Experience EU – Education, People-to-People and Alumni Work in the United States

The European Commission FPI (EC-FPI/WAS/2026/EA-RP/0010) has launched a restricted tender to design and deliver a multi-strand education, people-to-people and alumni programme in the United States focused on EU learning, dialogue and transatlantic connections. Activities include competitions, visitor programmes, seminars, teaching outreach, alumni engagement and communication targeted at US students, teachers and professionals. The estimated contract value is €4,000,000 excluding VAT with a provisional start in November 2026 and a deadline for requests to participate on 27 April 2026. Eligibility is limited to natural persons and legal entities established in EU Member States or eligible countries under NDICI, the procedure is two-stage restricted with 4 to 8 candidates to be shortlisted, and submissions must be made electronically via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal.

What it funds

Scope summary

Service contract to design and deliver education outreach, people-to-people programming, exchange and alumni activities across the United States. Key work strands include Euro Challenge, Schuman Challenge, Emerging Leaders visitors programme, alumni engagement, Model EU, teaching the EU, seminars, P2P events, conference presence, and communications.

Estimated total value:€4,000,000 (estimated) for the full procurement ¹.

1. 1Who can apply: natural persons and legal entities established in EU Member States or eligible countries under NDICI Article 28; international organisations may participate.
2. 2Form of participation: single tenderer or consortium (members jointly and severally liable); sub-contracting allowed.
3. 3Submission: electronic only via the Funding & Tenders Portal / eSubmission.

Key administrative dates:TED publication 27/03/2026; deadline for requests to participate 27/04/2026 23:59 America/New_York; provisional invitation to tender 25/05/2026; provisional contract start 02/11/2026.

Eligibility and selection highlights

Procedure:restricted two-stage tender. Selection filters will be applied at request-to-participate stage to shortlist 4–8 candidates for invitation to tender.

1. 1Minimum average annual turnover over last 3 closed years: €1,000,000 (each consortium member must comply where specified).
2. 2Financial ratio: current assets/current liabilities >= 1.
3. 3Professional capacity: on average at least 5 staff with relevant specialist knowledge over the last 3 years.
4. 4Technical capacity: at least 2 service contracts in the last 4 years each valued >= €1,000,000 and in the domain of public diplomacy.

Award method:best price-quality ratio. Language of procedure and submissions: English. Further procurement documents and submission address available on the Funding & Tenders Portal.

Footnotes

1. 1Procurement documents and the tender dossier are published on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal: Funding & Tenders Portal.

Opportunity summary

What the contract covers

Experience EU is a fee-based services contract launched by the European Commission (Service for Foreign Policy Instruments, FPI) to strengthen ties between citizens of the United States and the European Union through education outreach, people-to-people programming and exchange, and alumni engagement. The contractor will design, organise, manage and promote a multi-strand programme of activities for US students, teachers and targeted professionals that: (1) support learning and teaching about the EU; (2) foster dialogue, creativity, mutual understanding and cooperation; and (3) create durable transatlantic personal connections and shared values. Activities must provide direct contact with EU representatives, experts and citizens.

Main work strands:The contract requires delivery across the following work strands: Euro Challenge, Schuman Challenge, EU-US Emerging Leaders Visitors Programme, Alumni engagement, Model EU, Teaching the EU, EU Studies Seminar, Transatlantic P2P Seminar, presence at relevant US conferences, and communication, promotion and outreach.

1. 1Euro Challenge
2. 2Schuman Challenge
3. 3EU-US Emerging Leaders Visitors Programme
4. 4Alumni engagement
5. 5Model EU
6. 6Teaching the EU
7. 7EU Studies Seminar
8. 8Transatlantic P2P Seminar
9. 9Presence at relevant US conferences
10. 10Communication, promotion and outreach

Administrative and procurement facts

Procedure identifier:EC-FPI/WAS/2026/EA-RP/0010 (TED ref 212007-2026). Publication date: 27 March 2026. Lead contracting authority: European Commission, FPI - Service for Foreign Policy Instruments (FPI.3 Rapid Response Europe, Asia & Americas). Main CPV: 71621000 Technical analysis or consultancy services. Nature: services (fee-based). Award method: best price-quality ratio. Place of performance: United States. Programme: America and the Caribbean.

Estimated total value:€4,000,000 (estimated total value excluding VAT). ¹

Maximum contract duration and implementation period:procurement documents contain two related items. The contract notice shows Maximum contract duration 36 MONTH. The additional information document specifies a period of implementation of tasks of 48 months and a provisional commencement date of 2 November 2026. Candidates should consult the procurement documents for definitive contract length and timing.

How to apply and procedural steps

Submission method:electronic via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal eSubmission system. EU Login account and a registered Participant Identification Code (PIC) are required. Requests to participate must be submitted via the F&T Portal only and must use the Request to Participate form and the Declaration on Honour templates indicated in the procurement documents.

1. 1Stage 1: Request to participate (shortlisting). Deadline for receipt of requests to participate: 27 April 2026 23:59 America/New_York (UTC-04:00).
2. 2Stage 2: Invitation to tender (detailed tenders). Provisional date of invitation to tender: 25 May 2026.
3. 3Evaluation and award then follow; provisional contract commencement 2 November 2026 (see procurement documents).

The procedure is a restricted two-stage tender:between 4 and 8 candidates will be short-listed and invited to submit full tenders. If fewer than 4 eligible candidates meet the criteria, the contracting authority may still invite those who satisfy the criteria. If more than 8 meet the criteria, ranking and re-examination rules apply.

Eligibility and who may apply

Participation is open to all natural persons who are nationals of, and legal persons which are effectively established in, an EU Member State or an eligible country or territory as defined under Article 28 of Regulation (EU) No 2021/947 (NDICI Global Europe). International organisations may also participate. In practice this means organisations and individuals meeting the nationality/establishment rules of NDICI-GE and complying with the procurement exclusion grounds.

Eligible applicant types (detailed):Eligible applicants include: private companies (SMEs and large enterprises), consultancies, non-profit organisations, universities and research institutes, cultural organisations, event organisers, international organisations, consortia (permanent or ad-hoc), and natural persons meeting nationality/establishment rules. Public bodies may participate but should provide equivalent financial information. Sub-contracting is allowed. All participants must comply with exclusion grounds and submit the required declarations.

Selection and award criteria (key technical and financial requirements)

Selection will be based on economic/financial capacity, professional capacity and technical capacity. Award will be by best price-quality ratio. Additional comparative criteria will be used to rank candidates if more than 8 satisfy the selection criteria.

Additional comparative criteria (if more than 8 candidates meet selection criteria):(1) highest number of service contracts meeting technical criteria; (2) highest cumulated value of those completed services (used to break ties).

Detailed practical requirements for submission

Requests to participate must use the official Request to Participate form and be accompanied by a Declaration on Honour on exclusion and selection criteria, using templates available from the EU wiki Annexes. Upload instructions: Request to participate form under the tab Other documents; Declaration referred to in Point 7 under Other documents; Declaration on Honour under the tab Declaration on Honour. Do not send additional unsolicited documentation; only requested documents will be considered.

Administrative identifiers and portals:Register in the European Commission Participant Register to obtain a PIC. Submit via the Funding & Tenders Portal (F&T Portal) eSubmission. The electronic address for submission is provided in the call notice. EU Login is required to subscribe and submit questions and responses.

Deadlines and timeline

1. 1TED publication date: 27 March 2026
2. 2Deadline for receipt of requests to participate (stage 1): 27 April 2026 23:59 America/New_York (UTC-04:00).
3. 3Provisional invitation to tender: 25 May 2026 (shortlisted candidates).
4. 4Provisional commencement of contract: 2 November 2026.
5. 5Note: procurement documents contain detailed timing and the contracting authority may extend deadlines in case of communication disruptions.

Nature of support, funding and contractual model

This is a procurement (tender) for services. The contracting authority will pay the successful contractor(s) under a services contract (fee-based). The opportunity is not a grant, loan or equity instrument; it is a service contract financed under NDICI Global Europe geographic programme (The Americas). Electronic ordering and electronic payment will be used.

Co-funding requirement:No co-funding from the candidate is required as a condition of participation in the procurement. The contract is fee-based; financial proposals will be evaluated as part of the best price-quality ratio award. Candidates must provide financial data in EUR and conversions must use the InforEuro exchange rate for March 2026 where applicable.

Consortium, subcontracting and liability

Consortia are permitted (permanent or ad-hoc). All members of a consortium are jointly and severally liable to the contracting authority. If relying on capacity-providing entities, candidates must provide commitments and declarations from those entities. Short-listed candidates may not change the composition of their tendering group without prior authorisation. Short-listed candidates may not form alliances or subcontract to each other for this contract.

Success rates and competitiveness

The call is a restricted two-stage procedure. Between 4 and 8 candidates will be invited to submit full tenders. Therefore, the selection probability to be shortlisted depends on total numbers of eligible applicants; procurement documents set objective selection criteria and re-examination criteria in case of excess eligible applicants. Exact historical success rates are not provided; the shortlist rule (4-8) is the primary factual indicator of selectivity.

Technology, sector and project maturity

Target sectors and thematic focus:education outreach, people-to-people exchange, public diplomacy, alumni relations, youth engagement, civic education, and communication/outreach. The contract is an operational programme-delivery contract (implementation and delivery stage) rather than research or technology development. Activities are programme management, events organisation, outreach and capacity in public diplomacy.

Mentioned countries and geographic scope

Place of performance:United States. Eligibility is limited by NDICI rules to entities established in EU Member States or eligible countries/territories defined under Article 28 of Regulation (EU) 2021/947. The procurement is funded under the America and the Caribbean geographic programme. Contact email for the buyer: Delegation-USA-FPI@eeas.europa.eu.

Practical templates and where to find application forms

Required templates and forms:Request to Participate form; Declaration on Honour on exclusion and selection criteria; other supporting documentary evidence templates. These are available from the EU wiki Annexes and the Funding & Tenders Portal linked in the call notice. Instruction: upload the Request to Participate under Other documents, the Declaration referred to in Point 7 under Other documents, and the Declaration on Honour under the tab Declaration on Honour. Do not attach additional unsolicited material beyond what is requested.

Key risks, clarifications and help

Candidates must ensure PIC registration and, if requested, PIC validation by EU Validation Services (REA). Clarification requests must be submitted through the F&T Portal Questions & Answers tab at latest 21 days before the deadline for requests to participate; clarifications will be published at latest 8 days before the deadline. The contracting authority reserves the right to extend deadlines if there are major electronic communication disruptions in the final five days before a deadline. The eSubmission system encrypts uploaded files and has system requirements (browser, file size limits, naming conventions) that must be followed.

Contact and procurement documents:Full procurement documents and the Additional Information about the Contract Notice (tender specifications and Request to Participate) are available on the Funding & Tenders Portal opportunity page. Electronic submission link and document address are provided in the call notice. Contact email: Delegation-USA-FPI@eeas.europa.eu. See procurement documents for detailed clauses, exact scoring weights and contractual terms. ¹

Summary: what is this opportunity about and how to approach it

This tender is a contract opportunity to implement a multi-year EU-funded education and people-to-people programme in the United States that will run multiple strands aimed at US students, teachers and targeted professionals to increase knowledge about the EU, foster dialogue and build long-term transatlantic ties. It is a restricted two-stage procurement under NDICI Global Europe, estimated at €4 million, to be awarded on the basis of best price-quality ratio. Eligible applicants are organisations and individuals established in EU Member States or eligible countries under NDICI, and international organisations. Candidates should prepare a Request to Participate addressing the explicit selection criteria (financial strength, staff capacity, and demonstrated technical experience in public diplomacy and large-scale people-to-people programmes) and be ready to provide documentary proof. Strong proposals will show experience delivering service contracts valued at or above €1,000,000, capacity to mobilise relevant staff, clear plans for public diplomacy and education outreach programming in the US, and robust mobilisation of resources and partners. Follow the submission templates precisely, register a PIC, submit electronically via the F&T Portal by the stated deadline, and anticipate the two-stage evaluation that will shortlist 4 to 8 candidates to submit detailed tenders.

Footnotes

1. 1Procurement documents and the Additional Information to the Contract Notice (tender specifications, Request to Participate form and templates) are available on the Funding & Tenders Portal opportunity page: ec.europa.eu. Refer to the Additional Information about the Contract Notice (published 27/03/2026) for full eligibility, selection and submission rules.

This is a restricted tender procedure (EC-FPI/WAS/2026/EA-RP/0010) launched by the European Commission, FPI - Service for Foreign Policy Instruments, to deliver education outreach, people-to-people programming, exchanges, and alumni activities strengthening transatlantic ties between US citizens and the EU. The project targets US students, teachers, and professionals to enhance EU learning, foster dialogue, and build lasting connections through direct engagement with EU representatives, experts, and citizens.

Objectives and Scope of Work

The initiative aims to:1) support learning and teaching about the EU; 2) foster dialogue, creativity, mutual understanding, and cooperation; 3) create personal transatlantic connections and shared values. Activities will occur in the United States under the programme America and the Caribbean (code 44995889).

Work Strands

• Euro Challenge
• Schuman Challenge
• EU-US Emerging Leaders Visitors Programme
• Alumni engagement
• Model EU
• Teaching the EU
• EU Studies Seminar
• Transatlantic P2P Seminar
• Presence at relevant US conferences
• Communication, promotion and outreach

Key Dates and Timeline

• TED publication date: 27 March 2026
• Deadline for requests to participate: 27 April 2026, 23:59 America/New_York
• Provisional invitation to tender: 25 May 2026
• Provisional contract commencement: 2 November 2026
• Maximum contract duration: 48 months (note: portal indicates 36 months, but additional notice specifies 48 months)
• Estimated total value: €4,000,000 (excluding VAT)

Eligibility and Participation

Open to natural persons who are nationals of, and legal persons effectively established in, EU Member States or eligible countries/territories per Article 28 of Regulation (EU) N° 2021/947 (NDICI-Global Europe). International organisations may also participate. Consortia are allowed (permanent or informal), with joint and several liability. Sub-contracting is permitted. No more than one request per entity or per lot. Short-listing: 4-8 candidates invited to tender.

Exclusion Grounds

Candidates must declare they are not in situations listed in Section 2.4.2.1 of the Practical Guide (PRAG), including EU restrictive measures. Same applies to capacity-providing entities or subcontractors.

Selection Criteria

Economic and Financial Capacity (last 3 years)

• Average annual turnover >= €1,000,000
• Current ratio (current assets/current liabilities) >= 1 (each consortium member)

Professional Capacity (last 3 years)

• Average of at least 5 personnel in relevant specialist areas
• No professional conflicting interests

Technical Capacity (last 4 years)

• At least 2 completed service contracts with another legal entity
• Each contract value >= €1,000,000
• Contracts in public diplomacy domain (e.g., people-to-people exchanges, youth engagement, cultural initiatives, study tours)

If >8 eligible candidates, ranked by:1) highest number of qualifying contracts; 2) highest cumulated value of qualifying services. Capacity from other entities allowed with commitments; applies to consortium as whole unless specified.

Award Criteria and Contract Details

Best price-quality ratio. Nature:fee-based services (CPV 71621000 - Technical analysis or consultancy services). Place of performance: United States. Language: English. Electronic submission required via F&T Portal with EU Login and PIC registration.

Submission Requirements

1. 1Register in Participant Register for PIC (individuals and consortia members)
2. 2Use request to participate form and Declaration on Honour from ExactExternalWiki Annexes
3. 3Upload: form under Other documents; Point 7 declaration under Other documents; Declaration on Honour under Declaration tab
4. 4Submit exclusively via F&T Portal eSubmission
5. 5Financial data in EUR (InforEuro March 2026 rate if converting)

Questions via F&T Portal Q&A (min 21 days before deadline). Check for updates. Short-listed candidates cannot change composition or subcontract to each other without approval.

Official Documents and Resources

Primary source:EU Funding & Tenders Portal. Download Tender specifications (requests to participate) and Additional Information to the Contract Notice. TED Notice: TED 212007-2026. Contact: Delegation-USA-FPI@eeas.europa.eu.

Review:Court of Justice of the European Union. Legal basis: Regulation (EU) 2021/947 (NDICI-Global Europe). ¹

Footnotes

1. 1Detailed PRAG and eSubmission guides at F&T eProcurement Wiki.