Macro-econometric Assessment of Reduced Working Time Policies - 240105/7807

The European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions (Eurofound) invites tenders (Ref 240105/7807, EUROFOUND/2026/OP/0008) for a Macro-econometric Assessment of Reduced Working Time Policies to develop and apply macro-econometric models and produce policy-ready reports. The estimated contract value is €185,000 for a 10-month service contract, with submissions required electronically via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal by 31 August 2026 at 14:00:59 (Dublin time). Eligible tenderers are natural or legal persons established in EU Member States or third countries with special public procurement agreements with the Union (excluding GPA countries) and must submit technical and financial offers including team CVs and relevant experience. Awarding criteria are Quality (60%) and Price (40%).

Tender EUROFOUND/2026/OP/0008 — 240105/7807

One-line summary

Eurofound invites tenders to deliver a macro-econometric assessment of reduced working time policies, covering modelling, analysis and policy-relevant reporting. The procurement is published on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal ¹.

Who can apply:Legal entities able to provide services (research consultancies, universities, specialised economic modelling teams) may submit an e-submission via the Funding & Tenders Portal; this is a public tender (service contract).

1. 1What it funds: development and delivery of macro-econometric models and analysis on reduced working time policies, plus final reports and deliverables as specified in the tender documents.
2. 2Contracting authority: European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions (Eurofound).
3. 3Submission: electronic submission through the Funding & Tenders Portal; additional information request deadline and formal documents available in the tender dossier.

Relevant procurement documents (invitation, tender specifications, draft contract, standard reply form) were published with the call; consult the procurement dossier for detailed eligibility, award criteria (quality 60 weight, price 40 weight) and submission rules ¹.

Footnotes

1. 1Tender details and documents available on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal: Tender details.

Basic opportunity data

Title:Macro-econometric Assessment of Reduced Working Time Policies - 240105/7807. Reference / Call Identifier: EUROFOUND/2026/OP/0008. Lead contracting authority: European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions (Eurofound). Procurement type: Services contract (tender). Main CPV: 79315000. Estimated overall contract value: €185,000. Planned contract period: 10 months. Submission method: mandatory eSubmission through the EU Funding & Tenders Portal. Tender publication date: 2 July 2026. Tender closing date: 31 August 2026, 14:00:59 CET. Open tender event (opening session): 1 September 2026 at 10:30 (local time).

Short description:Commissioned research for Eurofound: a macro-econometric assessment and modelling exercise to evaluate reduced working time policies. Full technical tender specifications and requirements are contained in the procurement documents (see listed documents).

Eligible Applicant Types

Procurement for research and analysis services. Eligible tenderers typically include national and international commercial research and consultancy firms, economic modelling consultancies, universities, research institutes, non-profit research organisations, consortia combining those entities, and individual experts where permitted under the tender rules. The procurement is not targeted at SMEs only; the procurement metadata indicates SME suitability: false. Public bodies may participate subject to the tender rules and conflict-of-interest provisions. Exact eligibility, exclusion and selection criteria are specified in Part B - Tender Specifications and the Standard Reply Form (Part C).

Funding Type

This is a public procurement contract (service contract). The primary financial mechanism is a fee-for-service contract awarded following competitive tendering under the EU Funding & Tenders Portal. This is not a grant, loan, equity or voucher programme.

Consortium Requirement

The tender documentation allows submission by a single tenderer or by an economic operator representing a consortium. The procurement metadata references selection criteria and tenderer qualification requests; consortia are commonly accepted in this type of contract but the tender specifications (Part B) and the Standard Reply Form (Part C) set out precise requirements for consortium formation, lead partner responsibilities, and the documentation required for each member.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility)

The contracting authority is an EU agency (Eurofound). The tender is published on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal and addresses suppliers capable of providing services for Eurofound. Geographic eligibility follows EU procurement rules and therefore generally permits bidders established in EU Member States and potentially EEA/EFTA states where applicable. The tender metadata and procurement documents should be consulted for exact nationality and place-of-establishment requirements, declarations of honour and evidence of financial and professional status.

Target Sector and Thematic Focus

Sector:social and labour market research, applied economics, macroeconomics, labour economics, policy analysis, and modelling. Thematic focus: reduced working time policies (such as reduced statutory hours, working-time reduction initiatives, four-day week experiments, part-time work regimes), their macroeconomic impacts, labour market effects, productivity, employment, incomes, and social policy implications. Outputs will be research reports and macro-econometric models suitable for policy analysis and dissemination to EU policy stakeholders.

Mentioned Countries and Regions

Explicitly mentioned region:European Union. Contracting authority address: Eurofound, Loughlinstown, Co. Dublin, Ireland (Ireland is the physical location of Eurofound). The tender is intended to serve EU-wide policy needs; no single Member State restriction is stated in the scraped metadata but bidders should consult the procurement documents for any nation-specific conditions.

Project Stage and Expected Deliverables

Expected maturity:research and applied modelling (research, development and demonstration of macro-econometric models). The contractor will design, implement and apply macro-econometric modelling tools, conduct scenario analysis of reduced working time policies, prepare evidence-based assessments, and deliver final reports, technical annexes, data files and possibly presentations for Eurofound and stakeholders. The planned period is 10 months indicating an analysis and reporting project rather than long-term implementation.

Funding Amount

Estimated overall contract value:€185,000 (currency EUR). This figure appears in the procurement metadata as the estimated total procedure value and the estimated overall contract amount. Bidders should prepare financial proposals consistent with the contract's draft terms (Part D - Draft Service Contract).

Application Type and Submission

Application method:open tender via eSubmission on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal. The submission method code is ESUBMISSION and eSubmission is required. Relevant dates: additional information request period ends 19 August 2026; final submission deadline 31 August 2026 at 14:00:59 CET. An opening event is scheduled 1 September 2026. Bidders must register and submit through the portal; hard-copy submissions are not accepted.

Nature of Support

Beneficiaries receive monetary compensation under a service contract (payment for delivered services and outputs). The procurement will result in a paid contract; the contracting authority provides non-financial requirements such as data access, briefing materials and policy stakeholder engagement, as specified in the tender documents.

Application Stages and Evaluation

Typical stages in the procurement procedure:(1) submission of completed tender documentation by eSubmission (tender dossier including the Standard Reply Form, technical and financial offers, and supporting documents); (2) administrative and eligibility check followed by evaluation of tenders against award criteria (quality and price) and possibly clarification requests; (3) award decision and contract signature. The procurement metadata lists quality with 60 weight and price with 40 weight in the awarding criteria; exact scoring rules are in Part B. The tender also provides for an appeal receiver party ID in the metadata under appeal terms.

Therefore, at minimum there are 2 principal applicant-facing stages (submission and evaluation/award) though internal steps and clarifications may add additional rounds.

Success Rates

The scraped metadata does not specify historical or guaranteed success rates. As an open competitive tender with a single awarded contract and multiple potential bidders, success rates depend on the number and quality of bids; historically, open EU agency tenders of this type are competitive. No numerical success probability is provided in the documents.

Co-funding Requirement

No co-funding by the contractor is required as part of the contract price; the contracting authority will pay the contractor according to the contract terms. Contractors must however account for their own cost share and ensure financial capacity to deliver until payments are made per the service contract schedule. There is no grant co-financing model in this procurement.

Tender Documents and Templates

The procurement package includes the standard suite of documents published on the Funding & Tenders Portal. Key documents available (publication date 2 July 2026): Part A - Invitation to tender (Part A - Invitation to tender - Macro-econometric Assessment of Reduced Working Time Policies_V1.pdf), Part B - Tender Specifications (Part B - Tender Specifications - Macro-econometric Assessment of Reduced Working Time Policies_V1.pdf), Part C - Standard Reply Form (Part C - Standard Reply Form - Macro-econometric Assessment of Reduced Working Time Policies_V1.DOCX) and Part D - Draft Service Contract (Part D - Draft Service Contract - Macro-econometric Assessment of Reduced Working Time Policies_V1.pdf). Bidders must consult these files; they contain the formal requirements, selection criteria, award criteria, contractual clauses, timelines, deliverables, invoicing and payment schedule, confidentiality and data protection clauses, and any model forms to be completed.

1. 1Part A - Invitation to tender (official invitation, administrative information and submission instructions).
2. 2Part B - Tender Specifications (detailed scope of work, methodology expectations, deliverables, timetable, eligibility and selection criteria, award criteria and weights).
3. 3Part C - Standard Reply Form (tender submission templates including declarations, technical and price templates).
4. 4Part D - Draft Service Contract (contractual terms, general conditions, payment and reporting arrangements).

Selection and Award Criteria (high-level)

Awarding criteria weightings in the procurement metadata:quality 60 and price 40. Quality criteria will include methodological approach, team experience and qualifications, past performance in macro-econometric modelling and policy analysis, project management and delivery capacity, data management and transparency, and quality of deliverables. Price will be evaluated alongside quality against the contracting authority's scoring methodology. Consult Part B and Part C for the exact evaluation grid, minimum thresholds and required documentation.

Administrative, Legal and Practical Notes

Submission is through the EU Funding & Tenders Portal; bidders must comply with eSubmission technical requirements, register in the Participant Register if required, and upload the completed Standard Reply Form and supporting documents. The tender validity period is 6 months. The contracting authority uses electronic ordering and payment processes. An additional information request period closes 19 August 2026; bidders should submit clarification questions within that period. Award and contracting will follow EU procurement rules and Eurofound internal procedures.

How to prepare a compliant bid (practical checklist)

1. 1Download and read all procurement documents: Part A, Part B, Part C (Standard Reply Form) and Part D (Draft Service Contract).
2. 2Confirm eligibility and assemble required supporting documentation (legal status, financial statements, references, certificates, CVs of key experts).
3. 3Develop a clear technical offer addressing the tender specifications: proposed macro-econometric approach, modelling framework, data sources, validation and sensitivity analysis, stakeholder engagement and deliverables timetable.
4. 4Prepare a realistic and transparent financial offer consistent with the €185,000 estimated value and the deliverables; ensure alignment with the price evaluation method in Part B.
5. 5Complete and sign the Standard Reply Form (Part C) and any declaration of honour or exclusion/selection evidence required.
6. 6Ensure compliance with data protection, confidentiality, IP and publication clauses in the Draft Service Contract (Part D); propose any required arrangements for Eurofound data access.
7. 7Submit via eSubmission before the deadline; keep copies of confirmation receipts and track any questions through the additional information period (ends 19 August 2026).

Documents and source links

Official tender page and documents are available on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal. Full tender detail URL: Tender details. The procurement package documents (Parts A-D) were published 2 July 2026. The procurement reference appears in the Contract Notice list as 454772-2026 / 125/2026 ¹.

Comprehensive summary

This opportunity is an open public procurement issued by Eurofound for a Macro-econometric Assessment of Reduced Working Time Policies. It is a services contract with an estimated total value of €185,000 and a planned duration of approximately 10 months. The selected contractor will design and implement macro-econometric modelling and policy analysis to assess the potential macroeconomic and labour market impacts of reduced working time policies in the EU context, produce technical deliverables and policy-ready reports, and engage with Eurofound. The tender is evaluated on quality (60) and price (40). Submission is via eSubmission on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal; key tender documents (Invitation, Tender Specifications, Standard Reply Form and Draft Service Contract) were published on 2 July 2026. Interested suppliers should carefully read Parts A to D, prepare a detailed technical proposal and compliant standard reply form, provide CVs of key experts and supporting evidence of experience in macro-econometric modelling, and submit before the deadline 31 August 2026 at 14:00:59 CET. The procurement follows standard EU contracting rules and requires no co-funding by bidders. For full terms, clauses and templates consult the official tender page linked above.

Footnotes

1. 1Contract notice identifiers listed in the procurement metadata: 454772-2026 and 125/2026, published 2 July 2026 on the EU Tendering Portal. Access documents via the tender details page.

Opportunity Summary

This tender, titled 'Macro-econometric Assessment of Reduced Working Time Policies' (Reference: 240105/7807), is issued by the European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions (Eurofound) to conduct a comprehensive economic analysis of policies reducing working hours in the EU ¹.

The estimated overall contract amount is €185,000, with a planned duration of 10 months starting from the contract signature ².

Key Deadlines:The submission deadline is 31 August 2026 at 14:00:59 (Dublin time), and the additional information request period ends on 19 August 2026 ³.

Who Should Apply

Tenderers must be natural or legal persons established in EU Member States or third countries with special public procurement agreements with the Union, excluding GPA countries ⁴.

Applicants are expected to possess specific expertise in macro-econometric modeling, labor market analysis, and the ability to assess the economic, social, and environmental impacts of working time reduction policies ⁵.

1. 1Demonstrated experience in macro-econometric assessment of labor policies
2. 2Capacity to analyze impacts across economic, social, and environmental axes
3. 3Proficiency in quantitative micro-economic analysis and SSH research methods

Eligibility and Selection Criteria

Selection is based on two main awarding criteria:Quality (weighted at 60%) and Price (weighted at 40%) ⁶.

Tenderers must submit a technical offer outlining relevant experience, proposed approach, and team composition, alongside a financial offer indicating the total price for the lot ⁷.

Contract Details and Requirements

The contract is for the provision of services under the procurement project ID EUROFOUND/2026/OP/0008, with a tender validity period of 6 months ⁸.

Tenderers must submit a technical proposal including professional capacity, relevant experience, and a selection of main works or articles published by team experts, as well as a financial proposal indicating a single total lump-sum price in euros ⁹.

Submission Method:Submissions must be made electronically via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal using the e-submission method ¹⁰.

Research Context and Policy Background

This tender aligns with Eurofound's 2026 work programme, which focuses on supporting better policies for a strong social Europe and addressing new opportunities and challenges in living and working conditions ¹¹.

Recent Eurofound research highlights that one in five EU workers is contacted for work-related reasons outside working hours several times a month, linking after-hours contact to increasing digitalization ¹².

The assessment will contribute to understanding the employment and distributional effects of restricting working time, a topic where quantitative analysis suggests marginal employment gains but significant output declines ¹³.

Footnotes

1. 1Eurofound is the tripartite EU agency providing knowledge to assist in the development of better social, employment, and work-related policies Eurofound Official Site.
2. 2The estimated overall contract amount is €185,000 with a duration of 10 months EU Tender Details.
3. 3Submission deadline is 31 August 2026 at 14:00:59; additional info request ends 19 August 2026 EU Tender Details.
4. 4Open to entities in EU Member States and third countries with special agreements, excluding GPA countries Eurofound CEI Page.
5. 5Research project should assess impacts along economic, social, and environmental axes ERRIN Call.
6. 6Awarding criteria: Quality (60%) and Price (40%) EU Tender Details.
7. 7Technical and financial offers required, including team composition and lump-sum price Eurocadres Call.
8. 8Contract duration 10 months, tender validity 6 months EU Tender Details.
9. 9Technical proposal must include professional capacity and published works; financial proposal must be a single lump-sum SGI Europe Tender.
10. 10Submission method is e-submission via EU Funding & Tenders Portal EU Tender Details.
11. 11Eurofound work programme 2026: Supporting better policies for a strong social Europe Eurofound Work Programme 2026.
12. 12One in five workers contacted outside working hours; link to digitalization Eurofound Article.
13. 13Regulating working hours may yield marginal employment gains but output declines ScienceDirect Article.