New methodologies to assess inequality

The European Commission DG JRC has published an open call for tenders (EC-JRC/IPR/2026/OP/0185; TED ref 87/2026 310364-2026) for a Preparatory Action to develop new methodologies to assess inequality, divided into six independent lots with a total estimated budget of €1,100,000. Lot ceilings range from €140,000 to €230,000 and each contract has a maximum duration of 18 months. Tenders must be submitted electronically via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal eSubmission system by 8 June 2026 at 16:00 (Europe/Rome) and will be evaluated on a best price-quality ratio weighted 70% quality and 30% price. Participation is open to economic operators that meet the exclusion and selection criteria, including minimum turnover and technical experience thresholds, and requires registration in the Participant Register with a PIC.

What it funds

Scope

Research and technical services to develop and apply new methods and models to measure inequality using advanced analytics (Big Data, NLP, non‑linear econometrics), new macro and micro modelling (HANK, OLG, spatial models) and alternative data sources (administrative, survey, transactions, social network and geospatial data). Outputs include reports, datasets, code and outreach (workshops and short courses).

Total budget:Estimated total value €1,100,000. Individual lot ceilings range from €140,000 to €230,000 (six independent lots). ¹

1. 1Lot 1 Dimensions and measurements of inequality (ceiling €200,000)
2. 2Lot 2 Non-linear AI and distributional modelling (ceiling €190,000)
3. 3Lot 3 Wealth inequality and household finance (ceiling €200,000)
4. 4Lot 4 Advanced macro modelling with inequality (HANK/OLG) (ceiling €140,000)
5. 5Lot 5 Spatial drivers of (wealth) inequality (ceiling €140,000)
6. 6Lot 6 Social capital and territorial inequality (ceiling €230,000)

Who can apply

Open procurement to economic operators (natural or legal persons). Tenders may be submitted by single organisations or consortia (joint tenders). Subcontracting and reliance on third‑party capacities are permitted subject to the tender specifications. Tenderers must register in the Participant Register (PIC) and submit electronically via the EU Funding & Tenders eSubmission system.

Key practical facts

1. 1Procedure: Open tender managed by European Commission, DG JRC (JRC.B)
2. 2Submission: Electronic via eSubmission (EU Login required)
3. 3Contract duration: up to 18 months per lot
4. 4Award method: best price-quality ratio

Deadlines:submission deadline for all lots 08 June 2026 (local time at contracting authority); public opening 09 June 2026. See procurement documents for lot-specific requirements, deliverables, eligibility, evaluation and reporting schedules.

Footnotes

1. 1Full call documents, tender specifications and application instructions are available on the Funding & Tenders Portal Funding & Tenders Portal — tender details.

What this procurement is for

The Joint Research Centre (DG JRC) of the European Commission has published an open call for tenders to implement a Preparatory Action titled New methodologies to assess inequality. The procurement is split into six independent lots. The objective is to support the development and measurement of new dimensions of inequality and to integrate advanced analytical techniques and modelling approaches with alternative data sources (administrative, text, survey, transaction and geospatial data). The expected deliverables per lot include a minimum of two technical chapters/reports, data and code deliverables (CSV/Excel and code in common statistical/programming languages), documentation and a modest outreach/training package (one speaker at three workshops/conferences and a two-day in-person course).

Key administrative facts

Procedure identifier EC-JRC/IPR/2026/OP/0185 (TED ref 310364-2026). Publication date 06/05/2026. Submission method electronic via eSubmission (EU Funding & Tenders Portal). Contracting authority: European Commission, DG JRC - Joint Research Centre (JRC.B Fair and Sustainable Economy, Economic and Financial Resilience). Procedure type: open procedure. Main CPV: 73110000 Research services. Estimated total budget for all lots: €1 100 000. Each lot is procured as a direct contract with maximum duration 18 months and awarded on best price-quality ratio.

Deadlines (centralised):Deadline for receipt of tenders (all lots): 08/06/2026 16:00 Europe/Rome (eSubmission). Public virtual opening session: 09/06/2026 10:00 Europe/Rome. Last date for questions: 28/05/2026 23:59 Europe/Rome.

Total estimated value and individual lot ceilings:Total estimated value: €1 100 000. Lot ceilings: Lot €1 200 000; Lot €2 190 000; Lot €3 200 000; Lot €4 140 000; Lot €5 140 000; Lot €6 230 000.

Detailed lot descriptions

1. 1Lot 1 — Support for identifying new dimensions and measurements of inequality. Tasks: measure dimensions such as regional and urban vs rural inequality, neighbourhood segregation, human capital, health and digital inequality, energy/environment disparities, transport access, time poverty, subjective wellbeing. Methods: multidimensional indices, distribution-sensitive indicators, life-cycle measures, integration of micro and administrative data. Deliverables: minimum 2 chapters (>=15 pages each), appendices with descriptive statistics and methodologies, dataset(s) used in agreed format, outreach (1 speaker to 3 workshops/conferences), and a two-day in-person course. Ceiling €200 000; duration 18 months.
2. 2Lot 2 — Support for Inequality in N-Dimensions: non-linear AI assisted models. Tasks: develop and apply modelling bridging micro heterogeneity and macro dynamics; robust imputation, harmonisation for variable coverage, missing values, measurement error and mixed frequencies; advanced estimation techniques including pseudo-variable models, distributional VARs, nonlinear econometrics, quantile regressions, mixed-effects, Bayesian nonparametrics. Deliverables: minimum 2 chapters, appendices, code (STATA/Python/Matlab/Julia/R preferred), data in agreed format, outreach and two-day course. Ceiling €190 000; duration 18 months.
3. 3Lot 3 — Support for assessing wealth inequality and household financial behaviour. Tasks: analyse household finances, asset accumulation, savings and borrowing decisions; exploit emerging sources (tax records, real estate registries, transaction/financial data, register data) to improve measurement of wealth and transitions. Deliverables: minimum 2 chapters (policy-oriented + data/inequality implications), appendices, code, datasets, outreach and two-day course. Ceiling €200 000; duration 18 months.
4. 4Lot 4 — Support for advanced macro modelling with inequality. Tasks: develop a two-country HANK model to study national redistribution versus international risk sharing and an EU-level aggregate HANK model to simulate policy effects on income and wealth heterogeneity. Deliverables: minimum 2 chapters (model documentation, calibration, policy scenarios), appendices, code (Python/Matlab/Julia/R preferred), datasets, outreach and two-day course. Ceiling €140 000; duration 18 months.
5. 5Lot 5 — Support for spatial drivers of (wealth) inequality. Tasks: develop dynamic computational models linking individual wealth/income and local/regional characteristics (housing investment, ownership, tenancy, local economic factors, migration), combine micro data with regional models, identify alternative data sources for parameterisation. Deliverables: minimum 2 chapters (model + data/methods), appendices, code (STATA/Python/Matlab preferred), datasets, outreach and two-day course. Ceiling €140 000; duration 18 months.
6. 6Lot 6 — Support for social capital and territorial inequality. Tasks: construct geospatial datasets of social infrastructure and meeting places across EU27, combine OpenStreetMap and administrative registries, measure availability and accessibility indicators, analyse correlations with socioeconomic, demographic, electoral and innovation outcomes. Deliverables: minimum 2 technical reports, geospatial database with facility classification and neighbourhood indicators (multiple time points where possible), documented code repository, methodology note, outreach and two-day course. Ceiling €230 000; duration 18 months.

Eligibility, procedure and submission details

Tender submission and evaluation are governed by the EU Financial Regulation and the procurement documents published on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal. Participation is open to natural and legal persons from the EU and from third countries covered by WTO GPA or other relevant agreements, subject to access-to-procurement rules and restrictive measures checks. Participation requires registration in the Participant Register and use of eSubmission (EU Login and PIC). All tenders must be uploaded electronically; non-electronic submissions are disregarded.

Eligible applicant types:Eligible applicants include research organisations, universities, research institutes, SMEs and large enterprises, consultancies and social research firms, NGOs and non-profits, and consortia (joint tenders). Natural persons may participate where allowed. The procurement documents indicate that joint tenders are permitted and that subcontracting is allowed subject to rules and identification of subcontractors whose share exceeds 20% or whose capacities are used for selection criteria.

Funding type:This opportunity is a public procurement (service contract) financed from the EU budget (Preparatory Action). It is not a grant, loan or equity instrument; award is by contract under the best price-quality ratio.

Consortium requirement:Tenders may be submitted by a single entity (sole tenderer) or by a group of economic operators (joint tender). Joint tenders must appoint a group leader and sign an Agreement/Power of Attorney (Annex 3). Joint tender members are jointly and severally liable.

Beneficiary scope (geographic eligibility):Open to entities established in EU Member States and to entities from third countries covered by access-to-procurement rules and agreements (e.g. WTO GPA). Tenderers must demonstrate access to procurement and are subject to restrictive measures checks.

Target sectors and disciplines:Primary thematic areas: social and economic research, inequality measurement, macro and microeconomic modelling, household finance, spatial/regional analysis, social capital and cohesion, data science and machine learning, geospatial analysis, natural language processing, Big Data analytics. Applicable sectors: economic research, social research, ICT/data services, geospatial analytics, macroeconomic modelling, public policy research and consulting.

Mentioned countries:The contracting authority location is Ispra, Italy (Varese, IT). The procurement is EU-centred (EU-27) for data coverage and policy relevance; the opportunity is open to eligible entities per access rules (EU, GPA jurisdictions and other eligible third countries).

Project stage / expected maturity:Expected project maturity: research, development, validation and demonstration. The work requires established empirical and modelling capacity (already-developed methods, access to data sources and ability to deliver reproducible code and datasets). Teams should be able to produce research outputs ready for academic and policy use.

Funding amount / scale:Total estimated value €1 100 000 across 6 lots. Individual lot ceilings range from €140 000 to €230 000 as listed above. Each lot is assessed independently and awarded separately.

Application type and submission method:Open call for tenders published on the Funding & Tenders Portal. Submission exclusively electronic via eSubmission (EU Login required). Tenderers must register in the Participant Register and use PIC codes. Language: any official EU language. Tenders per lot must include a technical tender (<= 20 A4 pages) and a financial tender (in EUR, VAT excluded).

Nature of support:Beneficiaries receive a service contract (monetary payment). This contract requires delivery of research outputs, datasets and code; it also includes non-financial support in the form of collaboration with JRC experts, workshops and training activities supported by the contractor.

Application stages:Single-stage submission of full tenders via eSubmission followed by evaluation. Administrative checks, exclusion/selection verification and technical/price evaluation are performed; supporting evidence may be requested from the presumed successful tenderer before award. In practice applicants submit once and may be contacted for clarifications and to provide requested documents. Therefore primary stages: 1 (submission) -> 2 (evaluation & clarifications) -> 3 (award/contract signature).

Success rates:Not published. As a competitive procurement with a limited number of lots and available budget, success depends on meeting selection criteria, strong technical quality and competitive price. No explicit historical success rates are provided in the procurement documents.

Co‑funding requirement:No co‑funding is requested in the procurement documents. The contract price must cover all tasks and deliverables. VAT is excluded; contractors must handle local tax/VAT rules and any required exemptions.

Eligibility, exclusion and selection details (what evaluators will check)

Tenderers must provide the Declaration on Honour (Annex 2) on exclusion and selection criteria. The contracting authority will check exclusion situations defined in Article 138 Financial Regulation and may request documentary evidence from the presumed successful tenderer. Selection criteria include legal/regulatory capacity, minimum economic-financial capacity (average yearly turnover thresholds per lot for the last two financial years), and technical-professional capacity (minimum project/publication experience and team composition). Identified subcontractors above 20 % of the contract value or whose capacities underpin selection criteria must be listed and provide commitment letters (Annex 4 and 5.1). Entities on whose capacities the tenderer relies must provide commitment letters (Annex 5.2).

• Exclusion checks: bankruptcy/insolvency; tax/social security payment breaches; grave professional misconduct; fraud/corruption/criminal offences; serious contract performance deficiencies; irregularities; creation of entities to circumvent obligations; resistance to audits. Declarations required in Annex 2.
• Selection criteria (examples): average annual turnover minima (varies by lot: e.g. Lot €1 140 000, Lot €6 160 000); technical experience—at least 3 relevant projects/publications in last 5 years covering lot topics; team members with PhD and minimum 5 years relevant experience; CVs required.
• Award criteria: price (30 %) and technical quality (70 %). Technical quality sub-criteria include relevance/coherence, methodology, useability of outputs, organisation/resources, and quality assurance.

How to prepare a compliant tender (templates and structure)

The procurement documents provide mandatory templates and a required structure. Annex 1 lists the documents to upload. Technical tenders must not exceed 20 A4 pages per lot and must include at minimum: 1) Methodological approach (how you will meet technical specifications), 2) Uses of the research output (policy/academic uptake), 3) Organisation of work (workplan, milestones, staff allocation), 4) Quality assurance (data quality, deliverable review, reproducibility). Financial tenders must present a complete price in euros, VAT excluded, covering all requirements.

1. 1Mandatory administrative forms: Declaration on Honour (Annex 2), identification and authorisation of signatory, Agreement/Power of Attorney for joint tenders (Annex 3), List of identified subcontractors if applicable (Annex 4).
2. 2Selection evidence: proof of legal/regulatory capacity (trade register, authorisations), economic & financial evidence (profit and loss accounts or bank statements for last two closed years for involved entities contributing to the turnover threshold), technical evidence (project list, publications, CVs in Europass preferred).
3. 3Technical tender structure (max 20 A4 pages): Methodology, Research uses, Work organisation (GANTT/milestones), Quality assurance and risk management, Data management & reproducibility, Outreach/training plan.
4. 4Deliverables and data: include sample table of contents for reports, appendices with descriptive statistics, code repositories, and specify formats for datasets (CSV/Excel) and programming languages used (STATA, Python, R, Matlab, Julia acceptable).
5. 5Signature: use a qualified electronic signature (QES) where possible; handwritten signatures are acceptable but originals must be retained for 5 years.

Applicants must consult and follow exactly the administrative tender specifications (Tender specifications Part 1) and the Technical Specifications (Part 2). All required annexes (Invitation to tender, Tender specifications Part 1 and Part 2, Declaration on Honour, Draft Contract, Draft Contract Annexes, Acceptance form, VAT share form, IPR statement) are published on the Funding & Tenders Portal and must be used as provided.

Evaluation and award mechanics

Evaluation is by best price-quality ratio. Price carries 30 % weight and is scored relative to lowest compliant price per lot. Technical quality carries 70 % and is scored across five sub-criteria with minimum and maximum scores (sub-criteria scored using Outstanding/Good/Satisfactory/Not satisfactory descriptors mapped to percentage scores). Total maximum score is 100 points. The contracting authority reserves the right to reject abnormally low tenders under Financial Regulation rules.

Payment and invoicing:Contracts are service contracts. Payments are made in euros, VAT excluded. Interim payment: a single interim payment of 30 % is available upon delivery and acceptance of the first draft dataset/report and signed Acceptance Form (Annex III). Balance payment is due after delivery of final report(s), datasets, code and signed Acceptance Form. Standard payment timelines: contracting authority must approve and pay within 60 days from receipt of a correct invoice. Invoices must be submitted via the Portal/eSubmission or, where specified, to the JRC accounting mailbox.

Practical tips and compliance checks

1) Register early in Participant Register and obtain PIC. 2) Create EU Login and enable 2-factor authentication (required after 30 June 2026). 3) Prepare Declaration on Honour and evidence for selection criteria in advance (accounts, project lists, CVs). 4) Ensure datasets to be used are licensable for EU research purposes and document data provenance and licenses. 5) Provide clear, reproducible code in specified languages and include a documented code repository. 6) If relying on subcontractors or external entities for selection criteria, include commitment letters (Annex 5.1/5.2). 7) Follow file naming and system requirements in the eSubmission Quick Guide; attachments max file size 50 MB and up to 200 files per submission (system constraints).

Summary: What is this opportunity about and how to explain it

This procurement funds targeted research service contracts to develop, test and operationalise new methodologies to assess inequality in Europe. The JRC seeks expert contractors to deliver applied research, reproducible datasets and code, and training/outreach in six thematic areas: new measurement dimensions, advanced distributional and non-linear modelling, household wealth and financial behaviour, advanced heterogeneous-agent macro modelling (HANK), spatial drivers of inequality, and social capital/territorial inequality. Each lot is an independent direct service contract (ceiling €140K–€230K) with an 18-month maximum duration. Tenderers must submit full technical and financial proposals electronically via eSubmission, meet selection thresholds on turnover and technical experience, and will be evaluated on a 70/30 technical/price split. Successful contractors will deliver reports, documented data and code, and participate in dissemination/training activities with the JRC. The procurement uses standard EU procurement rules and templates (Invitation to Tender, Part 1 Administrative and Part 2 Technical Specifications, Draft Contract, Annexes, Declaration on Honour, Acceptance Form, VAT and IPR forms) available on the Funding & Tenders Portal.

Opportunity Overview

The European Commission, Directorate-General Joint Research Centre (DG JRC), is launching a call for tenders to implement a Preparatory Action focused on developing and measuring inequality through advanced analytical techniques and new modelling strategies. This is an open procedure procurement divided into six independent lots, with a total estimated budget of €1,100,000. The procurement aims to support the integration of Big Data analytics, Natural Language Processing, non-linear econometric models, and advanced modelling strategies such as HANK and OLG models applied to alternative data sources including administrative, text, and survey data. ¹

Procedure Identifier:EC-JRC/IPR/2026/OP/0185

TED Reference:87/2026 310364-2026

Publication Date:6 May 2026

Key Deadlines

Tenders must be submitted exclusively through the electronic submission system (eSubmission) available on the EU Funding and Tenders Portal. A tender received after the deadline will be rejected. The submission receipt provided by eSubmission with the official date and time of receipt constitutes proof of compliance with the time limit. ²

Lot Structure and Funding

The procurement is divided into six independent lots, each addressing a specific aspect of inequality assessment and measurement. Tenders may be submitted for any lot or combination of lots. Each lot will be assessed independently, and tenders covering only part of a lot or conditional on the award of other lots are not permitted.

Lot Descriptions

Lot 1 - Dimensions and Measurements of Inequality:JRC requires support for measuring regional and urban versus rural inequality, neighbourhood segregation, human capital, health and digital inequality, energy and environmental disparities, transport access, time poverty, and subjective well-being. Measurement approaches must incorporate multidimensional indices, distribution-sensitive indicators, life-cycle measures, and integration of micro and administrative data.

Lot 2 - Inequality in Non-linear Dynamics with AI-Assisted Models:Support is required for modelling inequality bridging micro heterogeneity and macro dynamics to reflect how shocks propagate unevenly. This includes support for variable data coverage, missing values, measurement errors, and differing data frequencies, requiring robust imputation and harmonization methods. Advanced estimation techniques such as pseudovariables models, distributional VARs, nonlinear econometric models, quantile regressions, mixed-effects models, and Bayesian nonparametric modelling are needed.

Lot 3 - Wealth Inequality and Household Financial Behaviour:Support is sought to generate novel insights on household finances and financial behaviour, key drivers of wealth accumulation and inequality using emerging data sources. Analysis of savings and borrowing decisions shaping financial markets and economic outcomes is required.

Lot 4 - Advanced Macro Modelling with Inequality:Support is needed to develop a two-country HANK model enabling exploration of national redistribution versus international risk sharing. Development of an aggregate EU-level HANK model simulating policy effects on income and wealth heterogeneity is also required.

Lot 5 - Spatial Drivers of Wealth Inequality:Support is required for combining individual wealth and income data with regional computational models to analyse the link between variables such as households' savings, housing investments, ownership and tenancy patterns, and local economic factors, population growth, and migration at granular level. Insights should inform targeted subnational policy.

Lot 6 - Social Capital and Territorial Inequality:Research support is sought on the formation and distribution of social capital and cohesion across the EU. Understanding the link between social capital and economic inequality, mobility, populism, and challenges facing the Union is required. Data gathering and analysis of social network data and analytics offering new opportunities to quantify social cohesion's distribution and economic impact are needed.

Who Can Apply

This is an open procedure accessible to any interested economic operator, including natural and legal persons, international organisations, and entities established in third countries with special agreements with the European Union or that have ratified the World Trade Organisation Agreement on Government Procurement. Participation is open on equal terms to all such entities. ³

Eligibility Requirements

Tenderers must ensure that no involved entities nor any subcontractors are subject to EU restrictive measures adopted under Article 29 of the Treaty on the European Union or Article 215 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU. The prohibition applies throughout the entire performance of the contract. Tenderers must also comply with exclusion criteria related to bankruptcy, breach of tax or social security obligations, grave professional misconduct, fraud, corruption, and other serious violations.

Registration Requirements

Any economic operator willing to participate must be registered in the Participant Register, an online register of organisations and natural persons participating in calls for tenders of the European Commission and other EU institutions. Upon registration, each participant obtains a Participant Identification Code (PIC), a nine-digit number serving as a unique identifier. Participants need to register only once, and information can be updated or reused in other calls. Each participant must ensure that its SME status in the Participant Register is registered and kept up to date.

Selection Criteria

Tenderers must demonstrate legal, regulatory, economic, financial, technical, and professional capacity to perform the contract. The selection criteria are assessed on the basis of declarations of honour submitted with tenders, with evidence requested only from the presumed successful tenderer before the award decision, unless the contracting authority determines that additional verification is necessary.

Economic and Financial Capacity

Tenderers must demonstrate average yearly turnover of the last two financial years above the following minimum levels for each lot:

• Lot 1: €140,000
• Lot 2: €130,000
• Lot 3: €140,000
• Lot 4: €100,000
• Lot 5: €100,000
• Lot 6: €160,000

Evidence must include copies of profit and loss accounts for the last two years for which accounts have been closed, or appropriate statements from banks. The most recent year must have been closed within the last 18 months. This evidence must be provided with the tender.

Technical and Professional Capacity

For all lots, tenderers must demonstrate at least three projects or publications in the topics of the respective lot completed in the last five years from the deadline for submission of offers. Multiple projects or publications covering one or more of the required topics will be accepted as long as all topics are covered. A team of researchers per lot should be allocated, with at least one researcher or expert holding a PhD in a relevant field with at least five years of experience in the respective lot's topics. CVs must be provided in Europass format or equivalent.

Specific technical requirements vary by lot. For example, Lot 1 requires experience in inequality frameworks and theories, data collection and management of large geolocalized datasets, and data science and analytics. Lot 2 requires experience in distributional econometrics, non-linear dynamics, data science and analytics, and programming languages such as Python, R, or MATLAB. Lot 4 requires experience in heterogeneous agent models (HANK) including cross-country and EU modelling, and software such as Matlab, Dynare, or Julia.

Tender Submission and Format

Tenders must be submitted exclusively via the electronic submission system (eSubmission) available from the EU Funding and Tenders Portal. Tenders submitted in any other way, such as by email or letter, will be disregarded. Tenderers must register in the Participant Register and obtain a Participant Identification Code (PIC) before submitting a tender. ⁴

Technical Tender Requirements

The technical tender must provide all information needed to assess compliance with the technical specifications and award criteria. The technical tender for each lot shall not exceed 20 pages in A4 format and must include at least the following chapters: methodological approach, uses of the research output, organisation of the work, and quality assurance. Tenders deviating from minimum requirements or not covering all requirements may be rejected as non-compliant.

Financial Tender Requirements

A complete financial tender must be submitted. The financial tender shall be expressed in euros. Tenderers from countries outside the euro zone must quote prices in euro, and the quoted price may not be revised in line with exchange rate movements. Prices must be quoted free of all duties, taxes, and other charges, including VAT. The European Union institutions are exempt from such charges under Articles 3 and 4 of the Protocol on the Privileges and Immunities of the European Union.

Documentation Requirements

Tenderers must submit a Declaration on Honour on exclusion and selection criteria, signed by an authorised representative. For joint tenders, all group members must sign an Agreement or Power of Attorney. Identified subcontractors must provide commitment letters. Evidence of economic and financial capacity and technical and professional capacity must be provided with the tender. Tenderers willing to submit tenders for more than one lot must upload a separate technical and financial tender for each lot.

Evaluation and Award Criteria

Tenders will be evaluated on the basis of a best price-quality ratio. The evaluation consists of checking access to procurement, verifying administrative compliance, verifying non-exclusion of tenderers, selecting tenderers on the basis of selection criteria, evaluating tenders on compliance with requirements and award criteria, and verifying that tenderers are not subject to EU restrictive measures or other rejection grounds.

Award Criteria Weighting

A maximum of 30 points will be obtained by the tender offering the lowest price that is compliant with the tender specifications and submitted by a tenderer not in an exclusion situation. Other tenders shall be ranked according to the formula: P = (Pmin/Po) x 30, where P is the price points of each offer, Po is the price of each offer, Pmin is the lowest price amongst compliant offers, and 30 is the maximum price points obtainable.

Quality Evaluation Sub-criteria

Points for each sub-criterion are awarded as follows:Outstanding (100% of maximum score) when the objective or criterion is fully demonstrated or achieved; Good (75% of maximum score) when the objective or criterion is demonstrated or achieved to a certain level but is marginal in minor aspects; Satisfactory (50% of maximum score) when the objective or criterion is demonstrated or achieved to a certain level but there are some weaknesses; Not satisfactory (25% of maximum score) when the objective or criterion is not demonstrated or achieved almost at all.

Tenders shall be ranked according to the best price-quality ratio using the formula:Total score (TS) = Price (P) + Technical quality (TQ). The highest total score will determine the tender with the best price-quality ratio, with a maximum of 100 points obtainable. Should two or more tenders achieve the same result, the tenders with lower price will be ranked higher.

Contract Terms and Implementation

The procedure will result in the conclusion of direct contracts for each lot. In direct contracts, all terms governing the provision of services are defined at the outset and can be implemented directly without further contract procedures. Each contract will be for a duration of 18 months. The contracting authority may use the negotiated procedure within three years following contract signature to procure new services from contractors up to a maximum of 50% of the initial contract value for each lot, consisting of repetition of similar services.

Tenderers must take full account of the complete set of procurement documents, including the draft contract provisions, which will define and govern the contractual relationships. Special attention must be paid to provisions specifying the rights and obligations of the contractor, particularly those on payments, performance of the contract, confidentiality, and checks and audits. If a tenderer to whom the contract is awarded has established debt owed to the Union, the European Atomic Energy Community, or an executive agency implementing the Union budget, such debt may be offset against any payment due under the contract in accordance with Articles 101(1) and 102 of the Financial Regulation.

Joint Tenders and Subcontracting

Economic operators can submit a tender either as a sole economic operator or as a group of economic operators (joint tender). In either case, subcontracting is permitted. Tenders must be drawn and submitted in complete independence and autonomously from other tenders. A natural or legal person cannot participate at the same time and for the same lot within the same procedure either as a member of two or more groups or as a sole tenderer and member of another group. All tenders in which that person has participated will be rejected.

All group members assume joint and several liability towards the contracting authority for the performance of the contract as a whole. Group members must appoint a group leader as a single point of contact authorised to act on their behalf. All group members must sign an Agreement or Power of Attorney. If the joint tender is successful, the contracting authority shall sign the contract with the group leader, authorised by the other members to sign the contract on their behalf.

Subcontracting is permitted, and the contractor retains full liability towards the contracting authority for performance of the contract as a whole. All contractual tasks may be subcontracted unless the procurement documents expressly reserve execution of certain critical tasks to the sole tenderer or, in case of a joint tender, to a group member. Identified subcontractors must provide commitment letters. Changes concerning subcontractors identified in the tender require prior written approval of the contracting authority.

Important Procedural Information

This call for tenders is governed by the provisions of the Financial Regulation. The contracting authority has chosen to award contracts through an open procedure pursuant to Article 167(1)(a) of the Financial Regulation. The invitation to tender is in no way binding on the contracting authority. The contracting authority's contractual obligation commences only when the contract with the successful tenderer is signed by both parties. Up to the point of signature, the contracting authority may cancel the procurement procedure without tenderers being entitled to claim any compensation, provided such decision is substantiated and tenderers are notified.

The validity period of the tender, during which tenderers may not modify the terms of their tenders in any respect, is indicated in the contract notice. Submission of a tender implies acceptance of all terms and conditions set out in the procurement documents and, where appropriate, waiver of the tenderer's own general or specific terms and conditions. The submitted tender is binding on the tenderer to whom the contract is awarded for the duration of the contract.

Contacts During the Procedure

Contacts between the contracting authority and tenderers are prohibited throughout the procedure save in exceptional circumstances. Upon request, the contracting authority may provide additional information solely for the purpose of clarifying the procurement documents. Any request for additional information must be made in writing through the F&T Portal by clicking 'Create a question' in the 'Questions and answers' section. The contracting authority is not bound to reply to requests for additional information received less than six working days before the time limit for receipt of tenders. The contracting authority may, on its own initiative, inform interested parties of any error, inaccuracy, omission, or other clerical error in the procurement documents. Any additional information will be published on the F&T Portal, and it is the economic operator's responsibility to check for updates and modifications during the submission period.

Opening of Tenders

Tenders will be opened in a virtual opening session on the date and time indicated in the contract notice. A maximum of two representatives per tender may attend. Tenderers may request to attend the opening by sending an email to jrc-ispra-dir-b-procurement@ec.europa.eu as soon as possible and not later than three hours before the scheduled start of the opening session. The request must include the full name(s) and email address(es) of the representative(s), the name of the represented tenderer, and the submission receipt generated by eSubmission. The public part of the opening session will be strictly limited to verification that each tender has been submitted in accordance with submission requirements and announcement of the tenders received, with the names of the tenderers announced.

Evaluation Phase

Except in duly justified cases, tenderers who have failed to submit evidence or make statements as required in the procurement documents shall be contacted by the contracting authority to provide the missing information or clarify supporting documents. The contracting authority may correct obvious clerical errors in the tender after confirmation of the correction by the tenderer. Such information, clarification, or confirmation shall not substantially change the tender.

Award Notification

Tenderers will be notified of the outcome of the procurement procedure by email. The notification will be sent to the email address provided by the tenderer (or group leader in case of a joint tender) in the eSubmission application when the tender was submitted. The same email address will be used by the contracting authority for all other communications with the tenderer. It is the tenderer's responsibility to provide a valid email address and to check it regularly.

Data Protection and Confidentiality

If processing a reply to the invitation to tender involves the recording and processing of personal data such as name, address, and CV, such data will be processed pursuant to Regulation (EU) 2018/1725 on the protection of natural persons with regard to the processing of personal data by Union institutions, bodies, offices and agencies. Unless indicated otherwise, any personal data will be processed solely for evaluation purposes under the call for tenders by the European Commission acting as data controller. Details concerning the processing of personal data are available in the privacy statement at [[ec.europa.eu. ⁵

Once the contracting authority has opened a tender, it becomes its property and shall be treated confidentially. For the purposes of evaluating the tender and, if applicable, implementing the contract, performing audits, benchmarking, etc., the contracting authority is entitled to make available any part of the tender to its staff and the staff of other Union institutions, bodies and agencies, as well as to other persons and entities working for the contracting authority or cooperating with it, including contractors or subcontractors and their staff, provided that they are bound by an obligation of confidentiality.

After the signature of the award decision, the contracting authority shall inform each tenderer who is not rejected and who makes a request in writing of the name of the successful tenderer to whom the contract is awarded for the lot(s) for which the tenderer applied, the characteristics and relative advantages of the successful tender, and its total financial offer amount. The contracting authority may decide to withhold certain information that it assesses as being confidential, in particular where its release would prejudice the legitimate commercial interests of economic operators or might distort fair competition between them. Such information may include confidential aspects of tenders such as unit prices, technical or trade secrets.

Additional Obligations and Considerations

The contractor must assist the contracting authority in its efforts on fraud prevention and detection. The contractor undertakes to impose fraud prevention obligations upon its subcontractors and personnel in the relevant contracts signed with them. Upon request, the contractor must provide evidence to the contracting authority that those obligations have been included in the relevant agreements with its subcontractors and personnel.

Environmental considerations shall be taken into account by the contractor throughout the complete life cycle of providing services in the implementation of the contract. When applicable, the contractor shall assist the Commission to perform its commitments as set in the EMAS EC Environmental Policy and shall follow EMAS best practices.

The contractor shall observe a policy on the promotion of equality and diversity in the implementation of the contract, by applying the principles of non-discrimination and equality set out in the EU Treaties in full and in their entirety. In the implementation of the contract, the contractor shall establish, maintain, and promote an open and inclusive working environment which respects human dignity and the principles of equal opportunities, especially through the removal of all obstacles to recruitment and all potential discrimination based on sex, race, colour, ethnic or social origin, genetic features, language, religion or belief, political or any other opinion, membership of a national minority, property, birth, disability, age, or sexual orientation.

When performing tasks for the contracting authority in execution of the contract, the contractor and its personnel shall comply with the contracting authority's applicable security requirements. Any financial burden for complying with security measures, such as security background checks or security clearance, will be entirely at the expense of the contractor and not of the contracting authority.

Abnormally Low Tenders

Tenderers must be aware of Point 23 of Annex I to the Financial Regulation on abnormally low tenders and of the possibility for rejection of the tender based on it. The contracting authority will conduct a two-stage process for checking abnormally low prices. The first stage involves a preliminary assessment by the contracting authority. If this assessment raises doubts about the normality of the offered prices, the authority enters the second stage, where it consults the tenderer to gain more insight into its price composition and costs. The authority then evaluates the provided explanations and decides if the tender is indeed abnormally low.

Key Contact Information

For questions and clarifications regarding this procurement, tenderers should submit requests through the F&T Portal. The contracting authority is not bound to reply to requests for additional information received less than six working days before the time limit for receipt of tenders. For technical issues with the eSubmission system, tenderers should contact the eSubmission Helpdesk. For general inquiries, tenderers may contact jrc-ispra-dir-b-procurement@ec.europa.eu.

Access to Procurement Documents

All procurement documents are available on the EU Funding and Tenders Portal at [[ec.europa.eu. Subscription to the call for tenders at this link allows interested economic operators to receive email notifications when new information or documents are published. Subscription is free of charge and does not involve any commitment to submit a tender. The documents include the invitation letter, tender specifications (administrative and technical parts), declaration on honour, draft contracts, and various annexes.

Summary of Key Requirements

• Submission method: Electronic submission only via eSubmission
• Deadline: 8 June 2026 at 16:00 (Europe/Rome)
• Total budget: €1,100,000 across six lots
• Contract duration: 18 months per lot
• Procedure type: Open procedure
• Award method: Best price-quality ratio (30% price, 70% quality)
• Eligibility: Open to all economic operators with access to procurement
• Registration: Participant Register with PIC required
• Technical tender: Maximum 20 pages per lot
• Financial tender: In euros, free of VAT
• Minimum turnover: €100,000 to €160,000 depending on lot
• Technical capacity: Minimum three projects or publications in last five years
• Team requirement: At least one PhD-level researcher with five years experience per lot
• Subcontracting: Permitted with identified subcontractors providing commitment letters
• Joint tenders: Permitted with joint and several liability and designated group leader

Footnotes

1. 1The Preparatory Action aims to support the development of new methodologies for assessing inequality through integration of advanced analytical techniques and modelling strategies applied to alternative data sources. Further details are available in the technical specifications document available on the F&T Portal.
2. 2The eSubmission system is the exclusive submission channel. Tenderers are advised to familiarize themselves with the system and its requirements well in advance of the deadline. The eSubmission Quick Guide is available at [[webgate.ec.europa.eu and requires an EU login account.
3. 3Participation is open on equal terms to all natural and legal persons coming within the scope of the Treaties, international organisations, and entities established in third countries with special agreements with the European Union or that have ratified the World Trade Organisation Agreement on Government Procurement.
4. 4Registration in the Participant Register is a prerequisite for submission. Each participant obtains a Participant Identification Code (PIC) which acts as a unique identifier. Participants need to register only once and can reuse their PIC in other calls. SME status must be kept up to date in the register.
5. 5Personal data processing is governed by Regulation (EU) 2018/1725. Tenderers may exercise their rights under this regulation or submit complaints regarding data collection and use by contacting jrc-ispra-dir-b-procurement@ec.europa.eu. The tenderer's personal data may be registered in the Early Detection and Exclusion System (EDES) if the tenderer is in one of the situations mentioned in Article 138 of the Financial Regulation.