Capacity building of consumer organizations to empower consumer protection professionals

The European Innovation Council and SMEs Executive Agency (EISMEA) has published a call for tenders identified as EISMEA/2025/OP/0025, focused on the capacity building of consumer organizations to empower consumer protection professionals. This procurement opportunity aims to develop and implement training programs for consumer organizations and other stakeholders engaged in consumer policy across the EU at various levels—Union, national, regional, and local. The estimated contract value is €2,000,000, with a planned duration of 36 months. The application deadline is set for September 22, 2025, at 12:00 CEST, with submissions required to be made electronically.

The call emphasizes enhancing the skills and knowledge of consumer representatives to contribute effectively to policy development. It builds upon the foundations set by the earlier Consumer PRO 2019-2023 project, integrating lessons learned to refine capacity-building efforts. This opportunity is primarily designed for larger organizations capable of delivering extensive training services across multiple EU countries, explicitly excluding small and medium enterprises as indicated by the lack of an SME suitability marker.

The evaluation criteria for award decisions prioritize quality (60%) over price (40), ensuring a strong emphasis on the expertise and experience of the applicants. Although the call does not explicitly require a consortium, it permits subcontracting arrangements, suggesting that successful applications may involve partnerships or collaboration with other entities to manage the geographic reach of the services.

The funding mechanism is a service contract, suggesting a commercial arrangement rather than a grant, where the selected contractor will be compensated for specific deliverables related to training and capacity-building activities. The application process follows an open tender procedure, allowing any qualified organization to submit proposals, with all required documentation outlined in the tender specifications.

Overall, this opportunity represents a significant investment by the European Commission in strengthening the capacity of consumer organizations across the EU, highlighting the importance of consumer protection in policymaking and advocacy.

The European Innovation Council and SMEs Executive Agency (EISMEA) has published a call for tenders, EISMEA/2025/OP/0025, titled "Capacity building of consumer organizations to empower consumer protection professionals." The TED reference for this tender is 147/2025 509159-2025.

The general objective of this call is to develop an effective approach to capacity building for consumer organizations and to provide training to consumer organizations and other stakeholders active in consumer policy at the Union, national, regional, and local levels in participating countries. The aim is to improve consumer policy development through intensive and skilled input from end-users and consumers. This includes providing consumer representatives with specific and targeted knowledge through focused and specialist training. This call for tenders aims to continue the capacity building efforts similar to the Consumer PRO 2019-2023 project, taking advantage of its outcomes and lessons learned.

This is an open procedure with an estimated total value of 2,000,000 EUR. The TED publication date was 04/08/2025. The main classification (CPV) code is 80522000 - Training seminars. The nature of the contract is for services, with a maximum contract duration of 36 months. The award method will be based on the best price-quality ratio. No framework agreement is specified.

Key milestones include:
TED publication date: 04/08/2025
Date and time of public opening: 22/09/2025 15:00 Europe/Brussels
Deadline for receipt of tenders: 22/09/2025 12:00 Europe/Brussels
Deadline for questions: Contracting authority is not bound to reply to questions submitted after 12/09/2025 06:00 Europe/Brussels

Submissions must be sent exclusively via electronic submission.

The following documents are available for download:
ENEN-Invitation to tender EISMEA2025OP0025 Capacity building - New Consumer Pro Invitation letter (Published on 04/08/2025, Version 1, No translations available)
ENTender specifications-Capacity building final Tender specifications (Published on 04/08/2025, Version 1, No translations available)
ENannex 1 - list of documents to be submitted with the tender or during the procedure (Published on 04/08/2025, Version 1, No translations available)
ENdeclaration-of-honour-tenders Capacity building - New Consumer Pro EISMEA2025OP0025 (Published on 04/08/2025, Version 1, No translations available)
ENannex 2.1 - statement turnover (Published on 04/08/2025, Version 1, No translations available)
ENannex 2.2 - technical capacity (Published on 04/08/2025, Version 1, No translations available)
ENannex 3 - power of attorney (Published on 04/08/2025, Version 1, No translations available)
ENannex 4 - list of identified subcontractors (Published on 04/08/2025, Version 1, No translations available)
ENannex 5 - letter of submission (Published on 04/08/2025, Version 1, No translations available)
ENannex 5.1 - commitment letter by an identified subcontractor (Published on 04/08/2025, Version 1, No translations available)

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In essence, this is a call for tenders by EISMEA seeking proposals for a project focused on capacity building of consumer organizations across participating countries. The project aims to enhance the skills and knowledge of consumer representatives and stakeholders, enabling them to actively contribute to consumer policy development at all levels. The selected contractor will be responsible for developing and implementing training programs, leveraging the experiences and outcomes of previous initiatives like Consumer PRO. The tender is open to all eligible organizations and will be awarded based on the best price-quality ratio. The project has a substantial budget of 2,000,000 EUR and a duration of 36 months, highlighting the importance and long-term commitment of the European Commission to strengthening consumer protection through capacity building.

Eligible Applicant Types: The call for tenders is aimed at organizations capable of developing and implementing capacity building programs, specifically consumer organizations and other stakeholders active in consumer policy at Union, national, regional and local level. The eligible applicant types are not explicitly defined in terms of size or legal status (e.g., SME, large enterprise, nonprofit), but rather by their ability to meet the tender's objectives.

Funding Type: The primary financial mechanism is a service contract, awarded through a call for tenders. The nature of the contract is services.

Consortium Requirement: The information does not explicitly state whether a single applicant or a consortium is required. However, the presence of documents such as "annex 4 - list of identified subcontractors" and "annex 5.1 - commitment letter by an identified subcontractor" suggests that consortia are permitted and possibly anticipated.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): The call for tenders targets consumer organizations and stakeholders active in consumer policy at the Union, national, regional, and local level, implying eligibility within the European Union. The phrase "participating countries" is used, suggesting that the program is focused on EU member states.

Target Sector: The program targets the consumer protection sector, specifically focusing on capacity building for consumer organizations and stakeholders involved in consumer policy. The main classification (CPV) code is 80522000, which refers to training seminars.

Mentioned Countries: No specific countries are mentioned, but the scope is the European Union, referring to "participating countries" and stakeholders active at the "Union, national, regional and local level."

Project Stage: The project stage is capacity building and training, which implies a development and implementation phase. The call aims to develop an effective approach to capacity building and provide trainings. This suggests the project is beyond the initial idea or research phase and is focused on practical implementation.

Funding Amount: The estimated total value of the call for tenders is 2,000,000 EUR.

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

Nature of Support: The beneficiaries will receive non-monetary services in the form of a service contract to develop and implement capacity building and training programs. The selected tenderer will be paid for providing these services.

Application Stages: The number of application stages is not explicitly stated, but it involves at least one stage of submitting a tender, which will then be evaluated based on the best price-quality ratio. The documents required, such as the declaration of honor, statement of turnover, and technical capacity, suggest a comprehensive evaluation process.

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

Co-funding Requirement: The text does not explicitly mention a co-funding requirement.

Summary:

This is a call for tenders, reference number EISMEA/2025/OP/0025, issued by the European Innovation Council and SMEs Executive Agency (EISMEA). The call aims to develop and implement a capacity building program for consumer organizations and other stakeholders involved in consumer policy at the Union, national, regional, and local levels. The primary objective is to enhance the skills and knowledge of consumer representatives, enabling them to effectively represent consumer interests and contribute to policy development. The estimated total value of the contract is 2,000,000 EUR, and the maximum contract duration is 36 months. The procedure type is an open procedure, and submissions must be made electronically. The deadline for receipt of tenders is September 22, 2025, at 12:00 Europe/Brussels. The award method is based on the best price-quality ratio. Interested parties must submit a tender that includes various documents, such as an invitation letter, tender specifications, a list of documents to be submitted, a declaration of honor, statements of turnover and technical capacity, a power of attorney (if applicable), a list of identified subcontractors (if applicable), a letter of submission, and a commitment letter by any identified subcontractors. The project seeks to continue and build upon the previous Consumer PRO project, incorporating lessons learned and ensuring a continuation of capacity building efforts in the consumer protection sector.