Business Travel and Accommodation Services for EL EU OHQ ASPIDES

The General Secretariat of the Council of the European Union has published an open tender (CONSILIUM/2026/OP/0009) for business travel and accommodation services to support the EUNAVFOR Operational Headquarters ASPIDES in Larissa, Greece. The procurement is a 48-month framework agreement covering travel tickets, vehicle rental and accommodation, with award based on price (100% weight). Submission deadline is 1 July 2026 at 12:00:59 (Brussels time) and bidders must meet standard exclusion and eligibility criteria applicable to EU and eligible third-country economic operators. Full tender documents and annexes, including instructions to bidders and the financial offer template, are available on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal.

What it funds

Scope summary

Supply of business travel and ancillary accommodation services for EUNAVFOR OHQ ASPIDES (Larissa) and persons travelling on its behalf, including tickets for air, rail, road, sea and other transport, car/van rental and hotel accommodation.

Who can apply:Economic operators registered in the EU and operators from non-EU countries with an open procurement agreement with the EU; bidders must satisfy standard exclusion and eligibility rules (tax/social obligations, no grave misconduct, not excluded from tendering).

1. 1Issuing authority: General Secretariat of the Council of the European Union
2. 2Procedure: Open tender (framework agreement / services); SME suitable indicator: false
3. 3Contract duration planned: 48 months
4. 4Submission method: Paper copy (portal documents and tender package available on the Funding & Tenders Portal)

Procurement documents (terms of reference, draft contract, financial offer form, evaluation grid and administrative annexes) were published on 12/05/2026 on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal Tender details.

Opportunity type and purpose

Summary description

This is a public tender published on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal and issued by The General Secretariat of the Council of the European Union (Council). It requests the supply of business travel and ancillary accommodation services to the EUNAVFOR OHQ - ASPIDES in Larissa and to any other persons travelling on behalf of it. The services required cover tickets for travel by air, rail, car, bus, boat or other means of transport, car and van rental, and rental of accommodation. The procurement is described as a services contract to be delivered over a planned period of 48 months.

Reference and publication:Call Identifier CONSILIUM/2026/OP/0009. Tender details and procurement documents are available on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal Tender details ¹.

1. 1Eligible Applicant Types: economic operators (private companies), public entities where applicable, travel management companies, transport providers, accommodation providers, car and van rental companies, intermediary agencies and consortia of suppliers acting as a single economic operator where permitted by the rules. The procurement documentation indicates participation by economic operators registered in the EU and economic operators from non-EU countries which have an agreement with the EU about opening of public procurement markets.
2. 2Funding Type: procurement / public contract for services (service contract under the Council of the EU procurement framework).
3. 3Consortium Requirement: single tendering entity is expected to submit offers. The procurement allows submissions from economic operators; joint bids or consortia may be possible subject to the conditions in the tender documents and the selection criteria, but the contract will be awarded to a single contractor (or a framework agreement with one or more contractors depending on contracting system specifics).
4. 4Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): Primarily EU-based economic operators. The notice explicitly permits economic operators from non-EU countries only if those countries have an agreement with the EU opening public procurement markets. Overall geographic scope: EU and eligible third countries under procurement agreements.
5. 5Target Sector: transport and travel services, accommodation services, vehicle rental, event/mission support for EU institutions (CPV codes include travel agency and similar services: 55000000, 55100000; transport services: 60000000, 60400000).
6. 6Mentioned Countries: Greece is specifically referenced through the operational headquarters location (Larissa). The contracting authority is the General Secretariat of the Council (EU institution). The procurement is EU-level; explicit country: Greece; eligible applicants: EU and qualifying third countries.
7. 7Project Stage: operational delivery of services (service provision stage). The procurement seeks established suppliers capable of immediate service delivery and ongoing operations (no research or development stage).
8. 8Funding Amount: no contract value or estimated total contract value is published in the tender metadata. The SME suitability indicator is false. The procurement thresholds discussed on the General Secretariat pages mention buckets (below €15 000, €15 000 to €143 000, above €143 000) but this tender document does not specify which bucket applies; therefore contract value is unspecified in the published summary and must be checked in the procurement documents.
9. 9Application Type: open call / public tender. Submission method indicated in the scraped metadata is PAPER_COPY for submission; however the tendering process references the Funding & Tenders Portal and eSubmission tools for access. The tender specifies a tender submission deadline and an open tender event (see timings).
10. 10Nature of Support: award of a paid service contract (monetary compensation for delivered travel and accommodation services).
11. 11Application Stages: three-stage process is typical: 1) submission of tender (administrative & financial offer), 2) evaluation / technical and compliance assessment, 3) award and contracting (contract signature). The dossier includes an open tender event (scheduled) and post-award processes. Exact number of evaluation stages and possible clarifications or negotiations are described in the tender documents.
12. 12Success Rates: not specified in the procurement documentation. Tender success rate depends on number and quality of bids; no historical success rate provided.
13. 13Co-funding Requirement: none required. This is a public procurement for purchase of services; bidders propose prices and no applicant co-funding is requested.
14. 14Templates and Application Forms: the call includes multiple annexes and mandatory forms. Bidders must complete administrative, technical and financial annexes listed below and comply with the Instructions to Bidders and Draft Contract (general and special conditions).

Mandatory procurement documents and templates available in the dossier. Bidders must download, complete and return the required annexes and forms as set out in Part A: Instructions to bidders and the Terms of Reference. Key annexes published with the call include the financial offer form, list of key experts, declaration on honour, draft contract Part B (special conditions) and Part A (instructions), ANNEX II Terms of Reference, ANNEX III Financial Offer, ANNEX IV List of Key Experts, ANNEX V Supplier Financial Identification Form, ANNEX VI Declaration on Honour, ANNEX VII Cover Letter, ANNEX VIII Technical Evaluation Grid and ANNEX IX Criteria Compliance. Bidders should consult each annex for the required structure, mandatory fields and supporting evidence requirements.

Document templates and structure guidance:The tender package contains specific templates and required documents. Notable items and what they contain: ANNEX III Financial Offer (native docx) is the required pricing schedule and must be completed in full; ANNEX IV List of Key Experts (native docx) requires CVs and role descriptions for nominated staff; ANNEX V Supplier Financial Identification Form (pdf) and legal entity forms are needed for supplier registration; ANNEX VI Declaration on Honour (native docx) must be signed to confirm absence of exclusion grounds; ANNEX VIII Technical Evaluation Grid sets out the scoring methodology and the technical criteria bidders must address; Part A: Instructions to Bidders (pdf) explains submission modalities, administrative compliance and selection and award criteria; Part B: Draft Contract (special conditions, docx) and ANNEX I General Conditions (pdf) set out contractual terms including invoicing and payment obligations. Bidders must follow the order and format specified in Part A and use the exact annex templates provided in the dossier.

Selection, exclusion and award criteria highlights:bidders must demonstrate absence of exclusion grounds (criminal convictions, fraud, corruption, money laundering, breach of social obligations), fulfilment of tax and social security obligations, financial and economic capacity and relevant professional ability. Awarding is based on price as the subordinate award criterion with weighting details in the procurement documents; the technical evaluation grid details how quality and compliance will be scored. The tendering documents include instructions for submission, tender validity period of 6 months, post-award electronic ordering and payment usage, and a planned contract duration of 48 months. SME suitability indicator is false for this tender.

Submission practicalities:while the metadata records submission method code PAPER_COPY, bidders must consult Part A: Instructions to Bidders for the definitive submission method, format, number of copies, language requirements, the address for submission and the required annex completion and signing. The procurement dossier indicates an electronic order and payment post-award and references e-invoicing guidance (e-PRIOR/PEPPOL) in the related documentation. Ensure completeness of legal entity and financial identification forms before submission to avoid exclusion.

Points of contact and contracting authority:The General Secretariat of the Council of the European Union is the lead contracting authority. For further operational procurement guidance, the Council public procurement pages and the Funding & Tenders Portal procurement section are referenced in the dossier.

What bidders should do next:download all annexes and Part A and Part B documents from the portal, complete the Financial Offer (ANNEX III) and Declaration (ANNEX VI), prepare supporting evidence for selection criteria (financial statements, insurances, references), complete the List of Key Experts (ANNEX IV) with CVs, verify submission format and deadline, and submit the tender in accordance with the Instructions to Bidders. Late or non-conforming tenders risk exclusion.

Footnotes

1. 1Official tender dossier and documents available at the EU Funding & Tenders Portal tender details page: ec.europa.eu

This is an open call for tenders issued by the General Secretariat of the Council of the European Union for comprehensive business travel and accommodation services supporting the European Union Naval Force (EUNAVFOR) Operational Headquarters (OHQ) ASPIDES located in Larissa, Greece. The services cover all travel tickets by air, rail, car, bus, boat or other means, along with ancillary services such as car and van rental, and accommodation rental for OHQ personnel and authorized representatives. Procedure identifier: CONSILIUM/2026/OP/0009. CPV codes: 60000000 (Transport services), 60400000 (Cargo handling and transport services), 55000000 (Hotel, restaurants, camping, holiday and other collective accommodation), 55100000 (Hotel services).¹

Key Dates and Status

Publication date:12 May 2026. Tender submission deadline: 1 July 2026 at 12:00:59 (Brussels time). Status: Open for submissions. Additional information requests accepted until 23 June 2026. Documents updated with change notifications valid until 26 May 2026. Contract notice references: 324622-2026, 91/2026.

Scope and Duration

The contract is a Framework Agreement (FWC) for services with a planned duration of 48 months. It supports EUNAVFOR ASPIDES, a defensive maritime security operation under the EU Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP), extended until 28 February 2026, focused on freedom of navigation and maritime security in key trade corridors. Services are defensive and de-escalatory in nature.

Eligibility and Who Can Apply

Open to economic operators registered in the EU or from non-EU countries with agreements opening public procurement markets to EU operators. Applicants must meet standard exclusion criteria: no grave professional misconduct, fulfilled tax and social security obligations, no convictions for fraud, corruption, money laundering, child labour, criminal organizations or illegal activities against EU financial interests, no fraudulent misrepresentation, and not previously excluded from tendering. Required forms include legal entity form (private or public), financial identification form, and supplier financial identification form (Annex V).²

Procurement Details

Procedure Type:Open tender procedure (non-restricted). Submission method: Paper copy. Tender validity: 6 months.

Lot Structure:Single lot (LOT-0001). Award criterion: Price (100% weight). Technical evaluation via grid (Annex VIII) and criteria compliance (Annex IX). Key experts list required (Annex IV).³

Contract Features:Framework agreement without reopening of competition. Electronic orders and payments enabled. Funding: EU funds.

Submission Requirements

• Cover letter (Annex VII)
• Declaration on honour (Annex VI)
• Financial offer (Annex III)
• List of key experts (Annex IV)
• All tender specifications and administrative parts as listed in procurement documents

Tenders must comply with instructions to bidders (Part A), terms of reference (Annex II), general conditions (Annex I), and draft special conditions (Part B). Full procurement documents available via the EU Funding and Tenders Portal.

How to Apply

Access full tender documents and submit via the official portal:EU Funding & Tenders Portal. Register on TED for alerts: TED Tenders Electronic Daily. Contracting authority: General Secretariat of the Council Council Procurement.

Additional Resources

Programme periods:2014-2020 and 2021-2027. For general procurement guidance, refer to Council Secretariat resources. ASPIDES operation details: EUNAVFOR ASPIDES.⁴

Footnotes

1. 1CPV codes and description from tender metadata on EU Funding & Tenders Portal.
2. 2Eligibility criteria from General Secretariat procurement page: https://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/general-secretariat/public-procurement.
3. 3Evaluation and submission details from listed annexes published 12 May 2026.
4. 4ASPIDES background from official operation site.