International Shipping and Customs Clearance Services

The procurement covers the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' and the Norwegian foreign missions' requirements for international shipping services, including customs clearance services. The services comprise collection and express delivery of consignments between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' headquarters (MFA) and the foreign missions. The MFA dispatches one or more consignments daily. The supplier shall therefore collect consignments from the MFA at a fixed time once per day, and more frequently if agreed. In addition, there will be weekly shipments from the foreign missions to the MFA. These shipments shall be arranged upon request, with the respective foreign mission acting as the ordering party. The framework agreement primarily covers shipments weighing up to 300 kg. The consignments include, but are not limited to, regular mail such as letters and parcels sent between the MFA and the foreign missions, as well as goods purchased by the foreign missions from Norwegian suppliers located in and around Oslo (for example ICT equipment, furniture, lighting, office supplies and similar items). Such goods will normally be collected from the MFA; however, in exceptional cases, the supplier may be required to collect the goods directly from the relevant supplier's premises. The supplier shall perform the necessary customs formalities, including import and export declarations, related document handling, advance notifications to the importing country's authorities, and advance payment of customs duties and taxes where applicable. Shipments are generally transported as Diplomatic Pouch (diplomatic consignments), meaning that customs duties and VAT will only exceptionally apply. The supplier must therefore be able to carry out simplified customs clearance procedures for diplomatic mail and cargo, including exemptions from customs duties and taxes where such arrangements are available. The framework agreement does not cover third-country shipments, i.e. shipments between two foreign missions. The framework agreement shall have an initial term of two (2) years, with options for extension for an additional one (1) year plus one (1) year. The estimated annual value of the services covered by this procurement is NOK 5 million. The maximum value of the framework agreement for the entire contract period is NOK 32 million.