CALL FOR TENDERS ON CONFORMITY AND STANDARDISATION SERVICES.

The European Commission's Enterprise Directorate-General has announced that it will shortly be seeking tenders for services that cover conformity and standardisation. Award procedures will begin before the end of August, for the following:- information technology services - the creation of a datab ase of notified bodies to be published on the Internet (Council Decision 93/465/EEC). Euro 250,000;- administrative co-ordination of notified bodies to ensure the functioning of the conformity evaluation structures in the framework of the directive. 'new approach'. Euro 400,000;- maintenance and updating of a web site in order to ensure the functioning of the conformity evaluation structures. Euro 250,000;- study on the benchmarking of European standard-setting bodies (Council Decision 28.10.1999). Euro 50,000;- study on the impact of standardisation on the market. Euro 400,000;- study on the cost and efficiency of European and international standardisation. Euro 50,000;- study on the most relevant factors for the competitiveness of engineering firms - the first step towards a possible benchmark exercise on the sector. Euro 300,000;- reinforcing the Internal Market - administration of the 89/336/EC Directive: technical secretariat of competent and notified bodies' electro-magnetic compatibility. Euro 90,000;- study on heavy off-road machinery: cost benefit analysis of a new Directive on these matters to assess the economic, social and legal impact. Euro 80,000;- study on EMC Directive: cost-benefit analysis of the possible amendments in this Directive implied by the conclusions of the SLIM exercise. Euro 80,000;- study in the context of facing the major challenges of globalisation, to perform an assessment of the competitiveness situation of the EU electrical household appliances sub-sector. Euro 100,000;- study in the context of facing the major challenges of globalisation, to carry out an assessment of the competitiveness situation of the EU R&TTE sector. Euro 120,000;- technical assistance to audit the work done by the certification bodies in the framework of mutual recognition agreements ('confidence building'). Euro 60,000;- Internal Market: expertise on the implementation of the Directives (in particular judgement on the substance of the safeguard clause). Euro 50,000;- Internal Market: evaluation and improvement of the legal database, which was implemented in the medical sector to monitor the...