Labour Market and Skills Forecast in ETF Partner Countries

The European Training Foundation (ETF) is procuring services under a framework agreement to develop, test and operationalise a long‑term methodology for forecasting labour market and skills demand in its partner countries. The procedure is described as an open services tender with an estimated value of €500,000 and an electronic submission deadline of 17 September 2026. Eligible applicants are organisations or consortia able to provide research, data and consultancy services in labour market forecasting and skills analysis across ETF partner countries. Awarding is based on quality and price, with quality carrying the greater weight as specified in the tender documents.

Opportunity Type

EU tender (services) managed by the European Training Foundation

What it funds:Development, piloting and operationalisation of a sustainable methodology for long‑term labour market and skills forecasting at national and sectoral levels in ETF partner countries, aligned with EU and international approaches and adaptable to partner country contexts.

Who can apply:Legal entities able to deliver complex analytical and implementation services (consortia are expected; consult tender documents for selection rules and minimum requirements).

1. 1Estimated contract value approximately €500 000
2. 2Planned duration 48 months; framework contract initial 12 months, renewable up to 3 times

Key selection points:award criteria split by quality (approx. 60%) and price (approx. 40%); applicants must follow the tender specifications, draft contract and annexes published with the call Tender details on Funding & Tenders Portal. ¹

Footnotes

1. 1Procurement documents (invitation, tender specifications, draft contract and annexes) published 22/07/2026 on the Funding & Tenders Portal; consult these documents for full eligibility, submission and evaluation rules.

Reference:Call identifier ETF/2026/OP/0003. Lead contracting authority: European Training Foundation (ETF). Tender type: services (framework contract). Objective: to develop, test and operationalise a comprehensive, sustainable methodology for long-term labour market and skills forecasting in ETF partner countries at national and sectoral levels, aligned with relevant EU and international approaches and standards while adaptable to partner countries' institutional, statistical and labour market realities.

Key facts and procedural details

Estimated overall contract value:€500,000. Planned duration: 48 months for the procurement project with a framework contract initial duration of 12 months renewable up to 3 times (see draft contract). Main CPV codes: 73000000 (research and development services and related consultancy services) and 72300000 (management consulting services). Submission method: electronic submission via the Funding & Tenders Portal. Tender submission deadline: 17 September 2026, 16:00:59 CEST (portal time). An open tender event is scheduled on 18 September 2026 at 10:00 CEST. Additional question period ends 9 September 2026. The procurement is advertised with full procurement documents and annexes published on 22 July 2026. The contracting authority is based in Turin, Italy (ETF).

Documents available:Invitation letter, tender specifications (Tender specifications skills forescast_V1.pdf), draft contract, Annexes A to F (contact details, declarations, minimum requirements, financial solvency template, financial offer scenario). All procurement documents published 22/07/2026 and indicated as current versions ¹.

Eligibility and applicant requirements

Eligible applicants are economic operators able to deliver international technical assistance, research and forecasting services. The procurement is not SME-specific (smeSuitableIndicator: false). Typical eligible applicant types include: consultancies, research institutes, universities, large enterprises, international NGOs and non-profit organisations, and consortia of these entities. Selection and exclusion rules apply as per Annex C Declaration Exclusion Selection and other tender specifications; candidates must demonstrate financial solvency (Annex D) and meet minimum requirement declarations (Annex E).

Consortium requirement:The procurement documentation requests tenderer qualification information and specific requirements. While a single economic operator may apply, the nature of the assignment (multi-country, multi-disciplinary forecasting) implies that consortia or subcontracting arrangements are routinely acceptable and likely to be advantageous. Tenderers should consult tender specifications regarding permitted forms of consortium, lead partner responsibilities and selection criterion evidence.

Eligible Applicant Types

Detailed list of eligible applicant types based on procurement nature and published documents: startup (if capable and compliant), SME (eligible though tender not SME-targeted), large enterprise, university, research institute, nonprofit, NGO, consultancy firms, public-private partnerships, international organisations and consortia combining the above. Individuals are not the expected contracting party for a framework service contract of this scope; legal entities or registered consortia are the standard.

Funding Type

Primary financial mechanism:procurement (service contract) awarded by the ETF under public procurement rules. The contracting vehicle is a framework agreement (fa-wo-rc) with services to be called off under that framework. Estimated overall contract amount for the procedure: €500,000.

Consortium Requirement

Requirement:single tender submission is permitted, but formation of consortia is allowed and may be necessary to demonstrate full technical capability across required disciplines (labour market analysis, forecasting modelling, sectoral specialisms, capacity building). Tender specifications list selection criteria and supporting documentation to be provided by each consortium member when applicable.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility)

Beneficiaries:entities that can legally contract with an EU agency. The tender is issued by an EU agency (ETF) and targets service providers able to work in ETF partner countries (EU neighbouring and partner countries across Mediterranean, Eastern Partnership, Western Balkans, Central Asia and other regions where ETF operates). The document does not limit bidders to EU-only entities; international organisations and firms from EU Member States and third countries able to contract with the ETF and perform in partner countries can apply. Bidders must verify nationality/eligibility conditions in the tender specifications and declaration annexes.

Target Sector

Sectoral focus:labour market analysis and skills forecasting applied across education, vocational training, employment policy and economic sectors. The thematic sectors include: education and training, labour market and employment, skills policy, economic sectors at national and sectoral level, and ICT/data science for forecasting and statistical modelling. Cross-cutting topics include digitalisation, AI effects on labour, migration and youth employment given ETF priorities.

Mentioned Countries

Explicit countries are not listed in the tender summary. The opportunity targets ETF partner countries broadly (EU neighbouring regions, Eastern Partnership countries including Ukraine, Western Balkans, Turkey, North Africa and possibly Central Asia). Several ETF site references and example country activities in publications mention Ukraine, Türkiye, Serbia, Kazakhstan, Bosnia and Herzegovina. Tenderers should consult tender specifications for an exact list of target partner countries for the forecasting work.

Project Stage

Expected project maturity:methodological design and research leading to development, pilot testing (validation), operationalisation (implementation) and capacity building. Stages include research, development of forecasting methodology, piloting in partner countries, validation and demonstration, and operational rollout (sustainability and handover).

Funding Amount

Estimated total contract value:€500,000 for the procedure. The contract is a framework with an initial 12-month period renewable up to three times and a planned overall procurement project duration of 48 months. Tenderers must prepare a financial offer using the provided Annex F scenario for the financial proposal.

Application Type and Submission

Application type:open call for tenders (call identifier ETF/2026/OP/0003). Submission method: electronic submission via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal (eSubmission). Tenderers must upload required Annexes and forms (Annex B1, B2, B3, C, D, E, F) and the financial offer before the portal deadline (17 September 2026, 16:00:59 CEST).

Nature of Support

Beneficiaries will receive monetary compensation under a service contract (payments against deliverables and milestones) and non-monetary support such as access to ETF networks, country contacts and data sources. Contractual terms, deliverable schedule and payment modalities are set out in the draft contract and tender specifications.

Application Stages

Number of application stages:effectively one procurement submission stage (electronic tender submission) followed by evaluation and award. The procurement process includes: mandatory pre-submission clarifications period, submission, opening, evaluation against award criteria (quality 60%, price 40% as indicated), possible clarification or negotiation as permitted in tender documents, and award leading to signature of framework contract and subsequent call-offs. Practically applicants pass through 1 main submission stage plus evaluation and award procedures.

Success Rates

Exact success rates are not provided. As a competitive tender with an estimated value of €500,000 and a single lot, the probability of success depends on market competition. Historically, framework service tenders of this type accept one contractor or a small number of service providers. Bidders should assume a competitive selection and prepare high-quality technical and financial proposals aligned with evaluation weighting.

Co-funding Requirement

No co-funding from the applicant is indicated in the procurement summary. The tender is a paid service contract; bidders must submit a complete priced proposal and cover their project costs within the bid price. Tender specifications should be checked for any requirements about matching funds, cost-sharing, or in-kind contributions for pilots in partner countries.

Evaluation criteria, templates and application structure

Awarding criteria:quality 60% and price 40% as indicated in the procurement lot description. Specific awarding sub-criteria and their respective weightings and descriptions are provided in the tender specifications; tenderers must consult those documents for precise scoring and required evidence. Selection criteria include administrative compliance, exclusion and eligibility declarations (Annex C), financial solvency evidence (Annex D), minimum requirements declarations (Annex E) and technical and professional capacity (Annex B series).

1. 1Administrative forms: Completed Annex A (contact details), Annex C (declarations on exclusion and selection).
2. 2Financial forms: Annex D financial solvency template and Annex F financial proposal scenario (price breakdown and totals).
3. 3Qualifications and evidence: Annex B1, B2, B3 (technical capacity, relevant references, CVs and staff profiles).
4. 4Minimum requirements declaration: Annex E confirming compliance with stated minimum requirements.
5. 5Technical offer: Methodology, work plan, country and sector coverage, pilot approach, capacity building plan, data sources, forecasting models and validation strategy.
6. 6Consortium documents: Memorandum of Understanding or lead partner declaration and roles of subcontractors or consortium members (if applicable).
7. 7Proof of legal status and ability to contract with EU agencies as required by tender specifications.

Template structure and guidance:bidders must use templates provided in the procurement documents (Annex B1-B3 for technical and experience evidence, Annex D for financial solvency, Annex F for the financial offer). The tender specifications indicate the required structure for the technical offer including methodology, work packages, timelines, deliverables, staffing and risk management. Tenderers should follow the structure and headings in the tender specifications exactly to ensure comparability during evaluation.

Technical and methodological expectations

Scope of work (summary from tender specifications):develop a comprehensive forecasting methodology for long-term labour market and skills demand; align methodology with EU and international approaches and standards; ensure adaptability to partner countries' institutional, statistical and labour market contexts; pilot the methodology at national and sectoral levels in selected ETF partner countries; test and validate forecasting outputs; operationalise methodology including capacity building, tools, documentation and handover for sustainable use by national institutions; provide deliverables, datasets, models and training materials. Forecasting methods expected may include macro-micro modelling, occupational and sectoral projections, skills taxonomy alignment, scenario analysis and use of administrative and survey data.

Required expertise:multidisciplinary team with demonstrated experience in labour market forecasting, skills anticipation methodologies, statistical modelling, sectoral labour analysis, data management, capacity building and international development projects in partner countries. Bidders must provide CVs and track record evidence in Annex B series and demonstrate capacity to work across multiple countries and languages where relevant.

How to apply and next steps

Access the Funding & Tenders Portal tender page for ETF/2026/OP/0003 to download all procurement documents and templates, prepare and upload the technical and financial offers including all annexes before the electronic submission deadline. Follow the tender specifications for formatting, page limits and required declarations. Use the Annex F financial template for the price schedule. Clarification requests must be submitted before the end of the additional information request period (9 September 2026).

Evaluation focus:Quality of methodology and work plan, relevance and feasibility of pilot and operationalisation approach, demonstrable country experience, team expertise and availability, risk management and sustainability measures, and competitive price. Quality carries 60% weight and price 40% weight in the award decision.

Summary and recommendations

This procurement seeks a contractor to design and implement a long-term labour market and skills forecasting methodology for ETF partner countries, to pilot and validate it, and to operationalise it with national stakeholders. Estimated value is €500,000 under a framework contract. Bidders must submit an electronic tender via the Funding & Tenders Portal by 17 September 2026 and must use the provided annex templates (technical, financial, declarations and solvency). The procurement emphasizes methodological alignment with EU and international standards while requiring adaptability to partner country data realities and institutional contexts. Quality is the dominant evaluation dimension; bidders should prioritise clear methodological innovation, robust country-level piloting plans, capacity building and sustainability of forecasting outputs. Consult all annexes and the draft contract carefully to prepare a compliant bid ¹.

Footnotes

1. 1Procurement documents and templates (Invitation, Tender specifications, Annexes A-F, Draft contract) are available on the Funding & Tenders Portal tender page for ETF/2026/OP/0003: ec.europa.eu

This is an open services procurement by the European Training Foundation (ETF) to develop, test and operationalise a long term methodology for forecasting labour market and skills demand in ETF partner countries at national and sectoral levels.[1][2] The accessible listings describe it as a framework agreement with an estimated value of €500,000, published on 22 July 2026.[1][2]

Key facts

Who can apply

The tender is open to organisations or economic operators that can provide research, data and consultancy services related to labour market and skills forecasting, and the participation is not reserved.[1] The accessible sources indicate a procurement focused on service delivery rather than a grant award.[1][2]

• Labour market intelligence providers with forecasting and skills analysis capability.[1][2]
• Research and consultancy firms with statistical, economic or policy evaluation expertise.[1][2]
• Specialists able to pilot and operationalise methodologies in different country and sector contexts.[1][2]

What the tender is trying to achieve

ETF aims to create a comprehensive and sustainable forecasting methodology that is aligned with relevant EU and international approaches and standards, while remaining adaptable to the institutional, statistical and labour market realities of partner countries.[1][2] ETF's earlier work on the future of work and skills also emphasises future oriented projections of key sectors and their skills needs, along with stronger labour market information systems, which matches the policy logic behind this procurement.[7][8]

Important notes for bidders

1. 1The deadline visible in the accessible summary is 17 September 2026.[2]
2. 2The estimated budget is €500,000.[1][2]
3. 3The procurement is described as a framework agreement, so bidders should expect a service contract structure rather than a one off study.[2]
4. 4The available evidence suggests a strong fit for bidders with labour market forecasting, data analytics, skills intelligence and policy advisory experience.[1][2]

Information not visible in the search results

• The full technical specifications are not exposed in the search snippets, so detailed deliverables cannot be confirmed from the accessible evidence.[1][2]
• The evaluation criteria and weighting are not visible in the search results, so applicants should verify them in the portal notice before submitting.[1][2]
• The contract duration is not confirmed in the accessible listings, even though the opportunity is described as a framework agreement.[2]