POLDEV - Drug policy development and evaluation support

Tender EUDA/2026/OP/0003 by the European Union Drugs Agency (EUDA) seeks a contractor to develop the POLDEV Policy Design and Evaluation Service, providing tools, resources and training to support drug policy development, implementation and evaluation. Estimated maximum value €480,000 (excluding VAT) with a maximum duration of 36 months divided into three phases and four work packages covering strategic coordination, policy guidance materials, training programmes and mapping of innovative technologies including AI. Eligible applicants are natural or legal persons within the scope of the EU Treaties and international organisations; joint tenders and subcontracting are permitted subject to identification and commitment requirements, and selection requires minimum turnover and demonstrated project and team experience. Submission is electronic via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal eSubmission with tender deadline 01/06/2026 00:00 Europe/Lisbon and award on the best price-quality ratio.

Opportunity type

Tender (open procedure) — EUDA/2026/OP/0003

Purpose:Contract to support development and operationalisation of the EUDA Policy Design and Evaluation Service (POLDEV). Activities include strategic coordination, a package of resources to support drug strategy development, a training programme, and mapping/recommendations on innovative technologies (including AI) for policy design and evaluation. Outputs will target national and local policymakers, with researchers and practitioners as secondary users.

Budget and duration:Estimated total value €480,000. Maximum contract duration 36 months.

1. 1Who can apply: any economic operator established in the EU Treaties area (sole tenderer or consortium). Participant Register (PIC) required for submission.
2. 2Key requirements: demonstrate relevant technical experience in drug policy design/evaluation, proposed team with minimum experience levels, and minimum average turnover (€50,000 over last two years).
3. 3Submission method: electronic submission only via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal eSubmission.
4. 4Award: contract awarded on best price-quality ratio; quality scored against understanding and methodology (40% / 60%) with minimum pass mark per criterion.
5. 5Contracting authority and contact: European Union Drugs Agency (EUDA), info.procurement@euda.europa.eu

Practical notes:tenders must include the Declaration on Honour, financial and technical evidence as specified in Annex 1 of the tender specifications, and any identified subcontractor commitment letters. Tenders may be submitted in any official EU language; EU Login with two-factor authentication will be required for portal access.

Title:POLDEV - Drug policy development and evaluation support. Contracting authority: European Union Drugs Agency (EUDA), Praça Europa 1, Cais do Sodré, P-1249-289 Lisbon, Portugal. Procedure: Open procedure (call for tenders). Submission method: electronic via eSubmission (EU Funding & Tenders Portal). TED reference: 261071-2026 (published 16/04/2026). Estimated total value: €480,000. Maximum contract duration: 36 months. Award method: best price-quality ratio. Nature of the contract: service contract for research and development consultancy services (CPV 73200000). Place of performance: contractor premises with meetings largely online; EUDA premises (Lisbon) available free for some face-to-face events.

Purpose, scope and key objectives

Purpose:to support development and operationalisation of the EUDA Policy Design and Evaluation Service (POLDEV Service) which will provide tools, resources and activities to assist EU Member States and non-EU partner countries with drug policy development, implementation and evaluation. Primary users: local and national decisionmakers and policymakers; secondary users: researchers and practitioners. The contractor will develop selected POLDEV components, provide recommendations for sustainable and operational service delivery, and ensure alignment with emerging policy needs.

Contract objectives:1) Develop a medium to long-term service-oriented work plan for POLDEV. 2) Produce a package of resources to support drug strategy and action-plan development, budget/resource planning and monitoring/evaluation frameworks. 3) Design and develop a Policy Design and Evaluation Training Programme (online modules, workshops, clinics, masterclasses) including assessment components. 4) Identify and recommend innovative technologies and tools (including AI/ML) and assess integration options into EUDA workflows.

Work packages, deliverables and timetable

The work is organised in four work packages (WPs). Deliverables are scheduled across an indicative 36-month timeline. The contract budget is divided into three phases with phased payments tied to key milestones.

1. 1WP1 Coordination and POLDEV strategic support: project plan; advisory board setup; opening meeting; customer feedback approach and summary; closing forum; monitoring & evaluation framework for EU drug strategic documents; mapping of existing tools and gaps; scenarios for scaling; 3–5 year strategy; format/implementation plan for an EUDA pool of evaluators.
2. 2WP2 Supporting policy makers and planners with drug strategy development: a package of resources (guidance on strategy and action-plan development, budget/resource planning, monitoring and evaluation frameworks), mapping of innovative policy development methods and foresight use, step-based guide outline, user testing and final package.
3. 3WP3 Policy Design and Evaluation Training Programme: tailored training outline; content; training materials (e-learning, workshops, clinic-style practical sessions, masterclass); testing, recommendations and revisions; assessment component to evaluate relevance and application in practice.
4. 4WP4 Innovative technologies and AI for policy design and evaluation: structured mapping of innovative tools and AI applications; assessment of maturity, feasibility, costs and relevance; integration assessment with case presentations/wireframes; operational and ethical requirements; final recommendations.

Key procurement facts and deadlines

Estimated total contract value:€480,000. Maximum contract duration: 36 months. Award method: best price-quality ratio (total price vs quality). Tender opening (public part): 02/06/2026 11:30 Europe/Lisbon. Deadline for receipt of tenders: 01/06/2026 00:00 Europe/Lisbon. Deadline for sending questions: contracting authority not bound to reply to questions submitted after 22/05/2026 23:59 Europe/Lisbon. TED publication date: 16/04/2026.

Submission portal and format:All tenders must be submitted electronically via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal eSubmission system. A valid EU Login account (Personal Identification Code PIC and EU Login) is mandatory; two-factor authentication (2FA) will be required and will become mandatory in 2026. Attachments must respect eSubmission file-type and size requirements. See procurement documents on the Portal for eSubmission Quick Guide and system requirements F&T portal tender page ¹.

Eligibility, consortium and subcontracting

Eligible applicants:any natural or legal person from EU Member States and other entities coming within the scope of the EU Treaties. Third-country entities established in countries outside the EU are not eligible in this call (decentralised agency rules apply). Joint tenders (consortia) are allowed; group members must sign the Agreement/Power of attorney (Annex 3). Subcontracting is permitted; subcontractors whose known share is above 10% or whose capacities are relied upon to meet selection criteria must be identified in Annex 4 and provide commitment letters (Annex 5.1). Entities on whose capacities bidders rely (not subcontractors) must provide Annex 5.2 commitment letters and appropriate supporting evidence.

Eligible applicant types:Startups, SMEs, large enterprises, universities, research institutes, nonprofits, NGOs, consultancies, multidisciplinary consortia and public-private partnerships are acceptable provided they meet procurement access rules; individuals are eligible only where rules permit. Group tenders are allowed; all group members assume joint and several liability under the contract.

Funding modality and contractual details

Funding type:service contract (procurement) paid by direct contract with EUDA. Nature of support: financial payment for contracted services (no grant); the EUDA pays the contractor according to contract conditions and deliverable acceptance. Framework: direct contract concluded with the successful tenderer or group leader. Price expressed in EUR and must be VAT-excluded; EU institutions are VAT-exempt as applicable. Performance, invoicing and audit provisions are in the draft service contract (Annex 6).

Payment and contract value:Estimated total value €480,000. Indicative phased payment split across three phases of approx. €160,000 each tied to milestone deliverables. Payments executed in euros, within 60 days of invoice acceptance; suspension and audit rules apply as in the draft contract.

Selection, evaluation and award

Selection:exclusion checks (declaration on honour, Annex 2 plus supporting evidence on request), legal and regulatory access (not subject to EU restrictive measures), economic and financial capacity (minimum average yearly turnover over last two years > €50,000 consolidated), technical and professional capacity (evidence of at least two similar projects completed in last 3 years; designated team members with minimum five years' experience each). Award: best price-quality ratio. Quality evaluation uses two qualitative criteria (understanding of POLDEV purpose 40%, proposed methodology 60%). Scoring range 1–10 per qualitative criterion; minimum 6/10 per criterion to be admissible. Price considered as total tender price. Public opening limited to administrative checks and tenderer names.

Application stages and timeline:Application stages: Stage 1 submission (electronic tender upload) and administrative/selection checks; Stage 2 technical and financial evaluation and ranking; Stage 3 award decision and contract signature. Tenderers may be asked to provide supporting evidence during evaluation. Estimated procedure times follow TED and portal schedule (see deadlines above).

Who should apply and project maturity

Target sector and domain:public policy and governance (drug policy), health and public health policy, evaluation and monitoring, capacity building and training, innovation and digital tools for policy (AI, data analytics), research and consultancy. Project stage: development, operationalisation and demonstration of policy support services and training (implementation and service development rather than basic research).

Beneficiary geographic scope:Primary geographic focus: EU Member States and EU candidate countries; contract should take into account national and city-level policy makers and non-EU partner countries where relevant. Applicants must be established in a Member State or otherwise satisfy access-to-procurement rules (this call is not open to entities established in third countries outside the scope of decentralised agency procurement).

Detailed application requirements and templates

Mandatory registration and documentation:register organisation and obtain PIC in the Participant Register; prepare eSubmission tender with the documents listed in Annex 1. Required uploaded documents include: Declaration on Honour (Annex 2), Power of Attorney/Agreement for groups (Annex 3), List of identified subcontractors (Annex 4), Commitment letters (Annex 5.1 and 5.2) where applicable, annexes and draft contract acceptance (Annex 6), technical offer and financial offer (financial model in Annex 6). Failure to upload required documents where requested will lead to rejection. EU Login 2FA and system-specific requirements apply for electronic submission.

1. 1Annex 1: List of documents to be submitted with the tender (identifies which involved entities must upload which documents and where in eSubmission).
2. 2Annex 2: Declaration on honour on exclusion and selection criteria (signed by tenderer and group members as applicable).
3. 3Annex 3: Agreement / Power of attorney (joint tender model).
4. 4Annex 4: List of identified subcontractors (identify subcontractors >10% or relied upon for selection criteria).
5. 5Annex 5.1: Commitment letter by an identified subcontractor (model).
6. 6Annex 5.2: Commitment letter by an entity on whose capacities the tenderer relies (model).
7. 7Annex 6: Draft service contract and financial model (use financial model provided).

How to structure the technical offer (recommended outline):Executive summary (understanding of POLDEV objectives); methodology and workplan mapped to WPs and deliverables; project management and governance (coordination, advisory board, consortium roles and responsibilities); detailed staffing plan and CVs (show five+ years' relevant experience per team member); quality assurance and customer feedback approach; description of subcontracting and use of external capacities (Annex 4 and 5.1/5.2); ethical, data protection and conflict of interest management; risk management and sustainability/scale-up proposals; timeline and milestone mapping; user-testing approach for materials and training.

Assessment metrics and minimum thresholds

Minimum selection thresholds:economic/financial (average turnover > €50,000 over last two years consolidated), technical (two similar projects in last three years), team experience (≥5 years each for designated team members). Award scoring: qualitative criteria scored 1–10 and weighted (40/60); each qualitative criterion requires a minimum score of 6 to be admissible. Price scored using cheapest-price proportional formula; final ranking by best price-quality ratio. Tenders with abnormally low prices may be queried or rejected under Financial Regulation rules.

Administrative, legal and audit requirements

Procurement governed by Regulation (EU, Euratom) 2024/2509 (Financial Regulation). Tenderers must confirm non-exclusion (Annex 2) and may be requested to provide documentary evidence. Contracting authority reserves rights to perform audits, checks and on-the-spot inspections up to five years post-payment. Data protection obligations (Regulation (EU) 2018/1725) apply; any personal data processing by contractor must comply with contract Article II.9. Subcontractors and entities on whose capacities tenderers rely must accept audit, confidentiality and fraud-prevention obligations. The contracting authority may use an electronic exchange system for contract communications and require use by contractor at no extra cost.

Success rates, co-funding and other commercial conditions

Success rates:not published; as an open single-award tender competition the number of submissions determines probability — contracting authority does not provide a published success rate. Co-funding: no co-funding requirement is stated in procurement documents; contract is a direct paid service contract. Subcontracting: allowed but with identification requirements for significant shares (>10%) or relied capacities. Financial guarantees: pre-financing not used for this contract; performance or retention guarantees not required by default (see draft contract).

Practical advice for applicants

1. 1Register early in the Participant Register and obtain PIC; create and check EU Login account and enable 2-factor authentication well before submission.
2. 2Review and follow Annex 1 list of required files and naming conventions; prepare Declaration on Honour and required financial/technical evidence in advance.
3. 3Ensure team CVs and project references clearly demonstrate compliance with T1/T2 selection criteria; attach user-testing and customer feedback approach in WP2/WP3 proposals.
4. 4Allocate budget and schedule to cover face-to-face consortium meeting and closing forum costs (contract covers these costs but they must be planned and budgeted within tender).
5. 5Address legal and data protection aspects up-front: provide GDPR/Regulation (EU) 2018/1725 compliance measures and identify any pre-existing IP or third-party materials with licensing evidence.
6. 6If relying on partners’ capacities include Annex 5.2 commitment letters and ensure those entities will be available for project execution and audits.

Mentioned countries and locations

Explicit physical contracting authority location:Lisbon, Portugal. Geographic focus for service: EU Member States and EU candidate countries, with reference to city-level stakeholders and non-EU partner countries. Applicants must be established in jurisdictions permitted under EUDA procurement rules (EU Member States or entities within scope of EU Treaties for this agency call).

How to apply — checklist

1. 1Confirm eligibility and register organisation in Participant Register (PIC).
2. 2Prepare Declaration on Honour (Annex 2) and collect any supporting evidence that may be requested.
3. 3Prepare technical offer following recommended outline and include CVs and project lists that meet selection criteria.
4. 4Prepare financial offer using the Financial Model (Annex 6), express amounts in EUR and VAT excluded.
5. 5Prepare and attach required annexes (Annex 3 Power of Attorney for consortia; Annexes 4, 5.1, 5.2 for subcontractors or relied entities).
6. 6Submit electronically via eSubmission before 01/06/2026 00:00 Europe/Lisbon. Ensure EU Login 2FA is configured in advance.

Key procurement documents and where to find them:Invitation to tender, Tender specifications, Annexes 1–6 and Draft service contract are published on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal opportunity page. Subscribers to the call on the Portal will receive notifications when documents are updated. See the official opportunity page for downloads and the eSubmission Quick Guide POLDEV tender documents ¹.

Summary — What is this opportunity about and who should apply?

This is an EUDA procurement to contract a service provider or consortium to design, develop, pilot and recommend operational components for the new EUDA Policy Design and Evaluation Service (POLDEV). The scope covers creation of a medium-term service plan, a package of user-facing resources to support drug strategy development at national and city levels, a comprehensive training programme for policymakers and planners, and a mapping and assessment of innovative technologies including AI for policy design and evaluation. The contract is for services (not a grant), has an estimated value of €480,000, a maximum duration of 36 months and will be awarded on the best price-quality ratio. Applicants with demonstrated experience in drug policy development/evaluation, training design, policy-oriented applied research, and digital/AI tools for policy analysis (including multidisciplinary teams combining policy, evaluation, training design and technical expertise) are well placed to bid. Full submission is by electronic tender on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal and must include the required declarations, technical and financial offers and annexes. Follow Annex 1 document list and the draft contract terms carefully; budget for the consortium coordination, face-to-face events and user testing activities; and ensure compliance with data protection and audit requirements.

Footnotes

1. 1All procurement documents, annexes, the draft service contract and the eSubmission Quick Guide are available on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal opportunity page: ec.europa.eu

Opportunity Overview

This is an open procedure call for tenders (EUDA/2026/OP/0003) launched by the European Union Drugs Agency (EUDA), headquartered in Lisbon, Portugal. The contract aims to support the development of the EUDA Policy Design and Evaluation Service (POLDEV Service), providing tools, resources, and activities to assist EU Member States and non-EU partner countries in developing, implementing, and evaluating drug policies. Primary users are local and national policymakers, with researchers and practitioners as secondary users. TED reference: 74/2026 261071-2026. Published on 16/04/2026.

Contract Value:Estimated maximum total value: €480 000 (four hundred eighty thousand euros), excluding VAT.

Duration:Maximum 36 months.

Eligibility and Who Can Apply

Open to natural and legal persons within the scope of the EU Treaties and international organisations. Not open to entities established in third countries. Tenderers must not be subject to EU restrictive measures or exclusion situations under Article 138 of the Financial Regulation. Joint tenders and subcontracting permitted, with identified subcontractors (those >10% of contract value or relied upon for selection criteria) requiring commitment letters.

Selection Criteria

• Economic and financial capacity: Average yearly turnover of last two years above €50 000 (consolidated assessment). Evidence: Profit/loss accounts and balance sheets.
• Technical and professional capacity (company): At least two similar projects (drug policy development/evaluation) completed in last three years (consolidated). Evidence: List of projects with details.
• Technical and professional capacity (team): Minimum five years experience per team member in drug policy development/evaluation (consolidated). Evidence: Team description (max 1000 words) and CVs.

All evidence for selection criteria must be provided with the tender. PIC registration in Participant Register required.

Key Requirements and Scope of Work

Services classified under CPV 73200000 (Research and development consultancy services). Performed at contractor's premises, with online meetings and possible annual in-person meetings at EUDA premises (costs covered by contract). Four work packages:

Work Package 1: Coordination and POLDEV Strategic Support

• Project coordination, advisory board, customer feedback, opening/closing events.
• Develop monitoring/evaluation framework for EU drug strategies.
• Medium/long-term work plan, gap analysis, scaling scenarios, evaluator pool format.

Work Package 2: Supporting Policy Makers with Drug Strategy Development

• Package of resources: guidance on strategies, action plans, budgets, monitoring frameworks.
• Innovative methods mapping, foresight analysis.
• Guide outline and full development with user testing.

Work Package 3: Policy Design and Evaluation Training Programme

• Outline, content, materials for online courses, workshops, clinics, masterclasses.
• Assessment component, testing, revisions.

Work Package 4: Innovative Technologies and AI

• Mapping/review of tools (incl. AI), international overview.
• Integration assessment with POLDEV, case/wireframe.
• Recommendations.

Timeline and Milestones

Three phases (est. €160 000 each):Phase 1 (Months 1-10), Phase 2 (11-22), Phase 3 (23-36). Payments tied to deliverables (20-60% per phase).

Evaluation and Award Criteria

Best price-quality ratio. Minimum 6/10 points per qualitative criterion required.

Submission Process

1. 1Register in Participant Register for PIC.
2. 2Submit electronically via eSubmission on Funding & Tenders Portal Funding & Tenders Portal.
3. 3Include: Declaration on Honour, technical/financial offers, selection evidence, etc. (see Annex 1).
4. 4Tenders in any official EU language; English preferred.

Requires EU Login account (2FA mandatory from 30/06/2026). Max 200 attachments (<50MB each). Validity: 6 months.

Key Documents

• Tender Specifications.
• Invitation to Tender.
• Annexes 1-6: Documents list, Declaration on Honour, Power of Attorney, Subcontractors list, Commitment letters, Draft Contract.

All available on EU Funding & Tenders Portal and TED TED Notice. Questions via Q&A section (login required).

Additional Considerations

Award to highest-ranked tender meeting minimum requirements. Variants allowed if meeting objectives/timeline/budget. No framework agreement. EUDA premises available free for meetings. Contractor bears all preparation costs. Governing law: EU/Portuguese; disputes: Lisbon courts.

Primary source:EU Funding & Tenders Portal. EUDA website: EUDA.

Footnotes

1. 1All details from official tender documents dated 16/04/2026. Verify latest updates on portal.