EU sanctions compliance and due diligence helpdesk

The tender opportunity is for a service contract entitled "EU Sanctions Compliance and Due Diligence Helpdesk," referenced as EC-FPI/2025/EA-RP/0030. The submission deadline is January 31, 2026, and the total contract amount is €4,000,000 EUR, with a duration of 30 months. The type of procurement is for services categorized under CPV code 73210000, which pertains to other professional, scientific, and technical services. The contract will be facilitated by the European Commission's Service for Foreign Policy Instruments (FPI) and aims to support European operators, especially small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), in complying with EU sanctions globally.

The helpdesk is designed to ensure continuity in awareness-raising activities and compliance support services for European businesses and banks, particularly in sensitive areas of high political or economic importance. The successful bidder will help reassure European banks, which may be hesitant to handle transactions with sanctioned countries.

Eligible applicants include large enterprises, consulting firms, and possibly consortia of smaller service providers. There are no explicit restrictions on the geographical location of applicants; the opportunity is opened to candidates from all countries. The application process is structured in two stages: an expression of interest followed by a formal tender submission for selected candidates. The tender evaluation will weigh quality at 80% and price at 20%, with the submission method being exclusively electronic via the appropriate platform.

No co-funding requirements are stated, and the funding is entirely from the European Commission. The opportunity reflects the importance of effective sanctions policy, ensuring compliance amongst European operators and contributing to the overall efficacy of the EU sanctions framework. Interested operators must hold a Personal Identification Code (PIC) to participate, and submissions will be encrypted after uploading to maintain confidentiality. The tender provides comprehensive guidelines for all necessary procedures and specifications for document submission.

This is a call for tenders for an EU sanctions compliance and due diligence helpdesk. The procedure identifier is EC-FPI/2025/EA-RP/0030. The submission method is electronic and the call is currently open for submission.

The description of the tender is a service contract to support European operators, especially small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), having to abide by EU sanctions globally. This action will ensure continuity of the awareness-raising activities and the support service. The Helpdesk will reassure operators who need to comply with the applicable European restrictions and may put the focus on sensitive areas of high political or economic importance. It will also help reassure European banks, which may be currently reluctant to handle transactions involving countries subject to sanctions.

The procedure type is a restricted procedure. The estimated total value is 4,000,000 EUR. The TED publication date is 08/12/2025. The lead contracting authority is the European Commission, FPI Service for Foreign Policy Instruments. The main classification (CPV) code is 73210000 Research consultancy services. The nature of the contract is for services. The maximum contract duration is 30 months. The award method is best price-quality ratio. There is no framework agreement. The place of delivery or performance is 31085511 All Countries. The programme is 44995800 Rapid response.

The TED publication date is 08/12/2025 and the deadline for receipt of requests to participate is 31/01/2026 00:00 Europe/Brussels.

There is one document available: Additional information contract notice Invitation to submit a request to participate, published on 08/12/2025, Version 1, with no translations available.

Submissions must be sent exclusively at the address for submission given below, using the electronic submission method.

There are some frequently asked questions (FAQ) available.

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It is not possible to view the details of the submission after the deadline. The content of the submission is not accessible after submitting the tender as the system encrypts all attachments upon upload. The system will not allow decryption after the upload.

Submissions can be found in Manage My Area, in the Funding & Tenders portal, in ‘My Submission(s)’: tenders in response to open calls for tenders, requests to participate.

Attachments should be less than 50 MB in size.

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The maximum number of documents that can be uploaded per tender is 200 files.

A Personal Identification Code (PIC) is mandatory to participate in a call for tenders as a sole candidate/tenderer or as a member of a group (consortium).

The system is multilingual and supports all 24 official EU languages.

The character set encoding is UTF-8.

The system encrypts all uploaded documents, using an asymmetric key as an encryption mechanism.

The supported file types depend on the type of submission you want to make. The allowed file types are specified within the system requirements linked to the procedure in question.

Until the deadline for the submission has been reached, submissions in the draft status can be edited, viewed and deleted.

If in the submission report, under the name of the entity, "Legal form: UNKNOWN" is displayed while in the system, the legal form was correctly displayed, this is not a problem for the submission.

The call for tenders EC-FPI/2025/EA-RP/0030 aims to establish a service contract for an EU sanctions compliance and due diligence helpdesk. The European Commission, through its Service for Foreign Policy Instruments (FPI), seeks to support European operators, particularly SMEs, in navigating the complexities of EU sanctions globally. The helpdesk will provide continuity to existing awareness-raising activities and support services, offering reassurance to operators complying with European restrictions and focusing on politically and economically sensitive areas. It also aims to alleviate concerns among European banks regarding transactions involving sanctioned countries. The procedure is a restricted one, with an estimated total value of 4 million EUR and a maximum contract duration of 30 months. The award will be based on the best price-quality ratio. Submissions must be electronic, and the deadline for requests to participate is January 31, 2026. The eSubmission system supports various browsers and file types, with specific requirements outlined in the system documentation. A PIC is mandatory for participation. The system encrypts uploaded documents to ensure confidentiality.

Eligible Applicant Types: The opportunity is specifically targeted towards European operators, especially small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The helpdesk service will also reassure European banks. Therefore, eligible applicant types include SMEs, large enterprises, and potentially other types of organizations that can provide the required services, such as research consultancies.

Funding Type: The funding type is a service contract.

Consortium Requirement: The text does not explicitly state whether a consortium is required or if a single applicant is sufficient. However, the mention of supporting SMEs and European operators suggests that both single entities and consortia could be eligible, depending on their capacity to deliver the required services. The FAQ section mentions that a Personal Identification Code (PIC) is mandatory to participate as a sole candidate/tenderer or as a member of a group (consortium).

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): The geographic eligibility appears to be focused on European operators, as the service contract aims to support them in abiding by EU sanctions globally. The place of delivery or performance is indicated as "All Countries," but the primary beneficiaries are European entities.

Target Sector: The target sector is related to EU sanctions compliance and due diligence. This includes research consultancy services, legal compliance, and support services for businesses navigating international regulations.

Mentioned Countries: The opportunity mentions "All Countries" in the context of the place of delivery or performance. However, the focus is on supporting European operators dealing with EU sanctions globally, which implies a broad scope of countries subject to those sanctions.

Project Stage: The project stage is focused on providing a service, specifically an operational helpdesk. This suggests a stage of implementation and service delivery rather than research or development.

Funding Amount: The estimated total value of the contract is 4,000,000 EUR.

Application Type: The application type is a call for tenders, specifically a restricted procedure, with electronic submission.

Nature of Support: The beneficiaries will receive non-monetary services through the helpdesk, which will provide awareness-raising activities and support related to EU sanctions compliance. The selected contractor will receive money in exchange for providing the service.

Application Stages: The procedure type is "Restricted procedure" which implies at least two stages: a request to participate and a full proposal submission for those who are selected in the first stage.

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 (EC-FPI/2025/EA-RP/0030) issued by the European Commission, specifically the Service for Foreign Policy Instruments (FPI). The tender seeks a service contract to establish and operate a helpdesk that will support European operators, particularly SMEs, in complying with EU sanctions globally. The estimated total value of the contract is 4,000,000 EUR, and the maximum contract duration is 30 months. The procedure is a restricted one, meaning there will be an initial selection of candidates based on their request to participate, followed by a full proposal submission from the selected candidates. The submission method is electronic. The helpdesk will provide awareness-raising activities and support services to European businesses and banks, helping them navigate the complexities of EU sanctions and ensuring compliance. The deadline for receipt of requests to participate is 31/01/2026 00:00 Europe/Brussels. The contract will be awarded based on the best price-quality ratio. A Personal Identification Code (PIC) is mandatory to participate in this call for tenders as a sole candidate/tenderer or as a member of a group (consortium). The system supports all 24 official EU languages. The maximum number of documents the system will allow you to upload per tender is 200 files. The eSubmission system accepts files that are less than 50 MB in size.