Multiannual FWC on monitoring, research and analysis related to VET and qualifications

Cedefop is procuring a multiannual framework contract (CEDEFOP/2026/OP/0005) to provide monitoring, research and analytical services on vocational education and training, qualifications and digital credentials. The open procedure is managed via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal and will establish a cascade framework of up to three contractors with a maximum envelope of €2.5 million excluding VAT over up to 48 months (initial 24 months plus one 24-month renewal). Awarding is by best price-quality ratio (70% quality, 30% price) and requires two scenario-based technical proposals, a financial offer and compliance with selection and exclusion criteria including turnover, relevant contracts and specified expert profiles. Tenders must be submitted exclusively via eSubmission on the Funding & Tenders Portal by 15 December 2026 at 15:59 Greek local time.

Opportunity type

Open call for tenders (framework contract in cascade)

Footnotes

1. 1Official procurement dossier, including Invitation to Tender, Tender Specifications (Annexes A–M) and draft Framework Contract, is available on the Funding & Tenders Portal at the tender details page linked above.

Call identifier and contracting authority

Key dates and administrative milestones

All submissions must be made electronically through the Funding & Tenders Portal. Tender documentation and annexes were published on 16/10/2026 and are available on the F&T Portal CEDEFOP Tender details 1.

Contract type, value and duration

Eligible applicants and organisational forms

Explicitly mentioned and eligible jurisdictions

Funding and payment modality

Consortium, subcontracting and reliance on third-party capacities

Target sectors and thematic focus

Award criteria, evaluation process and stages

Selection and exclusion criteria (summary)

Award (technical) criteria and scoring essentials

Financial proposal and unit pricing

Tenderers must complete the Financial offer template (Annex H). Annex H collects daily rates per expert category and unit costs for travel/meetings. For evaluation, a standard scenario of 200 person-days and two physical meetings is used to compute the Total Financial Offer (TFO) for scoring. Prices quoted must be fixed for the first year; price revision rules apply from year 2. Prices are in euros and must be all-inclusive; Cedefop is VAT-exempt.

Nature of deliverables and quality/language requirements

Meetings, travel and practical arrangements

IPR, data protection and confidentiality

Templates and required annexes (how to structure your submission)

Co-funding, eligibility of costs and other contractual matters

Success rates and likely competition

Project team and staff requirements (expert profiles summary)

What the two scenarios expect (short)

How to apply (practical checklist)

Summary: what is this opportunity about and who should apply?

This Cedefop tender establishes a multiannual framework of research and analytic service contractors to support EU-level monitoring, research and policy analysis on vocational education and training, qualifications, validation and digital credentials. The framework will be non-exclusive and implemented in cascade (ranking up to three contractors). Cedefop seeks experienced multidisciplinary teams able to deliver comparative, policy-relevant research, qualitative fieldwork, case studies, foresight and stakeholder validation activities across EU countries and selected partners. The contract is best suited to consortia or organisations with strong track records in comparative VET and qualifications research, capacity to mobilise national experts, and the required expert profiles (team leader, senior researchers, QA manager, digital/AI technical expert). The estimated envelope is €2.5 million over up to 48 months; award will be on best price-quality ratio with strict technical thresholds. Interested organisations must submit two scenario-specific technical proposals and a financial offer via the Funding & Tenders Portal by 15/12/2026 15:59 (Europe/Athens). Full dossier, templates and annexes are available on the F&T Portal CEDEFOP Tender details 1.

Footnotes

1. 1Full tender dossier and annexes (Invitation to tender, Tender specifications, Draft framework contract, Declaration on honour, Questionnaires, Technical proposal templates and Financial offer form) are published on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal: ec.europa.eu
1. 1Full tender dossier and annexes (Invitation to tender, Tender specifications, Draft framework contract, Declaration on honour, Questionnaires, Technical proposal templates and Financial offer form) are published on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal: ec.europa.eu

Multiannual Framework Contract on Monitoring, Research and Analysis Related to VET and Qualifications

Opportunity identity and status

This is a public procurement opportunity rather than a grant scheme. Cedefop intends to purchase specialised research, monitoring, analytical and implementation support services relating to vocational education and training, qualifications and credentials. The opportunity is managed through the European Commission Funding and Tenders Portal, which provides access to EU calls for tenders and electronic submission services.1 1

The procurement is an open procedure for services under procedure reference CEDEFOP/2026/OP/0005. The lead contracting authority is the European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training, Cedefop. The main CPV classification is 73000000, research and development services and related consultancy services.

The tender is not divided into lots and variants are not permitted. Cedefop intends to establish a multiple framework service contract in cascade with a maximum of three contractors, subject to receiving a sufficient number of admissible and successful tenders.

Key procurement facts

Purpose and policy context

The framework contract will support Cedefop activities under its strategic area of operation concerning the shaping of VET and qualifications. The intended work is designed to generate, analyse, transform and integrate evidence into policy and practice oriented knowledge for European and national stakeholders.

The work will primarily use a European comparative perspective. Assignments may compare policies and practices across a broad group of countries, or conduct detailed research in selected countries, regions, sectors or institutional settings. The geographical scope of an individual specific contract may cover all EU Member States, Norway and Iceland, selected countries or selected regions.

The procurement addresses two connected policy strands. The first concerns monitoring and research on national VET policies, systems and institutions. The second concerns transparency, recognition, validation and portability of skills, qualifications and credentials.

Potential work is linked to national VET reforms, VET attractiveness and inclusion, mobility, lifelong learning, qualifications frameworks, learning outcomes, recognition of foreign qualifications, validation of non formal and informal learning, digital credentials, microcredentials, artificial intelligence in VET and future skills developments.

Services likely to be ordered

Specific contracts may request one or more of the following services, with the precise tasks, geographical scope, methodology and deliverables defined in each order.

Technical evaluation scenarios

Tenderers must prepare two technical proposals, one for each scenario. The scenarios are used for evaluation and demonstrate the tenderer's ability to address the substantive and methodological requirements of the framework.

Each technical scenario proposal is expected to be approximately 15 pages. The technical response should be evidence based, comparative, operationally credible and clearly connected to the requested deliverables. It should identify how the proposed team will obtain reliable national and EU level evidence and manage differences in definitions, data availability, institutional structures and policy contexts.

Who can apply

Participation is open to economic operators that meet the procurement eligibility and selection conditions. A tender may be submitted by a single legal or natural person, by a grouping or consortium, or with subcontractors and other entities whose capacities are relied upon where permitted by the tender specifications.

Access to this Cedefop procurement is stated to be open to entities established in the 27 EU Member States, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway, as well as Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia under the applicable EU agreements. International organisations may participate where they satisfy the relevant Financial Regulation requirements.

Entities from other Government Procurement Agreement countries are not included in the stated market access scope unless they fall within one of the specifically identified eligible categories. Subcontractors and entities relied upon for selection criteria are subject to separate rules and may not be used to circumvent market access requirements.

A consortium must identify all members and designate a leader or manager. Consortium members are expected to be jointly and severally liable towards Cedefop for performance of the contract. A power of attorney must be provided using one of the models in the procurement documents.

Subcontractors and entities on whose capacities the tenderer relies must be identified as required by the tender specifications. Letters of intent and supporting information may be required. The tenderer remains responsible for demonstrating that the proposed contractual structure provides adequate capacity and does not create conflicts of interest.

Selection and exclusion requirements

All participating entities, consortium members, identified subcontractors and entities relied upon for selection criteria must complete the required declarations and satisfy the applicable exclusion and selection requirements.

The available selection questionnaire indicates a requirement to demonstrate relevant experience through at least three contracts performed during the three years preceding the tender deadline. Those contracts must be similar in scope and nature to the required services and have a combined value of at least €1 million for the relevant execution period. The precise allocation of experience between the tenderer, consortium members, subcontractors and relied upon entities must follow the tender specifications.

The procurement documents also require information on the proposed expert profiles. The available questionnaire refers to profiles including a framework contract manager, team leader, senior qualitative research expert, quality assurance manager, senior and non senior researchers on qualifications and credentials, senior and non senior researchers in VET policies and systems, and a technical expert in AI enabled digital solutions. The detailed education and experience thresholds for each profile must be taken from the tender specifications and completed in the relevant evidence forms.

Evidence may include extracts from judicial records, tax and social security certificates, professional or company registration information, financial information, references for relevant contracts, curriculum vitae and evidence of qualifications and experience. Cedefop may request evidence within a short period where it has not been required at submission stage.

Financial structure and payment

The stated maximum framework envelope is €2.5 million excluding VAT over four years. This is not a grant allocation, guaranteed turnover or minimum purchase commitment. Cedefop will be contractually bound only by the amounts included in successive specific contracts that it decides to issue.

Specific contracts will be priced using the unit prices included in the framework contract. The financial offer requires all inclusive daily rates for the defined expert profiles and all inclusive travel costs for experts attending meetings at Cedefop premises in Thessaloniki.

For a specific contract valued at up to €50,000, the stated payment structure is one payment after completion of all tasks and submission of the final deliverables. For a specific contract above €50,000, the stated structure is an interim payment of 40 percent after interim deliverables, approximately halfway through the assignment, followed by a 60 percent balance after the final deliverables. Payments are subject to the contract conditions and are generally made within 90 days of submission of valid invoices.

Cedefop may request supplementary services of the same type as those listed in the framework contract where necessary for execution of a specific contract. Such services require prior approval and must not depart from the essential framework terms.

The tender specifications reserve the possibility of a negotiated procedure without prior publication to increase the maximum contract amount by up to 50 percent for similar services, subject to the stated Financial Regulation conditions and within three years of signature. This is a discretionary possibility and is not a guaranteed increase in contract value.

Framework operation and commercial implications

The framework uses a cascade arrangement. Cedefop will rank successful contractors in descending order and normally contact the contractor ranked first. If that contractor is unavailable or incapable of responding for reasons that do not require contract termination, Cedefop may contact the second and then the third contractor.

The framework does not guarantee that every selected contractor will receive work. The final value depends on Cedefop's future requirements, available budget and the specific contracts issued during the framework period. Applicants should therefore assess the opportunity as a route to recurring call off work rather than as a fixed €2.5 million award.

Submission requirements and timetable

Tenders must be submitted exclusively through the electronic submission system accessed from the Funding and Tenders Portal. Submission by email, post or another method will be disregarded. Each organisation participating as a sole tenderer or consortium member must be registered in the Participant Register and have a valid Participant Identification Code.

An EU Login account is required to access the electronic submission process, submit questions and manage the tender. Applicants should begin registration, consortium coordination and document preparation well before the deadline.

The metadata contains an additional date of 1 January 2026, but the authoritative tender documents and procurement timetable identify 15 December 2026 at 15:59 Greek local time as the deadline for receipt of tenders. Applicants should rely on the live Funding and Tenders Portal record and any subsequently published correction notice before submitting.

Mandatory submission package

The financial offer must be confined to the designated financial section. The invitation warns tenderers not to disclose financial prices in the technical proposal or other supporting documents. Failure to submit both a compliant technical proposal and a financial proposal may lead to rejection.

Evaluation and award strategy

The award uses a best price quality ratio with 70 percent assigned to quality and 30 percent to price. The strongest applications should therefore avoid treating the opportunity as a rate competition only. Technical credibility, methodological rigour, relevant comparative evidence, expert coverage, quality assurance and deliverability are central to competitiveness.

Key risks and issues for applicants

Overall assessment

This is a substantial, specialist research services procurement suited to universities, research institutes, policy consultancies, evaluation firms and multidisciplinary consortia with demonstrable European VET and qualifications expertise. It is particularly relevant to organisations able to combine comparative policy research, stakeholder engagement, qualitative and quantitative analysis, technical writing, quality assurance and implementation support.

The opportunity is commercially attractive because it can create a four year pipeline of Cedefop assignments with an overall ceiling of €2.5 million, but the value is uncertain and distributed through a cascade framework. A competitive tender should focus on a highly credible technical response, strong named experts, documented relevant contract experience, clear access to national evidence and a disciplined financial proposal.

Applicants should treat the tender specifications, draft framework contract, annexes, live portal record and any published clarifications as controlling documents. The final compliance review should verify every mandatory form, signature, capacity arrangement, file format, page limit, price entry and submission timestamp before dispatch.

Official source

The authoritative opportunity record and procurement documents are available through EU Funding and Tenders Portal opportunity record. The search result confirms that the Funding and Tenders Portal is the European Commission platform for calls for tenders and participation guidance.1

Footnotes

1. 1Primary source: EU Funding and Tenders Portal. Supporting information in this report is drawn from the opportunity record and the procurement documents made available from that record, including the invitation to tender, tender specifications, draft framework contract and annexes.