Harmonising the implementation of EU legal requirements in the fields of the Official Controls Regulation, Border Controls, and the Trade Control and Expert System (TRACES) through the 'Better Training for Safer Food' Initiative

This opportunity is a public procurement contract, specifically a call for tenders labeled HADEA/2025/OP/0036, issued by the Health and Digital Executive Agency (HaDEA). The objective is to organize and implement training activities related to Official Controls Regulation, Border Controls, and the Trade Control and Expert System (TRACES) under the "Better Training for Safer Food" Initiative. The estimated total value of the contract is €3,900,000, and the contract duration is set for 60 months, divided into two phases of 30 months each.

Eligible applicants can include a range of economic operators such as training providers, educational institutions, consulting firms, and other organizations with expertise in the relevant areas. The application type is an open call for tenders, and participation requires a Personal Identification Code (PIC), which is needed whether submitting as a single tenderer or as part of a consortium.

The primary beneficiaries of the training services will be EU Member States and Candidate Countries, alongside some non-EU countries classified as EU Neighbourhood countries, aiming to ensure compliance with EU legislation and support EU strategic objectives. The key target sector includes training services related to food safety and regulatory compliance.

The task execution will be based on harmonizing the implementation of EU legislation, providing training on new legislation, protecting against animal diseases, and promoting sustainable food systems. The award will be determined based on the best price-quality ratio, and tender proposals must be submitted electronically by October 28, 2025, at 16:00 Europe/Brussels. The overall submission process is straightforward, involving a single stage where tenderers must electronically submit complete proposals, including technical and financial documents.

The estimated outcome emphasizes the importance of operational capacity and relevant expertise, particularly in delivering training services across multiple jurisdictions in compliance with EU standards. The electronic submission system supports various file types and languages, ensuring security and confidentiality through encryption.

HADEA 2025 OP 0036 is an invitation to tender for the organisation and implementation of training activities on Official Controls Regulation, Border Controls, and the Trade Control and Expert System (TRACES) through the 'Better Training for Safer Food' Initiative. The procedure identifier is HADEA/2025/OP/0036. The TED reference is 148/2025 511596-2025. The submission method is electronic, and the call is open for submission. The execution of the tasks will be divided into two separate phases of 30 months each.

The main objectives of this call for tender are: harmonising the implementation of Union legislation in the areas of the call, provision of training on any new and upcoming legislation, protecting the Union from animal diseases, promoting sustainable food systems, supporting DG SANTE priorities and enhancing global recognition of EU standards. The main beneficiaries will be EU Member States and Candidate Countries, with some non-EU countries (EU Neighbourhood countries), which will be also covered based on European Commission strategic objectives.

The procedure type is an open procedure. The estimated total value is 3,900,000 EUR. The TED publication date is 05/08/2025. The lead contracting authority is the Health and Digital Executive Agency (HaDEA). The main classification (CPV) is 80500000 Training services. The nature of the contract is for services. The maximum contract duration is 60 months. The award method is the best price-quality ratio. There is no framework agreement.

Key milestones include: TED publication date: 05/08/2025, Date and time of public opening: 29/10/2025 14:30 Europe/Brussels, Deadline for receipt of tenders: 28/10/2025 16:00 Europe/Brussels, and the Contracting authority is not bound to reply to questions submitted after 20/10/2025 06:00 Europe/Brussels.

The following documents are available for download:
EN01. HADEA 2025 OP 0036 Invitation to tender Invitation letter Published on 05/08/2025 Version 1 No translations available
EN02. HADEA 2025 OP 0036 Draft Service Contract Draft contract Published on 05/08/2025 Version 1 No translations available
EN02a. HADEA 2025 OP 0036 Appendix I Draft contract annex Published on 05/08/2025 Version 1 No translations available
EN03. HADEA 2025 OP 0036 Technical specifications Tender specifications Published on 05/08/2025 Version 1 No translations available
EN04. HADEA 2025 OP 0036 Declaration on Honour Declaration on honour (tender) Published on 05/08/2025 Version 1 No translations available
EN05. HADEA 2025 OP 0036 Financial Offer Form Financial offer form Published on 05/08/2025 Version 1 No translations available

Submissions must be sent exclusively at the address for submission given. The submission method is electronic.

Regarding questions and answers, any public Q&A is available.

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Where can I find my submissions in Manage My Area, in the Funding & Tenders portal? Depending on the type or step of procedure, you can find the submissions in one of these sections: In ‘My Submission(s)’: tenders in response to open calls for tenders, requests to participate.
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In the submission report, under the name of our entity, "Legal form: UNKNOWN" is displayed while in the system, our legal form was correctly displayed. Is this a problem for the submission? No, it is just a display issue. This is not blocking for you: you can submit.
I sent my submission on time and a few days later, I received an automatic email informing me that the deadline for the reception of submissions had been reached. Does this mean that my submission was not correctly sent? No, this is an auto-generated notification sent when the time limit of receipt defined for the call for tenders has been reached. Until then, you had the possibility of withdrawing.

In summary, this is a call for tenders issued by the Health and Digital Executive Agency (HaDEA) to find a contractor to organize and implement training activities related to food safety and border controls within the EU. The goal is to harmonize the implementation of EU laws, provide training on new legislation, protect against animal diseases, promote sustainable food systems, and enhance EU standards globally. The training will primarily benefit EU Member States and Candidate Countries, but may also include some non-EU neighboring countries. The contract is worth 3.9 million EUR and will last for 60 months, divided into two 30-month phases. The selection will be based on the best price-quality ratio. Interested parties must submit their tenders electronically by October 28, 2025, and must have a Personal Identification Code (PIC). The eSubmission system supports various file types and languages, and encrypts uploaded documents for security.

Eligible Applicant Types: The eligible applicant types are not explicitly stated, but given that it is a call for tenders for training services, eligible applicants could include training providers, educational institutions, consulting firms, and other organizations with expertise in the relevant areas.

Funding Type: The funding type is procurement, specifically a service contract.

Consortium Requirement: The text mentions that a 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 suggests that both single applicants and consortia are eligible.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): The main beneficiaries will be EU Member States and Candidate Countries, with some non-EU countries (EU Neighbourhood countries), which will be also covered based on European Commission strategic objectives.

Target Sector: The target sector is training services related to food safety, official controls, border controls, and trade control systems. This includes agriculture/food, and potentially security/cybersecurity due to border controls.

Mentioned Countries: EU Member States, EU Candidate Countries, EU Neighbourhood countries.

Project Stage: The project stage is implementation, as the tender is for the organization and implementation of training activities.

Funding Amount: The estimated total value is 3,900,000 EUR.

Application Type: The application type is an open call for tenders.

Nature of Support: Beneficiaries will receive money in exchange for providing services, specifically training services.

Application Stages: The number of application stages is not explicitly mentioned, but it involves at least one stage of submitting a tender.

Success Rates: The success rates are not mentioned.

Co-funding Requirement: The co-funding requirement is not mentioned.

Summary:

This is a call for tenders, HADEA/2025/OP/0036, published on August 5, 2025, by the Health and Digital Executive Agency (HaDEA). The tender is for the organization and implementation of training activities related to Official Controls Regulation, Border Controls, and the Trade Control and Expert System (TRACES) under the 'Better Training for Safer Food' Initiative. The estimated total value of the contract is 3,900,000 EUR, and the maximum contract duration is 60 months, divided into two phases of 30 months each. The main objectives are to harmonize the implementation of EU legislation, provide training on new legislation, protect the EU from animal diseases, promote sustainable food systems, support DG SANTE priorities, and enhance global recognition of EU standards. The main beneficiaries are EU Member States and Candidate Countries, with potential inclusion of EU Neighbourhood countries. The submission method is electronic, with a deadline for receipt of tenders on October 28, 2025, at 16:00 Europe/Brussels. The award method is based on the best price-quality ratio. Tenderers must submit their proposals electronically and should consult the provided documents, including the invitation to tender, draft service contract, technical specifications, declaration on honor, and financial offer form. A Personal Identification Code (PIC) is mandatory for participation, whether as a single tenderer 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 limit of 200 files per tender. The system is multilingual, supporting all 24 official EU languages, and uses encryption to ensure data integrity and confidentiality.