Legal advice in relation to Dutch employment and labour law

The European Medicines Agency (EMA) has published an ex-ante notice (EMA/2025/MVP/0011-EXA) of its intention to procure legal advisory services specialising in Dutch employment and labour law via a planned negotiated procedure for a middle/low value framework contract in cascade, appointing two providers. The indicative maximum budget is €120,000 for the framework with an initial one-year term and up to three 12-month renewals (maximum 48 months), with implementation expected in September 2026. Eligible applicants are legal entities or natural persons domiciled in the EU, must be authorised under Dutch law, meet minimum turnover and experience requirements (annual turnover ≥ €60,000 for each of the last two years; at least two assigned lawyers registered with the Dutch Bar with combined experience), and must comply with conflict of interest, English language and GDPR obligations. Expressions of interest must be submitted electronically via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal (EU Login) between 20 April 2026 and 6 May 2026 (deadline 06/05/2026 00:59 Europe/Amsterdam).

Opportunity type and lead authority

Planned negotiated procedure (middle/low value) — European Medicines Agency (EMA)

What it funds:legal advisory services on Dutch employment and labour law (advice on EU Staff Regulations is excluded). The Agency plans a multiple framework contract in cascade, appointing two law firms, with services normally delivered at the firms premises and occasional external attendance.

Indicative budget and duration:Maximum indicative budget €120,000; initial 1-year contract with up to 3 renewals (total maximum 48 months). Implementation expected September 2026.

1. 1Who can apply: legal entities registered in the EU and natural persons domiciled in the EU (tenderers from GPA countries are excluded for EMA procurement).
2. 2Mandatory authorisation under national law to perform legal services.
3. 3Minimum financial capacity: annual turnover at least €60,000 in each of the last two financial years.
4. 4Minimum team: at least two assigned lawyers registered with the Dutch Bar with a combined minimum of five years practice in Dutch employment and labour law (at least one with 3+ years).
5. 5Other requirements: no conflicts of interest; compliance with applicable environmental, social and labour obligations; English as working language; GDPR-compliant data processing.

Expressions of interest must be submitted electronically via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal. Start date for interest: 20/04/2026. Deadline: 06/05/2026 00:59 (Europe/Amsterdam). Indicative launch of procedure: 05/05/2026. For portal access and submission use EU Login and follow 2-factor authentication rules EU Funding & Tenders Portal ¹.

Footnotes

1. 1All submissions and questions must be made in writing through the EU Funding & Tenders Portal; ensure you have an EU Login account and have registered required 2-factor authentication before submitting.

Opportunity summary

The European Medicines Agency (EMA) publishes an ex-ante notice of its intention to launch a planned negotiated procedure (middle/low value) to procure legal advisory services in relation to Dutch employment and labour law. The procurement foresees a multiple framework agreement in cascade with two service providers appointed in cascade. The maximum indicative budget is €120,000.00. The initial contract period is one year with up to three single-year renewals, for a maximum total duration of 48 months. Implementation is expected to start in September 2026. This publication is not a call for tenders and does not create any obligation on EMA; EMA may cancel or abandon the procurement.

Procedure identifier and classification:Procedure identifier: EMA/2025/MVP/0011-EXA. CPV main classification: 79111000 Legal advisory services. Nature of contract: services. Procedure type: planned negotiated procedure for middle/low value contract.

Scope of services and exclusions

Scope:facilitation of recourse to legal advice from a law firm holding particular knowledge in all areas of Dutch employment and labour law. Services will normally be provided at the premises of the law firm; some attendance outside the firm premises may be required. Exclusion: legal advice in relation to the EU Staff Regulations is explicitly excluded from scope.

Contract model, budget and duration

Contract model:multiple framework agreement in cascade appointing two service providers in cascade; framework without reopening of competition. Indicative financial envelope: maximum €120,000.00. Contract duration: initial 12-month term with three optional 12-month renewals (maximum 48 months).

Key technical and compliance requirements

1. 1Compliance with applicable environmental, social and labour law obligations as established by Union law, national legislation, collective agreements or the international conventions listed in Annex X to Directive 2014/24/EU.
2. 2Working language: contractor must be able to communicate with the Agency in English for all contract implementation and management, including regulatory responsibilities such as Health and Safety and Data Protection.
3. 3Processing of personal data must comply with EU data protection legislation, in particular Regulation (EU) 2016/679 (GDPR).

Minimum economic and professional requirements

1. 1Authorisation to perform the contract under national law (i.e., legal entitlement to provide legal services).
2. 2Annual turnover threshold: minimum €60,000.00 for each of the last two financial years.
3. 3Independence and conflict of interest: tenderer and assigned lawyers must not be subject to conflicts of interest that could negatively affect contract performance; tenderers must comply with the conflict of interest and professional ethics rules governing the legal profession in the Netherlands.
4. 4Personnel: a minimum of two lawyers to be assigned to the Agency with a combined minimum of five years' experience dealing with Dutch employment and labour law matters, and at least one of the lawyers must have minimum three years' relevant experience. Assigned lawyers must be registered with the Dutch Bar.

Eligible applicants and geographic restrictions

All legal entities registered in the EU and natural persons domiciled in the EU may express interest. The EMA excludes tenderers from countries that have ratified the Multilateral Agreement on Government Procurement (GPA) because EMA is not considered a procuring entity for GPA purposes. Expression of interest and further participation must be made via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal. Any additional information requests must be submitted in writing via the Portal.

Milestones and submission

1. 1Start date for expression of interest: 20/04/2026 (Europe/Brussels).
2. 2Deadline for expression of interest: 06/05/2026 00:59 (Europe/Amsterdam).
3. 3Indicative date of launch of the negotiated procedure: 05/05/2026 (Europe/Amsterdam).
4. 4Method of expression of interest: electronic via EU Login (EU Login account required).

Application and authentication notes

Submissions of expressions of interest must be sent exclusively to the address for submission given in the Portal; electronic submission requires an EU Login account. From 30 June 2026 two-factor authentication will be required for EU Login access and applicants should ensure their account security settings are compliant EU Funding & Tenders Portal¹.

Answers to categorisation questions

Eligible Applicant Types

Eligible applicant types:law firms and legal service providers (legal entities registered in the EU). Natural persons domiciled in the EU (individual lawyers) may also express interest. Applicable applicant classifications therefore include SME (if law firm qualifies as SME), large enterprise (if applicable), legal professionals, and individual legal practitioners. Public bodies, NGOs, investors or non-legal-service companies are not the target applicant type unless they are legally authorised to provide legal advisory services in the Netherlands.

Funding Type

Primary financial mechanism:procurement service contract (framework agreement) — a paid services contract awarded following a negotiated procurement procedure. This is not a grant, loan, equity or subsidy.

Consortium Requirement

Consortium is not explicitly required. The framework aims to appoint two independent service providers in cascade. Tenderers can be single legal entities or may present consortia/co-contracting arrangements only if such arrangements are permitted by the tender rules and each member meets applicable eligibility and qualification requirements; however the published minimum criteria focus on the single tenderer and assigned lawyers.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility)

Geographic eligibility:entities registered in the European Union and natural persons domiciled in the EU. Tenderers from GPA-ratifying countries are excluded from EMA procurement in this procedure.

Target Sector

Thematic sector:legal services focusing on employment and labour law with jurisdictional expertise in Dutch law. Sector classification: legal advisory services; cross-cutting relevance to HR, compliance, and administrative matters for an EU agency located in the Netherlands.

Mentioned Countries

Explicitly mentioned:the Netherlands (Dutch employment and labour law). Geographic region referenced: European Union (applicants must be registered or domiciled in the EU). The procurement authority: European Medicines Agency, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.

Project Stage

Expected maturity:service-provision/operational engagement for legal advice. The contract supports ongoing case handling, advice and representation where needed (not research or product development). Suitable for established law firms or practitioners with operational practice in Dutch employment and labour law.

Funding Amount

Indicative maximum total budget:€120,000.00 for the framework. The exact value allocated per provider or per year is indicative and subject to the actual award and use during the framework period.

Application Type

Expression of interest via an open electronic call on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal. The subsequent procurement is planned as a negotiated procedure; the ex-ante notice is not an award notice but an invitation to express interest.

Nature of Support

Beneficiaries will receive monetary remuneration under a services contract (procurement). The contract delivers paid legal services and does not provide non-monetary support as the primary modality, although non-monetary deliverables (advice, attendance, documentation) are included as services.

Application Stages

Staged process inferred from notice:1) expression of interest via Portal, 2) launch of negotiated procedure (invitation of interested economic operators), 3) submission of tender documents and qualification evidence, 4) evaluation and award. Thus applicants should expect at least 3 to 4 procedural stages from expression of interest to contract award.

Success Rates

Not stated. The framework will appoint two service providers; the success rate depends on the number of valid competitors. No explicit historical or estimated success rate is provided in the notice.

Co-funding Requirement

No co-funding required. This is a procurement for services to be purchased by EMA; costs of service delivery will be borne by the Agency under contract payment mechanisms established in the tender documents.

Application templates and documentation structure

The ex-ante notice does not publish the full tender dossier. Applicants should monitor the EU Funding & Tenders Portal for the actual negotiated procedure documents. Expected tender documentation to be published at launch includes: invitation to tender or negotiated procedure rules, model contract or framework agreement, technical specification and scope of services, award and selection criteria, contract terms and conditions, financial offer template or pricing schedule, declaration of honour/conflict-of-interest forms, evidence templates for turnover and professional authorisation, CV templates for assigned lawyers, and data protection/processing clauses. Expressions of interest must be submitted electronically via EU Login; further instructions and submission templates will be provided in the procurement dossier when the negotiated procedure is launched.

Practical next steps for interested applicants

1. 1Register or verify EU Login account and ensure two-factor authentication is set up by relevant dates; link organization profile in the Funding & Tenders Portal if not already done EU Funding & Tenders Portal.
2. 2Submit expression of interest electronically through the Portal by the stated deadline (06/05/2026 00:59 Europe/Amsterdam).
3. 3Prepare required supporting documents: proof of legal authorisation to practice, last two years' financial statements demonstrating annual turnover >= €60,000, evidence of Dutch Bar registration for proposed lawyers, CVs demonstrating combined minimum experience requirements and at least one lawyer with minimum three years' experience in Dutch employment and labour law, conflict of interest declarations, GDPR compliance measures.
4. 4Monitor the Portal for publication of the negotiated procedure tender documents and request clarifications only in writing via the Portal Q&A once the procedure is open.

Summary and interpretation

This ex-ante planned notice announces EMA's intention to award a framework agreement for Dutch employment and labour law advisory services. The framework is modest in budget (indicative €120,000) and short-to-medium term in duration (up to 4 years total via annual renewals). EMA will appoint two providers in cascade to ensure continuity and capacity. The procurement targets EU-registered law firms or legal practitioners with Dutch Bar registration and proven experience in Dutch employment and labour law. Applicants must satisfy minimum turnover, authorisation, professional and conflict-of-interest criteria and be able to communicate in English and comply with GDPR. Interested parties should express interest electronically through the EU Funding & Tenders Portal within the published timeframe and prepare standard procurement documentation; the formal negotiated procedure will follow and will include the full tender dossier and submission templates. Note that the ex-ante notice does not bind EMA to proceed with the procurement and EMA reserves the right to cancel.

For portal access and authentication requirements, and to submit your expression of interest, use the EU Funding & Tenders Portal. Ensure EU Login access and two-factor authentication is enabled as required by the Portal ¹.

Footnotes

1. 1EU Funding & Tenders Portal — EU Login and security requirements, including two-factor authentication and account management guidance, are available on the Portal and in the Portal help pages. Access the Portal to register, submit expressions of interest and retrieve tender documentation EU Funding & Tenders Portal.

Opportunity Overview

The European Medicines Agency (EMA) is announcing its intention to procure legal advisory services specializing in Dutch employment and labour law through a planned negotiated procedure for a middle or low value contract. This is an ex-ante publicity notice (reference EMA/2025/MVP/0011-EXA), which announces the contracting authority's intention to launch a future procurement but does not constitute a binding call for tenders. The EMA retains the right to cancel or abandon this procurement at any time.

Contract Structure and Duration

Framework Agreement Model:The EMA will establish a multiple framework contract in cascade format, appointing two service providers in a cascading arrangement. This structure allows the EMA to call upon providers sequentially based on availability and workload.

Contract Duration:Initial period of one year with three possible renewals of twelve months each, for a maximum total duration of 48 months (4 years). Implementation is expected to commence in September 2026.

Maximum Budget:€120,000.00 total indicative budget for the entire framework agreement period.

Scope of Services

The contract aims to facilitate recourse to legal advice from a law firm with particular expertise in all areas of Dutch employment and labour law. The scope explicitly excludes provision of legal advice relating to EU Staff Regulations. Legal services will normally be provided at the law firm's premises, though some attendance at EMA locations may be required. ¹

Dutch employment law is an elaborate and complex area covering individual and collective labour law, closely related to social security law. It is not consolidated into a single code but is governed by compulsory statutory regulations in the Dutch Civil Code, collective labour agreements (CAOs), internal regulations, and individual employment contracts. ² Key areas of Dutch employment law that may require advisory services include employment contract formation, termination procedures, probation periods, working hours, leave entitlements, discrimination and harassment prevention, works council obligations for organizations with 50 or more employees, and dispute resolution. ³ Recent legislative developments include the proposed Clarification of Assessment of Employment Relations and Legal Presumption Act (VBAR), which aims to clarify the distinction between independent workers and employees, with implementation postponed to 2026. Additionally, as of January 1, 2025, the Dutch Tax Authority actively enforces regulations addressing worker misclassification. ⁴

Eligibility Criteria

Organizational Requirements

• All legal entities registered in the European Union or natural persons with domicile in the EU are eligible to apply
• Tenderers must have authorization to perform the contract under Dutch national law
• Annual turnover must be a minimum of €60,000.00 for each of the last two financial years
• Tenderers and assigned lawyers must not be subject to conflicts of interest that could negatively affect contract performance
• Tenderers must comply with conflict of interest and professional ethics rules governing the legal profession in the Netherlands

Professional Qualifications

A minimum of two lawyers must be assigned to the EMA with combined minimum experience of five years in handling matters relating to Dutch employment and labour law. At least one lawyer must meet a minimum requirement of three years' experience in this field. All assigned lawyers must be registered with the Dutch Bar (Nederlandse Orde van Advocaten).

Geographic and Procedural Restrictions

The procurement procedures organized by the EMA are not open to tenderers from countries that have ratified the Multilateral Agreement on Government Procurement (GPA), as the EMA is not considered a procuring entity for GPA purposes.

Technical and Compliance Requirements

• Compliance with applicable environmental, social and labour law obligations established by Union law, national legislation, collective agreements, and international environmental, social and labour conventions listed in Annex X to Directive 2014/24/EU
• English language proficiency: The contractor must confirm ability to communicate with the EMA in English for seamless implementation and execution of all services, including responsibilities resulting from regulatory requirements such as Health and Safety and Data Protection, and for efficient and timely response to contract management
• Data protection compliance: Processing of personal data must comply with EU data protection legislation, particularly Regulation (EU) 2016/679 (General Data Protection Regulation)

Timeline and Application Process

Expression of Interest Period:Start date: 20 April 2026 (Europe/Brussels timezone). Deadline: 6 May 2026 at 00:59 (Europe/Amsterdam timezone).

Indicative Negotiated Procedure Launch:5 May 2026 (Europe/Amsterdam timezone).

Submission Method:Electronic submission exclusively through the EU Funding and Tenders Portal. An EU Login account is required for electronic submission. All requests for additional information must be made in writing only through the EU Funding and Tenders Portal.

Procedure Type and Contracting Authority

This is a planned negotiated procedure for a middle or low value contract. The lead contracting authority is the European Medicines Agency (EMA), located in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. The main classification is CPV 79111000 (Legal advisory services). The contract is classified as a framework agreement without reopening of competition.

Key Considerations for Applicants

Prospective applicants should note that this is an ex-ante publicity notice announcing the EMA's intention to launch a procurement procedure in the future. This notice does not create any obligation for the EMA to proceed with the procurement, and the Agency reserves the right to cancel or abandon the procedure at any time. ⁵

The budget of €120,000.00 is indicative and will be distributed across two service providers over a potential four-year period, resulting in an average annual allocation of approximately €30,000.00 per provider. Interested law firms should assess whether this budget level is compatible with their service delivery model and staffing requirements.

Given the specialized nature of Dutch employment law and recent legislative developments, law firms with established expertise in this field and demonstrated experience with EU institutional clients will be well-positioned to submit competitive expressions of interest. The requirement for English language proficiency and GDPR compliance reflects the EMA's operational standards as an EU agency.

Footnotes

1. 1Opportunity metadata provided by the European Commission EU Funding and Tenders Portal, procedure identifier EMA/2025/MVP/0011-EXA.
2. 2Dutch employment law is governed by Book 7, Title 10 of the Dutch Civil Code (Burgerlijk Wetboek), supplemented by the Work and Security Act (WWZ), the Labor Market in Balance Act (WAB), and occupational health and safety legislation. See L&E Global and Dutch Law.
3. 3Key areas include employment contract formation and termination, probation periods (maximum 2 months for open-ended contracts, 1 month for fixed-term contracts over 6 months), working hours and overtime, leave entitlements, discrimination and harassment prevention with mandatory confidential advisers and complaints procedures, works council requirements for organizations with 50 or more employees, collective labour agreements (CAOs), and dispute resolution through subdistrict courts. See ICLG and Deloitte.
4. 4The proposed VBAR legislation introduces a legal presumption that workers with hourly wages below €33.00 are employees rather than independent workers. Implementation was postponed from 2025 to 2026. Starting January 1, 2025, the Dutch Tax Authority actively enforces worker classification regulations and may impose additional tax assessments and penalties for misclassification. See L&E Global.
5. 5Ex-ante publicity notices are publications announcing the contracting authority's intention to launch a future low or middle value negotiated procedure. They do not constitute a binding call for tenders and do not create any obligation for the contracting authority to proceed. The EMA retains full discretion to cancel or abandon the procurement.