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23.10.2023 Review Committee – Ministry of Finance Appeal Against Disqualification of Tender for Systematic Export to Japan 2023-2024 Michal Witkowski Intralink Limited Suite 4a, Hitching Court, Abingdon, OX14 1RG, UK Review Committee Ministry of Finance Tartu mnt 85, Tallinn, Harju maakond, 10115 Dear Members of the Review Committee, I hope this message finds you well. I am writing on behalf of Intralink to submit an appeal against the decision to reject our tender for the procurement “Systematic Export to Japan 2023-2024”, reference number 266425 (Riigihanke 266425 "Süsteemne eksport Jaapanis 2023-2024"). We appreciate the thorough review process and understand the importance of adhering to the eligibility criteria set forth by the Contracting Authority. However, we believe there has been a misunderstanding regarding the experience of one of our consultants, Heidi Salmela, as her expertise and qualifications far exceed the requirements specified in the tender documentation. The reason provided for the rejection of our tender application has been the following: According to PD Annex 1 p 5.2.2.2 the consultant must have experience in advising or training at least three (3) different ICT and/or Smart City companies on how to enter the Japanese market within the last 36 months before the publication of the public procurement in the Public Procurement Registry (PPR) (publication date was 04.08.2023). Consultant Heidi Salmela CV had three experiences to prove the experience but the last experience “Kamstrup” was later (01.07.2019- 30.09.2019) than 36 months before the date of the publication in the PPR. While the dates stated on the consultant’s CV for that particular client (attached for reference) are indeed more than 36 months ago, we had assumed that Heidi’s experience at Intralink (01.11.2016-present) counts as one of Confidential 1  23.10.2023 Review Committee – Ministry of Finance three such examples (alongside Impact.com and Elatec). Kamstrup was only listed as an additional example, as a company highly relevant in the ICT space and to emphasise Heidi’s suitability for the role of consultant. We would like to clarify that Heidi’s experience helping ICT firms in Japan far exceeds only three such examples. In fact, it is the nature of Intralink’s business to support western ICT firms in Japan, and Heidi has been a valued team member of our Japan team and in this time has been supporting a large number of companies in this space. Below we list additional examples (not including the companies mentioned in Heidi’s original CV, that is Impact. com., Elatec and Intralink) of other companies in the ICT/Smart City space that Heidi supported in entering the Japanese market in the last 36 months and trust this proves her vast experience and that she indeed meets the requirements of this procurement. Name of company and sector: Sunamp Brief description of content of ICT and Smart City/home consultation or training: Identified prospective customers and partners in Japan. Organised, accompanied, interpreted for and reported on visits by senior Sunamp technical and management staff. Heidi’s direct work resulted in 4 validated prospective customers for Sunamp in Japan in only 3 months. Contact details of customer: Mauricio Zaglio, Global Head of Partnerships [email protected] Period of execution (dd.mm.yy- 01.04.2023-01.07.2022 dd.mm.yy) Target market where the consultation Japan or training was provided: Person’s role and duties: Project Director Name of company and sector: Bluetooth SIG Brief description of content of ICT and Smart City IoT consultation or training: Identified prospective customers and partners in Japan. Organised, accompanied, interpreted for, and reported on visits by senior Bluetooth SIG technical and management staff to the. Provided market intelligence on the Japanese market and operational and recruitment support on the ground for Bluetooth’s industry in the territory Contact details of customer: Lewis Chan, Director, Quality & Compliance [email protected] +14256152288 Period of execution (dd.mm.yy- 21.12.2020-09.11.2022 dd.mm.yy) 17.07.2022-14.10.2022 Target market where the consultation Japan or training was provided: Person’s role and duties: Project Manager Confidential 2  23.10.2023 Review Committee – Ministry of Finance Name of company and sector: Embassy of the Kingdom of Netherlands Brief description of content of ICT, energy, mobility and smart city consultation or training: Arranged 3-5 physical B2B matchmaking meetings per Dutch company, along with event schedule. The initiative involved 19 companies in the ICT, mobility, and energy space present at business meeting and B2B matchmaking event in Japan focused on market expansion for the companies into the Japanese market. Arranged and chaired pre-mission meetings with Dutch companies and action recommendations following the mission to Japan Contact details of customer: Roos van Keulen, Trade policy office [email protected] Period of execution (dd.mm.yy- 06.02.2023-12.04.2023 dd.mm.yy) Target market where the consultation Japan or training was provided: Person’s role and duties: Project Director Name of company and sector: Elvie Brief description of content of ICT and medtech consultation or training: • Carried out 1-2-1 sessions to identify opportunities, developing an expansion plan for Japan • Carried out in-country research and outreach to potential partners • Fully supported calls and meetings with prospective partners, including translation where needed • Delivered an opportunity assessment report including recommendations for your ongoing strategy Contact details of customer: Tatiana Escobar-Peake, Associate Director of Strategic Partnership [email protected] Period of execution (dd.mm.yy- 25.04.2023-25.07.2022 dd.mm.yy) Target market where the consultation Japan or training was provided: Person’s role and duties: Lead Project Manager We kindly request that the Review Committee reconsider our tender and take into account the points mentioned above and revert the decision to reject our application. We believe that we are well-qualified to contribute to the success of the Systemic Export initiative in Japan. Thank you for your time and consideration. We look forward to a reassessment of our tender and the opportunity to demonstrate our capabilities and dedication to the project. We are happy to provide any additional documentation or information that may be required for the re-evaluation process. Please do not hesitate to reach out to us at [email protected] or +48 575 720 766 if you need further clarification or details. Sincerely, Michal Witkowski, VP Business Development, Intralink Confidential 3