	EC Practical Guide
ECD	EC Delegation – European Commission Delegation
ECHO	European Commission Humanitarian Office
EcoFin Analysis	Economic and Financial Analysis
Economic operator	Covers contractors, suppliers and service providers.
EDF	European Development Fund
EIDHR	European Initiative for Democracy and Human Rights
EPA	EU-Caribbean Economic Partnership Agreement
ETSI	European Telecommunications Standards Institute
EU	The European Union
EU	European Union
EUD	Delegation of the European Union
EuropeAid	EuropeAid Co-operation Office
European Commission	The Commission of the European Communities.
Evaluation committee	A committee made up of an odd number of members (at least three) with the necessary technical and administrative expertise to give an informed opinion on tenders or grant applications.
Execution period	The period from contract signature until 18 months after the provisional acceptance of the works or of the supply This period includes the warranty and the final acceptance of the works or of the supply. (SUP, W)
Expert	A person engaged by a contractor to provide the expertise required for the proper performance of a contract.
Explanatory note	A summary at the beginning of a contract dossier or addendum dossier explaining to the reader the purpose and essential features of the proposed contract or addendum.
FA	Financial Agreement
FED	Fonds Européen de Développement
Fee-based contract	A contract under which the services are provided on the basis of fixed fee rates for each day worked by experts. (SER)
FF	FORUM POUR L’AFRIQUE
Final acceptance certificate	Certificate(s) issued by the Supervisor to the Contractor at the end of the maintenance period stating that the Contractor has completed his obligations to construct, complete, and maintain the works concerned. (W)
Final beneficiaries of a grant	Those who will benefit from the project in the long term at the level of the society or sector at large (G).
Financial offer	The part of a tender which contains all the financial elements of the tender, including its summary budget and any detailed price breakdown or cashflow forecast required by the tender dossier.
Financing Agreement	An agreement between the EC and the beneficiary country (known as a Financing Memorandum in the context of Phare and Ispa) which determines the objectives and scale of a future programme of assistance.
Financing Memorandum	An agreement between the EC and the beneficiary country (known as a Financing Agreement in the Financial Regulation and in all EC external aid programmes other than Phare and Ispa) which determines the objectives and scale of a future programme of assistance.
Foreign currency	Any currency permissible under the applicable provisions and regulations other than the Euro, which has been indicated in the tender.
FP	Financing Proposal
Framework contract	A framework contract is a contract concluded between a Contracting Authority and an economic operator for the purpose of laying down the essential terms governing a series of specific contracts to be awarded during a given period, in particular as regards the duration, subject, prices, conditions of performance and the quantities envisaged. The Contracting Authority may also conclude multiple framework contracts, which are separate contracts with identical terms awarded to a number of suppliers or service providers. Not to be confused with framework partnership agreements, through which the Commission establishes long-term cooperation with grant beneficiaries (used by ECHO).
FS	Food Security
FTC	Financial and Technical Cooperation
GC	Grant Contract
GeL	Georgian Lari
General conditions	The general contractual provisions setting out the administrative, financial, legal and technical clauses governing the execution of all contracts of a particular type.
General damages	The sum, not stated previously in the contract, which is awarded by a court or arbitration tribunal, or agreed between the parties, as compensation payable to an injured party for a breach of the contract by the other party.
GHSPIC	Georgia Health and Social Projects Implementation Centre
Global price contract	A contract under which the services are performed for an all-inclusive fixed price. (SER)
GoG	Government of Georgia
GP	General Practitioner
Grant	A direct payment of a non-commercial nature by the Contracting Authority to a specific recipient to implement an operation (or in some cases to finance part of its budget) in order to promote an EC policy aim (G).
Grant programme	A programme which determines the objectives and scale of assistance in the form of grants for operations promoting EC policy aims (G).
GTZ	Deutsche Gesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit mbH (German Agency for Technical Co-operation)
Guidelines for applicants	Document explaining the purpose of a Call for Proposals for grants. It sets out the rules regarding who may apply, the types of operations and costs which may be financed, and the evaluation (selection and award) criteria. It also provides practical information on how to complete the application form, what documents must be annexed, and rules and procedures for applying.
GWP	Global Work Plan
HESPA	United Social Insurance Fund of Georgia
HMIS	Health Management Information System
HOS	Head of Operating Structure
HP	Health Promotion
HQ	Headquarters or Head Quarters
HQ	EC Headquarters in Brussels
HTA	Health Technology Assessment
Hybrid contract	A contract between the Contracting Authority and a service provider, supplier or construction firm covering two or more of the following: works, supplies and services.
IADB	Inter-American Development Bank
ICT	Information and Communication Technology
IFI	International Financing Institution
IMF	International Monetary Fund
Implementation period	The period from the signature, or alternative date if specified in the Special Conditions, until the provisional acceptance of the works (W) or until the provisional acceptance for the last lot has been issued (SUP ) or until all tasks have been carried out (SER)
Invitation to tender	Letter sent to selected candidates in a restricted procedure or competitive negotiated procedure inviting them to submit a tender.
IPA	Instrument for Pre- accession Assistance
IPA IR	EC Regulation No. 718/2007 on IPA implementation
ITA	International Technical Assistance
KAP	Knowledge, Attitude and Practice
LF	Logical Framework
LFA	Logical Framework Approach
LFM	Logical Framework Matrix
Liquidated damages	The sum stated in the contract as compensation payable by the Contractor to the Contracting Authority for failure to complete the contract or part thereof within the periods under the contract, or as payable by either party to the other for any specific breach identified in the contract.
M&E	Monitoring & Evaluation - Monitoring and Evaluation
Maintenance period	The period stated in the contract immediately following the date of provisional acceptance, during which the Contractor is required to complete the works and to remedy defects or faults as instructed by the Supervisor (W)
MED	Mediterranean (MED) countries
MEDA	Mediterranean Region
MIS	Management Information System
Mixed contract	See "Hybrid contract"
MN	Monitoring Note
Modification	An instruction given by the Supervisor which modifies the works (W)
MoLHSA	Ministry of Labour, Health and Social Affairs, Government of Georgia
Month	Calendar month
Most economically advantageous tender	The tender proposal judged best in terms of the criteria laid down for the contract, e.g. quality, technical properties, aesthetic and functional qualities, after-sales service and technical assistance, delivery date or performance period, the price or lowest price. These criteria must be published in the procurement notice or stated in the tenderdossier.
MR	ROM Monitoring Report
MR	Monitoring Report
NAO	National Authorising Officer
National currency	The currency of the beneficiary country.
NCDC	National Centre for Disease Control, Georgia
Negotiated procedure	Procedure without prior publication of a procurement notice, in which the Contracting Authority consults the candidate or candidates of its choice and negotiates the terms of the contract with one or more of them.
NGO	Non Governmental Organization
NIP	National Indicative Programme
NIPAC	National IPA Coordinator
OAS	Overall Activity Schedule
ODA	Official Development Assistance
OECD	Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
OECS	Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States
OFS	Order For Service
ONUSIDA	United Nations Organization for AIDs.
OO	Overall Objectives
Open procedure	Calls for tender are open where all interested economic operators may submit a tender.
Operational grant	Direct financial contribution, by way of donation, in order to finance the functioning of a body which pursues an aim of general European interest or has an objective forming part of a European Union policy (G).
OS	Operating Structure
OVI	Objectively Verifiable Indicator - Objectively Verifiable Indicators
OWP	Overall Work Plan
PAO	Programme Authorising Officer
PCM	Project Cycle Management
Per diem	Per diem is an allowance paid to consultants in the framework of EC-funded external aid contracts and in case of missions requiring an overnight stay away from the country of residence of the expert. The applicable rates to the per diems must not exceed the scales detailed in the official table published by the EC.
Period	A period begins the day after the act or event chosen as its starting point. Where the last day of a period is not a working day, the period expires at the end of the next working day.
PHC	Primary Health Care
PIS	Project Identification Sheet
PP	Project Purpose
PRAG	Practical Guide to contract procedures financed from the General Budget of the European Communities in the context of external actions
Project	The project in relation to which the services/works/supplies are to be provided under the contract.
Project manager	The person responsible for monitoring the implementation of a project on behalf of the Contracting Authority.
Provisional sum	A sum included in the contract and so designated for the implementation of works or the supply of goods, materials, plant or services, or for contingencies, which sum may be used in whole or in part, or not at all, as instructed by the Supervisor (W).
PRRAC	Programa para la Reconstrucción y Rehabilitación en América Central
PRSP	Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper
PSC	Project Steering Committee
PwC	PricewaterhouseCoopers Enterprise Advisory -Belgium
QC	Quality Control
QM	Quality Management
QQT	Qualified, Quantified and Timed
RAO	Regional Authorising Officer
Restricted procedure	Calls for tender are restricted where all economic operators may ask to take part but only candidates satisfying the selection criteria and invited simultaneously and in writing by the Contracting Authorities may submit a tender.
RIP	Regional Indicative Programme
RIP	Regional Indicative Programme
ROM	Results Oriented Monitoring
ROM	Results Oriented Monitoring
RS	Response Sheet
SBS	Sector Budget Support
SE	Senior Expert
Service contract	A contract between a service provider and the Contracting Authority for the provision of services such as technical assistance or studies (SER).
Service provider	Any natural or legal person or public entity or consortium of such persons and/or bodies offering services (SER).
Services	Activities to be performed by the Consultant under the contract such as technical assistance, studies, training and designs (SER).
SMART	Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time Bound
SME	Small and Medium Sized Enterprise
SoV	Sources of Verification
Special Conditions	The special conditions laid down by the Contracting Authority as an integral part of the tender or call for proposals dossier, including amendments to the General Conditions, clauses specific to the contract and the terms of reference (for a service contract) or technical specifications (for a supply or works contract).
SPSP	Sector Policy Support Program
SSA	Social Security Agency
Study contract	A service contract between a service provider and the Contracting Authority concerning, for example, identification and preparatory studies for projects, feasibility studies, economic and market studies, technical studies, evaluations and audits (SER).
Successful applicant	The applicant selected at the end of a call for proposals procedure for the award of contract.
Successful Tenderer	The tenderer selected at the end of a tender procedure for the award of contract.
Supervisor (Engineer as per FIDIC rules)	The legal or natural person responsible for monitoring the execution of the contract on behalf of the Contracting Authority and/or the Commission, where the latter is not the Contracting Authority (W)
Supervisor's representative	Any natural or legal person, designated by the Supervisor as such under the contract, and empowered to represent the Supervisor in the performance of his functions, and in exercising such rights and/or powers as have been delegated to him. In this case, references to the Supervisor will include his representative (W).
Supplier	Any natural or legal person or public entity or consortium of such persons and/or bodies offering to supply products (SUP).
Supplies	All items which the Contractor is required to supply to the Contracting Authority, including, where necessary, services such as installation, testing, commissioning, provision of expertise, supervision, maintenance, repair, training and other such obligations connected with the items to be provided under the contract (SUP).
Supply contract	Supply contracts cover the purchase, leasing, rental or hire purchase, with or without option to buy, of products. A contract for the supply of products and, incidentally, for siting and installation shall be considered a supply contract.
SWAP	Sector Wide Approach Projects
SWAP's	Sector Wide Approach
TA	Technical Assistance
TACIS	Technical Assistance for the Commonwealth of Independent States
TAIB	Transition Assistance and Institution Building
Target groups	The groups/entities that will be directly positively affected by the project at the Project Purpose level.
TD	Tender Dossier
Technical assistance contract	A contract between a service provider and the Contracting Authority, under which the service provider exercises an advisory role, directs or supervises a project, provides the experts stipulated in the contract or acts as a procurement agent.
Technical offer	The part of a tender which contains all non-financial elements of the tender, i.e., all elements other than the financial offer which are required by the tender dossier. The technical offer must not contain any financial indications.
Technical specifications	The document drawn up by the Contracting Authority setting out its requirements and/or objectives in respect of the provision of supplies or works, specifying, where relevant, the methods and resources to be used and/or results to be achieved(SUP, W).
Tender	A written or formal offer to supply goods, perform services or execute works for an agreed price.
Tender dossier	The dossier compiled by the Contracting Authority and containing all the documents needed to prepare and submit a tender.
Tender Price	The sum stated by the tenderer in his tender for carrying out the contract.
Tender procedure	The overall process of putting a contract out for tender, starting with the publication of a procurement notice and ending with the award of the tendered contract.
Tenderer	Any natural or legal person or consortium thereof submitting a tender with a view to concluding a contract.
Terms of reference	The document drawn up by the Contracting Authority setting out its requirements and/or objectives in respect of the provision of services, specifying, where relevant, the methods and resources to be used and/or results to be achieved (SER).
TFEC	Technical, Financial and Economic Cooperation
Time limits	Those periods in the contract which shall begin to run from the day following the act or event which serves as the starting point for those periods. Should the last day of the period fall upon a non-working day, the period shall expire at the end of the first working day following the last day of the period.
ToR	Terms of Reference
TOR	Terms of Reference
TQM	Total Quality Management
TS	Technical Specification
UE	Unión Europea
UNDAF	United Nations Development Assistance Framework
UNDP	United Nations Development Programme
UNDP/GEF	Global Environmental Facility
UNICEF	United Nations Children’s Fund
USAID	United States Agency for International Development
Warranty obligations	The warranty of the Contractor that the supplies are new, unused, without defects, of the most recent models and incorporate all recent improvements in design and materials. This warranty must remain valid for a maximum of 1 year after provisional acceptance. See article 32 of the General Conditions (SUP).
WB	World Bank
WHO	World Health Organization
Works contract	Works contracts cover either the execution, or both the design and execution, of works or a work related to one of the activities referred to in Annex I to Directive 2004/18/EC or the realisation, by whatever means, of a work corresponding to the requirements specified by the Contracting Authority. A 'work' means the outcome of building or civil engineering works taken as a whole that is sufficient of itself to fulfil an economic or technical function (W).
WTO	World Trade Organisation