EU for integrity

EU for integrity tender (EC-ENEST/TIA/2026/EA-RP/0062) is a restricted procedure led by the European Commission to strengthen corruption prevention in Albania and align legislative, institutional and operational capacities with EU standards. The estimated contract value is €3,850,000 for consulting services delivered over a planned 42-month period and financed under the Instrument for Pre-accession Assistance (IPA III). Submissions are electronic via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal with a final deadline of 21 August 2026 at 16:00:59 CET. Awarding is based on quality (80%) and price (20%) and the call is open to organizations that meet the eligibility, selection and contractual requirements set out in the procurement documents.

Tender summary

What it funds

Contract for technical assistance to strengthen prevention of corruption in Albania and align legislative, institutional and operational capacities with EU standards. Service contract, planned duration 42 months.

Estimated value:€3,850,000 (estimated overall contract amount) ¹

1. 1Who can apply: organisations capable of entering into public service contracts with the European Commission (consult procurement documents for detailed eligibility and qualification requirements).
2. 2Procurement type: services (open eSubmission procedure).
3. 3Key deliverable: support to relevant Albanian institutions on corruption prevention and alignment with EU standards.

Applications and full procurement documents are available and must be submitted via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal. Consult the portal for tender dossier, selection criteria and award procedure details EU Tender Page ¹

Footnotes

1. 1Official tender page and documents on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal: ec.europa.eu

Basic information

Opportunity Title:EU for integrity. Opportunity Type: Tender. Procuring Authority: European Commission, ENEST - Enlargement and Eastern Neighbourhood (lead contracting authority). Call Identifier: EC-ENEST/TIA/2026/EA-RP/0062. Main CPV: 75110000 (administrative management services). Estimated overall contract value: €3,850,000. Planned contract duration: 42 months. Start date indicated: 2026-07-02. Procedure type: open call for tenders (electronic submission required). Submission method: eSubmission via the Funding and Tenders Portal. Deadlines: two relevant dates appear — 2026-01-01T14:00:59.000Z and the formal tender submission deadline 21 August 2026 at 16:00:59 (CET/CEST as published) and two-stage deadline indicated as 2026-08-21T16:00:59Z.

Objective:The overall objective is to support the relevant institutions in strengthening the prevention of corruption in Albania, while aligning the country's legislative, institutional and operational capacities with EU standards.

Key documents and publication:Invitation to submit a request to participate and additional procurement documents published 2 July 2026. Reference document a5f_additional_information_contract_notice_en (PDF). Access the call details and documents on the Funding and Tenders Portal Tender page. ¹

Detailed eligibility and administrative rules

Procurement nature:services. SME suitability indicator: false (tender not specifically targeted at SMEs). Electronic ordering and electronic payment are foreseen in post-award process. Applicants must consult the procurement documents for full eligibility, selection and award criteria. Awarding criteria are stated as quality (weight 80) and price (weight 20) with sub-criteria detailed in the procurement documents.

Eligible Applicant Types

The procurement documentation should be consulted for the definitive list of eligible legal forms and qualification requirements. Based on the nature of the tender (public services contract to support institutions and provide capacity-building in an enlargement partner country) likely eligible applicant types include: professional consulting firms, consortia of service providers, international NGOs with relevant experience, research and policy institutes, universities (where they provide applied consultancy or service delivery), not-for-profit organisations, and other legal entities capable of concluding public service contracts with the European Commission. The procurement notice indicates tenderer qualification requirements and requests procurement documents as selection criteria sources; individual natural persons are unlikely to be eligible as sole contractors for a contract of this scale.

Funding Type

Primary financial mechanism:public procurement contract (service contract) funded by EU pre-accession assistance instruments. This is a tender for a services contract rather than a grant, loan or equity instrument. The estimated overall contract amount is provided as €3,850,000.

Consortium Requirement

Consortiums and joint bids are commonly permitted and often necessary for large EU service tenders to cover multidisciplinary requirements. The procurement metadata references tenderer qualification requests and specific requirements; the procurement documents (invitation to submit a request to participate) specify whether single economic operators, consortia, or subcontracting arrangements are permitted and the required composition/role of partners. The call does not state single-operator exclusivity; therefore either single applicants or consortia may be allowed, subject to the tender documents.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility)

Geographic focus / benefitting zone:Albania (explicit). Funding originates from EU pre-accession programmes (Instrument for Pre-accession Assistance referenced). Eligible bidders typically include entities established in Member States of the EU, EEA and possibly in Albania or other partner countries depending on the procurement rules described in the contract notice. The lead contracting authority is the European Commission (ENEST). Bidders must consult the procurement documents for the precise list of eligible countries and any nationality or establishment requirements.

Target Sector

Sectoral focus:governance and rule of law with a specific thematic focus on anti-corruption, prevention of corruption, legislative alignment, institutional and operational capacity-building in public administration and oversight bodies. Cross-cutting components may include public policy, legal reform support, capacity development, monitoring and evaluation, training, awareness-raising and technical assistance.

Mentioned Countries

Explicitly mentioned country:Albania. Procuring authority location: European Commission (ENEST - Enlargement and Eastern Neighbourhood).

Project Stage and Expected Activities

Expected maturity and activities:implementation/delivery stage. The contract will finance service delivery across a planned period of 42 months, indicating activities focused on operational implementation: diagnostics, legislative and institutional assessments, capacity-building interventions, development of operational procedures, training, monitoring and evaluation, stakeholder engagement, and alignment with EU standards. This is not a research grant or early-stage idea call but a concrete implementation/tender to deliver technical assistance and services.

Funding Amount

Estimated overall contract amount:€3,850,000 (three million eight hundred fifty thousand euros). The document indicates this as the estimated total procedure value. Individual lots: only one procurement project lot (LOT-0001) is defined in the published metadata.

Application Type and Submission

Application method:open competitive tender published on the Funding and Tenders Portal. Submission is electronic (eSubmission) and required via the Portal tools. The procurement documentation includes an Invitation to submit a request to participate; bidders must register and submit through the Portal and follow the eSubmission process and deadlines.

Nature of Support

Beneficiaries will receive contractual financial compensation for services delivered under a public service contract (money). The tender is for procurement of services rather than provision of non-financial services without remuneration. Non-financial support through EC coordination, policy dialogue and institutional linkages may also accompany the contract implementation but primary support is a paid services contract.

Application Stages

The metadata indicates a participation request reception period and a two-stage deadline reference. Typical EU service procurements may involve: stage 1 — submission of requests to participate / qualification documents; stage 2 — submission of final tenders by pre-qualified candidates; evaluation and award. Applicants should expect at least two formal stages (pre-qualification/selection and award). The procurement documents must be consulted for exact procedures and number of stages.

Success Rates

No specific success rate is published. As a single-procurement tender with one intended contract and an estimated value of €3,850,000, success rate depends on number and quality of bidders. Typical open EU tenders attract multiple bidders; statistical success rates vary widely by sector and procurement. The Procurement Notice does not provide a numeric success probability.

Co-funding Requirement

No co-funding from the bidder is indicated in the metadata. This is a paid public contract:the contractor will be paid for services under the terms of the contract. Any required financial contributions, advance payments, guarantees or performance securities will be specified in the procurement documents.

Templates and Application Structure

Application forms and templates are provided through the Funding and Tenders Portal and in the Invitation to submit a request to participate and other procurement documents (PDF). Typical required documentation and structure for this type of procurement include: administrative documentation (legal entity forms, registration, financial identification), proof of financial capacity, proof of professional and technical capacity (references, CVs, previous contract summaries), methodology and technical offer (workplan, staffing, approach to anti-corruption prevention and alignment with EU standards), and financial offer (pricing per deliverable or lump-sum price). Tenderers must follow the Portal eSubmission templates, standard forms, and the specific structure set out in the contract notice and tender specifications (e.g., forms for declarations, subcontracting, consortium agreements). The procurement notice instructs bidders to consult the procurement documents for detailed templates and submission checklists.

1. 1Required documentation: see Invitation to submit a request to participate (issued 02/07/2026) and associated procurement documents.
2. 2Awarding criteria: quality (weight 80) and price (weight 20); specific sub-criteria are in the procurement documents.
3. 3Duration and timeline: contract planned for 42 months starting from July 2026, subject to contracting schedule.
4. 4Submission: electronic through the Funding and Tenders Portal by 21 August 2026, 16:00:59 (check portal time zone and final confirmation).

How to prepare a compliant tender

Preparation checklist:1) Download and read the Invitation to submit a request to participate and all procurement documents published on 02/07/2026. 2) Confirm eligibility and permitted bidder types, including rules on consortia, subcontracting and mandatory declarations. 3) Prepare administrative and financial documentation required by the eSubmission templates on the Funding and Tenders Portal. 4) Develop a robust technical proposal addressing anti-corruption prevention, legislative and institutional alignment with EU standards, methodology, workplan, staffing, and quality assurance measures. 5) Provide demonstrated past experience and references for similar assignments (capacity-building, anti-corruption, public administration reform). 6) Price competitively and in accordance with the required pricing format. 7) Submit electronically before the deadline and retain proof of submission.

Note:The procurement documents contain detailed requirements for selection, exclusion, award criteria, contractual terms, and templates for submission. Tenderers must consult them and the Funding and Tenders Portal for any clarifications, question-and-answer periods, and updates.

Summary

This opportunity is a European Commission public tender (call identifier EC-ENEST/TIA/2026/EA-RP/0062) titled EU for integrity. Its objective is to procure services to strengthen prevention of corruption in Albania and to align Albania's legislative, institutional and operational capacities with EU standards. The contract is planned for 42 months with an estimated total value of €3,850,000. It is an open electronic tender published on the Funding and Tenders Portal with a submission deadline of 21 August 2026 (eSubmission). Eligible bidders are likely service providers, consultancies, NGOs, research institutes and consortia able to deliver anti-corruption technical assistance; the procurement documents detail exact eligibility, selection and award rules. Awarding will be based principally on quality (80) and price (20). Interested parties must consult and follow the Invitation to submit a request to participate and all procurement documents published on the Portal and submit bids via the Portal by the stated deadline. ¹

Footnotes

1. 1Primary procurement documentation and the Invitation to submit a request to participate were published on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal on 02/07/2026. Access the tender page for documents and the eSubmission interface: ec.europa.eu

Tender Key Details

The 'EU for Integrity' tender is a restricted procedure (EC-ENEST/TIA/2026/EA-RP/0062) aimed at strengthening corruption prevention in Albania and aligning its capacities with EU standards [[2]][[8]]. The estimated overall contract amount is €3,850,000, covering consulting services for public sector governance [[2]][[3]].

Deadline:The final deadline for submission is 21 August 2026 at 16:00:59 CET [[2]][[8]].

Duration:The planned contract duration is 42 months (3.5 years) [[3]].

Funding Source:Financed under the Instrument for Pre-accession Assistance (IPA III) [[3]].

Objective and Scope

The primary objective is to support relevant Albanian institutions in preventing corruption while aligning legislative, institutional, and operational capacities with EU standards [[2]]. This includes developing integrity plans across ministries and strengthening the integrity framework in public administration [[4]][[16]].

Eligibility and Who Should Apply

Eligible applicants are organizations with expertise in consulting services, public sector governance, and anti-corruption policy [[2]]. The tender is open to organizations, not individuals, and requires specific qualifications in EU pre-accession assistance projects [[2]].

1. 1Expertise in anti-corruption policy formulation and implementation
2. 2Experience with EU pre-accession assistance (IPA) projects
3. 3Capacity to work in Albania and with Albanian institutions
4. 4Technical and financial proposal submission capability

Award Criteria

The award is based on quality (80% weight) and price (20% weight), with quality being the dominant factor [[3]]. Detailed criteria are specified in the procurement documents [[3]].

Geographical Focus

The project is focused exclusively on Albania, with the beneficiary zone being the country itself [[3]].

Contracting Authority

The contracting authority is the European Commission, ENEST - Enlargement and Eastern Neighbourhood, with the Delegation of the European Union to Albania as the implementing partner [[2]][[3]].

Footnotes

1. 1Official tender details are available at EU for Integrity Tender Page.
2. 2Additional information on Albania's anti-corruption commitments can be found at Albania OGP Action Plan.