necessary for consulting suitable Consultants, manufacturers and suppliers, and for preparing tender  procedures with a view to carrying out the works or providing the supplies or services covered by an  invitation to tender. The Contracting Authority shall provide the Consultant with the information  necessary for drawing up the administrative part of the tender dossier.  ARTICLE 16. PERSONNEL AND EQUIPMENT  16.1. The Consultant must inform the Contracting Authority of all personnel which the Consultant intends to  use for the implementation of the tasks, other than the key experts whose CVs are included in Annex  IV. Annex II and/or Annex III shall specify the minimum level of training, qualifications and experience  of the personnel and, where appropriate, the specialisation required. The Contracting Authority shall  have the right to oppose the Consultant's choice of personnel.  16.2. All those working on the project with the approval of the Contracting Authority shall commence their  duties on the date or within the period laid down in Annex II and/or Annex III, or, failing this, on the  date or within the periods notified to the Consultant by the Contracting Authority or the Project  Manager.  16.3. Save as otherwise provided in the special conditions, those working on the contract shall reside close  to their place of work. Where part of the services is to be performed outside the beneficiary country,  the Consultant shall keep the Project Manager informed of the names and qualifications of staff  assigned to that part of the services.  16.4. The Consultant shall:  (a) forward to the Project Manager within 30 days of the signature of the contract by both parties,  the timetable proposed for placement of the staff;  (b) inform the Project Manager of the date of arrival and departure of each member of staff;  (c) submit to the Project Manager for his/her written approval a timely request for the appointment  of any non-key experts.  16.5. The Consultant shall adopt all measures necessary to provide and continue to provide its staff with  the equipment and backup required to enable them to carry out their specified duties efficiently.  17.1. The Consultant shall not make changes to the agreed personnel without the prior written approval of  the Contracting Authority. The Consultant must on its own initiative propose a replacement in the  following cases:  (a) In the event of death, in the event of illness or in the event of accident of a member of staff.  (b) If it becomes necessary to replace a member of staff for any other reasons beyond the  Consultant’s control (e.g. resignation, etc.).  17.2. Moreover, in the course of performance, and on the basis of a written and justified request to which  the Consultant shall provide his own and the staff member's observations, the Contracting Authority  can order a replacement if it considers that a member of staff is inefficient or does not perform its  duties under the contract.  17.3. Where a member of staff must be replaced, the replacement must possess at least equivalent  qualifications and experience, and the remuneration to be paid to the replacement cannot exceed that  received by the member of staff who has been replaced. Where the Consultant is unable to provide a  replacement with equivalent qualifications and/or experience, the Contracting Authority may either  decide to terminate the contract, if the proper performance of it is jeopardised, or, if it considers that  this is not the case, accept the replacement, provided that the fees of the latter are renegotiated to  reflect the appropriate remuneration level.  17.4. Additional costs incurred by the replacement of staff are the responsibility of the Consultant. The  Contracting Authority makes no payment for the period when the expert to be replaced is absent. The  replacement of any expert, whose name is listed in Annex IV of the Contract, must be proposed by  the Consultant within 15 calendar days from the first day of the expert's absence. If after this period  the Consultant fails to propose a replacement in accordance with Article 17.3 above, the Contracting  Authority may apply liquidated damages up to 10% of the remaining fees of that expert to be replaced.  17.5. The beneficiary country may be notified of the identity of the experts proposed to be added or replaced  Page 8 of 19  ARTICLE 17. REPLACEMENT OF PERSONNEL 