In-country support services – South Eastern Europe and Türkiye

The European Training Foundation (ETF) invites tenders for a framework contract (procedure ETF/2026/OP/0006) to provide in‑country operational, logistical, language, reimbursement and consultancy support across Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia and Türkiye, with a maximum framework ceiling of €1,000,000 and a maximum duration of 48 months. The procedure is an open procurement (CPV 79952000 – Event services) with award by best price-quality ratio weighted 60% quality and 40% price, and tenders must be submitted electronically via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal by 4 December 2026 16:00 (Europe/Rome). Eligible applicants are natural or legal persons established in the EU, ETF partner countries, Iceland, Norway, Liechtenstein or international organisations (UK tenderers excluded), and tenders must demonstrate regional coverage, relevant professional experience, financial stability and compliance with data protection, sustainability and accessibility requirements. Specific assignments will be ordered under the framework by ETF requests and agreed order forms; the €1,000,000 ceiling is not a guaranteed volume and reimbursable costs and fees must be priced in the Annex G financial scenario format.

What it funds

A framework contract to provide in‑country support services for the European Training Foundation (ETF) across Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo*, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia and Türkiye. Services include organisation of meetings and study tours, logistics and travel booking, participant reimbursement handling, language and interpretation services, ad hoc consultancy and add‑on event services (e.g. livestreaming, printing, accessibility measures).

Who can apply

Open procedure. Natural or legal persons established in the EU, ETF partner countries, Iceland, Norway or Liechtenstein and international organisations may tender. Participation possible as sole tenderer, joint tender, or with subcontractors. Tenderers must show at least three years’ relevant experience, an office/base in one of the capitals in scope and meet financial/solvency thresholds.

Funding and contract details

Key procurement facts

Practical notes for applicants

Tenders must be submitted electronically via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal (EU Login required). Offers must include administrative forms, declarations on exclusion and minimum requirements, technical proposal (team, country methodology, simulation) and financial proposal using Annex G. Selection and award criteria include technical quality (60% weight) and price (40% weight). 1

Footnotes

1. 1Full tender dossier including invitation, tender specifications, Annexes A–G and draft framework contract is available on the Funding & Tenders Portal tender page: ETF tender page.

Call and procurement summary

The European Training Foundation (ETF) has published an open call for tenders (procedure identifier ETF/2026/OP/0006, TED reference 207/2026 738917-2026) to award a framework service contract for in-country support services covering South Eastern Europe and Türkiye. The maximum overall budget for the framework contract is €1,000,000 for a maximum contract duration of 48 months. The procurement was published on 26/10/2026 with a tender submission deadline of 04/12/2026 16:00 (Europe/Rome) and a virtual public opening on 07/12/2026 10:00 (Europe/Rome). The award method is best price-quality ratio and the contract type is services (CPV 79952000 – Event services). The resulting contract is a framework agreement without reopening of competition. 1

Scope and services required

The ETF seeks a contractor able to deliver timely, high-quality in-country support services for ETF activities in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo*, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia and Türkiye. Services must be deliverable in each of the listed countries and may be performed by the contractor directly, by a joint tender group, or through subcontracting. Suppliers must be able to cooperate with national stakeholders and suppliers, respect local procedures and fiscal rules, provide up-to-date country information and operate in official local languages. Main service categories to be provided on request are: organisation of meetings; logistics organisation; handling reimbursements to participants; language services (interpretation, translation, proofreading); ad hoc consultancy services (facilitation, meeting design, speakers); and add-on services (sustainable meeting arrangements, livestreaming, media production, promotional items, branding, photographer, etc.).

Key commercial and contractual conditions

Eligibility, selection and minimum requirements

Participation is open to natural and legal persons established in the EU, ETF partner countries, Iceland, Norway, Liechtenstein and international organisations. UK tenderers are excluded. Tenderers must ensure no involved entity is subject to EU restrictive measures. The tender dossier sets out exclusion and selection criteria, documentary evidence requirements and declarations (Annex C Declaration on exclusion and selection; Annex D – Professional technical capacity; Annex E – Financial solvency; Annex F – Declaration on minimum requirements).

Award criteria and evaluation procedure

Tenders will be evaluated against quality (technical) and financial criteria. Bids not meeting minimum technical requirements will be excluded. A quality threshold applies: tenderers scoring less than 60% of available technical points for each technical award criterion will be excluded.

Application method, documents and templates

Tenders must be submitted electronically via the European Commission Funding & Tenders Portal eSubmission system. A valid EU Login account and organisation PIC are required. The tender dossier includes 14 downloadable documents (Invitation, Tender specifications SEET, Annexes A–G, Draft contract, Appendices on green guidelines etc.). Annex A provides the tender checklist and contact details; Annex C is the mandatory Declaration on exclusion and selection criteria; Annex F is the minimum requirements declaration; Annex G contains the scenario and financial proposal template and a scenario calculator that must be completed and signed. Annex D and Annex E are templates for professional/technical capacity and financial stability information. Use of a qualified electronic signature is recommended for signed documents. Late submissions are rejected; tenderers may withdraw or replace tenders before the deadline. Questions via the Portal Q&A are allowed up to the published cut-off date.

Consortium, subcontracting and procurement structure

The contract may be delivered by a sole contractor, a joint tender ( consortium ) or by a contractor using subcontractors. In joint offers partners assume joint and several liability. The tender must specify lead partner, share of work, and provide powers of attorney and partner details. Subcontracting exceeding 10% of contract value requires additional documentation (identity, roles, responsibilities and letters of intent). Tender evaluation considers combined capacities of joint tender members. Subcontractors may be from non-eligible countries; however, exclusion/selection criteria apply to tenderer and subcontractors exceeding 10%.

Project stage and expected maturity

Target sectors and themes

The contract supports ETF activities in human capital, skills, education and training, labour market policy and related areas in the South Eastern Europe and Türkiye region. The service sector focus is events and meeting services, logistics, language services, consultancy and communications. Sustainability, accessibility and data protection are cross-cutting requirements.

Geographic eligibility and mentioned countries

Eligible candidates are established in EU Member States, ETF partner countries (including the full ETF partner list), Iceland, Norway and Liechtenstein and international organisations. The countries explicitly covered for service delivery are Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo* (designation per UNSCR 1244 and ICJ opinion), Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia and Türkiye.

Funding type, nature of support and co-funding

Application stages and success rates

Templates and application forms

The procurement package includes mandatory templates and annexes to be completed and uploaded through eSubmission: Annex A tender checklist; Annex B1/B2/B3 business and partner identification templates; Annex C Declaration on exclusion and selection criteria (signed); Annex D Professional technical capacity form (table of past services); Annex E Financial solvency table (financial stability data for last two financial years); Annex F Declaration on minimum requirements (signed); Annex G Scenario and financial proposal (Excel workbook with financial rates, scenario calculator and price totals). The technical proposal must include contract manager and financial manager profiles, a country methodology, and a detailed simulation for one specified regional meeting (scenario provided in the Tender specifications). The contractor must use Annex G to show service fee rates, booking fees, language service rates, consultancy daily fees and percentage handling fee for add-ons. The tender checklist in Annex A itemises required documents to ensure completeness before submission.

Administrative and procurement timelines (key dates)

Practical and operational notes for bidders

Bidders must register in the Participant Register to obtain a PIC and have an EU Login account to submit electronically. Attachments must follow eSubmission system requirements (file size limits and naming). The tender must be in an official EU language (English documents are the authentic language version for this procedure). The tender checklist requires signed Legal Entity Form, Declaration on honour (Annex C), Declaration on minimum requirements (Annex F), completed Annex D and E data and the Annex G financial scenario. For joint tenders, provide power of attorney to the lead member and clarify the percentage of work and subcontractor involvement. Subcontracting above 10% requires a subcontractor table and letters of intent. Qualified electronic signature (QES) is recommended for signed documents; handwritten signatures accepted but originals must be sent on request.

The contracting authority explicitly requires compliance with green, inclusion and safety policies for events. Bidders must propose methodologies and monitoring indicators for reducing environmental impact (Appendix I and II Annexes provide EC and ETF green guidelines) and must ensure cloud-based tools and data storage comply with data localisation and access rules in the draft contract. Use of AI must be declared and comply with Regulation (EU) 2024/1689. Financial reporting and supporting documents (participant lists, logistics list, proof of payments, invoices from subcontractors) will be required with final invoices; payment terms and documentation requirements are in the Tender specifications (Annexes and Draft contract).

Structured extraction — categorisation answers

Footnotes

1. 1Full procurement documents, annexes and draft contract are available on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal tender details page for ETF/2026/OP/0006 and the TED notice 738917-2026. See the ETF tender page for downloads and submission instructions.

Funding and Procurement Opportunity Report

Opportunity overview

The European Training Foundation is procuring a contractor to provide in-country operational, logistical, language, reimbursement and consultancy support for ETF activities in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia and Türkiye. This is a public procurement opportunity for services, not a grant scheme. The successful contractor will be paid for services ordered under a framework agreement, subject to ETF requests, approved budgets and specific contracts or order forms.

The authoritative procurement record is available through the EU Funding and Tenders Portal. The procedure reference is ETF/2026/OP/0006 and the TED reference is 207/2026, 738917-2026.

Contracting authority and procurement profile

The contracting authority is the European Training Foundation, an EU agency based in Turin, Italy. The contract is classified principally under CPV 79952000, Event services. The procedure is an open procedure for service procurement and is intended to establish a framework agreement without reopening competition.

The framework agreement is expected to operate from approximately March 2027 to February 2031. The maximum contractual period is 48 months, structured as an initial 12 month period with up to three renewals. The maximum available budget over the full framework period is €1,000,000.

The €1,000,000 amount is a maximum framework ceiling and not a guaranteed award, grant or minimum purchase commitment. ETF is not legally required to issue any specific order under the framework. Individual assignments may be cancelled where the parties do not agree on the services, budget or implementation arrangements.

Key procurement facts

The award method is best price quality ratio. The available evaluation weighting is 60 percent for quality and 40 percent for price. The tender validity period is six months. The contract is not divided into geographic lots, so the successful contractor must be able to coordinate delivery across all seven countries.

Key dates and deadlines

The procurement documents indicate publication on 26 October 2026. The deadline for receipt of tenders is 4 December 2026 at 16:00 local time in Europe/Rome. The planned electronic public opening is 7 December 2026 at 10:00 Europe/Rome. Requests for clarification should be submitted through the Funding and Tenders Portal no later than 26 November 2026. The contracting authority is not bound to answer questions received less than six working days before the tender deadline.

An earlier date appearing in some metadata should not be treated as the operative tender deadline. Tenderers should rely on the current deadline shown in the official procurement notice and any subsequent corrigendum published in the portal.

Scope of services

The contractor will provide services when requested by ETF. The main service categories are listed below.

Service categories

Meeting delivery requirements

Meetings may be held face to face, online or in hybrid format. They may take place in national capitals, other regions or provinces, or outside the region in the case of study tours. Typical meetings range from half a day to five days, with an average duration of approximately one and a half days.

The meeting size categories are small for up to 25 participants, medium for 26 to 60 participants and large for 61 to 120 participants. Meetings above 120 participants may also be requested. Study tours normally last three to five days and generally involve approximately 20 to 30 participants.

The contractor will normally be required to provide at least one team member on site. The related staff effort is included in the applicable service fee, while approved travel, accommodation and subsistence expenses may be reimbursed under ETF rules.

Participant categories may include guests whose participation costs are covered by ETF, self-funded participants, locally based participants and ETF staff. The contractor must be able to manage invitations, registration, travel, accommodation, transfers, visa support, onsite assistance and post-event reporting according to the participant category.

Geographic and language coverage

The contractor must be capable of providing services in every country covered by the contract. Capability may be delivered directly by one provider, through a joint tender, through subcontracting or through a combination of these arrangements. The main working languages identified in the specifications are Albanian, Bosnian, Croatian, Serbian, Montenegrin, Macedonian, Turkish and English. Other languages may be requested occasionally.

The tenderer must demonstrate access to local suppliers, interpreters, venues, transport providers and other operational resources. It must also be able to provide current country information, cooperate with national authorities and stakeholders, and comply with local procedures, authorisations and formal government communication requirements.

Who can apply

Participation is open to natural and legal persons established in the European Union, ETF partner countries, Iceland, Norway and Liechtenstein, as well as international organisations. UK tenderers are expressly excluded from participation according to the tender specifications.

The opportunity is most suitable for event management companies, conference and logistics providers, professional congress organisers, travel and participant management companies, language service providers and consortiums with regional delivery capability. Organisations without full coverage of all seven countries may participate if they establish a credible joint tender or subcontracting structure.

The procurement documents indicate that the opportunity is not formally identified as SME suitable. This does not prevent SMEs from applying, but smaller organisations will likely need to demonstrate strong coordination capacity or form a consortium with complementary country and service capabilities.

Required organisational capability

The tenderer should have an office or permanent base in one of the capitals of the countries covered by the contract. It must also have an organisational structure and competent personnel capable of ensuring service continuity at national, regional and multi-country level.

The proposed team should demonstrate experience in complex meeting and logistics organisation, hybrid and online meeting delivery, participant engagement tools, social media, interpreter management and regional supplier coordination. Advanced competence with Microsoft Office, Microsoft Teams, Zoom, Mentimeter, Mural or equivalent tools is expected.

The tenderer must appoint a contract manager as the principal ETF contact. The contract manager will coordinate requests, monitor delivery, communicate with ETF, advise on service improvements and submit reports and invoices. A financial manager must also be appointed to prepare assignment budgets, monitor expenditure, manage payment requests and coordinate with ETF finance staff.

Language capability must include excellent written and spoken English at minimum C1 level and working knowledge across the relevant regional languages among the proposed team. The contractor must normally respond quickly to ETF requests, with the specifications indicating that responses are usually expected within 24 hours.

Professional experience requirements

The tender dossier requires evidence of professional and technical capacity. Annex D requests information on relevant previous meetings and assignments, including meeting title, description, dates, duration, country, value, type of requesting organisation, participant numbers, participant countries and stakeholders involved.

Consultancy personnel acting as facilitators or speakers must have at least five years of relevant professional experience. Personnel providing operational meeting design and organisation consultancy must have at least three years of relevant professional experience.

Financial and economic capacity

Tenderers must complete the financial stability table using data from the last two closed financial statements. The form requests short-term assets, short-term debt and turnover for the relevant financial years. The ETF may verify the submitted figures against the underlying financial statements.

The financial stability form identifies a general liquidity ratio requirement of at least 1, calculated as short-term assets divided by short-term debt. Tenderers should examine the complete tender specifications and Annex E for the precise evidence and assessment rules before submission.

Exclusion, selection and compliance requirements

Environmental, inclusion and safety obligations

The technical offer should explain how the tenderer will reduce the environmental impact of meetings and how it will monitor and report environmental performance indicators and targets. Relevant expectations include reduced carbon emissions, efficient use of energy, water and paper, waste reduction and sustainable procurement.

The contractor may need to arrange accessible venues, accessible communications, inclusive registration, suitable signage, quiet areas, accessible stages and seating, gender inclusive communications and catering that accommodates cultural, religious, medical and dietary requirements. Additional costs for special arrangements may be treated as add-on services where approved by ETF.

The contractor must follow ETF security instructions based on country risk assessments. It must also apply secure practices for online meetings, remote participation, livestreaming and digital communications.

Data protection and digital tools

The contractor, consortium partners and subcontractors may process participant and stakeholder personal data. They must implement suitable technical and organisational security measures, assist ETF with data subject rights and breach obligations, support audits and cooperate with data protection impact assessments where required.

Cloud based systems used for event management, online meetings, surveys, event websites or livestreaming must comply with the draft contract requirements concerning data storage, access and transfers. Personal data will generally need to remain in data centres located within the European Union and European Economic Area, subject to the specific contractual provisions and lawful transfer requirements.

Use of artificial intelligence tools must be coordinated with ETF and comply with quality, confidentiality and methodological requirements, as well as Regulation 2024/1689. Tenderers should disclose relevant AI enabled processes and explain how human quality control, confidentiality and data protection will be maintained.

Framework operation and payment model

The framework does not provide a fixed work programme. ETF will issue requests for services describing the required activity, timetable and relevant information. The contractor will then provide a service description, delivery timetable and detailed budget breakdown covering fees, reimbursable costs and any other relevant charges.

Once the service and budget are agreed, the assignment will be documented through a specific contract or order form. The contractor must not exercise discretionary judgement that creates additional costs or exceptions without prior ETF approval. Evidence of approvals must be retained and linked to payment claims.

Participant reimbursements requested under the contract must generally be paid within 30 days of the relevant meeting date. Applicable per diem and reimbursement rates will be based on ETF rules provided after contract signature. ETF assignment budgets may include service fees, supplier costs, approved reimbursable expenses and handling percentages for add-on services.

There is no general funding rate or co-financing percentage because this is a procurement contract. Tenderers should price the required financial proposal and service rates in the formats specified by ETF, including all general administrative costs that should be incorporated into the relevant fees.

Submission requirements

Tenders must be submitted exclusively through the electronic submission system available from the Funding and Tenders Portal. Email, postal submissions and other delivery methods will be disregarded. A tender received after the deadline will be rejected.

Each organisation participating as a sole tenderer, consortium member or relevant subcontractor must register in the European Commission Participant Register and obtain or identify its nine digit Participant Identification Code. An EU Login account is required for electronic submission.

The tender should include the following core documents.

Documents must be submitted in one of the official languages of the European Union. The procurement documents are published in English and the English version is the authentic version. Documents should be signed by authorised representatives. A qualified electronic signature is recommended, although the tender dossier also describes a handwritten signature route where a qualified electronic signature is unavailable.

Evaluation and winning strategy

Because quality represents 60 percent of the award weighting, the strongest tender should focus on operational credibility rather than price alone. The technical proposal should provide a detailed delivery model for all seven countries, named personnel, response procedures, supplier and interpreter networks, escalation arrangements, quality controls, reporting templates and continuity measures.

The tender should clearly demonstrate the ability to deliver simultaneously across several countries, manage complex participant categories, support visa and travel processes, operate hybrid events, handle reimbursements accurately and provide reliable local language coverage.

The financial offer should be internally consistent with the technical methodology and should clearly distinguish fixed service fees, reimbursable costs, language service rates, consultancy rates, add-on handling percentages and any assumptions. Underpricing that cannot support rapid regional delivery could create a material performance risk.

Key risks for applicants

Recommended applicant preparation plan

Overall assessment

This is a substantial regional framework opportunity for an established event, logistics or professional conference services provider with strong local networks in the Western Balkans and Türkiye. It is commercially attractive because of the four year potential and broad service scope, but it has no guaranteed volume and places a high operational burden on the contractor.

The opportunity is best suited to a lead contractor that can demonstrate regional coordination, reliable local implementation partners, multilingual staff, financial stability, rapid response capacity and robust compliance systems. A consortium or structured subcontracting model is likely to be appropriate for applicants that cannot provide every service directly in every country.

The definitive requirements are contained in the invitation letter, tender specifications, draft framework contract and annexes published in the official portal. Applicants should treat those documents and any subsequent portal updates as controlling over summary metadata or secondary descriptions.

Footnotes

1. 1In-country support services, South Eastern Europe and Türkiye