Management of the Administrative and Technical Secretariat of the "Coordination groups for Administrative Cooperation on Market Surveillance”

The European Commission DG GROW invites open tenders (procedure EC-GROW/2026/OP/0010) for the provision of administrative and technical secretariat services to the Coordination Groups for Administrative Cooperation on market surveillance, covering meeting organisation, participant management, CIRCABC/wiki administration, minutes and reporting. The contract covers up to 38 AdCo groups, has a maximum total value of €10,000,000 (€2,500,000/year initial) for up to 48 months with up to three 12-month renewals, and sets fixed price ceilings per meeting and per-group technical fees. Submission is electronic only via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal with deadline for receipt of tenders 20 May 2026 16:00 Brussels time and public opening 21 May 2026; questions deadline 8 May 2026. Award will be by best price-quality ratio with weighting Price 30% and Quality 70% and requires demonstrated financial and technical capacity and specified project team profiles.

What it pays for

Scope

Services contract to manage the administrative and technical secretariat for the Coordination Groups for Administrative Cooperation (AdCo) on market surveillance: meeting organisation (online and in-person), travel and accommodation management for participants, CIRCABC wiki management, drafting minutes and reports, coordination of joint actions and support to group chairs.

Estimated value:Estimated total value €10,000,000; indicative annual budget €2,500,000. Price ceilings apply per meeting and per-group technical secretariat fees ¹.

1. 1Max contract duration 48 months (renewable)
2. 2Award by best price-quality ratio
3. 3Submission electronically via eSubmission (EU Login required)

Who can apply

Open to economic operators (sole tenderers or groups). Subcontracting allowed; groups must appoint a group leader and assume joint and several liability. Tenderers must not be subject to EU restrictive measures or exclusion grounds and must meet selection criteria on turnover and relevant experience.

Key eligibility & admin requirements:Register in the Participant Register and obtain a PIC; submit declarations (declaration on honour) and technical and financial offers per tender specifications. Some contractor personnel may require security screening and EU Login two-factor authentication for eSubmission access ¹.

1. 1Minimum financial capacity: average annual turnover > €500,000 (last 3 years, consolidated)
2. 2Technical capacity: at least 2 similar contracts in last 5 years (min €300,000 each) and a defined team (project manager, finance, IT, operators, assistants)
3. 3Tenders in English; compliance with data protection and security rules

Deadlines & process

Deadline for receipt of tenders:20 May 2026, 16:00 (Europe/Brussels). Public opening: 21 May 2026. Procedure type: open; submission exclusively via eSubmission on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal F&T Portal ¹.

Contracting authority & classification

European Commission, DG GROW (Directorate H.4 Market Surveillance). CPV main classification 79400000 Business and management consultancy and related services; contract type: services direct contract.

Footnotes

1. 1All official procurement documents, submission portal and technical annexes are published on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal: ec.europa.eu (see tender EC-GROW/2026/OP/0010).

Summary

Procurement (open procedure) launched by the European Commission, DG GROW (Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs). Subject: provision of the administrative and technical secretariat services for the Coordination Groups for Administrative Cooperation on Market Surveillance (AdCo). Estimated total value €10,000,000 for the maximum duration of the contract. Maximum contract duration 48 months with up to three 12-month renewals. Submissions by electronic means via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal (eSubmission). TED reference 74/2026 260544-2026; TED publication date 16/04/2026. Public opening 21/05/2026 10:00 Europe/Brussels. Deadline for receipt of tenders 20/05/2026 16:00 Europe/Brussels. Full procurement documents (Invitation, Tender specifications, Draft contract and annexes, template financial offer, declaration on honour) published on the F&T Portal F&T Portal - tender page ¹.

What is being procured (scope and services)

The contract covers two distinct but integrated responsibilities for up to 38 existing AdCo groups (list in Annex 10 of tender specifications) and any additional groups added within the contract ceiling: 1) Administrative secretariat services: organisation and on-the-spot management of meetings (online and onsite), registration, event logistics including seminar package (meeting room, equipment, catering, block hotel reservations), participant management, travel and accommodation bookings and reimbursement management (within fixed ceilings), audio recording for minutes, management of CIRCABC access and training, support for simultaneous meetings and appropriate accessibility measures for persons with disabilities. 2) Technical secretariat services: support to Chairs (preparing working papers, drafting minutes and resolutions, draft minutes within 10 working days, chair review within 5 days), document handling and upload to CIRCABC/wiki, moderation of discussion, coordination of joint actions/campaigns, compilation of work programmes, surveys and statistics, assistance in coordination with notified bodies and stakeholders. Contractor must deliver periodic quarterly reports and a final report with attendance lists, financial supporting documents and other deliverables as specified in the tender specs.

Deliverables and reporting:Periodic quarterly reports (within 20 calendar days after each quarter) and a final report within 30 calendar days after contract end; draft minutes within 10 working days after each meeting; reviewed/approved minutes within further 5 working days; attendance lists for each meeting; CIRCABC/Wiki content management; financial statements and supporting invoices for reimbursements.

Meeting limits and formats:Per group per year: maximum two onsite physical meetings (max 2 days each) plus one online meeting (1 day); or if online-only, up to two meetings of two days each per year. Registration deadlines are firm; chairs must confirm meetings at least 3 months before start. Cancellations: varying reimbursement percentages depending on timing (none if >2 months; 20% if within 2 months; 50% if within 1 month).

Key commercial and financial information

Estimated total value published €10,000,000. The tender specifications state €2,500,000 per year as the contract value for each contract year (maximum). Financial offer must respect explicit price ceilings for management fees (per meeting/ per supplementary day and annual technical secretariat fee per group). All reimbursable costs (seminar package, travel, accommodation) are charged per fixed ceilings and must be documented with supporting invoices; contractor invoices interim payments quarterly and final payment after final report. Award method: best price-quality ratio. Framework: direct service contract with possibility for negotiated repeat services up to 50% of initial contract value within three years under specific conditions.

1. 1Maximum contract duration: 48 months with three possible 12‑month renewals (automatic unless notified otherwise).
2. 2Estimated total value: €10,000,000 (maximum contract value).
3. 3Annual contract value used for planning: €2,500,000 per year.
4. 4Price ceilings for management fees to be respected in financial offer: onsite one-day meeting €6,500; onsite supplementary day €1,250; online one-day meeting €5,000; online supplementary day €1,000; technical secretariat annual management fee per group €10,000.
5. 5Seminar package maximum (venue + catering + basic equipment) guidance: up to €150 per participant per meeting day (subject to tender annex rules).
6. 6Travel and accommodation ceilings: fixed ceilings per country/ night in Annex 8; travel and accommodation for specified participant categories reimbursed up to €750 per participant for travel (includes all travel-related costs).

Who may apply and eligibility

Procurement is open to any economic operator on equal terms within the scope of the EU Treaties and international organisations. Entities established in third countries may participate if covered by procurement access agreements; the Agreement on Government Procurement does not apply. Tenderers must not be subject to EU restrictive measures and must not be in an exclusion situation under Article 138 of the Financial Regulation. Entities may submit as sole tenderer or joint tender (consortium); subcontracting allowed but identified subcontractors above 10% of contract value and those relied upon for selection criteria must be named and submit commitment letters.

Eligible applicant types:Eligible: private sector service providers (consultancies, event management companies), SMEs, large enterprises, NGOs and non-profit organisations, universities and research/academic institutions acting as legal persons, public bodies and public‑private consortia, international organisations, joint tenders/consortia. Individual natural persons may participate where permitted as sole tenderers but must meet legal/selection criteria. Subcontractors permitted; identified subcontractors >10% and capacity-providing entities must be declared.

Eligibility and selection requirements (key points)

Mandatory exclusion and selection rules apply. Tenderers must submit the Declaration on Honour (Annex 2). Selection criteria include: consolidated average annual turnover over last three years > €500,000 (consolidated assessment allowed across involved entities); technical capacity: at least 2 similar contracts in the last 5 years valued €300,000 each; team requirements with specified profiles (Project manager/event organiser, Financial manager, IT manager, Conference operator, 2 administrative assistants, 2 technical recording assistants) each with minimum 3 years’ experience; language capacity in English (deliverables produced in English). Required evidence: accounts (P&L and balance sheets), project lists, CVs in Europass format, commitment letters from subcontractors and capacity entities where applicable.

How to apply and submission process

Tenders must be submitted electronically exclusively via the eSubmission system on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal. Registration in the Participant Register and obtaining a PIC is required for each organisation. Electronic signature: QES recommended for signed documents; handwritten signatures accepted but originals must be retained for five years. Tender language: any official EU language may be used, but documents published by the authority are in English and English deliverables are required. Tenderers must upload specific documents outlined in Annex 1 (Declaration on Honour, technical tender, financial tender using Annex 6 template, identified subcontractors, commitment letters, supporting evidence for selection criteria). The contracting authority may refuse to answer questions received less than six working days before submission deadline. Contracting authority not bound to reply to questions after 08/05/2026 23:59 Europe/Brussels.

Application type:Open call for tenders through eSubmission (single deadline). No rolling submissions. Electronic only.

Evaluation and award

Award based on best price-quality ratio. Weighting:Price 30% and Quality 70%. Quality is evaluated on three sub-criteria (methodology and adequacy 30 points; organisational structure and risk assessment 40 points; allocation of time and resources 30 points). A minimum overall quality threshold of 65% is required and minimum 50% per single quality sub-criterion, otherwise exclusion. Financial offers above stated ceilings will be excluded. Scoring formula uses cheapest reference price and quality total to compute weighted score; tie-break by highest quality score then further award criteria order.

Contract model, terms and security

Contract will be a direct service contract (Annex II draft contract included in procurement documents). Payment schedule: quarterly interim invoices and final payment after final report; technical secretariat annual management fees invoiced 50% at second interim payment and 50% at final payment. No pre‑financing. VAT: EU institutions exempt; special annex for VAT allocation in joint tenders. Security requirements: contractor and service providers must comply with Commission security rules and may be subject to personnel screenings (Belgian security advice where access to Commission premises or IT systems is required). Appendix 1 details security rules and ethics reminder to be included in subcontractor agreements.

Annexes and mandatory documents

Procurement documents include:Invitation to tender, Annex I - Tender specifications (with Annexes 1–10), Annex II - Draft contract and appendices (security requirements, IPR statements, VAT annex), Annex 6 - Template Financial Offer (spreadsheet), Annex 2 - Declaration on Honour, Annex 3 Agreement/Power of Attorney (for consortia), Annex 4 list of identified subcontractors, Annex 5 commitment letters, Annex 7 list of services and ceilings, Annex 8 travel & accommodation ceilings, Annex 9 reimbursable expenses, Annex 10 list of AdCo groups. Tenderers must use these templates and follow naming/upload instructions in Annex 1.

1. 1Mandatory documents to upload with tender: Declaration on Honour (Annex 2), technical tender, financial tender using Annex 6, list of identified subcontractors (Annex 4) if applicable, commitment letters (Annex 5.1 / 5.2) for identified subcontractors or capacity entities, CVs (Europass) for key staff, accounting evidence for turnover and accounts, project references and supporting evidence for selection criteria, Agreement/Power of Attorney (Annex 3) for joint tenders.
2. 2Signatures: QES preferred; delegation evidence required when signatory is not legal representative.
3. 3Electronic submission rules: adhere to eSubmission file type/size/number limits; attachments max 50 MB each; up to 200 files per tender.

Assessment questions (structured extraction)

Eligible Applicant Types

Eligible applicant types include:SMEs and large enterprises (service providers, consultancies, event management and business/management consultancies), universities and research institutions (legal persons), nonprofits and NGOs (legal entities), public bodies and local authorities (subject to EU procurement access rules), joint consortia/public-private partnerships, subcontractors, and international organisations where permitted. Individuals may apply where legally allowed but must satisfy legal, selection and exclusion criteria. Entities from third countries may participate only if procurement access agreements apply. Subcontractors are permitted; identified subcontractors (those relied on for selection criteria or >10% contract share) must be declared and provide commitment letters.

Funding Type

Primary financial mechanism:procurement / service contract (direct contract for services). This is not a grant, loan or equity instrument. The contracting model is a direct service contract under the Commission’s procurement rules and Financial Regulation.

Consortium Requirement

Consortium allowed but not mandatory. Tenderers may submit as a sole economic operator or as a joint tender (group of economic operators). If joint tendering, a group leader must be appointed, all members are jointly and severally liable, and the Agreement/Power of Attorney template (Annex 3) must be signed by all members. Subcontracting permitted with rules on identified subcontractors and commitments.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility)

Geographic eligibility:entities established within the scope of the EU Treaties (EU Member States and EEA where applicable), international organisations. Entities from third countries may participate only if a relevant agreement with the EU exists enabling procurement access. The work is predominantly for EU market surveillance AdCo groups (Member States + EEA/EFTA observers and candidate/MRA partners as observers).

Target Sector

Thematic sectors targeted:market surveillance across product and safety legislation. This includes sectors named in the AdCo list: construction products, machinery, lifts, toys, medical devices, radio equipment, energy labelling, ecodesign, batteries, textiles, cosmetics, PPE, gas appliances, explosives, transportable pressure equipment, cyber resilience and AI (advisory/coordination across product safety and compliance). Main CPV code: 79400000 - Business and management consultancy and related services.

Mentioned Countries

Documents explicitly reference EU Member States and EEA/EFTA countries; Belgium and Luxembourg appear in VAT and security screening contexts (Commission premises and VAT rules). The contracting authority is the European Commission (Brussels). The opportunity is EU-focused (no single beneficiary country list beyond EU/EEA coverage).

Project Stage

Expected project maturity:operational/implementation stage. This is an ongoing service contract to provide operational secretariat services, meeting organisation, facilitation, documentation, and coordination support rather than early research or product R&D. It supports sustained administrative and technical delivery and coordination activities (operation / management / demonstration/comms).

Funding Amount

Rough funding range / scale:maximum total contract value €10,000,000 (published). Annual planning figure €2,500,000 per year. Financial ceilings for tenderers: management fees per meeting and annual technical secretariat fees per group (see tender specs and Annex 6 financial template). Reimbursable expenses ceilings for travel/accommodation are listed in Annex 8 and seminar package ceilings in Annex 7.

Application Type

Method of submission:single open electronic call for tenders with a fixed deadline (open procedure) via eSubmission on the Funding & Tenders Portal. Not invitation-only; not rolling. Questions to the contracting authority via the Portal Q&A tool only.

Nature of Support

Beneficiaries (the contracting authority) will pay money under a service contract for the performance of services; the contractor receives monetary payments (interim and final invoices) and reimbursement for documented expenses within fixed ceilings. The contracting authority also receives non-monetary outcomes (minutes, reports, knowledge products, CIRCABC content).

Application Stages

Number of administrative/award stages in the procurement:1) submission and administrative compliance check; 2) exclusion and selection assessment (declarations and supporting evidence); 3) technical and financial evaluation; 4) notification and post-award provision of supporting evidence and contract signature. In practice tenderers must pass these sequential checks. The procurement documents outline evaluation and potential requests for clarification and evidence before award.

Success Rates

No explicit historic success rate provided. As an open EU procurement with a single winner and weighted award criteria, success rates will depend on the number and quality of tenders received; historically public tenders of this type attract a competitive field of consultancies and event/secretariat providers. Tenderers should ensure compliance with exclusion/selection criteria and strong quality methodology to maximize chances.

Co-funding Requirement

No applicant co-funding requirement specified. The contract is fee-based (service contract) paid by the contracting authority; tenderers must price services and reimbursable expenses in their financial offer respecting ceilings. There is no requirement for tenderer equity co-financing or matching contributions.

Application templates and form structure

The procurement package includes templates and required forms which must be used by tenderers. Mandatory templates and their purposes: Annex 2 Declaration on Honour (exclusion & selection statements); Annex 3 Agreement/Power of Attorney (for joint tenders/group agreement); Annex 4 List of identified subcontractors (and % of contract value to be subcontracted); Annex 5.1 and 5.2 Commitment letters (subcontractors and entities providing capacities); Annex 6 Template Financial Offer (Excel workbook with cost breakdowns for onsite and online meetings, staff categories, seminar package and annual technical secretariat fees — tenderers must respect ceilings indicated in Section 1.4.5); Annex 7 List of services and cost categories guidance; Annex 8 Travel & accommodation ceilings per country; Annex 1 list of documents to upload and where to attach them in eSubmission. All uploads must follow eSubmission naming and attachments guidance and be placed in the correct section (Parties -> attachments for declarations and evidence; Tender Data -> Technical tender; Tender Data -> Financial tender).

1. 1Use Annex 6 Excel financial template to populate prices and ensure totals do not exceed price ceilings.
2. 2Provide CVs in Europass format for key staff and specify contractual link to tenderer.
3. 3Provide project references complying with T1 requirement (at least 2 projects of relevant scope and value).
4. 4Include Annex 4 and Annex 5.1/5.2 where identified subcontractors or relied-on entities are involved.
5. 5Sign Declaration on Honour (Annex 2) for the required entities listed in Annex 1 and upload in designated eSubmission party sections.

Risks, compliance and practical notes

Key risks and mandatory compliance points:1) financial offers exceeding stated ceilings will be excluded; 2) failure to submit the Declaration on Honour or to provide requested evidence before award may cause rejection; 3) identified subcontractors >10% must be named and provide commitment letters; 4) security screening and Commission premises/IT access require consent forms and potential screening fees (contractor bears costs); 5) invoices and VAT treatment must follow annex and national rules; 6) eSubmission technical constraints (file size, accepted formats, browser requirements) mean start submissions early; 7) attendance and registration rules for meetings are strict (two participants per Member State for onsite, hosts up to five, additional participants only if budget allows).

Procurement timelines (key dates):TED publication date 16/04/2026. Deadline for receipt of tenders 20/05/2026 16:00 Europe/Brussels. Public opening 21/05/2026 10:00 Europe/Brussels. Contract signature and kick-off timelines defined in tender specs following award and contract preparation.

Concluding summary

This procurement seeks an experienced service provider (or consortium) to deliver the combined administrative and technical secretariat functions for the EU’s market surveillance coordination groups (AdCo). The selected contractor will run event logistics and participant management, reimburse travel and accommodation within fixed ceilings, manage CIRCABC/wiki spaces, support Chairs with drafting and moderating technical work, coordinate joint actions and deliver periodic reports and meeting outputs in English. The process is an open EU procurement (electronic submission only), evaluated on price (30%) and quality (70%), with firm selection and exclusion criteria and templates provided. Financial offers must respect explicit ceilings and quarterly invoicing rules. The contract is operational in nature and requires experience in meeting management, technical secretariat functions, multilingual stakeholder facilitation and robust administrative, IT and financial processes. Interested economic operators should review the invitation, tender specifications, draft contract and annexes in full on the Funding & Tenders Portal and prepare submissions strictly following the templates and annex upload guidance F&T Portal - tender page ¹.

Footnotes

1. 1Full procurement documents, templates and Q&A are available on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal opportunity page: ec.europa.eu

Opportunity Overview

This is an open procedure call for tenders issued by the European Commission, DG GROW (Directorate-General for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs), for the management of the administrative and technical secretariat of coordination groups (AdCo) on market surveillance. These groups facilitate cooperation among national market surveillance authorities to ensure uniform application of Single Market legislation, enhance efficiency, establish communication channels, coordinate cross-border activities, exchange best practices, and address shared issues. There are currently 38 AdCo groups covering sectors such as construction products, radio equipment, machinery, toys, and emerging areas like AI and cyber resilience, with potential for additional groups.

The contract requires two main tasks:(1) administrative secretariat, including organising up to two onsite (physical) meetings (max 2 days each) and one online meeting (1 day) per group per year, or two online meetings of 2 days if no physical meetings; managing CIRCA BC/wiki spaces; handling registrations, travel/accommodation reimbursements, and seminar packages; and (2) technical secretariat, supporting chairs with meeting preparation, minutes drafting, information circulation, joint actions, surveys, and annual reports. Meetings are held in English, primarily in Brussels or other accessible EU locations.

Key Dates and Procedure

• TED publication date: 16 April 2026
• Deadline for questions: 8 May 2026 (23:59 Brussels time)
• Deadline for receipt of tenders: 20 May 2026 (16:00 Brussels time)
• Public opening: 21 May 2026 (10:00 Brussels time)

Electronic submission required via EU Funding & Tenders Portal with EU Login (2-factor authentication mandatory from 30 June 2026). Procedure identifier: EC-GROW/2026/OP/0010. TED reference: 74/2026 260544-2026. CPV: 79400000 (Business and management consultancy services). Award criteria: best price-quality ratio (Price 30%, Quality 70%).

Eligibility and Who Can Apply

Open to natural/legal persons within EU Treaties scope, international organisations, or third-country entities with relevant EU agreements. No GPA applicability. Joint tenders and subcontracting allowed (identified subcontractors >10% or for selection criteria must provide commitment letters). Must register in Participant Register for PIC. Exclusion for EU restrictive measures, bankruptcy, tax/social security breaches, fraud, etc. (Declaration on Honour required).

Selection Criteria (Consolidated Assessment)

• Economic/financial: Average yearly turnover last 3 years > €500,000 (provide P&L accounts/balance sheets).
• Technical/professional T1: 2 similar contracts (scope/complexity, min €300,000 each) in last 5 years (meeting organisation/technical assistance).
• T2: Team with Project Manager/Event organiser, Financial manager, IT Manager, Conference operator, 2 Administrative assistants, 2 Technical recording assistants (each with 3+ years experience; Europass CVs).
• T3: 2 projects with English deliverables in last 3 years.

Contract Value and Financial Details

Maximum Value:€10,000,000 total (€2,500,000/year initial + 3 automatic 12-month renewals). Services invoiced based on actuals within ceilings; no carry-over of unused funds.

Financial offer limited to these items (Annex 6 template). Includes staff/support services. Seminar package max €150/participant/day (Annex 7). Travel max €750/participant; accommodation flat rates by country (Annex 8, breakfast incl., max 2 nights). All ex-VAT (EU exempt). Payments: 4 quarterly interim + final (60-day approval). Invoicing twice/year for technical fees (50% each).

Duration and Renewal

48 months max (initial ~12 months + 3 automatic 12-month renewals unless 3 months' notice). Possible negotiated extension up to 50% initial value within 3 years if similar services, satisfactory performance, funding available.

Key Requirements and Conditions

Deliverables

• Kick-off meeting (within 2 weeks): Reviewed meeting schedule/budget.
• Quarterly reports (x4/year): Analysis, budgets, attendance lists, justifications.
• Final report: Overall analysis, group stats, budgets.
• Per meeting: Minutes (10 days post), agendas, CIRCA management, recordings.

Evaluation Criteria

Other Conditions

• Security: Comply with Commission rules; personnel screening for Brussels access; ethics declarations.
• Data protection: Process within EU/EEA; notify breaches within 48h.
• IP: EU owns results; pre-existing rights licensed royalty-free.
• Liability: Up to 3x contract value (unlimited for gross negligence/IP infringement).
• Termination: Convenience (3 months' notice, no compensation); other grounds (e.g. breach, force majeure).

Documents:8 available on portal (Invitation, Tender Specs, Declaration Honour, Financial Template, Draft Contract + annexes on security/IP/VAT). Q&A section active (login required). Primary source: EU Funding & Tenders Portal. Prior contracts existed (e.g. PROSAFE involvement in past). ¹

Footnotes

1. 1Similar prior tender closed 2018; current is renewal/expansion. Check portal for updates/Q&A.