Evidence-based review of social innovation projects under EaSI (2014–2027)

The European Commission DG EMPL plans a negotiated procurement (EC-EMPL/2026/MVP/0019-EXA) for services to stocktake and assess evidence from approximately 200 EaSI and ESF+/EaSI social innovation and social experimentation projects (2014–2027). The contract is estimated at €139,900, maximum duration 9 months, with an expression of interest period from 21 September 2026 to 6 October 2026 and electronic submission via EU Login. Expected deliverables include a portfolio inventory and typology, harmonised fiches and policy narratives for 25 projects, light-touch credibility checks for 15 projects, quasi-experimental evaluation designs for 5 projects, and an operational toolkit for transfer and scaling up. The assignment is evidence-focused and intended to support policy learning, Member State implementation and programming for the MFF 2028–2034.

Tender summary

What it funds

A service contract to consolidate and assess evidence from about 200 EaSI and ESF+/EaSI social innovation and experimentation projects (2014–2027). Tasks include building an inventory and typology, classifying projects by potential for uptake/transfer/scaling, producing harmonised fiches and policy narratives for 25 projects, light credibility checks for 15 projects, quasi-experimental evaluation designs for 5 projects, and an operational toolkit for transfer and scaling up.

Who can apply:Consultancies, research organisations or consortia able to deliver policy-oriented evidence synthesis, light evaluation checks and quasi-experimental design work for public authorities. The contracting authority is the European Commission, DG EMPL Funding notice. ¹

1. 1Procedure: planned negotiated procedure for low/middle value contract
2. 2Estimated value: €139,900 (contract maximum duration 9 months)

Submissions of expressions of interest are electronic via the Funding & Tenders Portal using an EU Login account; this publication announces the intent to launch the forthcoming procedure.

Footnotes

1. 1Procurement reference EC-EMPL/2026/MVP/0019-EXA. Full tender details and documents available on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal link above.

Basic facts

Title:Evidence-based review of social innovation projects under EaSI (2014–2027). Procedure identifier: EC-EMPL/2026/MVP/0019-EXA. Lead contracting authority: European Commission, DG EMPL - Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion. Procedure type: Planned negotiated procedure for middle/low value contract (ex-ante publicity reference ExA). Estimated total value: €139,900. Nature of the contract: services (CPV 79400000 Business and management consultancy and related services). Maximum contract duration: 9 months. Key dates: start date for expression of interest 21/09/2026 Europe/Brussels; deadline for expression of interest 06/10/2026 00:59 Europe/Brussels; indicative launch of negotiated procedure 06/10/2026 Europe/Brussels. Expression of interest submission method: electronic via EU Login. Official publication and reference material on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal and associated Docsroom entry. ¹

Tender URL:Full tender page on the Funding & Tenders Portal: Opportunity details.

Scope and objectives

Objective:Stocktaking and assessment of EU-funded social innovation and social experimentation projects financed under the EaSI programme and the ESF+/EaSI strand over the period 2014–2027. The contractor will consolidate and assess evidence from approximately 200 completed and ongoing projects and produce outputs to support policy learning, Member State implementation and programming under the MFF 2028–2034.

Detailed tasks and deliverables

Core tasks and expected outputs:1) Prepare an inventory of the full project portfolio (approximately 200 projects) and develop a project typology: a structured classification of projects by potential for policy uptake, transfer and scaling up. 2) Apply transparent and consistent classification criteria (examples provided in brief): strength of available evidence, maturity of implementation, policy relevance, transferability and feasibility of expansion, and assign each project a potential rating low, medium or high. 3) Produce harmonised fiches and policy-oriented narratives for 25 projects assessed as high or medium potential. 4) For 15 projects, conduct light-touch credibility checks comparing reported results with available statistics, benchmarks and, where useful, short interviews to assess plausibility (not to establish causality). 5) For 5 projects, prepare quasi-experimental evaluation designs showing how existing data could be used to compare participants with similar non-participants to estimate effects; design and demonstrate the approach but do not carry out full impact evaluations. 6) Produce an operational toolkit for transfer and scaling up containing criteria, steps, templates and checklists for public authorities to assess adaptation, transfer, replication and expansion in different policy and geographic contexts. 7) Deliver final synthesis and recommendations to inform programming 2028–2034 and Member State uptake.

Evidence approach and limitations:Approach: evidence consolidation, plausibility/credibility checks and design of quasi-experimental evaluation approaches. Limitations: credibility checks are light-touch and do not produce causal impact estimates; quasi-experimental designs will be prepared and demonstrated but not implemented as full impact evaluations.

Eligibility and who should apply

The tender is a services contract published by the European Commission (DG EMPL). As a negotiated procedure for a service contract, the final call will specify formal submission and qualification requirements; however, typical eligible applicant types for this type of EU service contract include consultancies, research organisations, universities, think tanks, nonprofits, consortia combining those types, and management consultancies with relevant expertise in social policy evaluation, impact assessment and transfer/scaling methodologies. The notice indicates an ex-ante expression of interest stage where organisations must submit electronically via EU Login.

1. 1Eligible applicant types: management consultancies, SMEs and large enterprises providing consultancy services, universities and public research organisations, independent research institutes and policy think tanks, non-governmental organisations with evaluation capacity, public-private consortia and multi-organisation teams (consortia).
2. 2Funding type: procurement (service contract) awarded by negotiated procedure (planned negotiated low/middle value).
3. 3Consortium requirement: the procedure does not mandate a consortium in the ex-ante notice; single entities may apply but the contract can be awarded to a consortium where appropriate. The final tender documents will specify whether consortia are explicitly required or allowed.
4. 4Beneficiary scope (geographic eligibility): contracting authority is EU (European Commission, DG EMPL); eligibility normally follows EU procurement rules and typically allows economic operators established in EU Member States and other countries listed in the procurement documents. The activity concerns EU-funded projects across Member States (EaSI/ESF+), so applicants must be able to operate and provide deliverables relevant for EU/Member State contexts.
5. 5Target sector: social policy and social innovation (sector: social inclusion, employment, social experimentation, public policy evaluation).
6. 6Project stage required: evaluation and synthesis of completed and ongoing projects (applicants should possess experience across research, evaluation, demonstration planning and policy transfer).
7. 7Funding amount: estimated contract value €139,900 (total maximum for the contract).
8. 8Application type: planned negotiated procedure — expression of interest stage followed by a negotiated tender; submission electronic via EU Login and the Funding & Tenders Portal.
9. 9Nature of support: fee-based service contract (monetary payment to contractor for services delivered).
10. 10Application stages: at least two stages — 1) expression of interest (pre-selection/qualification), 2) negotiated tender submission and award; the negotiated procedure may include evaluation of proposals and negotiation steps, effectively making 2 to 3 decision points in practice.
11. 11Co-funding requirement: none indicated; this is a procurement contract that pays for services — no co-funding from applicants is required.

Assessment criteria and methodology guidance (as stated or implied)

The notice specifies the contractor must apply transparent and consistent criteria when classifying project potential. The explicit criteria listed in the description are: strength of available evidence, maturity of implementation, policy relevance, transferability and feasibility of expansion. The contractor must create a typology, harmonised project fiches, and policy narratives. For credibility checks, the contractor should compare reported results with existing statistics and benchmarks and may use short interviews where useful. For quasi-experimental designs, the contractor must explain how existing data could be used to construct comparison groups and estimate project effects. The final tender documents will provide detailed evaluation/award criteria and weighting.

1. 1Classification criteria to apply: strength of evidence; maturity of implementation; policy relevance; transferability; feasibility of expansion.
2. 2Deliverable specifics: inventory (~200 projects); typology; classification (low/medium/high); 25 harmonised fiches/narratives; 15 light-touch credibility checks; 5 quasi-experimental designs; operational toolkit with templates and checklists; final synthesis and policy recommendations.
3. 3Methodological expectations: transparent, consistently applied scoring and documentation; ability to cross-check reported results with national/Eurostat statistics and sector benchmarks; capacity to design robust quasi-experimental comparisons using existing administrative or survey data where feasible.

Administrative and submission details

This ExA notice is not the final call for tenders but announces the Commission's intention to launch a negotiated procedure for a low or middle value contract. Organisations wishing to be considered should submit an expression of interest electronically using EU Login by the stated deadline. The expression of interest address is via the Funding & Tenders Portal; EU Login account required. Final procurement documents, eligibility, qualification and award criteria will be published in the negotiated procedure launch on or about 06/10/2026.

Required administrative platform:EU Login and the Funding & Tenders Portal (portal electronic submission and eForms) are mandatory for expression of interest and subsequent tendering.

Project timing and milestones

Selection and competitive context

Procedure type:negotiated procedure for a middle/low value contract (ExA). This means contracting authority intends to shortlist and negotiate with selected economic operators rather than run an open competitive call for all applicants. The tender notice shows an ex-ante expression of interest period; organisations may be invited to participate in the negotiated procedure. The final number of candidates invited, and the award mechanics (price/quality split, scoring, weighting) will be set out in the negotiated procedure launch documents.

Success rates and co-funding

Success rates:not provided in the notice. As a negotiated procedure with a limited candidate shortlist, success rates typically depend on the number of candidates invited to negotiate (often low single-digit shortlist). No historical success rate is published here. Co-funding: none required or indicated; this is a direct service contract where the selected contractor will be paid from the Commission budget for delivering the specified services.

Templates and application form structure

The ex-ante notice does not include the negotiated procedure tender documents or full templates. Submission at the expression of interest stage is electronic via the Funding & Tenders Portal using EU Login. Typical elements and templates that applicants should prepare in advance (likely required at tender stage) include: technical offer describing methodology and workplan, staff CVs and references, past performance examples (relevant projects in social innovation, evaluation, policy transfer), a detailed price/cost breakdown, QA and data protection approach, timetable, and consortia agreements if applicable. The contractor must demonstrate capacity to review large project portfolios, perform credibility checks against statistics, design quasi-experimental approaches, and produce user-oriented toolkits for public authorities.

1. 1Suggested structure for the tender technical offer: Executive summary; Understanding of the assignment and objectives; Methodology and criteria for typology and classification; Data sources and evidence consolidation approach; Plan for credibility checks and quasi-experimental design work; Toolkit design approach and user testing; Workplan, milestones and deliverables; Organisation and team (roles, CVs); Quality assurance, data protection and ethics safeguards; Risk management; References to relevant prior work.
2. 2Suggested structure for the financial offer: total price and breakdown by major work packages, staff days and rates, travel and incidental costs, overheads and VAT status if applicable.

Technical and thematic capabilities expected

The contracting authority will expect demonstrable experience in the following areas:policy evaluation and synthesis (social policy, employment and inclusion); portfolio-level review of projects and programme-level assessments; design and application of transparent classification and typology frameworks; conducting plausibility/credibility checks against administrative, statistical or benchmark data; design of quasi-experimental evaluation approaches using administrative or survey data; knowledge of transfer, upscaling and replication processes in public policy contexts; strong report-writing and policy-communication skills and ability to produce operational toolkits and templates for public authorities; familiarity with EU funding programmes (EaSI, ESF+, social experimentation).

Mentioned countries and geographic focus

Geographic focus:EU Member States (projects financed under EaSI and the ESF+/EaSI strand across the EU). No specific Member States are named in the notice; the activity covers the EU-wide portfolio for the period 2014–2027.

Summary: what this opportunity is about and who should respond

This procurement commissions an evidence-based stocktake and assessment of approximately 200 EU-funded social innovation and social experimentation projects (EaSI and ESF+/EaSI) from 2014 to 2027. The selected contractor will build a portfolio inventory and typology, classify projects by potential for policy uptake and scaling using transparent criteria, produce harmonised fiches and policy narratives for 25 promising projects, run light-touch credibility checks for 15 projects, prepare 5 quasi-experimental evaluation designs, and deliver an operational toolkit for transfer and scaling up. The contract is a short-term service contract (maximum 9 months) with an estimated value of €139,900. It is suited to organisations with a mix of policy evaluation expertise, statistics/data-checking capability, experience designing quasi-experimental evaluations, and a track record in translating evidence into practical toolkits for public authorities. Applicants should prepare to submit an expression of interest electronically via EU Login within the stated dates and expect a negotiated tendering process. The final tender documents will specify exact qualification and award criteria, templates and any restrictions on participation.

Footnotes

1. 1Full procurement notice and docsroom materials available on the Funding & Tenders Portal and Docsroom: Opportunity details and Docsroom folder.

This is a planned negotiated low or middle value procurement for services, not a grant call. The European Commission, DG Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion, is preparing a contract to stocktake and assess evidence from around 200 completed and ongoing social innovation and social experimentation projects financed under EaSI and the ESF and EaSI strand, with the results intended to support policy learning, Member State implementation, and programming for the MFF 2028 to 2034.

In the wider policy context, EaSI is the Employment and Social Innovation strand of ESF Plus, with a budget of €762 million and a focus on analytical work, mutual learning, and social innovation support[6]. Previous Commission evaluation work has also highlighted EaSI's role in evidence based policymaking and social experimentation[10].

What the contract is about

The contractor will first build an inventory of the full project portfolio and create a typology that classifies projects according to their potential for policy uptake, transfer, and scaling up. The assessment will use transparent criteria such as the strength of evidence, maturity of implementation, policy relevance, transferability, and feasibility of expansion.

On the basis of that classification, the contractor will prepare harmonised fiches and policy oriented narratives for 25 projects judged to have high or medium potential. The assignment also includes light touch credibility checks for 15 projects, quasi experimental evaluation designs for 5 projects, and an operational toolkit for transfer and scaling up.

Who can apply

The notice does not yet publish the full tender documentation or detailed selection criteria. At this stage, the opportunity is aimed at economic operators able to deliver consultancy and related services for evidence synthesis, evaluation design, policy analysis, and toolkit development.

• Applicants should be prepared to work on portfolio mapping, typology development, and comparative policy analysis.
• Applicants should have capacity for evidence review and the drafting of structured project fiches and narratives.
• Applicants should be able to design, but not necessarily implement, quasi experimental approaches using existing data.
• The submission of interest must be electronic and requires an EU Login account.
• The available metadata marks SME suitability as false, so this does not appear to be flagged as an SME specific procedure.

Deliverables and expected outputs

1. 1Inventory of approximately 200 EaSI and ESF plus EaSI social innovation and social experimentation projects.
2. 2Project typology that groups projects by potential for policy uptake, transfer, and scaling up.
3. 3Harmonised fiches and policy narratives for 25 projects with high or medium potential.
4. 4Light touch credibility checks for 15 projects, using statistics, benchmarks, and where useful short interviews.
5. 5Quasi experimental evaluation designs for 5 projects, showing how existing data could be used to estimate effects.
6. 6Operational toolkit with criteria, steps, templates, and checklists for transfer and scaling up.

Commercial and procedural details

What applicants should note

• This notice is ex ante publicity, so the detailed invitation to submit a tender is still to come.
• Applicants should expect an evidence heavy assignment with policy relevance, not a full impact evaluation contract.
• The work is designed to feed future policy learning and programming under the next multiannual financial framework.
• The official portal page should be monitored for the later negotiated procedure and any additional eligibility or award criteria.

Official portal details are available at EU Funding and Tenders Portal.