Safege
	NEA Transportation
	IRD Engineering
	Parsons  Brinckerhoff

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE CONSORTIUM

First, what, if anything, does this Consortium bring in terms of added value?

This is a valid question. There can be little point in building a Consortium if the combined value of the companies is no greater than if they were to function separately. The Consortium includes four companies from different EU Member States (France, Italy, Netherlands and the UK). These countries have a lengthy experience of managing their transport systems within the framework of the Single European Market and within the context of EU policy and Directives. Interestingly, they also pursue differing transport management systems and have utilised divergent tools to tackle transport policy. In this regard, the Consortium can bring a wide range of experiences to bear upon the harmonization of land transport safety, security and environmental rules and procedures in the TRACECA countries ensuring that they meet the requirements of international and EU standards and Conventions. Furthermore, the members of the Consortium have, between them, worked in every new EU Member State and every candidate and potential candidate state in the Balkans and Turkey and consequently have an excellent understanding of the challenges facing the Transport Sector in transitional states.

Second, can the Consortium work together in a constructive fashion?

Creating a Consortium undoubtedly adds another layer of management to a project. There are many instances where tensions and misunderstandings within the Consortium have impacted upon the efficient delivery of the assistance. Although this Consortium has never worked together as a Consortium before, individual members have worked with each other. This already helps establish an atmosphere of trust. Second, the Consortium has avoided arrangements offering a fixed percentage of work to each Consortium member. Such arrangements inevitably lead to delay and do not ensure that the most appropriate expert is provided. To this end, all experts will be contracted through the lead member of the Consortium, Safege Consulting Engineers, and will report through the Team Leader to the Project Director. Each member of the Consortium will receive a fixed share of global profit irrespective of the volume of inputs provided. In this way, the Consortium will be able to function with a singular purpose. The Consortium will establish a Consortium Board, to which each member of the Consortium will nominate a member. The Board will meet quarterly to receive a progress report from the Project Director, and if necessary the Team Leader, and will offer strategic guidance on project implementation.

Third. does the lead company have the financial, technical and administrative capacity to manage a project of such complexity and scale?

The lead company within the Consortium is SAFEGE Consulting Engineers (France). Established in 1919, the company is a World leader in the design and management of "investment" projects in the transport, water and business infrastructure sectors. The Company has provided technical assistance services, management support and institutional and human resource capacity building in more than 1 00 countries world-wide. With a turnover of more than €80 million per annum and over 1.000 full-time staff, SAFEGE Consulting Engineers brings substantial financial stability, technical skills and project management know-how to the Project.

Since 2000, SAFEGE has also been entrusted by the European Commission to lead a Consortium which provides, through the EC Framework Contract mechanism, world-wide short- and mid-term technical assistance to the Infrastructure Sector (Transport-60% & Water 40%) for all stages of the project cycle: project identification, feasibility studies, environmental impact analyses, rate of return analyses, detailed design documentation, monitoring, tender preparation and evaluation, and works supervision under FIDIC. To date the Company has supplied over 40,000 man days of expertise in more than 45 countries.