Cleaning services for the European Commission Representation and European Parliament Liaison Office (EPLO) in Helsinki

The European Commission (DG Communication, Representation in Finland) acting with the European Parliament Liaison Office seeks cleaning services for the European Union House in Helsinki under procedure EC-COMM/HEL/2026/OP/0097. The procurement is an open procedure divided into two independent lots (standard maintenance and less frequent specialist services) with an estimated total value of €240,000 and a maximum framework duration of 48 months. Award will be based on the lowest price provided tenders meet the technical and administrative requirements. Tenders must be submitted electronically via the Funding & Tenders Portal eSubmission system and the deadline for receipt is 30 October 2026 at 14:00 Europe/Helsinki time.

What it funds

Scope

Framework tender for cleaning and related services at EU House, Malminkatu 16, Helsinki. Two lots: Lot 1 standard/regular maintenance cleaning; Lot 2 additional/less frequent services (deep cleaning, window cleaning, carpet shampooing, plant care, confidential paper disposal, etc.).

Submission is electronic only via the Funding & Tenders Portal; EU Login and PIC required. Tender documents (ITT, technical and administrative specifications, draft framework contracts, financial offer form and service programme) are published on the call page Tender details 1.

Footnotes

1. 1All official procurement documents, templates and the eSubmission link are available on the Funding & Tenders Portal call page: Call page.

Basic facts and contacts

What is being procured (scope and deliverables)

Eligibility and application logistics

Tender model, award and evaluation

Selection and exclusion

Documents and templates to submit

Key dates and milestones

Funding type, co-funding and contract model

Financial and commercial details

Security, insurance and legal requirements

Practical tips for bidders

Application templates and where to find them

Further information, system guidance and eSubmission technical requirements are available on the Funding & Tenders Portal and the eSubmission Quick Guide1.

Other procurement rules and caveats

The contracting authority reserves the right to cancel the procedure at any stage before contract signature. Submission of a tender implies acceptance of the procurement documents and the draft framework contract provisions. Tenderers are responsible for all costs incurred in preparing and submitting tenders. Where required, the contracting authority may request clarifications or additional evidence from tenderers but will not allow modifications that materially change the tender. The contracting authority will check for abnormally low tenders and may reject them under the Financial Regulation rules.

Quick reference: categorisation answers

Procurement risks, compliance and recommended bidder actions

How to apply (step-by-step checklist)

This summary is built from the official call documents (Invitation letter, Tender specifications administrative and technical, draft framework contract, Annexes 6 and 9, Appendix 2), and bidders must consult the official documentation on the Funding & Tenders Portal and the eSubmission guidance to prepare and submit compliant tenders. For system help and technical issues use the eSubmission helpdesk and portal system requirements before the deadline 1.

Footnotes

1. 1eSubmission Quick Guide, system requirements and detailed instructions are available on the Funding & Tenders Portal and eSubmission help pages. See the call page for links to the specific procedure documents and for the eSubmission Quick Guide (access via EU Login).

Opportunity summary

This is a public procurement tender, not a grant scheme. The European Commission Directorate General for Communication, acting as lead contracting authority, seeks cleaning services for the European Commission Representation and the European Parliament Liaison Office located at the European Union House in Helsinki, Finland. The procurement is interinstitutional and the resulting framework contracts may be used autonomously by the participating entities through specific contracts.

The official opportunity is available through the EU Funding and Tenders Portal tender notice. The tender documents are published in English, but tenders may be submitted in any official language of the European Union.

Key procurement facts

The metadata includes an earlier deadline of 1 January 2026, but the detailed notice and tender documents identify 30 October 2026 at 14:00 Europe/Helsinki time as the operative deadline. Applicants should rely on the live portal notice and any subsequent corrigenda.

Lots and scope

The procurement is divided into two independent lots. Tenderers may bid for either lot or both lots. A tender must cover the complete scope of the relevant lot and may not be conditional on the award of another lot. Each lot will be evaluated independently.

Lot 1 covers maintenance cleaning performed daily, weekly, monthly and quarterly in accordance with the technical specifications and service programme. The financial offer includes a monthly all inclusive rate for regular standard services, an hourly rate for standard services during working hours, and an hourly or person hour rate for exceptional standard services outside the regular schedule.

Lot 2 covers less frequent or specialist activities. The financial offer form identifies services including plant maintenance, mud mats, confidential material collection and disposal, floor waxing and protective treatments, carpet and furniture cleaning, deep cleaning and disinfection, internal and external window cleaning, glass panel cleaning and curtain steam cleaning.

Contract and purchasing mechanism

The successful tenderer for each lot will enter into a single framework contract. The framework contract does not guarantee that the contracting authority will order the full estimated value. Purchases will be made through specific contracts or order forms, and only services actually ordered and performed will be invoiced.

The framework contract is planned for an initial period of 12 months and may be renewed three times, giving a maximum duration of 48 months. The stated quantities and values are indicative ceilings for procurement planning and evaluation. They are not guaranteed minimum volumes or revenue commitments.

The contracting authority may, within three years after signature, use a negotiated procedure to procure additional similar services up to a maximum of 50 percent of the initial framework contract ceiling for each lot. Any such additional services would remain subject to the conditions in the procurement documents and the applicable EU Financial Regulation.

Financial terms and evaluation

There is no grant funding, co financing rate, reimbursement percentage or fixed award amount. Tenderers are competing to provide paid services under a public contract. The contractor receives payment for services ordered and accepted under the framework contract and specific contracts.

The award criterion is lowest price. The financial offer must be completed using the official financial offer form. Prices must be quoted as required by the administrative specifications and must be free of VAT where the procurement documents require this treatment.

For evaluation, Lot 1 is assessed using a notional one year reference consisting of 12 monthly regular service payments, 80 hours of standard services and 30 hours of exceptional standard services. Lot 2 is assessed using the notional one year quantities specified in the financial offer form, including the stated frequencies for each specialist service.

Tenderers should price all cost components, including labour, supplies, waste collection and removal, reporting, equipment, specialist products, transport, compliance with security requirements and any other costs required to perform the contract. The financial offer form states that the monthly Lot 1 rate includes supplies, waste collection and removal, and reports.

Who can apply

The open procedure allows any interested economic operator that satisfies the applicable exclusion, access, selection and technical requirements to submit a tender. Eligible tenderers may include companies, other legal persons, natural persons offering the services, joint tender groups and eligible international organisations.

Participation is open to persons established within the scope of the EU Treaties. Persons established in third countries may participate where a relevant EU public procurement agreement applies. The Government Procurement Agreement also applies to the lots indicated in the contract notice, subject to its conditions.

Joint tenders are permitted. Each member of a joint tender must be identified, registered as required, and provide the declarations and evidence applicable to its role. Subcontracting is permitted subject to the tender specifications, disclosure requirements and the prohibition on using subcontracting to circumvent access rules or other procurement requirements.

The portal data indicates that the procurement is not marked as specifically suitable for small and medium sized enterprises. This does not prevent SMEs from applying, but bidders should assess whether they can independently meet the operational, financial, technical, staffing and security obligations or should form a joint tender or use compliant subcontracting arrangements.

Eligibility and exclusion requirements

Tenderers and relevant participating entities must not be in an exclusion situation under the EU Financial Regulation. The declaration on honour covers, among other matters, insolvency, unpaid taxes or social security contributions, grave professional misconduct, fraud, corruption, criminal organisation, money laundering, terrorist financing, trafficking or child labour offences, serious contractual failures, irregularities, circumvention of legal obligations and obstruction of audits or investigations.

The declaration also applies, where relevant, to persons with powers of representation, decision making or control, beneficial owners, persons assuming unlimited liability, group members, subcontractors and entities whose capacities are relied upon. Tenderers must declare the absence of relevant conflicts of interest and must not be subject to applicable EU restrictive measures.

The contracting authority may request documentary evidence such as recent judicial records, certificates concerning taxes and social security contributions, and other evidence specified in the tender specifications. Evidence may not need to be resubmitted where it was already provided to the same contracting authority and remains current, or where it can be accessed through a free national database.

Organisation and registration requirements

Each tenderer and each member of a joint tender must be registered in the European Commission Participant Register and must use a Participant Identification Code in eSubmission. Existing organisations should reuse their existing code. An EU Login account is required to access the electronic submission system, submit questions and complete the tender process.

The tender must be submitted exclusively through eSubmission. Tenders sent by email, post or any other method will be disregarded. A submission received after the deadline will be rejected. The electronic submission receipt and its timestamp constitute evidence of timely submission.

Applicants should create the organisation registration, confirm the PIC, establish EU Login access, prepare the required declarations and test the eSubmission process well before the deadline. The portal guidance indicates that attachments must comply with the applicable technical requirements, including file format and size restrictions.

Required tender documents

The tender package should be prepared against the complete procurement documentation rather than the notice alone. The published documents include the invitation letter, administrative tender specifications, technical tender specifications, draft framework contracts for both lots, financial offer form, security requirements, service programme and declaration on honour.

The declaration on honour must be completed for the relevant tenderer, joint tender members, subcontractors and capacity providers where applicable. It covers exclusion criteria, selection criteria, conflicts of interest, restrictive measures, established debts to the Union and the independence of the submitted tender.

The official financial offer form must be used. The form contains separate price tables for Lot 1 and Lot 2 and forms the basis of the financial schedule for the resulting framework contract and specific contracts. Submitting an alternative format or omitting required price items creates a significant compliance risk.

The tender must also address the technical service requirements, service programme, staffing and operational arrangements, security requirements, subcontracting information, evidence of capacity and any other documents listed in the administrative specifications and their annexes.

Operational and technical expectations

Services will be performed at the European Union House at Malminkatu 16, FI 00100 Helsinki, or at locations identified in the technical specifications. Any change or addition of premises must be confirmed through the contractual amendment process.

The contractor must comply with the contracting authority’s security requirements. Any costs associated with security measures, including possible background checks or security clearances, are borne by the contractor and are not reimbursed separately unless the contract provides otherwise.

The contractor must support fraud prevention and detection activities and must pass relevant obligations to subcontractors and personnel. Environmental considerations apply throughout the service lifecycle, including support for the Commission environmental policy and EMAS practices where applicable.

The contractor must promote equality and diversity, maintain an inclusive working environment and comply with EU principles of non discrimination and equal opportunities in contract implementation.

Site visit and communications

A non mandatory site visit is scheduled for 19 October 2026 at 14:30 at the European Commission Representation in Finland, Malminkatu 16, Helsinki. Representatives wishing to attend must provide their full name, date of birth, nationality and identity document or passport number at least two working days in advance to the contact address specified in the invitation letter.

Questions must be submitted in writing through the Questions and answers section of the Funding and Tenders Portal. The contracting authority is not required to answer requests received less than six working days before the tender deadline. Tenderers remain responsible for checking the portal for clarifications, corrections, new documents and modifications.

The public opening will take place virtually on 2 November 2026 at 14:00 Europe/Helsinki time. Up to two representatives per tender may attend if they request access within the period specified in the invitation letter.

Key risks and applicant considerations

Recommended application approach

Overall assessment

This is a relatively small, focused EU institutional services procurement suited to an established commercial cleaning provider with capacity in Helsinki, reliable personnel, experience in secure or public sector premises and the ability to deliver both routine and specialist cleaning services. The opportunity offers potential access to a four year framework, but the framework does not guarantee workload or revenue. The principal success factors are formal compliance, competitive and sustainable pricing, complete coverage of the selected lot, evidence of exclusion and selection compliance, and reliable electronic submission.

The authoritative source and procurement documents should be checked immediately before submission for any corrigendum, revised deadline, updated question and answer material or document replacement: Official tender opportunity EC-COMM/HEL/2026/OP/0097.