Catering services for Trade Policy Day - 20/11/2025 in Brussels

This opportunity is a public procurement contract for catering services announced by the European Commission's Directorate-General for Trade (DG TRADE), specifically for the Trade Policy Day 2025. The event is scheduled for November 20, 2025, to be held at the European Commission premises in Brussels, Belgium, with approximately 430 participants expected.

Eligible applicants include professional catering service providers, which may comprise both large and established companies as well as SMEs that can meet the required service specifications. The procedure does not specifically favor SMEs, as indicated by the "smeSuitableIndicator": false.

The type of procurement is a contract for catering services, meaning that the European Commission is purchasing these services rather than providing funding for projects. This procurement does not explicitly require a consortium, but the nature of the services typically lends itself to a single provider taking full responsibility for delivery.

The caterer will be responsible for a range of services including welcome coffee for 430 participants, a standing lunch for 400 attendees, a VIP seated lunch for 30, and ongoing coffee service throughout the event. The contract duration is for one day.

While specific funding amounts have not been disclosed, the budget is expected to be determined through a competitive bidding process, with estimates for similar events typically ranging between €50,000 to €200,000 based on service requirements.

Interested parties must register online during the expression of interest period which starts on October 10, 2025, and ends on October 18, 2025. The official call for tenders is expected to launch on October 21, 2025, with submissions required to be made electronically.

There is a question and answer section available for prospective bidders, and guidance for accessing procurement documents will be provided. Overall, this procurement represents an important opportunity for catering companies capable of servicing large-scale events in Brussels, reinforcing the commercial nature of such contracts.

This is a publication announcing the European Commission's, DG TRADE's intention to publish a future negotiated low or middle value procedure for catering services for Trade Policy Day 2025. This is not a call for tenders. The procedure identifier is EC-TRADE/2025/LVP/0029-EXA.

The Trade Policy Day 2025 is scheduled to take place on 20 November 2025 on European Commission premises in Brussels. The event will host approximately 430 participants and will run from 08:30 to 17:00.

The requested catering services include: welcome coffee for 430 participants; standing lunch for 400 participants; VIP seated lunch for 30 participants; and continuous coffee service throughout the day. The offer should foresee the provision of standing tables, while buffet tables will be made available on the premises.

The procedure type is 47396214. The nature of the contract is for services. The maximum contract duration is 1 day. No framework agreement is mentioned. The estimated total value is not provided. The main classification (CPV) is 55500000 - 55500000.

The start date for expression of interest is 2025-10-10 Europe/Brussels. The deadline for expression of interest is 18/10/2025 05:59 Europe/Brussels. The indicative date of launch of the negotiated procedure is 2025-10-21 Europe/Brussels.

Submissions must be sent exclusively at the address for submission given. The method of expression of interest is electronic. To express interest, use the "Express interest" link.

A question and answer section is available. To create a question, one must log in. A FAQ section is available, and the FAQs can be downloaded as an XLS file.

A previously asked question is: Where can I find the procurement documents for calls for tenders with ‘ExA' in the reference? The answer provided is: References that feature an ‘ExA’ are not calls for tenders. They are a publication announcing the contracting authority’s intent to launch in the future a low or middle negotiated procedure. This was published on 03/10/2024 17:32.

In summary, this is a pre-announcement for a future low to middle value negotiated procurement procedure by the European Commission, DG TRADE, for catering services for the Trade Policy Day 2025 in Brussels. The event requires catering for approximately 430 participants, including welcome coffee, standing lunch, VIP seated lunch, and continuous coffee service. Companies interested in providing these services should express their interest electronically between October 10, 2025, and October 18, 2025. The actual call for tenders is expected to be launched around October 21, 2025. It is important to note that the reference number includes "ExA" which indicates that this is not a direct call for tenders but an announcement of a future negotiated procedure.

Eligible Applicant Types: The opportunity is a procurement procedure for catering services, so eligible applicants would be businesses or organizations that provide catering services. This includes SMEs and potentially larger enterprises specializing in catering.

Funding Type: This is a procurement, specifically a planned call for tenders for services. The contracting authority, the European Commission, will purchase catering services from the selected provider.

Consortium Requirement: The text does not explicitly state whether a consortium is allowed or required. However, given the nature of catering services, it is more likely that a single applicant is expected to provide the services.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): The event will take place on European Commission premises in Brussels. While the geographic eligibility of the catering service provider is not explicitly stated, it is reasonable to assume that the provider should be based in Belgium or at least within the EU to facilitate logistics and compliance with EU regulations.

Target Sector: The target sector is catering services.

Mentioned Countries: Belgium (Brussels).

Project Stage: This opportunity concerns the operational stage, specifically the provision of catering services for an event.

Funding Amount: The estimated total value is not specified, but the announcement indicates that it will be a low or middle value procedure.

Application Type: The application type is a planned call for tenders, followed by a negotiated procedure. The first step is to express interest electronically.

Nature of Support: Beneficiaries will receive money in exchange for providing catering services.

Application Stages: There are at least two stages: expressing interest and then participating in the negotiated procedure.

Success Rates: Success rates are not mentioned.

Co-funding Requirement: Co-funding is not mentioned, and is unlikely for a procurement contract.

Summary:

This is an announcement of a planned call for tenders by the European Commission, DG TRADE, for catering services for the Trade Policy Day 2025, scheduled to take place on 20 November 2025 in Brussels. The event will host approximately 430 participants. The requested catering services include welcome coffee, standing lunch, VIP seated lunch, and continuous coffee service. The procedure identifier is EC-TRADE/2025/LVP/0029-EXA. This is not a call for tenders yet, but an announcement of the contracting authority’s intention to publish a future negotiated low or middle value procedure. The start date for expression of interest is 2025-10-10 and the deadline is 18/10/2025. The indicative date of launch of the negotiated procedure is 2025-10-21. Interested parties should express their interest electronically. The maximum contract duration is 1 day.