Business support for Europass and ESCO

This summary details a European Commission tender opportunity identified as EC-EMPL/2025/OP/0016, focused on providing business support for Europass and the European classification of Skills, Competences, and Occupations (ESCO). The purpose of this service contract is to secure technical assistance aimed at the continuous improvement of Europass and to develop datasets for interoperability in labor markets and education sectors. The expected tasks include identifying business needs, defining requirements for new features, interacting with the Europass Advisory Group and National Europass Centres, monitoring performance, and regularly updating content on the Europass platform. The tender is open for submission, and applicants are expected to submit their tenders electronically.

The contracting authority for this opportunity is the European Commission, specifically under the Directorate-General for Employment, Social Affairs, and Inclusion (DG EMPL). The nature of the contract is a service contract, with a maximum duration of 48 months, composed of an initial period of 12 months with three potential renewals. The evaluation criteria will prioritize the quality of the proposals (weighted at 70%) over the cost (30%), reflecting an emphasis on technical capability rather than solely price minimization.

Key deadlines related to this tender include a question period ending January 28, 2026; a tender submission deadline on February 5, 2026, at 15:00 CET; and a public opening event on February 6, 2026. A Participant Identification Code (PIC) is required for participation, whether as an individual applicant or as part of a consortium. The call does not specify a funding amount, and there are no geographic restrictions, implying participation eligibility for entities across EU member states and potentially EEA countries.

The submission process occurs via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal in line with EU public procurement rules. The documents required for submission include various forms and specifications regarding financial offers and technical questionnaires. The opportunity is designed to enhance labor market interoperability and streamline the communication of skills and qualifications across Europe through a well-supported digital platform, emphasizing continuous development and stakeholder engagement.

Interested applicants should carefully review all available documents, including FAQs about the tendering process, submission requirements, and the eSubmission system's technical specifications, to ensure compliance with all outlined criteria before the submission deadline.

This is a call for tenders with procedure identifier EC-EMPL/2025/OP/0016, titled "Business support for Europass and ESCO". The submission method is electronic, and the call is currently open for submission. The TED reference is 246/2025 854686-2025.

The purpose of this service contract is to provide technical support to the European Commission in two activities related to labor mobility. The first activity involves the continuous improvement of Europass, the European framework of online tools and information designed to support better understanding and communication of skills and qualifications. Tasks include identifying business needs and solutions, creating and clarifying requirements for new features and releases (excluding technical analysis and IT development), interacting with the Europass Advisory Group (Europass AG) and the National Europass Centres (NEC), monitoring and evaluating the performance of NECs, and continuously updating and completing content on the Europass platform.

The second activity focuses on the development and implementation of datasets for interoperability in the labor market and the area of education and training. This includes mapping semantic assets to increase interoperability between systems and the strategic design and continuous improvement of ESCO (European classification of Skills, Competences and Occupations).

The procedure type is an open procedure. The lead contracting authority is the European Commission, DG EMPL - Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion. The main classification (CPV) code is 79400000 - Business and management consultancy and related services. The nature of the contract is for services, with a maximum contract duration of 48 months. The award method is based on the best price-quality ratio. This is not a framework agreement.

Key milestones include a TED publication date of 22/12/2025. The date and time of the public opening is 06/02/2026 at 11:00 Europe/Brussels time. The deadline for receipt of tenders is 05/02/2026 at 15:00 Europe/Brussels time. The contracting authority is not bound to reply to questions submitted after 28/01/2026 at 07:00 Europe/Brussels time.

The following documents are available for download:

EN01. Invitation EC-EMPL2025OP0016 VT2025024 Business supp. for Europass Invitation letter, published on 22/12/2025, Version 1, No translations available.
EN02. Tender specifications E1 v3 Tender specifications, published on 22/12/2025, Version 1, No translations available.
EN03. Annex 6 FINANCIAL OFFER E1 draft Financial offer form, published on 22/12/2025, Version 1, No translations available.
EN04. Technical questionnaire Other invitation to tender document, published on 22/12/2025, Version 1, No translations available.
EN05. DoH VT2025024 Business supp. for Europass EC-EMPL2025OP0016 Declaration on honour (tender), published on 22/12/2025, Version 1, No translations available.
EN06. VT-2025-024 draft DC Draft contract, published on 22/12/2025, Version 1, No translations available.
EN07. draft annex III-vat-2023-en Draft contract annex, published on 22/12/2025, Version 1, No translations available.
EN08. draft Annex IV-statements-ipr-en Draft contract annex, published on 22/12/2025, Version 1, No translations available.
EN09. Appendix 2 Security requirements en 2025 Draft contract annex, published on 22/12/2025, Version 1, No translations available.
EN10. Appendix 3 Security baseline en Draft contract annex, published on 22/12/2025, Version 1, No translations available.

Submissions must be sent exclusively via electronic submission at the address provided.

There are some frequently asked questions (FAQ) available:

How to proceed if the system is slow or doesn’t work while uploading/downloading documents? Use the latest versions of Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox. Clear the cache and cookies on the Internet browser.
Which Internet browsers does eSubmission support? Use the latest versions of Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox. For the most up-to-date technical recommendations, click on the link System Requirements.
Is it possible to view the details of the submission after the deadline? No, the content of the submission is not accessible after submitting the tender as the system encrypts all attachments upon upload.
Where can I find my submissions in Manage My Area, in the Funding & Tenders portal? In ‘My Submission(s)’: tenders in response to open calls for tenders, requests to participate.
Which size should attachments have? Files should be less than 50 MB in size.
How should I name attachments in eSubmision? Follow the System Requirements.
Can I submit a video in eSbmission? Check the System Requirements of eSubmission.
I received an invitation from the F&T Portal but cannot view the procurement documents. Select an organisation. Go to F&T Portal, “My Invitations”. Click on “Select Organisation” from the “Action”.
Do I need to validate my PIC in order to submit a tender in eSubmission? The Personal Identification Code (PIC) is mandatory to participate in a call for tenders.
I have an issue uploading a file in eSubmission and it’s giving me an error. What do I do? Make sure it follows the technical requirements of the system.
How many attachments can I upload per submission? The maximum number of documents is 200 files.
Why do tenderers need a PIC? It is mandatory to register for a PIC if you intend to submit a tender or a request to participate.
How do I register my organisation and get a Participant Identification Code (PIC)? Check if the organisation is already registered using the Search PIC tool under 'How to Participate' > Participant Register.
How many languages does the system support? The system is multilingual and supports all 24 official EU languages.
Which is the character set encoding in the system? The character set encoding is UTF-8.
Does the system use encryption to ensure the integrity and the confidentiality of the information? Yes, the system encrypts all uploaded documents, using an asymmetric key as an encryption mechanism.
Which file types does the system support? The supported file types depend on the type of submission you want to make.
Can I view and edit my draft submission? Until the deadline for the submission has been reached, submissions in the draft status can be edited, viewed and deleted.
In the submission report, under the name of our entity, "Legal form: UNKNOWN" is displayed while in the system, our legal form was correctly displayed. Is this a problem for the submission? No, it is just a display issue. This is not blocking for you: you can submit.
I sent my submission on time and a few days later, I received an automatic email informing me that the deadline for the reception of submissions had been reached. Does this mean that my submission was not correctly sent? No, this is an auto-generated notification sent when the time limit of receipt defined for the call for tenders has been reached.

In summary, this tender opportunity seeks a service provider to offer technical support to the European Commission for the continuous improvement of Europass and the development and implementation of datasets for interoperability in the labor market, education, and training, including the strategic design and continuous improvement of ESCO. The tender is an open procedure, meaning any eligible organization can apply, and the contract will be awarded based on the best price-quality ratio. The maximum duration of the contract is 48 months. Interested parties must submit their tenders electronically by the specified deadline and should carefully review all provided documents and FAQs to ensure compliance with the submission requirements. A Participant Identification Code (PIC) is mandatory for participation. The eSubmission system supports multiple languages and encrypts uploaded documents for security.

Eligible Applicant Types: The eligible applicant types are not explicitly stated, but based on the nature of the tender, it is likely that eligible applicants include companies, consultancies, and organizations with expertise in business and management consultancy, IT, labor market analysis, education, and training.

Funding Type: This is a procurement opportunity, specifically a service contract.

Consortium Requirement: The text mentions that a Personal Identification Code (PIC) is mandatory to participate in a call for tenders as a sole candidate/tenderer or as a member of a group (consortium). Therefore, either a single applicant or a consortium is acceptable.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): The geographic eligibility is not explicitly stated, but given that it is an EU funding opportunity related to Europass and ESCO, it is highly likely that applicants from the EU and potentially EEA countries are eligible.

Target Sector: The target sectors are labor mobility, education, training, ICT, and consulting. Specifically, the tender targets the continuous improvement of Europass and the development and implementation of datasets for interoperability in the labor market and the area of education and training, as well as the strategic design and continuous improvement of ESCO.

Mentioned Countries: No specific countries are mentioned, but the focus on Europass and ESCO implies a European scope, suggesting EU and potentially EEA countries.

Project Stage: The project stage is focused on technical support, continuous improvement, development, and implementation. It involves identifying business needs, creating requirements for new features, interacting with advisory groups, monitoring performance, updating content, mapping semantic assets, and strategic design. The subsequent steps of technical analysis and IT development are explicitly stated as not being part of this contract.

Funding Amount: The estimated total value is not provided in the text.

Application Type: The application type is an open call for tenders, with electronic submission.

Nature of Support: Beneficiaries will receive money in exchange for services rendered, as this is a service contract.

Application Stages: The number of application stages is not explicitly mentioned, but it involves at least one stage of submitting a tender.

Success Rates: The success rates are not mentioned in the provided text.

Co-funding Requirement: The co-funding requirement is not mentioned in the provided text.

Summary:

This is a call for tenders, EC-EMPL/2025/OP/0016, issued by the European Commission, DG EMPL - Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion, for providing business support for Europass and ESCO (European classification of Skills, Competences and Occupations). The purpose of this service contract is to obtain technical support for the continuous improvement of Europass, which is a European framework of online tools and information aimed at improving the understanding and communication of skills and qualifications. The tasks include identifying business needs and solutions, creating and clarifying requirements for new features and releases, interacting with the Europass Advisory Group and National Europass Centres, monitoring and evaluating performance, and continuously updating content on the Europass platform. The contract also covers the development and implementation of datasets for interoperability in the labor market and education and training, the mapping of semantic assets to increase interoperability, and the strategic design and continuous improvement of ESCO. The procedure type is an open procedure, and submissions must be electronic. The maximum contract duration is 48 months. The award method is based on the best price-quality ratio. The TED publication date was 22/12/2025, the deadline for receipt of tenders is 05/02/2026 at 15:00 Europe/Brussels, and the date and time of public opening is 06/02/2026 at 11:00 Europe/Brussels. The contracting authority is not bound to reply to questions submitted after 28/01/2026 at 07:00 Europe/Brussels. A Participant Identification Code (PIC) is mandatory for participation, whether as a sole candidate or as part of a consortium. The eSubmission system supports various file types, and attachments should be less than 50 MB in size, with a maximum of 200 files per tender. The system supports all 24 official EU languages and uses UTF-8 character set encoding. The system encrypts all uploaded documents.