Parental leave in the EU: eligibility, policy synergies, and encouraging shared care

The European Institute for Gender Equality (EIGE) has issued a call for tenders under the identifier EIGE/VNO/2025/OP/0005, dated July 2, 2025. This procurement opportunity focuses on analyzing parental leave policies in EU Member States, with a primary aim to evaluate their eligibility criteria, assess synergies with Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) services, and promote measures encouraging men's participation in caregiving roles.

Eligible applicants include organizations capable of providing relevant research services, such as research institutes, consultancies, and universities, with the procurement being open to entities from the EU and EEA. The type of funding is identified as a service contract, with an estimated total value of €185,000 for the entire project, which is to be completed within a maximum duration of 13 months.

The project's scope will inform the Gender Equality Index for 2026, emphasizing social policy and gender equality, particularly in relation to parental leave. The tender process is an open call, requiring electronic submission, with the deadline set for September 8, 2025, at 14:00 Europe/Vilnius time. Submissions will be evaluated based on a quality-price ratio of 60% and 40%, respectively.

Prospective applicants must obtain a Personal Identification Code (PIC) to participate, as the electronic submission system supports various formats and has specific requirements regarding file sizes and naming conventions. The opportunity is aimed at enhancing research in social policies that foster work-life balance and gender equality across European nations.

The European Institute for Gender Equality (EIGE) has published a call for tenders, EIGE/VNO/2025/OP/0005, with TED reference 124/2025 426188-2025, focusing on "Parental leave in the EU: eligibility, policy synergies, and encouraging shared care". This is an open procedure, and submissions must be electronic. The main objective is to analyze parental leave policy designs in EU Member States, specifically focusing on eligibility for leave, their synergies with Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) services, and measures promoting men’s engagement in informal care. The thematic focus of the Gender Equality Index 2026 will analyze the design of parental leave policies across EU Member States as a key component of successful and gender-equal work-life balance. More specifically, it will focus on parental leave eligibility criteria, the synergies (or gaps) between parental leave policies and the early childhood education and care system, and policy measures designed to encourage greater uptake of parental leave among men.

The estimated total value of the contract is 185,000 EUR. The TED publication date is 02/07/2025. The lead contracting authority is the European Institute for Gender Equality. The main Classification of Products and Services (CPV) code is 73000000, which covers research and development services and related consultancy services. The nature of the contract is for services, with a maximum contract duration of 13 months. The award method is based on the best price-quality ratio, and there is no framework agreement associated with this tender.

Key milestones include:
TED publication date: 02/07/2025
Date and time of public opening: 08/09/2025 15:00 Europe/Vilnius
Deadline for receipt of tenders: 08/09/2025 14:00 Europe/Vilnius
Deadline after which the contracting authority is not bound to reply to questions: 29/08/2025 04:00 Europe/Vilnius

The following documents are available for download:
ENEIGE2025OPER09 Letter of invitation Open Procedure, Invitation letter, published on 02/07/2025, Version 1, No translations available
ENEIGE2025OPER09 - Tender Specifications - leave policies, Tender specifications, published on 02/07/2025, Version 1, No translations available
ENDraft Direct Service Contract EIGE2025OPER09, Draft contract, published on 02/07/2025, Version 1, No translations available
ENEIGE2025OPER09 - STANDARD-SUBMISSION-FORMS for Tenderers, Other invitation to tender document, published on 02/07/2025, Version 1, No translations available

Submissions must be sent exclusively via electronic submission.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) related to the eSubmission system:
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In summary, this tender opportunity from the European Institute for Gender Equality seeks research and consultancy services to analyze parental leave policies across EU member states. The goal is to understand the eligibility criteria, synergies with early childhood education, and measures to encourage men's participation in childcare. The research will inform the Gender Equality Index 2026. The tender is an open procedure, meaning any eligible organization can apply. The submission must be electronic, and the deadline for submission is September 8, 2025. The maximum contract duration is 13 months, with an estimated budget of 185,000 EUR. Interested parties should download the provided documents, including the invitation letter, tender specifications, draft contract, and standard submission forms, and carefully follow the eSubmission guidelines. A Participant Identification Code (PIC) is mandatory for participation.

Eligible Applicant Types: The content does not explicitly define the eligible applicant types. However, given that it is a call for tenders, eligible applicants are likely to be organizations or entities capable of providing the services described. This could include research institutes, consulting firms, universities, or other service providers with relevant expertise. The mention of a Personal Identification Code (PIC) being mandatory for participation as a sole candidate/tenderer or as a member of a group (consortium) suggests that registered organizations are the target applicants.

Funding Type: The funding type is procurement, specifically a service contract. The call is for tenders, and the nature of the contract is explicitly stated as "services."

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

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): The call for tenders focuses on analyzing parental leave policy designs in EU Member States. Therefore, it can be inferred that the geographic eligibility is primarily for entities located in the EU.

Target Sector: The target sector is research and development services and related consultancy services, specifically in the area of social policy, gender equality, and work-life balance. The call focuses on analyzing parental leave policies, early childhood education and care systems, and measures to encourage men's engagement in informal care.

Mentioned Countries: The call explicitly mentions EU Member States as the focus of the analysis.

Project Stage: The project stage is likely research and analysis, leading to policy recommendations or insights. The call aims to analyze existing policies and identify synergies and gaps, which suggests a research-oriented project stage.

Funding Amount: The estimated total value of the contract is 185,000 EUR.

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 rendered, as this is a service contract.

Application Stages: The number of application stages is not explicitly mentioned, but it can be inferred that there would be at least two stages: submission of the tender and evaluation/selection.

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

Co-funding Requirement: The content does not explicitly mention a co-funding requirement.

Summary:

This is a call for tenders issued by the European Institute for Gender Equality (EIGE) with the procedure identifier EIGE/VNO/2025/OP/0005. The call seeks to procure services for analyzing parental leave policy designs in EU Member States. The main objective is to assess the eligibility criteria for parental leave, the synergies between parental leave policies and early childhood education and care (ECEC) systems, and policy measures that encourage greater uptake of parental leave among men. This analysis will contribute to the Gender Equality Index 2026, which will focus on the design of parental leave policies as a key component of achieving gender-equal work-life balance.

The procedure is an open call, meaning any eligible organization can submit a tender. The estimated total value of the contract is 185,000 EUR, and the maximum contract duration is 13 months. The award method is based on the best price-quality ratio. Submissions must be sent electronically through the designated eSubmission portal. The TED publication date was 02/07/2025, and the deadline for receipt of tenders is 08/09/2025 at 14:00 Europe/Vilnius time. The contracting authority will not reply to questions submitted after 29/08/2025 at 04:00 Europe/Vilnius time.

To participate, tenderers need a Personal Identification Code (PIC). The eSubmission system supports various file types and has specific requirements for attachment names and sizes (files should be less than 50 MB, and a maximum of 200 files can be uploaded per tender). The system supports all 24 official EU languages and uses encryption to ensure the integrity and confidentiality of the information. The call is relevant to organizations with expertise in research and consultancy services related to social policy, gender equality, and work-life balance within the EU.