Framework Contract for Impact Assessment and Evaluation Support Studies in the Field of Transport and Tourism

The European Commission DG MOVE publishes an open tender (EC-MOVE/2026/OP/0006) to establish multiple framework contracts for impact assessments, evaluations and related policy support studies in the field of transport, mobility and tourism. The maximum estimated framework value is €15 million over a maximum duration of 48 months and the Commission may appoint up to five contractors without guarantee of specific contract volumes. Tenders must be submitted electronically via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal eSubmission system and will be awarded on the best price-quality ratio basis (indicative weighting: 70% quality, 30% price). The deadline for receipt of tenders is 16 December 2026 at 12:00 Brussels time and all procurement documents are available on the Funding & Tenders Portal.

What the contract funds

Provision of external socio‑economic and technical expertise to deliver impact assessments, ex‑post evaluations, back‑to‑back evaluation+impact studies, evidence collection, stakeholder consultation and related support studies for EU transport, mobility and tourism policy.

Who can apply

Open to economic operators established under the Treaties and to entities covered by relevant international procurement agreements. Tenders may be submitted by a single legal entity or a group (consortium). Subcontracting and reliance on third‑party capacities are allowed but must be declared. Participation is subject to exclusion/selection rules and screening (see procurement documents).

Budget and contract model

Key dates and submission

Submissions must be made electronically via the Funding & Tenders Portal (eSubmission). An EU Login (Participant Register / PIC) is required.

Evaluation and outputs

Award will follow best price‑quality ratio (price 30%, quality 70%). Quality assessment includes case study exercises (impact assessment, evaluation and analytical methods). Specific contracts typically last 12–22 months depending on scope.

Practical documents and contacts

All procurement documents (invitation, tender specifications, draft contract, financial offer template, case studies, security requirements) are published on the Funding & Tenders Portal.

Footnotes

1. 1See tender notice and tender specifications (Annexes and Financial offer form) on the Funding & Tenders Portal for breakdowns, price schedule, and full procurement conditions: Tender documents.

Opportunity summary

Key administrative and submission information

Submission is electronic only via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal eSubmission system. An EU Login account and registration in the Participant Register (PIC) are mandatory to submit. Questions must be submitted through the Portal Q&A; the contracting authority is not bound to reply to questions received less than six Commission working days before the tender deadline. The eSubmission system enforces file type and size rules; attachments must be below 50 MB and the system accepts up to 200 files per submission.

Who can apply and eligible applicant types

Participation is open on equal terms to any natural or legal person covered by the EU Treaties, international organisations and to economic operators from third countries where access to procurement is permitted (e.g. GPA parties). Joint tenders (groups of economic operators) and subcontracting are permitted. Entities subject to EU restrictive measures or otherwise excluded cannot participate. The tender documents list which involved entities must provide Declarations on Honour and supporting evidence.

Funding type and nature of the opportunity

This is a public procurement (tender) to establish framework service contracts (procurement, not a grant). The mechanism is a framework agreement with reopening of competition. The contracting authority will pay contractors for services delivered under specific contracts; funding is therefore procurement payments (money).

Consortium requirement and structure

A single tenderer or a group of economic operators may submit a tender. If the tender is a joint tender the group must appoint a group leader with power of representation (Agreement/Power of Attorney - Annex 3). All group members assume joint and several liability. The framework will be awarded to up to five contractors; these contractors will then compete for specific contracts.

Beneficiary scope (Geographic eligibility) and mentioned countries

Target sectors, scope and expected project stage

Profiles, minimum team requirements and technical selection criteria

The tender specifications set mandatory selection criteria and minimum team profiles. Tenderers must present CVs for proposed personnel; CVs must show the minimum qualifications and experience. The contracting authority will assess technical capacity at tender stage and may request supporting evidence.

Award criteria, scoring and case studies

Project value, duration and contract model

Estimated overall contract amount (framework ceiling) €15,000,000. Maximum contract duration 48 months. The FWC is multiple with reopening of competition. The contracting authority may award multiple framework contracts (up to five) and each specific contract is awarded through a mini-competition among framework contractors. Indicative volumes per expert category and weighting are given in Annex 6 Financial offer form.

Submission stages, application type and success stages

Success rates and competition

Success rates are not published. The framework will be awarded to up to five highest-ranked compliant tenderers. Competition is expected to be strong; the contracting authority previously concluded numerous specific contracts under earlier framework contracts (example: MOVE/2022/OP/0001 concluded ~24 specific contracts over a recent period, average value ~€280,000 each).

Co-funding and financial rules

Application templates and structure of submission forms (guidance)

The procurement documents include mandatory templates and annexes that must be used, and these form the structure of the tender submission. Key required documents and templates are published in the Portal documents section and listed in Annex 1 to the Tender Specifications.

Structure and recommended contents of the technical tender (recommended, mirror award criteria): 1) Executive summary; 2) Understanding of the assignment and problem definition (for specific calls); 3) Methodology and workplan (detailed tasks, methods, data needs, models and tools, quality control); 4) Team composition and CVs (mapping to P1–P5 profiles, person-days per task); 5) Past relevant projects and references (mapping to T1–T3); 6) Risk management and continuity plan; 7) Annexes including case studies (Annex 7 outputs) and declarations. The technical tender must not exceed 100 pages (font and layout rules specified in the Tender Specifications). Financial tender must use Annex 6 template.

Security, privacy and AI

Security requirements are set out in Appendix 2 (Security Requirements for Commission’s Contractors). Contractors and personnel must follow Commission security rules including background screening for personnel requiring access to Commission premises and IT assets. Data protection obligations derive from Regulation (EU) 2018/1725 and the contractor is processor under instruction of the Commission (controller). If AI tools are proposed for use, the tender must specify tasks, tools, benefits and mitigation of risks; deliverables produced with AI must be clearly documented and the contractor remains fully responsible for outputs.

How to prepare a compliant tender — practical checklist

Final notes and recommended links

This tender is a procurement for expert analytical services to support DG MOVE policy development and Better Regulation processes in transport, mobility and tourism. It requires strong methodological capability (quantitative and qualitative), multi-country experience across Europe, capacity to engage stakeholders, and ability to deliver publishable evidence and open data sets. Tenderers should carefully follow the Tender Specifications, Annexes and the Draft Framework Contract and provide clear, evidence-based case studies and a competitive financial offer.

Access the full call documentation and submit your tender via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal: the call detail page contains the Invitation to tender, Tender specifications, Draft contract, Annexes, Financial offer form and other documents Funding & Tenders Portal - tender details 1.

Footnotes

1. 1Tender documents and submission forms are published on the Funding & Tenders Portal at the tender details page: ec.europa.eu. Subscribe on the call page to receive notifications of updates and Q&A.

Executive Summary

This is a public procurement opportunity, not a grant scheme. The European Commission, Directorate General for Mobility and Transport, seeks external contractors to provide impact assessments, evaluations, economic and social analysis, data collection, stakeholder consultation, policy support studies, meetings, events and related services for EU transport, mobility and tourism policy. The procurement is managed through an open procedure and will establish a multiple framework agreement with reopening of competition.

The maximum estimated value is €15 million over a maximum period of 48 months. The Commission expects to appoint up to five contractors, subject to there being enough compliant and sufficiently qualified tenders. Appointment to the framework does not guarantee that a contractor will receive any specific contract or minimum volume of work. 1

Opportunity Identification

Official procurement documents and electronic submission are available through the EU Funding and Tenders Portal opportunity page.

Key Financial and Timing Information

The publication date shown in the procurement information is 29 October 2026. The deadline stated in the official tender details is 16 December 2026 at 12:00 Brussels time. The separate January 2026 date appearing in some prepared metadata is not treated as the operative tender deadline because it is inconsistent with the official milestone information and tender documents.

What the Commission Intends to Purchase

The framework will provide qualified and objective external expertise to support the design, preparation, implementation, communication and review of EU policies, legislation, non legislative initiatives, outreach activities and stakeholder engagement in transport, mobility and tourism.

The work is intended to support the European Commission Better Regulation agenda and may include evidence gathering for future legislation, evaluation of existing legislation, monitoring and reporting on policy implementation, assessment of economic, social and environmental impacts, and consultation with stakeholders across Europe and relevant neighbouring countries.

Assignments may cover topics not expressly listed in the specifications provided that they relate to the development or implementation of EU and Member State transport, mobility or tourism policy.

Typical Assignment Categories

Support studies for impact assessments, evaluations and fitness checks.

Ex ante assessment of expected economic, social and environmental impacts of proposed policy interventions.

Ex post evaluation of the actual effects, costs, benefits and performance of existing policies, legislation or programmes.

Back to back studies combining evaluation of an existing intervention with an impact assessment of a possible future intervention.

Economic and social science analysis, evidence collection, gap analysis, cost benefit assessment and policy option analysis.

Stakeholder mapping, surveys, questionnaires, interviews, workshops and other consultation activities.

Data acquisition, quantitative modelling, qualitative analysis, reporting and communication of findings.

Organisation of conferences, roundtables, workshops, working groups, webinars and stakeholder meetings where requested.

Ad hoc translation, artificial intelligence and information technology services, and access to commercial databases where specifically requested.

Expected Study Duration

Individual support studies for impact assessments or evaluations will typically last 12 to 14 months. Studies combining evaluation and impact assessment will typically last 18 to 22 months. The exact timetable, deliverables and reporting requirements will be established in each specific contract.

Who Can Apply

The opportunity is open to economic operators, including legal persons, natural persons and international organisations, that satisfy the access, exclusion, selection and technical requirements in the procurement documents.

Participation is open on equal terms to persons and organisations within the scope of the EU Treaties. Entities established in third countries may participate where an applicable EU procurement agreement or other relevant access arrangement permits participation. Tenderers must provide evidence of their country of establishment and comply with applicable EU restrictive measures.

Applicants may participate as a sole tenderer or as a joint tender submitted by a consortium or other group of economic operators. Joint tender members assume joint and several liability for performance of the contract. A group leader must be appointed and must have authority to represent the group during the procurement and contract implementation.

Subcontracting is permitted. Identified subcontractors must be disclosed where they are relied upon for selection criteria or where their intended individual share exceeds 20 percent. Subcontractors and other entities whose capacities are relied upon must provide the required commitment documentation.

A natural or legal person may not participate simultaneously as a sole tenderer and as a member of another group, or as a member of more than one group in the same procedure. The tender specifications also contain restrictions on cross subcontracting and require tenders to be prepared independently and autonomously.

Mandatory Registration and Access Requirements

Every tenderer and each member of a joint tender must be registered in the European Commission Participant Register and must have a valid Participant Identification Code. Existing participants should reuse their current registration and ensure that legal, financial and SME information is current.

An EU Login account is required to access the electronic submission system, submit questions and submit the tender. The tender must be submitted exclusively through eSubmission. Submissions by email, post or other channels will be disregarded.

The tenderer is responsible for ensuring that the electronic submission is completed before the deadline and that the system generated submission receipt confirms the official date and time of receipt. Tenderers should allow sufficient time for registration, document validation, file uploading and resolution of technical issues.

The tender must be prepared in one of the official languages of the European Union. The English version of the procurement documents is the authentic version and prevails in the event of inconsistency with any translated version.

Required Procurement Documents

The published procurement package includes the invitation to tender, tender specifications, financial offer form, declaration on honour, draft service framework contract, case studies annex and security requirements appendix.

The tender should be prepared against the complete procurement package and should address all administrative, exclusion, selection, technical, financial, security, confidentiality, intellectual property and contractual requirements.

Likely submission components include the completed declaration on honour, evidence concerning the tenderer and participating entities, consortium agreement or power of attorney where applicable, subcontractor information and commitment letters, evidence supporting reliance on other entities, technical tender documents, financial offer and any case study responses required by the specifications.

Selection and Capability Expectations

The successful tenderer must demonstrate the organisational, technical, professional and financial capacity to deliver EU wide policy studies and related services. The tender specifications require capability across transport, mobility, tourism, impact assessment, evaluation, stakeholder consultation, project management, editing and communication.

The contractor must be able to provide services relevant to all EU Member States, EFTA countries, candidate or potential candidate countries, countries of the European Transport Community and other countries relevant to EU mobility, transport and tourism policy. A physical presence in every country is not required, but the tender must explain how appropriate geographical coverage and contacts will be secured.

The principal profiles are as follows:

Each specific assignment will identify the required team. At least one senior expert will normally be required for each assignment unless the specific request for services states otherwise. Experts may be requested to provide CVs for approval before the start of work, and the Commission may require replacement of experts who do not meet the applicable requirements.

Framework Financial Model

The financial offer form uses all inclusive daily rates by staff category. The indicative annual days in the price schedule are used for evaluation and planning purposes only and do not constitute a commitment by the Commission to purchase those quantities.

The published financial form does not specify fixed euro daily rates in the extracted information. Tenderers are required to insert their proposed all inclusive rates. The framework rates become maximum prices for later specific competitions, meaning that a contractor may offer lower rates for a specific contract but may not exceed the applicable framework maximum rates.

Prices must cover direct and indirect costs, including salaries, social security, management, secretariat, support resources, quality control, training and travel, accommodation and subsistence for travel to Brussels unless the specific request provides another treatment.

The prior framework contract is described as having generated 24 specific contracts between December 2022 and October 2026, with an average value of approximately €280,000 and an average duration of approximately 12 months. This is historical context only and is not a forecast, minimum allocation or guaranteed workload under the new framework.

Specific Contract Mechanism

The framework will be implemented exclusively through specific assignments. When a requirement arises, the Commission will send a request for services through its electronic contracting system to all framework contractors, together with terms of reference, a draft specific contract and any relevant supporting documents.

The standard deadline for responding to a request for services is 20 Commission working days unless the request specifies a different period. Each specific tender normally includes a technical offer and a financial offer presented as a global all inclusive price.

The technical offer for a support study should normally describe the understanding of the policy background, approach, methodology, sources of evidence, evidence collection strategy, team composition, task allocation, person days and delivery plan.

The financial offer must respect the framework maximum rates and may include appropriate lump sums for other experts, missions outside Brussels, event organisation and other ad hoc services where permitted by the request.

The framework agreement does not oblige the Commission to issue specific contracts. Specific assignments depend on available budget, institutional priorities and the Commission's actual requirements.

Award Method and Evaluation

The initial framework award uses the best price quality ratio. The available procurement data indicates a weighting of 70 percent for quality and 30 percent for price. Tenderers should verify the final weighting and all subcriteria in the current tender specifications before submission.

For specific contracts, the standard technical evaluation structure is as follows:

A tender must normally achieve at least 60 percent of the available points for each technical criterion and at least 70 percent overall. The weighting may be adapted in a specific request for services, but no individual criterion may represent more than 60 percent of the total score.

The standard specific contract formula combines the price score at 30 percent with the quality score at 70 percent. The award goes to the best ranked tenderer after application of the technical thresholds and the price quality formula.

Deliverables and Quality Requirements

Specific contracts will define the precise deliverables. As a rule, support studies are expected to include an inception report, interim report and final report, although the Commission may require a different structure or additional deliverables.

Deliverables are submitted initially as drafts. The Commission may provide comments and require revisions, additional information or further adaptations before acceptance. Deadlines in specific contracts cannot be extended unless agreed by both parties.

Deliverables must generally be prepared in English, in clear and accessible language, and supplied in electronic, open or widely usable formats. Reports and data should be machine readable where applicable. Final reports are intended for publication and must follow Commission visual identity, accessibility, style and formatting requirements.

Contractors must provide source data, metadata, information on tools and software needed to access the data, and usable datasets where applicable. Raw data collected under the contract must be transferred to the Commission in an agreed usable format together with the relevant ownership or usage rights.

All evidence, reports, studies and materials must use accurate citations and comply with EU publication and reference practices. The contractor is responsible for obtaining copyright, image rights and other permissions for materials used in deliverables or events.

Artificial intelligence may be used only where permitted or requested under the specific contract. The contractor must identify the tasks and tools involved, explain the added value, assess risks, mitigate copyright and other risks, disclose relevant use in deliverables where required and remain fully responsible for the final work product.

Operational, Security and Compliance Conditions

Work will normally be performed at the contractor's premises. Meetings with the Commission will generally be held remotely, with meetings at Commission premises in Brussels where requested. Travel outside Brussels requires prior approval and must be treated as specified in the relevant request for services.

Contractors must comply with applicable security requirements. Any cost associated with security measures, including checks or clearances where applicable, is borne by the contractor.

The contractor must maintain confidentiality, avoid conflicts of interest, assist with fraud prevention and detection, comply with applicable EU restrictive measures, and pass relevant obligations to subcontractors and personnel.

The contractor must apply equality, diversity and non discrimination principles and make best efforts to promote gender balance in teams. Specific tenders should explain any inability to achieve an appropriate balance.

Meetings and events should be organised sustainably, including consideration of public transport, environmentally responsible accommodation, rail travel, sustainable catering, waste reduction, accessibility and environmental impact.

The framework includes intellectual property provisions under which the Commission will generally acquire ownership of results produced under the contract, subject to the detailed terms of the framework and any specific contract. Pre existing materials, third party rights, software and data licensing must be cleared or made available on terms that permit the Commission's required use.

Important Commercial Risks

Recommended Applicant Preparation

Overall Assessment

This is a substantial and strategically relevant EU institutional procurement for established consultancies, research organisations, policy institutes, universities, specialist economic operators and consortiums with demonstrated capacity in transport, mobility, tourism and Better Regulation analysis. The opportunity is particularly suitable for organisations able to combine sector expertise with rigorous impact assessment, evaluation, quantitative analysis, stakeholder consultation, multilingual or pan European reach and high quality Commission style reporting.

The main opportunity is recurring access to DG MOVE assignments over four years rather than a single funded project. The principal competitive challenge is the need to demonstrate strong technical capability while offering commercially competitive all inclusive rates, then repeatedly compete for specific assignments against other appointed framework contractors.

Applicants should rely on the complete current tender specifications, draft framework contract, financial offer form, declaration on honour, case studies annex and security requirements before finalising a tender. 2

Source and Document Note

The analysis is based on the official European Commission Funding and Tenders Portal opportunity record and the procurement documents identified for EC-MOVE/2026/OP/0006. 1

FN:1: Official opportunity page: Framework Contract for Impact Assessment and Evaluation Support Studies in the Field of Transport and Tourism.

FN:2: The opportunity page lists the invitation letter, tender specifications, financial offer form, declaration on honour, draft service framework contract, case studies annex and security requirements appendix as the relevant procurement documents.

Footnotes

1. 1Official opportunity page: Framework Contract for Impact Assessment and Evaluation Support Studies in the Field of Transport and Tourism.
2. 2The opportunity page lists the invitation letter, tender specifications, financial offer form, declaration on honour, draft service framework contract, case studies annex and security requirements appendix as the relevant procurement documents.