We are a local association (civil society organisation), a non-profit, but represented by 4 municipalities.
According to the eligibility criteria in Section 5.2 of the Terms of Reference, in order to be eligible for the Fund Operator role, all organisations submitting a bid must be legal entities in the EEA and be non-governmental, independent of local, regional and central government, political parties and religious institutions. Generally, associations of municipalities where the municipalities have representation and a decisive role in the board of the organisation are not considered independent of local government.
With reference to section 7.4. of the Terms of Reference, please be aware that ‘to ensure equal treatment of bidders, the FMO cannot give a prior opinion on the eligibility of bidders, an action or specific activities’.