EEA/CCE/TC/26/009 - Topic Centre on Accelerating the circular economy

The European Environment Agency is tendering a single framework service contract (EEA/2026/OP/0033) to establish a Topic Centre on Accelerating the Circular Economy, with an indicative total budget of €1,900,000 for 2027–2030 and a submission deadline of 22 September 2026 (14:00 Europe/Copenhagen). The contract will deliver data, indicator development, assessments and policy-relevant knowledge focused on upstream circular economy measures (product design, durability, repair, reuse, waste prevention) and social dimensions including just transition. Participation is restricted to consortia of EEA-designated Topic Centre Organisations initiated by at least five different EEA Member Countries, with strict selection and staffing requirements and limited subcontracting. Award will be by best price-quality ratio (70 technical / 30 price) via electronic submission on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal.

Opportunity type: Tender (framework service contract)

At a glance

What it funds:Services to produce data, indicators, assessments and knowledge to accelerate the circular economy in Europe, with emphasis on upstream actions (before and during product use), waste prevention, circular business models, systemic linkages (climate, biodiversity, competitiveness) and just transition aspects.

Who can apply:Participation is restricted to Topic Centre Organisations designated by the EEA Management Board. Tenders must be submitted by a consortium of designated Topic Centre Organisations initiated by at least five different EEA Member Countries; one partner must act as coordinator. EU Login and PIC registration required ¹.

1. 1Deadline for clarifications: 14/09/2026 (23:59 CEST)
2. 2Submission deadline: 22/09/2026 (14:00 CEST)
3. 3Public opening (virtual): 23/09/2026 (10:00 CEST)

How it is awarded and paid:Open electronic submission; award by best price-quality ratio (quality 70 pts / price 30 pts). Prices quoted in EUR, all-inclusive (VAT excluded); travel for ad-hoc meetings reimbursed per EEA rules. Framework sets terms for specific contracts, deliverables and payments.

Footnotes

1. 1Full procurement documents, templates and eSubmission portal are on the Funding & Tenders Portal: EEA Tender details

Opportunity summary

Procurement reference EEA/2026/OP/0033 (TED reference 577400-2026). The European Environment Agency (EEA) invites tenders to award a single framework service contract for a Topic Centre on Accelerating the circular economy. Purpose: support the production of data, knowledge and analysis to inform policy and accelerate the transition to a circular economy in Europe. The procurement is a services contract (CPV 73000000: Research and development services and related consultancy services). The estimated total value for the framework during 2027-2030 is €1 900 000. The FWC is non-exclusive and intended to underpin a minimum of four specific contracts. Maximum contract duration runs until 31 December 2030; the FWC is concluded initially for 24 months and is renewable (see draft FWC). All submission and contracting documents are published in English on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal.

Key deadlines and milestones:Deadline for receipt of tenders: 22 September 2026 at 14:00 Europe/Copenhagen (CEST). Public virtual tender opening: 23 September 2026 at 10:00 Europe/Copenhagen. Last date for submission of questions to which the EEA is bound to reply: 14 September 2026 at 23:59 Europe/Copenhagen. Publication / TED notice: 20 August 2026. Estimated notification of results and FWC signature dates are included as indicative dates in the technical specifications.

Opportunity type, funding and procurement model

This is a tender (procurement) issued by the European Environment Agency. The financial mechanism is a framework service contract (procurement, not a grant). The award method is best price-quality ratio. The framework agreement is concluded for the EEA (single contractor), without reopening of competition for the framework, and will be used to issue specific contracts (minimum four envisaged). The nature of the contract is services (research, data and knowledge services). Submissions are electronic only via the eSubmission module of the Funding & Tenders Portal Funding & Tenders Portal. ¹

Estimated budget and duration

Indicative total budget allocated to the topic centre for 2027-2030:€1 900 000 (€1.9 million). The FWC maximum duration runs until 31 December 2030. The FWC is concluded initially for 24 months and may be renewed (up to three automatic renewals are foreseen in the draft FWC). Specific contracts issued under the FWC will set the schedule and payment terms for each service request.

Who may apply and eligibility requirements

Participation is restricted:only Topic Centre Organisations (TCOs) designated by the EEA Management Board under the EEA-Eionet implementing rules may participate. Tenders must be submitted by a consortium of designated Topic Centre Organisations whose designation has been initiated by at least five different EEA Member Countries. One consortium partner must be nominated as coordinator (group leader) and will interface with the EEA during evaluation and contract implementation. No designated Topic Centre Organisation may be member of more than one consortium for this call; breach leads to exclusion. Registration in the Participant Register and possession of a PIC is mandatory for each legal entity participating in the tender.

Eligible applicant types:Topic Centre Organisations designated by the EEA Management Board (consortium of designated TCOs). Consortium applicants may be universities, research institutes, public bodies or other organisations that are on the EEA-designated Topic Centre list; subcontracting to non-designated entities is capped and limited (see technical specifications).

Consortium requirement:A consortium is required: tenderers must establish a consortium consisting of designated Topic Centre Organisations whose designation has been initiated by at least five different EEA member countries. The consortium must appoint one partner as coordinator (group leader).

Scope, tasks and expected outputs

The Topic Centre will deliver data services, knowledge services and networking/collaboration services to accelerate the circular economy, with emphasis on upstream measures (before-use and during-use stages): product design, durability, reparability, reuse/repair/remanufacture, circular business models, waste prevention, packaging reuse, and social dimensions including just transition and wellbeing. Work is organised in three work packages: (1) Interlinkages between circular economy and other policy areas (climate, biodiversity, competitiveness, bioeconomy, etc.); (2) Consumption and production systems, key product value chains, circular business models and waste prevention (including thematic modules: plastics, textiles, product lifespans, tourism, packaging reuse observatory); (3) Just transition and socioeconomic dimensions (distributional justice, employment, skills, behavioural enablers, consumption corridors).

1. 1Work Package 1: Data and metrics development, modelling and foresight, AI deployment for novel data, policy-focused knowledge products and stakeholder workshops.
2. 2Work Package 2: Indicator development, country waste prevention monitoring and profiles, product value chain assessments, support to Packaging Reuse Observatory, business data integration and product policy monitoring.
3. 3Work Package 3: Metrics and analyses linking circular economy and just transition, social impact assessments, rebound effect analysis, pathways for fair consumption spaces and stakeholder engagement.

Deliverables expected under the FWC and specific contracts include:contributions to EEA reports and briefings, draft EEA technical papers, indicator fiches, data tables and calculation spreadsheets, metadata and data model documentation, QA methodologies, LLM prompts or AI documentation when AI is used, PowerPoint outreach materials, and organisation of workshops and roundtables. All deliverables must follow EEA corporate publishing and branding standards and data management rules (Annex 5 and Annex 6).

Evaluation and award

Award method:best price-quality ratio. Evaluation is split into technical merit (70 points) and price (30 points). Minimum pass mark for technical merit is 49/70 (70%) and minimum per-criterion thresholds apply. Financial scoring uses lowest-price formula across three staff daily rate categories (Contract Manager, Senior Expert, Junior Expert) with weighted factors (10%, 40%, 50%). Final ranking = technical score + price score. Tie-break: higher price score wins.

Selection and exclusion checks:Exclusion: Article 138 Financial Regulation checks apply; each entity (coordinator, partners, subcontractors) must submit a signed declaration on honour. Selection: legal and regulatory capacity (identification form), economic/financial capacity (minimum combined annual turnover €500 000 for the last two closed financial years), technical and professional capacity (staff CVs and minimum project references).

Application and submission

Submission method:Electronic submission only via the Funding & Tenders Portal eSubmission application. EU Login account and Participant Register PIC are mandatory. Tender must contain required administrative, selection and tender documentation as listed in Annex 7 (administrative data form, identification forms, declarations on honour, simplified financial statement, CVs and overview of expertise (Annex 4 template), list of relevant projects/contracts, technical offer (max 35 A4 pages), and completed financial offer template (Annex 1)). All supporting documents specified in the checklist must be uploaded to eSubmission. Tenders submitted by other means (email, postal) will be disregarded.

Application type:Open procedure (call for tenders) with restricted participation to designated Topic Centre Organisations. Electronic open call via eSubmission (Funding & Tenders Portal).

Administrative, contractual and operational requirements

The draft Framework Service Contract (Annex 2) and model specific contract (Annex III) set the contractual terms. Tenderers must accept the draft contract without limitation; any reservation leads to exclusion. Key operational obligations: nominate a contract manager (role may not be subcontracted), maintain internal management and QA procedures aligned with EEA corporate standards (Annex 5), use the EEA Common Workspace (CWS) and EEA data management processes for data processing and deliverable storage (Annex 6), comply with EEA IT and data policies, and publish accepted outputs in open access repositories unless otherwise agreed. Use of AI/LLMs is permitted but must be declared in the tender and meets the AI Act, GDPR/EUDPR and EEA AI governance requirements (detailed AI use policy in Annex I and draft FWC).

Language(s) and working language:Procurement documents published in English. Tenders may be submitted in any official EU language, but the working language for contract management and deliverables is English. Deliverables must be provided in English.

Financial details and price format

Prices must be quoted in EUR excluding VAT and be all-inclusive (management, personnel, administrative overheads, insurance, equipment, travel for kick-off and final meetings, etc.), except travel costs for ad-hoc meetings which will be reimbursed under EEA reimbursement rules (Annex 3). Financial offer must use the financial offer template (Annex 1) listing daily rates (8-hour day) for: Contract Manager (P1), Senior Expert (P2) and Junior Expert (P3). All fields in the financial offer are compulsory. Prices are fixed during the first year; price revision provisions apply from the second year (indexation formula using HICP as per the draft FWC).

Procurement process and evaluation stages

1. 1Submission in eSubmission prior to the published deadline (22 Sept 2026 14:00 CEST).
2. 2Virtual public opening (23 Sept 2026 10:00 CEST) – public aspects limited to verification and announcement of tenderers.
3. 3Selection & exclusion checks (administrative compliance, exclusion grounds, selection criteria).
4. 4Technical evaluation (award criteria 1-3; minimum technical threshold 49/70).
5. 5Price evaluation and final ranking (technical + price; award to highest combined score).
6. 6Notification of outcome, signature of FWC, then issuance and signing of specific contracts.

Number of application stages:4 (Submission -> Opening & administrative checks -> Technical evaluation -> Price evaluation and award/notification).

Geographic and beneficiary scope

The contracting authority is the European Environment Agency (EEA), located in Copenhagen, Denmark. The framework and services will support EU/EEA-wide work and Eionet member/cooperating countries. Participation is restricted to EEA-designated Topic Centre Organisations; service coverage and expected reporting relate to the EEA membership (EU Member States plus Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Switzerland and Türkiye) and cooperation with third countries as required by the EEA strategy. The FWC work will support EEA, EU Commission services and Eionet.

Mentioned countries and regions:Denmark (EEA headquarters location and timing in Europe/Copenhagen), EU Member States (all 27), Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Switzerland, Türkiye. Ukraine and Moldova are referenced in EEA communications (cooperation). The procurement applies to anywhere in the European Economic Area for performance.

Target sectors and project maturity

Target sectors and themes:circular economy (cross-cutting), environment, climate, sustainability, waste management and prevention, packaging, bioeconomy, textiles, plastics, electronics/waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE), product policy and ecodesign, resource efficiency, sustainable consumption, social and just transition dimensions. Project stage: research, development, validation and demonstration of policy-relevant knowledge products; tasks range from data collection and indicator development through applied assessments to outreach and stakeholder engagement. Outputs are targeted at policy implementation and monitoring (mature applied analyses).

Nature of support and co-funding

This is a procurement for services:beneficiaries (the contractor) will receive payment for services under the framework and specific contracts. The procurement is not a grant, equity instrument, loan or voucher. No co-funding requirement is stated in the procurement documents; funding for specific contracts will be drawn from the EEA budget subject to availability. Subcontracting is permitted under strict conditions (see technical specifications).

Funding type:Procurement (service contract, framework agreement). The primary financial mechanism is a services contract under procurement procedures (not grant).

Practical submission and templates

Submissions must be made before the deadline via the Funding & Tenders Portal eSubmission interface (EU Login + Participant Register PICs). The procurement upload checklist is Annex 7. Required attachments include administrative data form, identification forms, declarations on honour, simplified financial statement, CVs and Overview of Expertise (Annex 4 template), a list of relevant contracts (Annex 4 Contracts overview template), the technical proposal (max 35 A4 pages), and the financial offer template (Annex 1). The draft framework contract (Annex 2), financial offer template (Annex 1), reimbursement rules (Annex 3), overview of expertise template (Annex 4), corporate standards (Annex 5), IT & data management policies including Common Workspace requirements (Annex 6), and Checklist for eSubmission (Annex 7) are all published with the call and must be consulted and followed. The tender must confirm acceptance of the draft FWC terms without reservations.

• Annex 1: Financial offer template (daily rates for Contract Manager, Senior Expert, Junior Expert).
• Annex 2: Draft Framework Contract (special & general conditions, model specific contract).
• Annex 3: Reimbursement of travel expenses table and country daily allowance ceilings.
• Annex 4: Overview of expertise and contracts templates (CV table and 5 most relevant contracts).
• Annex 5: EEA corporate publishing and branding standards and templates.
• Annex 6: EEA IT and Data management policies and Common Workspace (CWS) mandatory use and onboarding.
• Annex 7: Checklist for eSubmission (documents required and where to upload).

Administrative and legal remarks

Tenderers must accept the draft framework contract as published. Tenderers must declare the use of AI/LLMs in tender drafting and specify planned AI use in delivery of services; AI use in implementation is permitted but subject to EEA approval, transparency obligations in deliverables and compliance with the AI Act, GDPR/EUDPR, and EEA-specific AI governance. The contracting authority may reject tenders that do not meet exclusion, selection or mandatory requirements. The contracting authority may request clarifications and missing documents during evaluation. The EEA reserves the right to cancel the procurement prior to signature of the contract.

Procurement documents, templates and Q&A are published on the Funding & Tenders Portal. Questions must be submitted via the Portal Q&A tool; the contracting authority is not obliged to reply to questions received after the published cut-off (14 September 2026 23:59 Europe/Copenhagen).

Application scoring summary

Success rates and co-funding

No historical success rate is provided in the procurement documents. Competition will be limited by the eligibility restriction (designated Topic Centre Organisations) and the requirement that consortia be initiated by at least five different EEA member countries; this will significantly reduce the candidate pool compared with open public procurement. No co-funding requirement is stated: payments are by the contracting authority under the framework and specific contracts and travel ad-hoc reimbursed under EEA rules. Subcontracting to non-designated entities is limited to 10% of the contract ceiling for the whole duration.

How to prepare a compliant tender (practical checklist)

1. 1Confirm your organisation is a designated Topic Centre Organisation and identify consortium partners that meet the 'initiated by at least five EEA Member Countries' requirement.
2. 2Register (or ensure registration) in the Participant Register and obtain PICs for all legal entities participating (coordinator, partners, subcontractors).
3. 3Prepare and sign the administrative data form, identification form(s) and declaration on honour for each legal entity (coordinator, partners, subcontractors) and ensure these are uploaded to eSubmission (Annex 7 checklist).
4. 4Prepare simplified financial statements for required entities and evidence of economic/financial capacity.
5. 5Prepare the technical offer (max 35 A4 pages) detailing methodology, governance, mock assessment examples (three, max five pages each), QA systems, consortium management, AI use plan if applicable, and environmental management measures.
6. 6Prepare CVs for required managerial, senior and junior experts (minimum numbers and experience thresholds apply) and complete Annex 4 experts overview and contracts overview templates.
7. 7Complete the financial offer template (Annex 1) quoting daily rates (EUR, exclusive of VAT) for Contract Manager, Senior Expert, and Junior Expert. Ensure all fields are completed.
8. 8Check Annex 2 draft FWC and confirm acceptance without reservations; prepare any internal legal review.
9. 9Ensure all required supporting documents are attached in the eSubmission attachments in the correct sections (Annex 7), and validate file names and sizes per eSubmission system requirements.
10. 10Submit the tender via eSubmission well before deadline and keep submission receipt timestamp (proof of on-time submission).

Final summary — what this opportunity is about and how to explain it

The EEA is procuring a Topic Centre on Accelerating the circular economy via a framework service contract. This is a procurement of expert services (research, data, knowledge translation and stakeholder engagement) to strengthen the evidence base for EU and EEA policy implementation in the circular economy, with emphasis on upstream actions (design, longevity, reuse, repair, circular business models) and social dimensions (just transition, wellbeing). The FWC covers 2027-2030 with an indicative total budget of €1.9 million. Participation is restricted to EEA-designated Topic Centre Organisations acting together in a consortium initiated by at least five different EEA Member Countries. Tenderers must submit a comprehensive technical offer (max 35 A4 pages), CVs and project references, and a financial offer using the provided template (daily rates for contract manager, senior and junior experts). Submissions are electronic only via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal eSubmission module. Evaluation uses a best price-quality ratio (70% technical merit, 30% price). The contract will support data and indicator development, integrated assessments and policy-relevant knowledge to accelerate the circular transition across Europe. For full procurement documents, templates and to submit, consult the Funding & Tenders Portal F&T Tender Details ¹.

Footnotes

1. 1All official procurement documents (Invitation to tender, Annexes 1-7 including technical specifications, draft framework contract and templates) and the eSubmission link are available on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal Tender Details page: ec.europa.eu

This is an EEA services tender for a single framework service contract to support the production of knowledge for policy on accelerating the transition to a circular economy. It sits within the EEA Topic Centre system, which is a competitive network of thematic expertise supporting policy relevant environmental and climate knowledge across Europe, and it responds to the continuing EU policy push to accelerate circularity.[8][14] Official portal record: Funding and Tenders Portal tender details.

Opportunity summary

What the opportunity is about

The contract is intended to provide support to the EEA in turning evidence into policy relevant knowledge that can accelerate the circular economy transition. The technical scope is explicitly upstream focused, with strong emphasis on before use and during use interventions such as product design, durability, repair, reuse, sharing, remanufacturing, waste prevention, systems analysis, and the links between circularity and broader environmental, climate, economic and social objectives.

1. 1Work Package 1 focuses on interlinkages between circular economy and other policy areas, including climate, biodiversity, competitiveness, health, wellbeing, resource security and just transition.
2. 2Work Package 2 focuses on consumption and production systems, key product value chains, circular business models, sustainable products and waste prevention, with strong attention to product policy and implementation of the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation, Green Public Procurement and related instruments.
3. 3Work Package 3 focuses on just transition, including distributional, procedural, recognitional and intergenerational justice, as well as employment, skills, affordability, behavioural change and the social impacts of circularity.

The tender documents indicate that the work is expected to generate reporting and knowledge products, including EEA reports and briefings, draft technical papers, indicator fiches, data calculations, PowerPoint outreach materials, workshops, methodological documentation and quality assurance materials. The contract also expects support to Eionet capacity building, stakeholder engagement and dissemination.

Who can apply

Eligibility is highly restricted. Only Topic Centre Organisations designated by the EEA Management Board may participate, and they must submit as a consortium of designated Topic Centre Organisations. The consortium must include partners whose designation has been initiated by at least five different EEA Member Countries, and one partner must be identified as the coordinator. No partner may participate in more than one consortium for this same topic centre.

• The coordinator acts as the main interface with the EEA.
• A Participant Identification Code is required for the organisations involved.
• The tender must be submitted as a joint tender from a consortium.
• Subcontracting is allowed only for ancillary or assistance tasks, not for core tasks.
• Subcontracting to entities outside the list of Topic Centre Organisations is capped at 10 percent of the contract ceiling across the full contract period.

Funding and contract terms

Contract duration and structure:The framework contract is described as running until 31 December 2030, while the portal also records a maximum duration of 52 months. The implementation model is a framework agreement with specific contracts issued later for individual tasks, deliverables and schedules.

Selection requirements

The technical and professional profile must be broad and balanced. The tender documents expect expertise in circular economy analysis and assessments, systems analysis, key value chains, just transition, behaviour change and social enablers, data analytics and indicator development, policy support, stakeholder engagement and knowledge translation. The coordinator and team must also show capability to work across countries and to coordinate with other Topic Centres.

The evidence package is substantial. Tenderers must provide CVs, an overview table of experts, a list of comparable contracts, a financial statement, declarations on honour, and supporting documents if requested. The tender also asks bidders to explain whether large language models were used in preparation of the offer and, if AI will be used in delivery, to describe purpose, stage of use, added value, risks, mitigation and human oversight.

Award criteria and evaluation

Tenderers must keep the technical offer within 35 A4 pages for the award criteria content, excluding standard reference material such as contents pages, and the proposal must include three mock examples, each limited to five pages, covering the three thematic areas of the call. The price offer is evaluated using weighted daily rates, with the Contract Manager at 10 percent, Senior Expert at 40 percent and Junior Expert at 50 percent.

The contract will be awarded to the tender with the best price quality ratio, provided it passes the mandatory requirements, eligibility checks, exclusion checks and the minimum technical score thresholds.

Submission process and key dates

1. 1Submit only through the electronic submission system.
2. 2Use an EU Login account and ensure the organisation has a valid Participant Identification Code.
3. 3Check the procurement documents in English and prepare the tender in one official EU language, with English used for the working language and final deliverables.
4. 4Submit clarifications early because the contracting authority is not bound to answer questions received after 14 September 2026 23:59 Europe/Copenhagen.
5. 5Deadline for tenders is 22 September 2026 14:00 Europe/Copenhagen.
6. 6Virtual public opening is scheduled for 23 September 2026 10:00 Europe/Copenhagen.
7. 7Tenderers may withdraw or replace a submission before the deadline, but only the latest valid tender will be considered.

The procurement documents published with the call include the invitation letter, technical specifications, financial offer template, draft framework contract, reimbursement rules, an overview of expertise template, corporate standards, EEA IT and data management policies, and an eSubmission checklist. These documents are the key practical basis for preparing the offer and should be reviewed in full before submission.

Practical implications for applicants

This is a specialist, high capability procurement rather than a general market opportunity. Successful bidders will need a consortium that is institutionally eligible, technically broad, financially stable and able to show real delivery experience in circular economy knowledge production, data work and policy support. Strong consortium governance, robust quality assurance, English language publication readiness, data management discipline and clear rules for the use of AI will be decisive. The strongest bids are likely to be those that can demonstrate not only analytical depth, but also cross country understanding, stakeholder engagement capacity and the ability to translate evidence into policy ready outputs for the EEA and Eionet.