Policy Support Framework Contract 2026-2030

DG ECHO has published a tender (EC-ECHO/2025/OP/0032) to establish a Policy Support Framework Contract 2026-2030 with an estimated total value of €8,000,000 for short-term expert deployment and ongoing policy analysis. The framework duration is up to 48 months and the submission deadline is 24 August 2026 16:00:59 Brussels time via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal eSubmission system. The procurement is not marked as SME-suitable and is intended for consultancies and professional service providers established under applicable EU procurement rules. Awarding is based on quality and price with a 60/40 weight and bidders must submit the Invitation to Tender, Tender Specifications, Declaration on Honour and the Annex 6 Financial Offer form.

Tender - DG ECHO

High-level summary

Framework contract to provide short-term expertise to support DG ECHO policy development and analysis. Activities focus on rapid deployment of experts for policy advice, analysis and related tasks.

Who can apply:Legal entities (companies or consortia) able to supply short-term experts for EU public procurement; proposals submitted via the Funding and Tenders Portal eSubmission channel.

1. 1Contracting authority: European Commission, DG ECHO
2. 2Procurement type: Services - framework agreement for short-term expert deployment
3. 3Submission method: eSubmission via F&T Portal
4. 4Selection based on quality (60) and price (40) criteria

Tender documents published include invitation to tender, tender specifications, draft contract and financial offer form; consult official tender page for full requirements and annexes Tender page ¹

Footnotes

1. 1Official tender page and all procurement documents available at the EU Funding and Tenders Portal link above.

Opportunity Snapshot

Tender published by the European Commission, DG ECHO (European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations). Call identifier EC-ECHO/2025/OP/0032. Objective: establish a framework contract to provide support and assistance to DG ECHO policy development and analysis through the deployment of short-term expertise for the period 2026-2030. Estimated total procedure value: €8,000,000. Procurement type: services; contracting system: framework agreement. Submission method: electronic submission via the Funding & Tenders Portal. Tender documents published (invitation, tender specifications, draft contract, declaration on honour, financial offer form).

Key dates:Deadline for submission: 24 August 2026, 16:00:59 (Europe/Brussels). Closing / official deadline recorded: 2026-08-24T16:00:59Z. Open tender event (likely award / opening): 25 August 2026, 10:30 (CEST). Additional information request period ends: 14 August 2026. Draft and tender documents published 2 June 2026. Two deadline timestamps listed also indicate an earlier administrative deadline: 1 January 2026 14:00:59 (metadata); primary published closing date is 24 August 2026.

Estimated contract value and duration:Estimated overall contract amount: €8,000,000. Planned period/duration of the framework: 48 months (4 years) covering 2026-2030. Tender validity period indicated as 9 months for tenderer commitments/validity.

Detailed eligibility and administrative requirements

Eligible Applicant Types:The procurement is for the provision of services through a framework contract and is open to economic operators able to act as contractors under EU public procurement rules. Typical eligible applicant types include large enterprises, SMEs where appropriate, consultancies, research institutes, universities, nonprofit organisations, consortia of such entities, and public-private partnerships if compliant with tender rules. Specific tender documents (tender specifications and invitation to tender) contain formal selection and exclusion criteria, and the 'tenderer qualification request' references particular procurement-document requirements. The procurement notice indicates SME suitability: false, meaning the LOT is not specifically reserved for SMEs, but SMEs may still apply if they meet selection criteria. Exact permissible legal forms and nationality/residency eligibility follow standard EU procurement rules as set out in the tender documents.

Funding Type:Procurement / tender for services (framework contract). This is not a grant, loan or equity instrument; it is a public procurement contract awarded through competitive tendering under EU procedures.

Consortium Requirement:The tender documentation does not mandate a single applicant only; the procurement allows tenderers to form consortia or use subcontracting as specified in the tender specifications. The tender structure refers to framework agreement contracting system and standard award rules; applicants should consult the Tender Specifications for whether a consortium (lead contractor with partners) is required or permitted for proposed lots and for capacity demonstration.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility):Geographic eligibility follows EU procurement policy. The contracting authority is the European Commission (DG ECHO). Eligible tenderers are economic operators established in Member States of the EU and other countries that are party to the relevant EU agreements on procurement and those listed in the tender documents. The portal listing and documents should be consulted for precise eligible countries and nationality rules (for example participation by EEA, EU candidate countries or third countries where allowed).

Target Sector:Policy support and analysis services for humanitarian aid and civil protection. CPV codes listed: 75211200 (Management consultancy services), 79000000 (Other services), 73210000 (Research and development services and related consultancy services), 79411000 (Business and management consultancy services). The activity focus is policy development, policy analysis, short-term expert deployment, research/analytical support and related consultancy tasks within humanitarian and civil protection policy.

Mentioned Countries:No specific beneficiary countries are explicitly named in the scraped content. The contracting authority is the European Commission (DG ECHO) and the scope is EU-level; therefore references align with EU Member States and applicable third countries per tender documents. The portal entry points to EU-level procurement.

Project Stage:The contract is for policy development, analysis and deployment of short-term expertise. This corresponds to mature operational delivery of expert services and analysis—expectation is for experienced entities able to deliver at validation, demonstration and implementation stages rather than early-stage research only.

Funding Amount:Estimated overall contract amount is €8,000,000 over the framework duration. Individual call/lot-level breakdown is not provided in the scraped content; tender documents (financial offer annex) contain the template for pricing and any lot-specific maxima. The planned period: 48 months.

Application Type:Open competitive tender via eSubmission on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal. An Invitation to Tender and Tender Specifications are published and interested parties must submit electronically through the portal by the stated deadline.

Nature of Support:Contractual financial remuneration for services rendered (money) under a framework agreement. The contract awards payment for delivery of services (short-term expert deployment, policy analysis). Non-monetary services (e.g., access to networks) are not the primary modality, although the contract may include collaborative engagement with DG ECHO teams.

Application Stages:Typical procurement stages visible in the documentation: 1) Submission of tender (administrative, technical and financial offer) by deadline; 2) Opening/assessment and evaluation (quality and price) according to awarding criteria (quality 60% / price 40% weight as indicated); 3) Clarifications/negotiations if applicable; 4) Award decision and signing of framework contract; 5) Call-offs/ordering under framework during execution. This indicates 3 to 4 practical stages from submission to contract execution, with formal evaluation stage(s).

Success Rates:No explicit historic success rates are provided in the tender notice. As a competitive EU procurement with quality/price evaluation and estimated overall contract value, success rates depend on the number of compliant tenders submitted. Tenderers should assume competitive selection and prepare compliant, high-quality proposals aligned to evaluation criteria.

Co-funding Requirement:Not applicable in the usual sense of grants. The contractor will be paid under the framework agreement against delivered services and prices offered in the financial offer. There is no co-funding requirement, but tenderers must bear the costs of preparing tenders and may be expected to demonstrate financial capacity; any consortium members' cost-sharing or subcontracting arrangements must be spelled out in the tender.

Selection and Award Evaluation

Awarding Criteria:The procurement metadata indicates two main awarding criteria with weights: quality (60) and price (40). Subordinate awarding criteria and detailed scoring rules are contained in the Tender Specifications. Tenderers must consult the published Tender Specifications and Annexes for exact quality sub-criteria, thresholds, scoring grids, and documentation required for the selection and award (e.g., CVs, references, methodology, workplan).

Required Documents and Templates:The portal entry includes these documents: 1. Invitation to tender (document 1), 2. Tender specifications (document 2), 3. Declaration on honour - tenders (Annex 2) (document 3), 4. Annex 6 - Financial Offer (Excel) (document 4), 5. Draft Service Framework Contract (document 5). Tenderers must complete the financial offer form, sign and return the declaration on honour, and provide the technical offer following the structure in the tender specifications. All templates and forms are native documents published with the call.

1. 1Prepare administrative documentation: declaration on honour, legal status, proof of enrolment (participant register) where required.
2. 2Prepare selection documentation: financial statements, relevant certificates, evidence of capacity and past performance, CVs of proposed experts.
3. 3Prepare technical offer: methodology, staffing and deployment plan for short-term expertise, quality assurance, timeline and responsiveness to DG ECHO needs as per tender specifications.
4. 4Prepare financial offer using the provided Annex 6 template: unit prices, rates for experts, any estimated volumes for call-offs, and total price proposal where required.
5. 5Submit via eSubmission through the Funding & Tenders Portal before the deadline and retain acknowledgements.

How applications look / Template structure:The portal provides the following standard components and templates which tenderers must complete and submit: - Invitation to Tender: contains procedural instructions and submission checklist. - Tender Specifications: sets out the technical scope, requirements for deployment of short-term experts, reporting, performance metrics, confidentiality, data handling, and specific selection/exclusion criteria. - Annex 2 Declaration on Honour (template): tenderers must declare non-exclusion and compliance. - Annex 6 Financial Offer (Excel template): tenderers must fill in unit prices (e.g., daily rates for expert profiles), estimated volumes and total price and sign the form. - Draft Framework Contract: terms and conditions that will be signed by the successful tenderer(s). Tenderers must structure their technical offer to mirror the evaluation areas in the Tender Specifications (methodology, team composition, management and quality assurance, past experience/examples of similar assignments, implementation plan).

Procurement / Contracting modalities:This is a framework agreement (fa-wo-rc) where the contracting authority will award one or more economic operators to a framework and place individual call-offs or orders against that framework. The contract execution requirements and electronic ordering/payment indicators are set. The framework may be used to issue short-term expert assignments as and when DG ECHO requires analytical or policy support.

Evaluation emphasis and recommended bidder profile:High-scoring proposals will demonstrate relevant policy analysis experience in humanitarian aid and civil protection, capacity to rapidly deploy short-term experts across required profiles, strong methodological approach to policy support, robust quality assurance and management arrangements, proven track record and references in similar EU or international assignments, and competitive and transparent pricing aligned to Annex 6. Evidence of compliance with EU procurement law and absence of exclusion grounds must be provided. ¹

Security and compliance:Given the nature of DG ECHO work, compliance with confidentiality, data protection and security requirements will be part of contractual obligations. Tenderers should ensure staff proposed as experts possess the required clearances and that any cross-border data transfer arrangements comply with EU rules as detailed in the draft contract and tender specifications.

Contact and access to documents:Tender documents and attachments are available on the Funding & Tenders Portal opportunity page. The tender includes published native documents: Invitation to tender (1), Tender Specifications (2), Declaration on Honour (3), Financial Offer Annex (4) and Draft Service FWC (5). The portal access tools URI and submission channel are indicated in the tender record.

Concluding summary

This procurement opportunity is an EU public tender to establish a Policy Support Framework Contract (2026-2030) for DG ECHO to obtain short-term expert services supporting policy development and analysis in humanitarian aid and civil protection domains. It is an open, competitive procurement via the Funding & Tenders Portal with an estimated overall contract value of €8,000,000 over 48 months. The award will be based on quality (60%) and price (40%) and requires submission of administrative, technical and financial offers using the provided templates. Eligible bidders include consultancies, research organisations, universities, nonprofits, and consortia that meet EU procurement eligibility and selection criteria. Interested tenderers should download and carefully follow the Invitation to Tender and Tender Specifications (including Annexes and the Draft Framework Contract), prepare a responsive technical offer addressing the quality sub-criteria, complete the Annex 6 Financial Offer template, ensure compliance with all selection/exclusion rules, and submit their eSubmission before 24 August 2026, 16:00:59 (Brussels time).

Footnotes

1. 1All formal requirements, templates and the detailed evaluation methodology are set out in the tender documentation published on the Funding & Tenders Portal. Access the tender page: Policy Support Framework Contract 2026-2030.

Opportunity Fundamentals

This is a service contract tender issued by DG ECHO (European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations) to support policy development and analysis through short-term expertise deployment, with an estimated total value of €8,000,000 ¹.

Contract Duration:Maximum duration of 48 months (4 years), running from 2026 to 2030, classified as a framework agreement without reopening competition ².

Submission Deadline:Final deadline is 24 August 2026 at 16:00:59 Brussels time, with an additional information request period ending 14 August 2026 ³.

Who Should Apply

Eligible applicants are primarily large consulting firms and professional service providers specializing in humanitarian aid policy consulting, as the SME suitability indicator is marked false, indicating small and medium-sized enterprises may not qualify ⁴.

1. 1Large consulting firms with humanitarian aid policy expertise
2. 2Professional service providers in policy development and analysis
3. 3Organizations based in EU member states, EEA countries, or EU candidate countries

Key Eligibility Requirements

Award Criteria and Evaluation

The award is based on two criteria:quality (60% weight) and price (40% weight), with quality assessed through short-term expertise deployment capability and ongoing policy support capacity ⁵.

Quality Criteria (60%):Expertise readiness at short notice, policy development experience, humanitarian aid knowledge, and analytical capabilities ⁵.

Price Criteria (40%):Financial offer submitted using the provided Financial Offer form (Annex 6 to Tender Specifications) ⁶.

Required Documentation

1. 11. Invitation to tender EC-ECHO2025OP0032 (mandatory)
2. 22. Tender Specifications Policy support contract (mandatory)
3. 33. Declaration of honour for tenders (mandatory)
4. 44. Financial Offer form (Annex 6 to TS) (mandatory)
5. 55. Draft Service FWC EC-ECHO2025OP0032 (reference document)

Submission Process

Submissions must be made electronically via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal using the ESUBMISSION method, with all documents uploaded in the required formats ⁷.

Portal Access:Access the tender details at EU Funding Portal - Tender 6c23cafd ⁸.

Important Notes for Applicants

This is a planned call for tenders published as a Prior Information Notice (PIN), with the formal contract notice expected in the Official Journal of the European Union around September 2025, though the current deadline is August 2026 ⁹.

No co-funding is required as contractors will be compensated for services rendered rather than receiving grants, and the contract involves deploying expertise at short notice for humanitarian aid policy support ¹⁰.

Footnotes

1. 1Estimated contract value €8,000,000 confirmed from EU Funding & Tenders Portal and Subsdy analysis [[1]][[22]].
2. 248-month maximum duration and framework agreement classification from tender specifications and CPV codes [[1]][[22]].
3. 3Deadline 24 August 2026 16:00:59 Brussels time and additional information period ending 14 August 2026 from procurement project lots data [[22]].
4. 4SME suitability false indicator and large consulting firm eligibility from Subsdy analysis and tender specifications [[1]][[22]].
5. 5Award criteria quality 60% and price 40% weight from tendering terms awarding criterion data [[22]].
6. 6Financial Offer form as Annex 6 to Tender Specifications from Cft Documents list [[22]].
7. 7ESUBMISSION method and electronic portal submission from procurement project lots tendering process data [[22]].
8. 8Official tender details URL from EU Funding & Tenders Portal [[22]].
9. 9PIN publication and formal contract notice expected September 2025 from Subsdy analysis [[1]].
10. 10No co-funding required and service compensation model from Subsdy analysis [[1]].