Organisation of a Marketing Programme for German Wine in Japan

Kurze Beschreibung

The international activities of the DWI to promote the sale of quality wines from the 13 German wine-growing regions are focused on the most important consumer markets in Europe and overseas, including Japan. In order to gain a market presence of German wines in Japan for the years 2022-2027, the strategy includes raising the interest of consumers for German wines and increasing or consolidating sales of German wine products in this country. To establish this market presence a Service Provider shall exercise consistent marketing and public relations work through multi-channel activities and provide information on German wines, German wine and sparkling wine producers and related topics relevant to the market.

Beschreibung der Beschaffung

1) Basic Services
(a) Service Conditions
— the service provider shall ensure an appropriate infrastructure for the completion of his contractual obligations. This consists of offices fully equipped with all the common means and channels of modern communication. These include IT equipment, e-mail, internet, telephones, etc. The normal business and availability hours shall be made public and adhered to by the Service Provider.
(b) General Information Service and Correspondence
— particularly regarding exporters, importers, specialist retailers, catering trade, media and consumers,
— consulting service for German wine and sparkling wine producers for entering or already working on the Japanese market,
— creation and maintenance of a network of important and relevant contacts and multipliers in Japan in order to perform these responsibilities.
(c) Public Relations
— continuous monitoring of the Japanese media landscape,
— expert point of contact for media representatives,
— monthly summary of current media clippings (TV, print and internet),
— reports on the current situation and changes in politics and the wine sector,
— creation and distribution of press releases,
— creation and distribution of information publications,
— invitation of journalist and trade delegations to Germany. Provide background information, book travel and implement a questionnaire after travel.
(d) Retail trade/Catering Trade/Importers/Wine Market
— identifying market potentials, concrete needs and opportunities for cooperation for German wine and sparkling wine producers,
— continuous compilation and updating of lists of Japanese wine dealers, importers, distributors, supermarkets, top hotels and selected restaurants (including contact person for wine procurement),
— adaptation of existing promotional material,
— distribution and shipment of promotional materials,
— selection and invitations of potential participants at multi-national information trips to the German wine-growing regions.
(e) Statistics/Market Research/Marketing Strategy for Japan
— development of an appropriate marketing strategy for the generic marketing of the Wines of Germany office in Japan corresponding to the market situation and in line with the general strategy of DWI,
— transmission of statistics/market research,
— continuous transmission of statistics in relation to the use of social media (number of followers, etc.),
— monthly report on activities’ progress and media evaluation.
(f) Other Services
— cellarage of wines,
— storage of POS material,
— attendance of an annual meeting of all Wines of Germany offices in Germany by the team leader/Head of Campaign (about 4 days).
Important Notice: With regards to the above ‘General Basic Services’ and as a basis for calculation, the DWI wants to point out the following:
In our experience, general basic services take around 11-13 hours per week in this market (estimated average over a year). Of course, it can be assumed that there will be a certain amount of extra work in the beginning. However, over time a certain routine makes the process easier and faster. Therefore, the estimated hours per month will probably not be exceeded.
(g) Website maintenance
— the existing website available under www.winesofgermany.jp shall be maintained, regularly updated, and further developed. It shall be the central point of contact and information and shall be linked to all other social media channels in connection with the campaign. It shall contain all events and press releases as well as information on German wines in Japan, e.g. list of importers. Furthermore, it shall contain an easy-to-access event calendar that features events by third-party providers exclusively on German wines. A database of where German wines can be purchased in Japan shall also be added,
— all content management shall be provided by the bidder, while the DWI shall provide the already existing Open Source Typo3 Content Management System (CMS) and host the required server. It will be mandatory for the bidder to work within the CMS of the DWI. The regular content creation as well as the content adaption and maintenance of the website about German wines are mandatory. In the case that new templates are needed the bidder shall ensure that the created content by the bidder or any third party is in line with the CI and CD of the DWI. This refers to any possible technical implementation of suitable templates, extensions, plugins, etc. including new content. The bidder shall ensure that the www.winesofgermany.jp content is checked daily for relevance of data and updated at least weekly.
(h) Internet and Social Media
— content creation and maintenance of all relevant social media networks (e.g. Instagram, Facebook, video channels, etc.). Social media channels must be updated at least twice a week with unique content containing added value.
Important Notice: With regards to the above ‘Internet and Social Media Basic Services’ and as a basis for calculation, the DWI wants to point out the following: Regarding the desired content creation, any content that already exists on DWI portals (texts, statistics, photos, etc.) can and should be used instead of only creating own content. In most cases, only an adaptation in the respective language has to be created. Not every social media channel has to be updated with new content twice a week but all social media channels in total at least twice a week along with a regular update of the website. The DWI estimates an average workload of approx. 3-4 hours per week for the website and the internet/social media work (estimated average over a year), but this may depend on the person responsible.
2) Additional Services
Upon separate request by the DWI, the service provider shall also perform the following tasks as additional services. These additional services will be put forward based on the DWI’s general strategy and may vary from year to year depending on budgets defined for the Japanese market.
(a) Media Relations/Trips to Germany
— invitations to, travel arrangements for and possibly accompanying of information trips for Japanese media, sommeliers, importers and retailers to the wine-growing regions of Germany.
(b) Special Press Conferences in Relation to Current Events
— selection of journalists, invitation, and preparation of information packs, search for venues, hosting of the conference and provision of support to DWI in discussions with media representatives.
(c) Other Marketing Activities
— the service provider shall carry out further marketing activities determined by the DWI in order to increase interest in and sales of German wines. The service provider shall also carry out generic promotion activities (for example Regulation (EU) No 1144/2014 of 22.10.14.) upon consultation with the DWI, which may be co-financed by the European Union and/or other national structural funding. Those generic promotion programmes may include marketing activities for other eligible agricultural products, which then will also be marketed by the Service Provider within the scope of these promotional programmes.
(d) Events/Fairs/Presentations
— events for the media, sommeliers, beverage retailers, restaurateurs, consumers, etc. upon suggestion by the service provider. The theme, the venue and, if necessary, the German wines to be presented at the venue shall be agreed on with the DWI beforehand. The service provider shall undertake the promotion, planning and implementation of accompanying online communication measures, organisation and management of the event, including the provision of translation services, if necessary.
3) Established Activities
The DWI activities listed here have already been established in Japan in the past years and will therefore probably be continued by the Service Provider in the next few years (subject to a specific commission from the DWI).
(a) trade and restaurant promotion ‘German Wine Weeks’;
(b) table presentation — riesling and Co.
(c) relationship with importers;
(d) educational activities;
(e) consumer shows/fairs.

Beschreibung der Verlängerungen

The term of the tender agreement commences on 1 January 2022 and shall expire on 31 December 2022 (which concludes one year). The contract will subsequently be extended five times for successive one-year periods unless it is terminated by either the DWI or the service provider by giving at least three months' written notice of termination. The maximum term for this tender agreement is 6 years. Accordingly, the tender agreement shall expire no later than 31 December 2027.

Objektive Kriterien für die Auswahl der begrenzten Anzahl von Bewerbern

1) Reference ‘gastronomy and trade’ sector in Japan
I. Duration/contractual relationship of reference — max. 8 points
II. Number of events carried out during the contractual relationship of the reference — max. 12 points
III. Field of the reference — max. 15 points
2) Reference ‘consumers’ sector in Japan
I. Duration/contractual relationship of reference — max. 8 points
II. Number of events carried out during the contractual relationship of the reference — max. 12 points
III. Field of the reference — max. 15 points
3) Qualification of the team leader/Head of Campaign
I. Project experience with large campaigns — max. 7.5 points
II. Number of companies for which the team leader has run marketing campaigns — max. 7.5 points
4) Qualification of the project team
I. Professional or vocational training or further education courses — max. 5 points.
II. Project experience based on years of work experience — max. 5 points.
III. Project experience based on number of completed projects — max. 5 points.
If, even after this evaluation, the field of applicants cannot be clearly and finally brought to the desired number of three applicants, the decision shall be made by drawing lots.

Liste und kurze Beschreibung der Bedingungen

1) Cover letter dated and signed by the candidate’s duly authorized representative. The candidate and the individual making the statement must be named.
2) Self-declaration in accordance with §§ 123, 124 GWB (German Act Against Restraints of Competition)
The self-declaration in accordance with §§ 123, 124 GWB must be submitted and signed by every member involved in the case of a bidding consortium and/or a loan of eligibility and/or subcontractors.
3) If applicable: Declaration for a bidding consortia and/or a loan of eligibility and/or the use of subcontractors
Note: The contracting authority will request an extract from the Central Trade Register from the Federal Office of Justice if the contract is worth more than EUR 30 000 about the bidder who is to be awarded the contract.

Liste und kurze Beschreibung der Auswahlkriterien

1) Company presentation attachment.
2) Self-declaration confirming that you have professional/commercial liability insurance with a coverage of at least EUR 1 000 000.00 for each of personal injury and EUR 200 000.00 for each of property damage, or declaration that you will obtain such insurance prior to the commencement of the contract.
3) Self-declaration of the annual turnover - annual turnover of the last two completed business years in EUR.
4) Self-declaration of the average number of employees - average number of employees in the last two completed business years.

Minimum annual turnover: The annual turnover of each of the last two completed business years shall amount to a minimum of EUR 300 000.00. If a bidder's annual turnover is lower than the minimum, its request to participate will not be considered.
Minimum number of employees: The annual average number of employees of each of the last two completed business years shall amount to a minimum of three employees.

Liste und kurze Beschreibung der Auswahlkriterien

1) Self-declaration confirming that you have an active network of multipliers in trade and gastronomy in the wine/food/beverage sector as well as contacts to trade and public media in Japan.
2) Self-declaration about the knowledge of the required languages:
Head of Campaign: Excellent Japanese and English/German language skills with the ability to discuss business subjects including marketing, sales, and product management in Japanese and English or German (minimum language level C1).
Project team: Excellent Japanese and English/German language skills with the ability to discuss business subjects including marketing, sales, and product management in Japanese and English or German (minimum language level C1).
3) Self-declaration about the Staff or technical bodies that are planned to be involved in the provision of the services, regardless of whether they form part of the undertaking or not, in particular those staff members or bodies that will be responsible for quality control.
A. Qualification of the team leader/Head of Campaign
Information about relevant work experience of the team leader/Head of Campaign who will be in charge. In this context, please provide detailed information about the professional qualifications of the team leader/Head of Campaign who will be in charge.
The information must include in particular:
I. Project experience in large campaigns proven by reference projects with the annual budget indicated in EUR.
II. Number of companies in the food and beverages sector for which he or she has run marketing campaigns
B. Qualification of the team
Information about relevant work experience of the team members who will be involved in the project. In this context, please provide detailed information about the professional qualifications of the team that will conduct the project.
This must include in particular:
I. Wine-related professional or vocational training and further education courses
II. Wine-related professional experience, based on years of continuous work experience
III.Project experience in the alcoholic beverages sector, proven by completed projects
4) Provide appropriate references from contracts performed in the past of major services provided in the last five years (2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020).
The references must include in particular:
I. Total project duration/contract term of the references
II. Number of marketing activities carried out during the contract term of the references with at least 10 participants (gastronomy and trade) or with at least 100 participants (consumers)
III. Fields of the references (food and beverages, beverages, alcoholic beverages).
Candidates must provide at least two appropriate references. To be appropriate, these references must be equivalent to the object of the contract described in the tender specifications. Equivalent means that the references must concern projects that are at least similar to the object of the present award procedure. To meet this requirement, the references must cover the following activities:
A. Reference 1 must cover several different marketing and PR activities for a client, with the ‘gastronomy and trade’ sector in Japan as target group.
B. Reference 2 must cover several different marketing and PR activities for a client, with the ‘consumers’ sector in Japan as target group.
To ensure comparability with the object of the present award procedure, the references 1 and 2 must refer to projects that have taken place in Japan. The management of a promising project that is comparable to the object of this award procedure requires an existing and proven network of contacts to administrative bodies, licensing authorities, politics, economy, local multipliers and media for the realisation in Japan. If the DWI had the corresponding networks in the respective foreign markets, it would be able to manage and organise marketing activities itself in these countries. For this reason, the corresponding references must refer to projects in the respective foreign market in order to be comparable to the object of the present award procedure.

Bedingungen für die Teilnahme (technische und berufliche Fähigkeiten)

Candidates must provide at least two appropriate references. To be appropriate, these references must be equivalent to the object of the contract described in Appendix A 2. Tender Specifications.
Equivalent means that the references must concern projects that are at least similar to the object of the present award procedure. To meet this requirement, the references must cover the following activities:
A. Reference 1 must cover several different marketing and PR activities for a client, with the ‘gastronomy and trade’ sector in Japan as target group.
B. Reference 2 must cover several different marketing and PR activities for a client, with the “consumers” sector in Japan as target group.
To ensure comparability with the object of the present award procedure, the references 1 and 2 must refer to projects that have taken place in Japan.

Im Falle von Rahmenvereinbarungen ist eine Begründung für eine Laufzeit von mehr als 8 Jahren vorzulegen

The German Wine Institute has been working with foreign agencies for over 30 years. These agencies act as official representatives of the German Wine Institute. The target group consists of German wine producers, the media, the gastronomy and trade sector including end consumers in the respective target countries. The experience of over 30 years has shown that it takes at least three years for an agency to develop a sufficient network of members of the aforementioned target group and to be perceived as a representative of German wines in the target country by this target group. From a marketing perspective it has been proven that the initial investments made only start to amortize after this point in time. From this point on, after having built the network with the media and the gastronomy and trade sector and the mentioned representation is achieved, agency services start to become effective in a marketing sense, which enables the agencies to place marketing strategies and goals in an efficient way. The necessary investment volume on both sides, on the service provider’s and the client’s side, is considered a recognized reason to deviate from the standard term of four (4) years for a framework contract by the public procurement jurisdiction.

Genaue Informationen über Fristen für Überprüfungsverfahren

Undertakings have a right that the contracting authority complies with the relevant provisions governing public contract award procedures in Germany that protect bidders and applicants. If an economic operator who has an interest in the contract claims that its rights have been infringed by non-compliance with the provisions governing the procedure for the award of public contracts, it shall complain to the contracting authority within a time limit of ten calendar days (section 160(3) sentence 1 No 1 of the German Act against Restraints of Competition (GWB)). Violations that become apparent from the tender notice or from the tender documents must be notified to the contracting authority within the time limit specified in the tender notice for application or submission of a tender (section 160(3) sentence 1 No 2 and 3 of the German Act against Restraints of Competition (GWB)). If the contracting authority notifies the undertaking that it is unwilling to redress the latter's complaint, it shall be entitled to request the federal public procurement tribunal, within 15 days of receipt of such notification, to initiate review proceedings (section 160 (3) sentence 1 No 4 of the German Act against Restraints of Competition (GWB)). Bidders whose tenders will not be taken into account for the contract award shall be informed accordingly pursuant to section 134(1) of the German Act against Restraints of Competition. A contract must not be concluded prior to the expiry of 15 calendar days after this information has been sent by the contracting authority; if the information is sent electronically or by fax, the time limit shall be ten calendar days. The time limit starts on the day following the sending of the information by the contracting authority. A request for a review has to be filed in writing to the Federal Procurement Tribunal at the German competition authority, i. e. Vergabekammern des Bundes beim Bundeskartellamt, Villemombler Straße 76, 53123 Bonn.
The language of the review proceeding is German.