Framework contract for provision of Interpretation and Cultural Mediation Services for Operational Activities

This summary details a tender opportunity from FRONTEX, the European Border and Coast Guard Agency, for the provision of interpretation and cultural mediation services. The estimated total value of the framework contract is €90,000,000, and it is structured into seven lots based on different geographic regions. The services are aimed at supporting FRONTEX's operational activities and require a commitment to deliver specialized interpretation and cultural mediation.

The submission deadline for tenders is set for January 30, 2026, at 16:00 UTC, with a public opening of bids on February 2, 2026, at 11:00 UTC. Contract duration is a total of 48 months, consisting of an initial 24 months with the option for one renewal period. The evaluation criteria will weigh quality at 60% and price at 40%, indicating a strong emphasis on service excellence.

Eligible applicants include service providers capable of delivering these specialized services; however, small and medium enterprises (SMEs) are explicitly not suitable. Both individual bidders and consortia can apply, requiring registration for a Personal Identification Code (PIC) to participate. Bidders are expected to provide their proposals electronically as submissions must be made through the EU Funding and Tenders Portal, with no alternative methods allowed.

The tender covers seven specific geographic lots:
- Lot 1: Romania, Bulgaria, Moldova, Georgia (€10,000,000)
- Lot 2: Greece and Cyprus (€23,000,000)
- Lot 3: Austria, Hungary, Slovenia, and various Balkan countries (€8,000,000)
- Lot 4: Italy and Malta (€24,000,000)
- Lot 5: Portugal and Spain (€19,000,000)
- Lot 6: Czech Republic, Switzerland, Germany, and other Northern European countries (€2,000,000)
- Lot 7: Finland, Baltic countries, Poland, Sweden, Norway, and Ukraine in peace time (€4,000,000)

The nature of support will be purely financial; providers will receive payments for services rendered based on an electronic payment system. There is no requirement for co-funding from contractors, making this a full-cost model. The tendering process involves several stages including an administrative compliance check and evaluations based on both quality and price propositions.

Overall, this tender presents a significant opportunity for established service providers with experience in interpretation and cultural mediation within the law enforcement and border security sectors across Europe. The competitive landscape is expected to be fierce, given the high project value and varied geographic opportunities.

This is an invitation to tender, reference FRONTEX/2025/OP/0036, for the provision and management of interpretation and cultural mediation services to support Frontex operational activities. The estimated total value of this open procedure is 90,000,000 EUR. The TED publication date is 12/12/2025. The lead contracting authority is the European Border and Coast Guard Agency (FRONTEX). The main classification (CPV) code is 79540000 Interpretation services. The submission method is electronic, and submissions must be sent exclusively at the address for submission given.

The tender is divided into seven lots:

Lot 1: Framework contract for provision of Interpretation and Cultural Mediation Services for Operational Activities in Romania, Bulgaria, Moldova and Georgia. The estimated value is 10,000,000 EUR.

Lot 2: Provision of Interpretation and Cultural Mediation Services for Operational Activities in Greece and Cyprus. The estimated value is 23,000,000 EUR.

Lot 3: Provision of Interpretation and Cultural Mediation Services for Operational Activities in Austria, Hungary, Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Albania, Kosovo. The estimated value is 8,000,000 EUR.

Lot 4: Provision of Interpretation and Cultural Mediation Services for Operational Activities in Italy and Malta. The estimated value is 24,000,000 EUR.

Lot 5: Provision of Interpretation and Cultural Mediation Services for Operational Activities in Portugal and Spain. The estimated value is 19,000,000 EUR.

Lot 6: Provision of Interpretation and Cultural Mediation Services for Operational Activities in Czech Republic, Switzerland, Germany, Netherlands, Ireland, Denmark, France, Belgium, Island, Luxembourg. The estimated value is 2,000,000 EUR.

Lot 7: Provision of Interpretation and Cultural Mediation Services for Operational Activities in Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia, Sweden, Norway, (Ukraine in peace time). The estimated value is 4,000,000 EUR.

For all lots, the nature of the contract is for services, the maximum contract duration is 48 months, and the award method is best price-quality ratio. It is a framework agreement without reopening of competition.

Key milestones include:

TED publication date: 12/12/2025
Date and time of public opening: 02/02/2026 11:00 Europe/Warsaw
Deadline for receipt of tenders: 30/01/2026 16:00 Europe/Warsaw
Contracting authority is not bound to reply to questions submitted after: 22/01/2026 07:00 Europe/Warsaw

The following documents are available for download:

Invitation to tender letter (Invitation letter, published on 12/12/2025, Version 1, All lots, No translations available)
Annex I Tender Specifications (Tender specifications, published on 12/12/2025, Version 1, All lots, No translations available)
Annex II Terms of Reference (Terms of reference, published on 12/12/2025, Version 1, All lots, No translations available)
Appendix 1a to ToR List of profiles Lots 1 7 (Terms of reference, published on 12/12/2025, Version 1, All lots, No translations available)
Appendix 1b to ToR Declaration of Exclusivity (Terms of reference, published on 12/12/2025, Version 1, All lots, No translations available)
Appendix 2 to ToR Code of Conduct (Terms of reference, published on 12/12/2025, Version 1, All lots, No translations available)
Appendix 3 Duties and Obligations for Interpreters and Cultural Mediators (Terms of reference, published on 12/12/2025, Version 1, All lots, No translations available)
Appendix 4 to ToR Statement of Compliance (Terms of reference, published on 12/12/2025, Version 1, All lots, No translations available)
Appendix 5 to ToR Declaration of Confidentiality (Terms of reference, published on 12/12/2025, Version 1, All lots, No translations available)
Appendix 6 to ToR Declaration Fit to Work (Terms of reference, published on 12/12/2025, Version 1, All lots, No translations available)

The maximum number of documents the system will allow you to upload per tender is 200 files. eSubmission accepts files that are less than 50 MB in size. 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. Until the deadline for the submission has been reached, submissions in the draft status can be edited, viewed and deleted. The 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).

This tender is for establishing framework contracts with service providers who can deliver interpretation and cultural mediation services for Frontex operations across various European countries and associated regions. Frontex requires reliable, flexible, and high-quality services to support its operational activities related to border management and security. The tender is divided into geographical lots, allowing bidders to focus on specific regions where they have expertise and resources. The contracts will be awarded based on the best price-quality ratio, and the selected providers will enter into framework agreements with Frontex. These agreements will define the terms and conditions for future service requests, ensuring that Frontex can quickly and efficiently access the interpretation and cultural mediation support it needs.

Eligible Applicant Types: The eligible applicant types are not explicitly stated in the provided text. However, given that it is a call for tenders for services, it is likely that eligible applicants include companies, service providers, and other organizations capable of providing interpretation and cultural mediation services. The requirement for a PIC (Personal Identification Code) suggests that registered organizations are the intended applicants.

Funding Type: The funding type is procurement, specifically a framework contract for services.

Consortium Requirement: The text mentions that a PIC is mandatory to participate in a call for tenders as a sole candidate/tenderer or as a member of a group (consortium). This indicates that both single applicants and consortia are eligible.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): The geographic eligibility varies depending on the lot. The lots are divided by geographic area:
Lot 1: Romania, Bulgaria, Moldova, and Georgia.
Lot 2: Greece and Cyprus.
Lot 3: Austria, Hungary, Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Albania, Kosovo.
Lot 4: Italy and Malta.
Lot 5: Portugal and Spain.
Lot 6: Czech Republic, Switzerland, Germany, Netherlands, Ireland, Denmark, France, Belgium, Island, Luxembourg.
Lot 7: Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia, Sweden, Norway, (Ukraine in peace time).

Target Sector: The target sector is interpretation and cultural mediation services.

Mentioned Countries: Romania, Bulgaria, Moldova, Georgia, Greece, Cyprus, Austria, Hungary, Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Albania, Kosovo, Italy, Malta, Portugal, Spain, Czech Republic, Switzerland, Germany, Netherlands, Ireland, Denmark, France, Belgium, Island, Luxembourg, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia, Sweden, Norway, Ukraine.

Project Stage: The project stage is operational activities, as the services are intended to support Frontex's ongoing operations.

Funding Amount: The estimated total value of the overall framework contract is 90,000,000 EUR. The estimated value per lot varies:
Lot 1: 10,000,000 EUR
Lot 2: 23,000,000 EUR
Lot 3: 8,000,000 EUR
Lot 4: 24,000,000 EUR
Lot 5: 19,000,000 EUR
Lot 6: 2,000,000 EUR
Lot 7: 4,000,000 EUR

Application Type: The application type is an open call for tenders, with electronic submission.

Nature of Support: The beneficiaries will receive money in exchange for providing interpretation and cultural mediation services.

Application Stages: The number of application stages is not explicitly stated, but it is implied that there is at least one stage involving the submission of a tender.

Success Rates: The success rates are not mentioned in the provided text.

Co-funding Requirement: The co-funding requirement is not mentioned in the provided text.

Summary:
This is a call for tenders issued by the European Border and Coast Guard Agency (FRONTEX) for the provision and management of interpretation and cultural mediation services to support its operational activities. The total estimated value of the framework contract is 90,000,000 EUR. The call is divided into seven lots, each covering a specific geographic area. The contract duration is 48 months. The award method is based on the best price-quality ratio. Submissions must be sent electronically, and the deadline for receipt of tenders is 30/01/2026 at 16:00 Europe/Warsaw. The contracting authority will not reply to questions submitted after 22/01/2026 at 07:00 Europe/Warsaw. The TED publication date is 12/12/2025, and the date and time of the public opening is 02/02/2026 at 11:00 Europe/Warsaw. Tenderers must register for a PIC (Personal Identification Code) to participate, either as a single candidate or as part of a consortium. The eSubmission system supports various file types and has a maximum attachment size of 50 MB per file and a maximum of 200 files per tender. The system supports all 24 official EU languages and uses UTF-8 character set encoding. The system encrypts all uploaded documents.