Framework contract for peer reviews and mutual learning

The European Commission DG EMPL is procuring a service framework contract to organise and provide methodological and analytical support for peer reviews and mutual learning activities in employment, social affairs and inclusion. The contract covers event organisation, facilitation methodology, drafting short analytical papers and follow-up summaries, survey aggregation, and related logistical services. The estimated total value is €15,000,000 with a planned execution period of 48 months. Electronic tenders must be submitted via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal by 21 September 2026, using the provided technical and financial templates and complying with the tender specifications.

Tender — DG EMPL (European Commission)

What it funds

A framework contract to organise mutual learning activities (peer reviews, mutual learning workshops) and provide methodological and analytical support (event logistics, short supporting papers, summaries of follow-up actions, templates and related deliverables).

Who can apply:Economic operators able to enter into EU public service contracts: service providers, consultancies, event organisers and consortia with relevant experience in policy peer review and mutual learning events, analytical writing and event logistics ¹.

1. 1Scope: organisation, methodology and analytical support for peer review and mutual learning events
2. 2Contract type: framework agreement (services), single lot (LOT-0001)
3. 3Eligible bidders: companies, consultancies, NGOs or consortia able to meet procurement selection criteria

Award will be based on quality (60) and price (40) weighting. Documents and templates (technical specifications, draft contract, annexes, financial forms) are published on the portal; submissions are electronic.

Footnotes

1. 1Full procurement documents and application instructions: Tender details.

Opportunity summary

The European Commission, Directorate-General for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion (DG EMPL), has published a tender for a framework contract to provide organisation, methodological and analytical support for mutual learning activities. These activities include peer reviews and mutual learning workshops and cover logistics, facilitation methodology, drafting short analytical papers (e.g. peer country and host country discussion papers and thematic discussion papers), summaries of follow-up actions, aggregation of surveys, travel and accommodation rules, and other event-related deliverables.

Contract nature and duration:This is a public procurement for services implemented as a framework contract (framework agreement) with a planned execution period of 48 months. The estimated overall contract amount is €15,000,000. The procurement is managed by the European Commission, DG EMPL, and is implemented through the Funding & Tenders Portal eSubmission process ¹.

Key administrative details

Call identifier EC-EMPL/2026/OP/0013. Procedure type:public procurement (framework agreement). Main CPV codes: 79315000 (conference, congress and trade show management services) and 79000000 (other professional services). Submission method: electronic eSubmission via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal. Invitation/publication date: 24 July 2026. Deadline / Closing date: 21 September 2026 at 16:00:59 (Brussels time). A public open tendering process applies with an open tender event scheduled on 23 September 2026 for administrative formalities.

1. 1Estimated total procedure value: €15,000,000 (estimated overall contract amount).
2. 2Planned contract duration: 48 months (framework with possible use orders).
3. 3Submission: mandatory electronic submission through the Funding & Tenders Portal (ESUBMISSION).
4. 4Open tender event / live meeting: 23 September 2026 (time/date included in tendering documents).
5. 5Additional information request period: ends 11 September 2026.

Answers to categorisation and extraction questions

Eligible Applicant Types:Eligible tenderers are service providers able to perform event management, facilitation and analytical support services. Typical eligible applicant types include SMEs, large enterprises, consultancies, conference and event management companies, research institutes, universities, non-profit organisations or consortia thereof that meet the selection and qualification criteria set out in the procurement documents. The tender documentation includes a Declaration on Honour and specific selection criteria; the procurement is not SME-targeted (smeSuitableIndicator=false), so both SMEs and larger entities may apply.

Funding Type:This is a procurement (service contract) implemented as a framework contract / framework agreement. It is not a grant, loan or equity instrument. Contracting results in paid service contracts (procurement payments).

Consortium Requirement:The tender documents allow submission by tenderers that may be single legal entities or economic operators acting in a consortium / joint tender (as commonly permitted in EU procurement). The tendering terms include specific tenderer qualification requests and selection criteria; applicants should consult the Tender Specifications and administrative parts to confirm whether subcontracting and consortium/joint bid arrangements require additional forms or lead partner specification.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility):The contracting authority is the European Commission (DG EMPL). The procurement is published on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal and is targeted at suppliers able to contract with the European Commission. While no specific list of eligible countries is shown in the scraped text, the contracting authority is EU-based and the procurement follows EU procurement rules. Applicants are therefore expected to be established in EU Member States or be able to enter into a contract with the European Commission in accordance with procurement rules; consult the invitation to tender and tender specifications for exact eligibility by country.

Target Sector:The tender is targeted at professional services related to public policy mutual learning and event management, specifically: employment, social affairs and inclusion policy support; peer review facilitation; workshop and mutual learning event organisation; knowledge synthesis and short analytical papers. CPV classifications indicate conference and event management and related professional services.

Mentioned Countries:No individual countries are explicitly mentioned in the scraped content. The opportunity is published by an EU institution (European Commission, DG EMPL) and is intended for suppliers contracting with the EU (Member States / EU legal framework).

Project Stage:This procurement targets operational delivery and implementation: organisation and delivery of events, facilitation and drafting of analytical outputs. The required maturity is operational/service delivery rather than early-stage research or ideation. Suitable bidders should be capable of immediate implementation, logistics, facilitation and production of short analytical outputs and follow-up documentation.

Funding Amount:Estimated overall contract amount: €15,000,000 for the full framework (over the planned 48-month period). Individual call-off orders will be issued under the framework; the documents include financial offer templates and invoicing method spreadsheets to prepare pricing.

Application Type:Open competitive tender via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal eSubmission system (Funding and Tenders Portal). The call is publicly advertised and allows submissions up to the published deadline. The submission method code is ESUBMISSION and the access tools URI is the portal page for the tender.

Nature of Support:Successful tenderer(s) will receive monetary remuneration under service contracts (procurement payments) for the delivery of services specified in the framework contract. The opportunity does not provide non-monetary support as the primary benefit.

Application Stages:Typical stages in this procurement: 1) Preparation and electronic submission of tender (administrative and technical offers plus financial offer forms); 2) Administrative and selection/qualification evaluation; 3) Technical and price evaluation (award criteria split quality 60% and price 40% as indicated in awarding terms); 4) Contract award and signature; 5) Ordering/call-off and execution under the framework. For tenderers this generally means 3 to 4 evaluation stages prior to award.

Success Rates:No success rate or number of expected winners is provided in the scraped content. Success probabilities depend on the number and quality of bids received. The estimated overall value and the fact this is a framework award suggests a limited number of contracts may be awarded, but tender specifications must be consulted for exact award scheme and number of successful economic operators.

Co-funding Requirement:No co-funding from applicants is required. This is a service procurement: the Commission will pay contractors according to the contract terms and invoicing method. The procurement documents and draft contract set out invoicing rules and payment conditions.

Application templates and required documents (available in tender package)

The tender package includes a comprehensive set of templates and annexes. Bidders must download and use the provided templates and follow the technical and administrative specifications. Key documents included in the publication are listed below and should be reviewed in full before tender submission.

1. 101 EN-Invitation to tender (full invitation and general instructions).
2. 202 Declaration-of-honour-tenders (DOCX) — required form to confirm exclusion and eligibility.
3. 303 TS Part 1 administrative (Tender specifications - administrative part).
4. 404 TS Part 2 technical (Technical specifications with detailed tasks, deliverables and quality requirements).
5. 505 Annex 6A VT-2026-014 financial offer (Excel) — financial offer template.
6. 606 Annex €06Binvoicing method (Excel) — invoicing model and reporting requirements.
7. 707 Draft Contract (PDF) — draft framework contract text and key contractual clauses.
8. 808 Annex IV statements-ipr (PDF) — IPR and statements annex.
9. 909 Annex V annex-vat (PDF) — VAT-related annex.
10. 1010 FWC-Appendix 2 Security requirements (PDF) — security and confidentiality rules.
11. 1111 Annex 8 Example of a guidance note for a peer review (PDF) — methodological example.
12. 1212 Annex 9 Example agenda for mutual learning workshop (PDF) — sample agenda.
13. 1313 Annex 10 Example of thematic discussion paper (PDF) — example of analytical output.
14. 1414 Annex 11 Example of host country discussion paper (PDF) — example deliverable.
15. 1515 Annex 12 Example of peer country discussion paper (PDF) — example deliverable.
16. 1616 Annex 13 Template questions for EaSI funded procurements (PDF) — survey/template questions.
17. 1717 Annex 14 Aggregation of EaSI surveys (PDF) — methodology for survey aggregation.
18. 1818 Annex 15 Rules applying to travel and accommodation expenses (PDF) — reimbursement rules and caps.

Evaluation and award

Awarding criteria are explicitly split between quality and price. The procurement metadata indicates weighting of 60% quality and 40% price. Tenderers must deliver both a technical offer addressing the technical specifications and quality requirements, and a financial offer using the provided financial offer template. Administrative compliance and the Declaration on Honour are mandatory. The technical specification annexes contain methodological expectations and example deliverables that must be matched in the technical proposal.

The draft contract and annexes set out rules on security, invoicing, VAT, intellectual property, and travel and accommodation reimbursement. Bidders should verify contractual clauses and ensure compliance with EU contractual and security requirements before submission.

Where to apply and how to find the documents:All submissions must be made electronically on the Funding & Tenders Portal. Tender documents and annexes are attached to the tender notice on the portal; financial offer templates and invoicing spreadsheets are provided as downloadable attachments. The procurement record and document references are available on the official notice page Framework contract for peer reviews and mutual learning ¹.

Practical recommendations for applicants

1) Download and read all Tender Specifications (administrative and technical parts), the Draft Contract and all annexes. 2) Use the provided financial offer template and invoicing spreadsheet to produce compliant pricing. 3) Complete the Declaration on Honour and any required selection forms. 4) Prepare clear evidence of capacity to deliver events, facilitation, short analytical papers and post-event follow-up (references, team CVs, methodologies). 5) Ensure compliance with security, VAT and travel rules set in the annexes. 6) Submit electronically via the Funding & Tenders Portal before the deadline.

This tender is suitable for organisations with proven experience in EU-level event facilitation, policy-oriented peer reviews and short-format analytical outputs for public authorities. Given the weighting of quality and the public policy focus, emphasise methodological approach, quality assurance, track record in EU policy mutual learning events and capacity to produce timely deliverables.

General summary

The European Commission (DG EMPL) is procuring a framework contract to organise and support mutual learning activities (peer reviews and workshops) across topics linked to employment, social affairs and inclusion. The contract covers methodological design, logistics and analytical support (discussion papers, summaries, aggregation of surveys, follow-up notes, and related tasks). Estimated value is €15,000,000 over 48 months. Interested providers must submit an electronic tender via the Funding & Tenders Portal by 21 September 2026, using the supplied technical and financial templates and complying with the administrative and contractual requirements included in the tender package. Bidders should prepare a quality-focused technical proposal (quality 60%) and a compliant financial offer (price 40%), and must consult the provided annexes and draft contract to ensure full compliance with procurement, invoicing and security rules.

Footnotes

1. 1Tender documents, templates and the invitation to tender are published on the Funding & Tenders Portal at the opportunity page. Consult the official procurement record for full documentation and submission instructions.

This is an EU procurement tender for a service framework contract supporting DG EMPL peer reviews and mutual learning activities in employment, social affairs and inclusion. The available sources indicate that this work covers event organisation, methodology support, and analytical support for follow up actions.[1][22][16]

Purpose and scope

DG EMPL uses mutual learning instruments such as peer reviews and workshops to support policy exchange and learning, and similar framework contracts have been used to organise and provide content for these activities over multi year periods.[1][22]

Who can apply

Participation is open to economic operators, meaning any natural or legal person able to provide the services, and to international organisations within the scope of the Treaties. The exact eligibility, exclusion, and selection criteria must be checked in the tender documents.[16]

Key facts

Practical points for bidders

• Check whether the official dossier allows single bidders, consortia, or both.
• Confirm the final submission date and time on the official portal because third party mirrors may not reflect all updates.
• Verify the contract duration, maximum value, award criteria, and any lot structure in the tender specifications.
• Prepare evidence of relevant experience in facilitation, policy analysis, event logistics, and drafting outputs for mutual learning activities.

The retrieved sources did not expose the full tender dossier, so the exact duration, ceiling value, award criteria, and any lot structure should be confirmed in the official procurement documents before submission.