MULTIPLE FRAMEWORK CONTRACT FOR STUDIES IN THE FIELDS OF “CONSTITUTIONAL AFFAIRS, DEMOCRACY, JUSTICE AND HOME AFFAIRS”

The European Commission, represented by the Committee of the Regions, has issued a call for tenders, identified as CDR/2025/OP/0005, for a multiple framework contract aimed at securing studies in constitutional affairs, democracy, justice, and home affairs. This contract, estimated at a total value of 500,000 EUR, is designed to provide scientific, legal, documentary, and editorial assistance services over a maximum duration of 48 months. The framework is structured as a contract without reopening the competition, focusing on procurement for services.

Eligible applicants are likely to include research institutions, universities, consulting firms, and legal experts, though no specific exclusions are noted, allowing for a range of organizations to apply. The submission process is open, and participation is limited to those able to meet the necessary criteria. The contracting authority emphasizes that a Personal Identification Code (PIC) is mandatory for all applicants, whether as a sole tenderer or part of a consortium. The application must be submitted electronically, adhering to eSubmission guidelines that ensure security and privacy of documents.

The deadline for tender submissions is September 3, 2025, at 12:00 CET, and submissions will be evaluated on a best price-quality ratio, weighted at 70% for quality and 30% for price. The intended geographic scope is likely to be EU-wide, as is standard for EU public procurement procedures, although no specific countries are mentioned in the documentation.

The services required are focused on multiple areas within governance, including local democracy, multilevel governance, active subsidiarity, and better law-making. The expected project stage encompasses research and analysis, making the call particularly relevant for organizations with expertise in these domains. While specific success rates for tender submissions are not available, standard practices suggest moderate competition within similar contracts in the EU framework.

No co-funding requirement is indicated for the contract. Interested organizations should familiarize themselves with the provided documents, including tender specifications and financial forms, which are available for download. The contracting authority will not respond to inquiries submitted after August 26, 2025.

Overall, this initiative provides a significant opportunity for research and consultancy services related to European policies on crucial governance issues, aimed at enhancing institutional and legal frameworks within the EU.

The European Commission, specifically the Committee of the Regions of the European Union, has published a call for tenders, identified as CDR/2025/OP/0005, for a multiple framework contract. This contract focuses on providing studies in the fields of constitutional affairs, democracy, justice, and home affairs. The call is managed by the Directorate-General for Research and Innovation.

The purpose of this tender is to enable the Committee of the Regions (CoR)'s Commission for Citizenship, Governance, Institutional and External Affairs (CIVEX) to secure a framework contract. This contract will facilitate the provision of scientific, legal, documentary, and editorial assistance services. The services will particularly focus on constitutional and institutional issues, local democracy and devolution, multilevel governance, active subsidiarity, better law-making, and issues related to justice and home affairs.

This is an open procedure, meaning any interested party can submit a tender. The estimated total value of the contract is 500,000 EUR. The TED (Tenders Electronic Daily) publication date for this opportunity is July 4, 2025, with reference number 126/2025 435628-2025. The main classification according to the Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV) is 73210000, which refers to research consultancy services. The nature of the contract is for services, and the maximum contract duration is 48 months. The award method will be based on the best price-quality ratio. The framework agreement is a framework agreement without reopening of competition.

Key milestones include the TED publication date of July 4, 2025. The date and time of the public opening of the tenders is scheduled for September 5, 2025, at 14:30 Central European Time (Brussels). The deadline for receipt of tenders is September 3, 2025, at 12:00 Central European Time (Brussels). The contracting authority is not obligated to answer questions submitted after August 26, 2025, at 05:00 Central European Time (Brussels).

Submissions must be sent exclusively via electronic means through the designated submission address.

The following documents are available for download: Tender Specifications (published July 4, 2025, Version 1, in English), Invitation to Tender CDR-2025-OP-0005 (registered and signed invitation letter, published July 4, 2025, Version 1, in English), Financial Offer Form (published July 4, 2025, Version 1, in English), Annex 2 Declaration of Honour for Tenders (published July 4, 2025, Version 1, in English), and the Draft Framework Contract (published July 4, 2025, Version 1, in English). No translations are available for these documents.

A Participant Identification Code (PIC) is mandatory for participation in this call for tenders, whether as a sole candidate/tenderer or as part of a group (consortium). Subcontractors may also require a PIC.

The eSubmission system supports the latest versions of Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox. The system is multilingual, supporting all 24 official EU languages, and uses UTF-8 character set encoding. It encrypts all uploaded documents using an asymmetric key to ensure integrity and confidentiality. The maximum file size for attachments is 50 MB, and the maximum number of documents that can be uploaded per tender is 200.

Until the submission deadline, draft submissions can be viewed, edited, and deleted.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) provide guidance on technical aspects of the eSubmission system. For example, if the system is slow, users are advised to clear their browser cache and cookies. The FAQ also clarifies that the content of a submission is not accessible after the deadline due to encryption.

In summary, this is a call for tenders by the Committee of the Regions seeking a framework contract for research and consultancy services related to European policies in constitutional affairs, democracy, justice, and home affairs. The contract aims to provide the CIVEX commission with expert assistance in these areas. Interested parties must submit their tenders electronically by the specified deadline, adhering to the technical requirements of the eSubmission system, and should carefully review all provided documentation, including the tender specifications and draft contract. A key requirement is having a valid PIC number. The tender will be awarded based on the best price-quality ratio.

Eligible Applicant Types: The eligible applicant types are not explicitly stated, but given the nature of the tender for studies and assistance services, it is likely that eligible applicants include research institutions, universities, consulting firms, legal experts, and other organizations with expertise in the relevant fields (constitutional affairs, democracy, justice, and home affairs). The call is open, suggesting a wide range of organizations can apply as long as they meet the criteria.

Funding Type: The primary financial mechanism is a procurement, specifically a multiple framework contract for services.

Consortium Requirement: The content mentions that a Personal Identification Code (PIC) is mandatory to participate in a call for tenders as a sole candidate/tenderer or as a member of a group (consortium). This suggests that both single applicants and consortia are eligible to apply.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): The geographic eligibility is not explicitly stated, but given that it is an EU tender, it is highly likely that applicants from EU member states are eligible. It is possible that entities from EEA countries or EU candidate countries may also be eligible, but this would need to be confirmed in the tender specifications.

Target Sector: The target sectors are constitutional affairs, democracy, justice, and home affairs. This includes scientific, legal, documentary, and editorial assistance services related to constitutional and institutional issues, local democracy and devolution, multilevel governance, active subsidiarity and better law-making, and issues relating to the area of justice and home affairs. The CPV code 73210000 indicates research consultancy services.

Mentioned Countries: No specific countries are mentioned. The contracting authority is the Committee of the Regions of the European Union, implying that the opportunity is relevant to the EU.

Project Stage: The expected maturity of the project is not directly mentioned, but given that it is a framework contract for studies and assistance, the expected stage is likely to be at the research, development, and analysis stage. The tender is for the provision of services, so the focus is on organizations with existing expertise and capacity to deliver these services.

Funding Amount: The estimated total value of the framework contract is 500,000 EUR. This is the overall value of the contract, not necessarily the amount each successful applicant will receive. It is a multiple framework contract, so the funding will be distributed among several contractors.

Application Type: The application type is an open call for tenders, with electronic submission.

Nature of Support: The beneficiaries will receive money in exchange for services provided under the framework contract.

Application Stages: The number of application stages is not explicitly stated, but it is likely to involve at least two stages: submission of the tender and evaluation of the tender. There may be further stages depending on the specific requirements of the contracting authority.

Success Rates: The success rates are not mentioned in the provided text.

Co-funding Requirement: The co-funding requirement is not mentioned in the provided text.

Summary:

This is a call for tenders (CDR/2025/OP/0005) issued by the Committee of the Regions of the European Union for a multiple framework contract. The purpose of the tender is to secure scientific, legal, documentary, and editorial assistance services for the CoR's Commission for Citizenship, Governance, Institutional and External Affairs (CIVEX). The services required relate to constitutional and institutional issues, local democracy and devolution, multilevel governance, active subsidiarity and better law-making, and issues relating to the area of justice and home affairs. The estimated total value of the framework contract is 500,000 EUR, and the maximum contract duration is 48 months. The award method is based on the best price-quality ratio. The deadline for receipt of tenders is 03/09/2025 at 12:00 Europe/Brussels. Submissions must be sent electronically. The TED reference is 126/2025 435628-2025. Organizations interested in providing research consultancy services in the fields of constitutional affairs, democracy, justice, and home affairs should consider applying. A Personal Identification Code (PIC) is mandatory for participation, whether as a single tenderer or as part of a consortium. The contracting authority is not bound to reply to questions submitted after 26/08/2025 05:00 Europe/Brussels.