Indicative, non-exhaustive list of conflict affected and high-risk areas (the CAHRA list) under Regulation (EU) 2017/821 - responsible sourcing of minerals

The European Commission, specifically DG TRADE, has announced a call for tenders with the identifier EC-TRADE/2025/OP/0006. This tender aims to establish and maintain an indicative, non-exhaustive list of conflict-affected and high-risk areas (CAHRAs) as mandated by Regulation (EU) 2017/821, which deals with responsible sourcing of minerals. The estimated total value of the service contract is €400,000, and the maximum duration is 48 months.

Key details include that the contract falls under the procurementTypeCode for services. The project scope encompasses the identification, establishment, and regular updates of the CAHRA list, which supports EU mineral due diligence and enhances transparency in mineral supply chains by mitigating risks related to conflict financing.

Eligible applicants can include service providers with expertise in conflict analysis and mineral supply chain research, consultancies, and research institutions, with no specific restrictions on the type or size of organizations. However, the notice indicates that SMEs may not be specifically targeted.

Geographically, the opportunity is generally open to entities from EU member states and potentially associated countries, but it lacks explicit restrictions, indicating broader eligibility.

The application process involves electronic submission, with the call being open until September 22, 2025, at 14:00 CET. It operates on a single-stage process where submissions will be evaluated primarily based on quality (70%) and price (30%). The contracting authority has no obligation to answer questions submitted after September 12, 2025, at 05:00 CET.

Important documents related to the tender will include an invitation letter, tender specifications, a declaration of honour, and financial offer forms, which will be available for download during the submission period.

The eSubmission system requires compliance with specific technical standards, such as file size limits (maximum 50 MB per file) and format specifications, and supports all 24 official EU languages, ensuring security through document encryption. A Personal Identification Code (PIC) is mandatory for participating, whether as an individual applicant or as part of a consortium.

In summary, this tender provides a significant opportunity for targeted consultancies or research entities focused on geopolitical risk assessment to engage with the EU's objective of improving the governance of mineral supply chains in relation to conflict-sensitive areas, with a clear financial framework and established evaluation criteria.

The European Commission, DG TRADE - Trade, has published a call for tenders with procedure identifier EC-TRADE/2025/OP/0006. The call is for an indicative, non-exhaustive list of conflict-affected and high-risk areas (the CAHRA list) under Regulation (EU) 2017/821 - responsible sourcing of minerals. The TED reference is 136/2025 471018-2025.

This is an open procedure, and submissions must be sent electronically. The estimated total value is 400,000 EUR. The TED publication date is 18/07/2025. The main classification (CPV) code is 79400000 - Business and management consultancy and related services. The nature of the contract is for services, with a maximum contract duration of 48 months. The award method is best price-quality ratio. No framework agreement is mentioned.

Key milestones include: TED publication date: 18/07/2025, Date and time of public opening: 23/09/2025 14:00 Europe/Brussels, Deadline for receipt of tenders: 22/09/2025 14:00 Europe/Brussels. The contracting authority is not bound to reply to questions submitted after 12/09/2025 05:00 Europe/Brussels.

The available documents are:
1. ENInvitation to tender EC-TRADE2025OP0006Invitation letter, published on 18/07/2025, Version 1, No translations available.
2. ENTender Specifications EC-TRADE2025OP0006Tender specifications, published on 18/07/2025, Version 1, No translations available.
3. ENAnnex 2 to Tenders Specifications - declaration of honour EC-TRADE2025OP0006Declaration on honour (tender), published on 18/07/2025, Version 1, No translations available.
4. ENAnnex 6 to Tender Specifications - Financial offer form EC-TRADE2025OP0006Financial offer form, published on 18/07/2025, Version 1, No translations available.
5. ENDraft Service contract EC-TRADE2025OP0006Draft contract, published on 18/07/2025, Version 1, No translations available.
6. ENAnnex V to draft service contract - EC-TRADE2025OP0006Draft contract annex, published on 18/07/2025, Version 1, No translations available.

Submissions must be sent exclusively at the address for submission given on the website, using the electronic submission method.

Some frequently asked questions (FAQ) and their answers are available:
1. How to proceed if the system is slow or doesn’t work while uploading/downloading documents? Use the latest versions of Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox. If the issue persists, clear the cache and cookies.
2. Which Internet browsers does eSubmission support? Use the latest versions of Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox. For the most up-to-date technical recommendations, click on the link System Requirements.
3. Is it possible to view the details of the submission after the deadline? No, the content of the submission is not accessible after submitting the tender as the system encrypts all attachments upon upload.
4. 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 in restricted calls, and simplified procedures.
5. Which size should attachments have? eSubmission accepts files that are less than 50 MB in size.
6. How should I name attachments in eSubmission? Follow the System Requirements.
7. Can I submit a video in eSubmission? Which formats are supported? Check the System Requirements of eSubmission.
8. I received an invitation from the F&T Portal but cannot view the procurement documents. Invited candidates can only see the procurement documents after having selected an organisation. Go to F&T Portal, “My Invitations”. Click on “Select Organisation” from the “Action” column.
9. Do I need to validate my PIC in order to submit a tender in eSubmission? 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).
10. I have an issue uploading a file in eSubmission and it’s giving me an error. What do I do? Make sure it follows the technical requirements of the system.
11. How many attachments can I upload per submission? The maximum number of documents the system will allow you to upload per tender is 200 files.
12. Why do tenderers need a PIC? It is mandatory to register for a PIC if you intend to submit a tender or a request to participate.
13. How do I register my organisation and get a Participant Identification Code (PIC)? First, check if the organisation is already registered using the Search PIC tool under 'How to Participate' > Participant Register.
14. What is the validity period of a PIC? A PIC is unique and its validity is not limited in time.
15. How many languages does the system support? The system is multilingual and supports all 24 official EU languages.
16. Which is the character set encoding in the system? The character set encoding is UTF-8.
17. Does the system use encryption to ensure the integrity and the confidentiality of the information? Yes, the system encrypts all uploaded documents, using an asymmetric key as an encryption mechanism.
18. Which file types does the system support? The supported file types depend on the type of submission you want to make. The allowed file types are specified within the system requirements linked to the procedure in question.
19. Can I view and edit my draft submission? Until the deadline for the submission has been reached, submissions in the draft status can be edited, viewed and deleted.
20. 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.
21. 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.

In summary, this is a call for tenders by the European Commission, DG TRADE, to establish and regularly update a list of conflict-affected and high-risk areas (CAHRAs) as part of the EU Regulation on responsible sourcing of minerals. The contract is worth 400,000 EUR and will run for 48 months. Interested parties must submit their tenders electronically by September 22, 2025. The tender will be awarded based on the best price-quality ratio. The eSubmission system supports various browsers and file types, with specific requirements detailed in the system documentation. A PIC (Personal Identification Code) is mandatory for participation.

Eligible Applicant Types: The eligible applicant types are not explicitly stated in the provided text. However, given the nature of the tender for business and management consultancy services, it is likely that eligible applicants could include SMEs, large enterprises, consulting firms, research institutes, and other organizations with relevant expertise.

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 geographic eligibility is not explicitly stated. However, since it is an EU tender, it is highly likely that applicants from the EU and potentially EEA countries are eligible. Further details would be needed to confirm eligibility for other countries.

Target Sector: The target sector is business and management consultancy and related services. The specific focus is on the responsible sourcing of minerals and the establishment and regular updating of the indicative, non-exhaustive list of conflict-affected and high-risk areas (CAHRAs) under Regulation (EU) 2017/821.

Mentioned Countries: No specific countries are mentioned. The opportunity is related to the EU regulation on conflict minerals, so the focus is on conflict-affected and high-risk areas globally, rather than specific countries.

Project Stage: The project stage is likely to be a mix of research, development, and implementation. The contractor will need to research and identify conflict-affected and high-risk areas, develop the CAHRA list, and regularly update it.

Funding Amount: The estimated total value of the tender is 400,000 EUR.

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

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

Application Stages: The number of application stages is not explicitly stated, but it is likely to involve at least two stages: submission of the tender and evaluation of the proposals.

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

Co-funding Requirement: There is no mention of a co-funding requirement in the provided text.

Summary:

This is an open call for tenders by the European Commission, DG TRADE, for a service contract to establish and regularly update the indicative, non-exhaustive list of conflict-affected and high-risk areas (CAHRAs) under Regulation (EU) 2017/821 on responsible sourcing of minerals. The procedure identifier is EC-TRADE/2025/OP/0006. The estimated total value of the tender is 400,000 EUR, and the maximum contract duration is 48 months. The TED publication date was 18/07/2025, and the deadline for receipt of tenders is 22/09/2025 at 14:00 Europe/Brussels. The award method is based on the best price-quality ratio. Submissions must be sent electronically. The main classification (CPV) is 79400000 - Business and management consultancy and related services. The contractor will be responsible for researching, developing, and maintaining the CAHRA list, which is a legal obligation of the Commission under Article 14 of the Regulation. The tender documents include the invitation letter, tender specifications, declaration of honour, financial offer form, draft service contract, and draft contract annex. A Personal Identification Code (PIC) is mandatory for participation, whether as a sole candidate or as part of a consortium. The eSubmission system supports various file types and has specific requirements for naming attachments, with a maximum file size of 50 MB per attachment and a limit of 200 files per submission. The system supports all 24 official EU languages and uses encryption to ensure the integrity and confidentiality of the information.