Provision of evaluation and evaluation related services to DG ECFIN including impact assessments

The European Commission DG ECFIN has launched an open tender (EC-ECFIN/2026/OP/0015) to award up to four framework service contracts for evaluation, evaluation-related services and support for impact assessments across its economic and financial policy portfolio, with a total estimated ceiling of €5,000,000 and a maximum contract duration of 48 months. Tenders must be submitted electronically via the Funding & Tenders Portal by 27/04/2026 16:00 (Europe/Brussels) and responses must follow the provided Annex templates including staffing, financial scenarios and declarations. Award will be based on the best price-quality ratio (price 40%, quality 60%) with minimum quality thresholds and selection requirements including a consolidated average annual turnover > €2,000,000 and specified core team experience and language capacities. The framework covers short, medium and long assignments (2–10 months) including inception, data collection, stakeholder consultation, multi-method analysis and final reporting in SWD format with multilingual executive summaries where required.

High-level summary

What this contract funds

Multiple framework service contracts (up to 4 winners) to deliver studies, interim and ex-post evaluations, fitness checks and impact assessments covering DG ECFIN responsibility areas (economic and financial affairs, RRF, MFA, structural and fiscal policy analysis, etc.). Work includes methodology, data collection, stakeholder consultation, analysis and final reports.

Estimated total value:€5,000,000 (framework ceiling) for all contracts combined; individual assignments awarded by reopening of competition under each framework contract.

Contract form and duration:Multiple framework service contracts with reopening of competition; maximum duration 48 months; specific assignments typically range from short (2–4 months) to long (9–10 months).

Who can apply

Any natural or legal person, or consortia, established in participating countries under the Treaties and eligible under WTO/GPA rules. Tenderers must be registered in the Participant Register (PIC), meet exclusion and selection criteria (economic/financial and technical capacity) and submit tenders electronically.

Key selection / evaluation highlights

1. 1Minimum consolidated turnover requirement: average yearly turnover of last two financial years above €2,000,000.
2. 2Technical capacity: experience in evaluation and impact assessment (minimum references and core team composition required).
3. 3Award method: best price-quality ratio (price 40%, quality 60%).

How to apply

Submit electronically via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal eSubmission system. Use the provided tender specifications, financial form and annex templates. PIC and eSubmission registration required.

Tender documents, templates and Q&A are published on the Funding & Tenders Portal opportunity page. All submissions must follow the Tender Specifications and Annexes (incl. staffing table, financial tender form and Declaration on Honour).

The European Commission, Directorate-General for Economic and Financial Affairs (DG ECFIN), is conducting an open procurement procedure to establish multiple framework service contracts with reopening of competition for evaluation and evaluation-related services, including support for impact assessment activities. The procedure targets specialised providers able to deliver high-quality studies, interim and ex-post evaluations, fitness checks, and impact assessments aligned with the Commission’s Better Regulation guidelines across DG ECFIN’s policy remit. The call will result in up to four framework contracts, each with a maximum duration of 48 months and an overall estimated ceiling of €5,000,000 Call page on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal ¹.

Key identifiers and scope:Procedure identifier: EC-ECFIN/2026/OP/0015; Procedure type: Open procedure; Nature of contract: Services; CPV: 79419000 Evaluation consultancy services; Framework: Multiple framework agreements with reopening of competition; Lead contracting authority: European Commission, DG ECFIN - Economic and Financial Affairs; Maximum duration: 48 months; Estimated total value: €5,000,000 Tender Specifications.

Timeline and milestones:TED publication date: 10/03/2026; Deadline for receipt of tenders: 27/04/2026 16:00 (Europe/Brussels); Public opening of tenders: 28/04/2026 11:00 (Europe/Brussels); Last date for contracting authority to be bound to reply to questions: 17/04/2026 23:59 (Europe/Brussels). Submission is exclusively electronic via eSubmission and requires a PIC (Participant Identification Code). See formal instructions in the Invitation to Tender Invitation to tender letter.

Eligibility, Access and Participation

Eligible Applicant Types:Any natural or legal person (economic operator) with access to EU procurement may apply as a single tenderer or in a joint tender. Typical eligible types include consulting firms, evaluation and policy analytics companies, research and advisory businesses, universities and higher education institutions, research institutes, think tanks, SMEs and large enterprises in professional services, and international organisations. Individual experts (natural persons) are not excluded but must satisfy selection criteria (including substantial turnover via a group), thus are more commonly proposed within a consortium or as subcontractors. Subcontracting is permitted. All involved entities must not be subject to EU restrictive measures and must meet exclusion and selection conditions Tender Specifications, Sections 2.2, 2.4, 3.1, 3.2.

Funding Type:Procurement: Multiple framework service contracts with reopening of competition. This is not a grant; contractors are paid for services delivered under specific contracts. Pricing is based on fixed daily unit rates by staff category that include all charges and overheads, including travel, accommodation and subsistence for work on contractor premises and in Commission offices in Brussels and Luxembourg Annex 6 - Financial tender form.

Consortium Requirement:Single tenderers or consortia (joint tenders) are allowed. For joint tenders, all group members are jointly and severally liable, appoint a group leader, and sign an Agreement/Power of Attorney (Annex 3). Subcontracting is permitted; subcontractors on whose capacity the tenderer relies and any subcontractor with an individual share above 30% must be identified with commitment letters. Changes in group composition or identified subcontractors after submission require prior written approval and are strictly regulated Tender Specifications, Sections 2.4.1–2.4.4; Annexes 3–5.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility):Participation is open on equal terms to all natural and legal persons within the scope of the EU Treaties, as well as international organisations. It is also open to entities established in third countries with an agreement with the EU in public procurement and in countries that have ratified the WTO GPA, subject to those conditions. All involved entities must not be subject to EU restrictive measures throughout contract performance Tender Specifications, Section 2.2.

Target Sector:Professional evaluation consultancy and policy analysis in economic and financial affairs, including: economic policy instruments; macro-financial assistance (MFA) evaluations; structural reforms; public finances; business and consumer surveys; information and communication actions; and impact assessments aligned with the Commission’s Better Regulation guidelines. Thematically relevant expertise includes EU Better Regulation, stakeholder consultation, economics, fiscal policy, statistics and econometrics, and cross-cutting policy evaluations such as the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF) Tender Specifications, Sections 1.4, 1.4.1; Annex 8 Staffing Table; Annex 11 Methodological guidance for MFA.

Mentioned Countries:Belgium (Brussels) and Luxembourg (Luxembourg) are indicated as Commission locations for meetings. Country contexts referenced for likely assignments include EU Member States (RRF evaluations) and several partner countries for MFA evaluations such as Ukraine, Moldova, North Macedonia, Egypt, and Jordan. Services may involve visits/interviews in Member State and third-country locations as relevant to specific requests Tender Specifications, Sections 1.5, 1.4.1; Annex 10 Evaluation Plan.

Project Stage:Procured services cover the full evaluation and impact assessment cycle: inception and methodological design; data collection and stakeholder consultation; qualitative and quantitative analysis; reporting (inception, intermediate, draft final, and final); and dissemination. Assignments can be short (2–4 months), medium (6–8 months), or long (9–10 months) depending on scope and budget of the underlying policy/programme [[Tender Specifications, Section 1.4.3]].

Financials and Contracting Model

Funding Amount:Framework ceiling: €5,000,000 total across up to four framework contracts. Within three years, the Commission may use a negotiated procedure to procure new services up to 50% of the initial ceiling for repetition of similar services under identical conditions. Each assignment will be contracted through specific contracts following reopening of competition among the framework contractors Tender Specifications, Sections 1.7, 1.6; Contract main conditions.

Application Type:Open call for tenders with electronic submission (eSubmission). PIC registration is mandatory for tenderers and consortium members; identified subcontractors and capacity-providing entities provide commitment letters. Single-stage submission for the framework; subsequent specific contracts will be competed via reopening of competition among awarded framework contractors Invitation to tender; Tender Specifications, Section 2.3 and 4.1–4.2.

Nature of Support:Monetary remuneration under service contracts. No co-funding by contractors is required; however, tender prices must be fully inclusive of charges and overheads, including travel, accommodation, and subsistence for Brussels and Luxembourg work. Contractors bear the cost of proposal preparation and any staff approvals/interviews required by DG ECFIN Annex 6 Financial form; Tender Specifications Sections 1.6.1, 4.2.

Application Stages:Stage 1: Open procedure submission and evaluation against exclusion, selection, compliance, and award criteria; award to up to four framework contractors based on best price-quality ratio. Stage 2: Reopening of competition for specific contracts among the framework contractors, with award based on specific evaluation per the framework award criteria. Public opening of initial tenders occurs per the invitation arrangements Tender Specifications, Sections 3.4–3.5, I.4.3 of the Draft FWC.

Success Rates:No success rate information is provided. Award is determined by the best price-quality ratio with a maximum of four framework awards. Tenders must achieve at least 50% on each quality criterion and sub-criterion and at least 60% overall to be eligible for ranking [[Tender Specifications, Section 3.4]].

Co-funding Requirement:None. This is a procurement contract. Prices quoted are exclusive of VAT and free of all duties and charges; EU institutions are VAT exempt under Protocol on the Privileges and Immunities. Contractors bear their own costs for tendering and attendance at opening sessions [[Tender Specifications, Sections 4.2, 4.2 VAT; Invitation to tender]].

What is Purchased: Tasks, Deliverables, and Methods

DG ECFIN will procure support for studies, evaluations (interim, ex-post), fitness checks, and impact assessments across its policy areas (economic governance, macro-financial assistance, structural reforms, public finances, RRF, business and consumer surveys, and international economic relations). All work must be aligned with the Commission’s Better Regulation guidelines and toolbox. Activities include the full evaluation/IA cycle: problem definition; intervention logic; evaluation/IA questions and matrix; multi-method data collection; stakeholder consultation strategies; quantitative and qualitative analysis; assessment against the core criteria (relevance, effectiveness, efficiency, EU added value, coherence); and comprehensive reporting and dissemination planning [[Tender Specifications, Section 1.4]].

Deliverables per assignment:Inception report; intermediate report; draft final report; final report (with technical annexes, abstract up to 200 words, and an executive summary of max 6 pages in English, French, and German). Annexes typically include methodology and models, evaluation matrix and succinct answers, cost-benefit overview, simplification/burden reduction table (where relevant), and a stakeholder consultation synopsis report. Up to five ISG meetings are standard: kick-off; inception; intermediate; draft final workshop; final presentation after approval [[Tender Specifications, Section 1.4.3]].

Assignment durations:Short (2–4 months): instrumental studies supporting interim/ex-post evaluations or IAs; Medium (6–8 months): evaluations or IAs of policies/programmes below specified budget thresholds; Long (9–10 months): complex evaluations/fitness checks or IAs for policies/programmes above specified thresholds [[Tender Specifications, Section 1.4 a) and b)]].

Methodological guidance and key domains:Work must adhere to Better Regulation guidelines and toolbox. Specific methodological guidance is provided for ex-post evaluation of MFA operations (Annex 11), covering evaluation challenges for untied balance-of-payments support and structured questions on design, financing envelope, conditionality, implementation, outcomes/impacts, EU added value, and coherence. The RRF ex-post evaluation scenario (Annex €12B) outlines scope, objectives, questions (effectiveness, efficiency, long-term impacts, REPowerEU contributions), and data cutoff (30 September 2027) Annex 11 and Annex 12b.

Evaluation and Award: Criteria and Weighting

The best price-quality ratio determines award. Price weight:40%; Quality weight: 60%. Total quality score out of 200 points. Minimum thresholds: 50% on each criterion and sub-criterion, and 60% overall. Ranking ties are resolved by higher quality marks, applying in order: methodology, organisation of work/resources, quality control. The framework will be awarded to the first four ranked tenders meeting all requirements [[Tender Specifications, Section 3.4–3.5]].

Selection Criteria: Capacity Requirements

Economic and financial capacity (F1):Average yearly turnover for the last two closed financial years above €2,000,000 (consolidated across involved entities). Evidence: profit and loss accounts and balance sheets for last two years closed (most recent closed within last 18 months) or appropriate bank statements [[Tender Specifications, Section 3.2.2]].

Technical and professional capacity:T1 Experience: At least four similar projects (in scope and complexity) completed in the last three years before submission, each with a minimum value of €120,000. Provide list with dates, total amounts, scope, role, amounts invoiced; client statements may be requested. T2 Language capacity: At least four projects with reporting in English completed in the last three years; at least three team members with C1 English; combined team must have working knowledge of at least four additional official EU languages beyond English; evidence via CVs and certificates or past experience. T3 Team composition: Core Team of at least 3 Category I (Project Manager/Team Leader), 3 Category II (Project Coordinator/Senior Consultant), and 3 Category III (Consultant). Fill Annex 8 Staffing Table with staff categories and key areas of expertise; provide Europass CVs (max 4 pages each) for three Category I and three Category II members; CVs for Categories III–V may be requested later Annex 8 - Staffing Table.

Staff categories and key expertise (Annex 8):Category I: Project Manager/Team Leader (min 10 years recent experience leading EU evaluations/impact assessments). Category II: Project Coordinator/Senior Consultant (min 7 years in evaluation/IA including project management or team leadership). Category III: Consultant (min 5 years in evaluation/IA, quantitative/qualitative research, multimethod designs, consultation/survey design and analysis). Category IV: Junior Consultant (min 1 year in data collection/desk research, portfolio analysis, survey setup, interviews coordination). Category V: Support Staff (no specific academic/experience minimum). Key expertise fields: EU Better Regulation requirements and methodologies; stakeholder consultation; economics; fiscal policy; statistics/econometrics. Team members may cover multiple key expertise fields; staff categories are mutually exclusive.

How to Apply: Submission, Forms, and Templates

Submission method and formalities:Electronic-only via eSubmission on the Funding & Tenders Portal. Each consortium member must have a PIC. QES (Qualified Electronic Signature) is strongly recommended for all signature-requiring documents; hand-signed originals must be retained for five years. The public opening is virtual; up to two representatives per tenderer may attend upon email registration per the invitation letter Invitation to tender.

Contents of the tender:1) Technical tender structured against award criteria, including responses to two hypothetical scenarios (Annexes 12a and €12B), a work plan, and a team consistent with Annex 8 profiles. 2) Financial tender using Annex 6 model: fixed daily unit prices by staff category, two scenarios priced for assessment: Scenario 1 (evaluation of two MFA operations, 255 working days, team of 13 consultants); Scenario 2 (RRF ex-post evaluation, 1,000 working days, team of 25 consultants). The grand total of the two scenarios is used for financial evaluation. Prices must be in EUR, inclusive of all overheads and specified travel rules, and free of VAT and other charges Annex 6 - Financial tender form.

Mandatory administrative documents:Declaration on Honour on exclusion and selection criteria (Annex 2) for all required involved entities; evidence of signatory authorisation (where applicable); Agreement/Power of Attorney (Annex 3) for joint tenders; List of identified subcontractors (Annex 4) and commitment letters (Annex 5.1) for those relied upon for selection criteria or with intended individual share above 30%; commitment letters from entities on whose capacities the tenderer relies that are not subcontractors (Annex 5.2). Evidence for selection criteria is provided per Tender Specifications and may be requested at any time; all documents must follow eSubmission naming and placement instructions Annexes 2–5; Annex 1 list of documents.

Templates: structure and guidance:Annex 2 Declaration on Honour: comprehensive self-declarations on exclusion, selection, conflicts, restrictive measures, and established debts; QES preferred. Annex 6 Financial tender form: scenario-based price tables; fixed daily unit rates including travel to Commission offices; additional travel for specific contracts as unit costs only when specified. Annex 7 Draft Framework Service Contract: special and general conditions, IP and confidentiality, data protection, security appendix, payment terms (for 6–8 month assignments: one 30% interim + balance; for 9–10 month assignments: two 30% interims + balance). Annex 8 Staffing Table: structured team listing by categories I–V with key expertise fields and language capacities. Annex 9 Internal Charter: DG ECFIN evaluation function standards, ISG roles, quality assessment templates, dissemination and follow-up templates. Annex 10 Evaluation Plan 2026–2028: indicative pipeline (e.g., MFA Ukraine, Moldova & North Macedonia, RRF ex-post evaluation). Annex 11 MFA methodological guidance: evaluation questions and logic model tailored to MFA. Annex 12a/€12BHypothetical scenarios: provide the basis for assessing methodology and pricing (including a detailed RRF ex-post scenario with evaluation questions, scope, and data cutoff). Templates must not be altered; omission or changes in financial form may lead to rejection.

Contractual, Legal, and Security Provisions

• Reopening of competition: specific contracts awarded to the most economically advantageous offers among framework contractors using the same award criteria.
• Payments: made in EUR; VAT-exempt per Protocol. Price revision possible annually using HICP for the Euro Area as specified in the FWC. Bank account in EUR required.
• Confidentiality and IP: Union acquires ownership of results and licensing of pre-existing rights for use, distribution, modification, and sub-licensing as detailed in the FWC.
• Data protection: processing per Regulation (EU) 2018/1725; contractors must ensure EU hosting/localisation requirements where applicable; personal data breaches must be notified within 48 hours; assistance to the controller and EDPS audits may occur.
• Security: compliance with Commission security requirements, including cybersecurity regulation; ethics reminders for service providers; potential need for security-briefed staff; contractor bears any related costs Appendix 2 - Security requirements (Draft FWC).
• Conflicts of interest: professional conflicting interests may lead to rejection; declarations required from all involved entities; joint tenders and subcontracting subject to constraints preventing cross-subcontracting and ensuring independence.
• Abnormally low tenders: subject to verification and possible rejection per Financial Regulation.
• Checks and audits: Commission, OLAF, EPPO, and Court of Auditors have extensive audit rights during performance and up to five years after last specific contract balance payment.

Practical Q&A highlights (Portal)

• Deadline extension requests were declined; the original 48-day submission period accounts for the Easter period.
• Confirmation required: the Staffing Table (Annex 8) must be completed with names of proposed experts; minimum numbers per category and expertise field apply (see Selection Criterion T3).

Comprehensive Answers to the Classification Questions

Eligible Applicant Types:Consulting firms in evaluation and policy analysis, SMEs and large enterprises in professional services, universities and research institutes, think tanks, and international organisations are eligible as tenderers or consortium members. Natural persons can participate but must meet stringent selection criteria (typically by joining consortia). Subcontractors and capacity-providing entities may include individual experts and specialist boutiques. All must satisfy access rules, non-exclusion, and capacity requirements.

Funding Type:Procurement of services under multiple framework contracts with reopening of competition (services contract). Not a grant or subsidy.

Consortium Requirement:No mandatory consortium requirement. Both single tenderers and consortia are allowed. The contracting authority plans to award up to four framework contracts.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility):Open to entities within the EU Treaties, international organisations, and entities in third countries with EU public procurement agreements and WTO GPA parties, provided they are not subject to EU restrictive measures.

Target Sector:Evaluation consultancy and policy analysis targeting economic and financial affairs: Better Regulation evaluations/fitness checks, impact assessments, macroeconomic policy, fiscal policy, structural reforms, RRF, MFA, statistics/econometrics, and stakeholder consultation.

Mentioned Countries:Belgium; Luxembourg; EU Member States (RRF); Ukraine; Moldova; North Macedonia; Egypt; Jordan.

Project Stage:Service delivery across inception, data collection, analysis, and reporting stages for evaluations and impact assessments; short, medium, and long assignment durations.

Funding Amount:Framework ceiling €5,000,000 for up to four contractors, with possible negotiated repetition up to 50% within three years. Individual assignment budgets will be defined at specific-contract stage; payment schedules depend on assignment duration (interims at 30% where applicable).

Application Type:Open call for tenders via eSubmission (single-stage for the framework); subsequent mini-competitions for specific contracts among framework awardees.

Nature of Support:Monetary compensation for services under the framework and specific contracts; no co-funding required.

Application Stages:Stage 1: Framework tender submission and evaluation. Stage 2: Reopening of competition for specific contracts during implementation period.

Success Rates:Not specified.

Co-funding Requirement:None; fully procured services. Prices must cover all costs and overheads including specified travel.

Detailed Templates and Application Structure

1. 1Technical offer: Align to award criteria; detail methodology framework; data sources and stakeholder consultation strategy; analytical tools and assessment criteria; interpretation, validation, and reporting; organisation, roles and responsibilities; allocation of time and resources; quality assurance. Address both hypothetical scenarios (Annexes 12a and €12B) with a concrete work plan and valid expert profiles per Annex 8.
2. 2Financial offer (Annex 6): Provide fixed daily rates by staff category; complete tables for Scenario 1 (255 person-days; team of 13) and Scenario 2 (1,000 person-days; team of 25); provide totals and grand total; acknowledge inclusion of travel and subsistence in daily rates; respect table integrity.
3. 3Administrative dossier: Annex 2 Declarations on Honour for required entities; signatory authorisation evidence; Annex 3 Agreement/Power of Attorney (if joint bid); Annex 4 identified subcontractors list with shares; Annex 5.1 and 5.2 commitment letters; Annex 8 Staffing Table completed with named experts.
4. 4Selection evidence: Economic and financial capacity documents (turnover). Technical references list (T1). Language capacity evidence and CVs (T2). CVs for three Category I and three Category II core team members (T3); remaining CVs may be requested later.
5. 5Formatting and signatures: Use eSubmission; QES strongly preferred (eIDAS-compliant); naming rules and size limits apply per system requirements. Tenders must be complete and compliant at submission; late submissions are automatically rejected.

Payment, Pricing, and Financial Rules

• Unit prices: daily rates per staff category must include all overheads and travel/accommodation/subsistence for contractor premises and Commission offices in Brussels and Luxembourg.
• Additional travel: only if specified in a specific contract request; priced as unit costs per Commission Decision C(2021)35.
• Payment schedule: short assignments (≤4 months): single balance payment; medium (≈6–8 months): one 30% interim + balance; long (≈9–10 months): two 30% interims (30% + 30%) + balance.
• Currency and taxes: EUR; prices quoted free of VAT and duties; the Commission is VAT-exempt. Price revision possible via HICP formula as per framework terms.
• Abnormally low tenders: subject to Financial Regulation scrutiny; potential rejection if not justified.

Source Documents (selection)

• Tender Specifications and Annexes, including Annex 6 (Financial form), Annex 8 (Staffing Table), Annex 9 (Internal Charter), Annex 10 (Evaluation Plan 2026–2028), Annex 11 (MFA Methodological Guidance), and Annex €12B (RRF ex-post scenario).
• Invitation to Tender detailing submission logistics, deadlines, and opening arrangements.
• Draft Framework Service Contract with General and Special Conditions and Security Appendix.

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

DG ECFIN is building a panel of up to four specialist providers to deliver high-quality evaluations, fitness checks, and impact assessments across Europe’s economic and financial policy areas for up to four years. This is a multi-supplier framework procurement (not a grant) with reopening of competition for each assignment, covering EU-wide and international workstreams central to the Commission’s Better Regulation approach. Providers will support evidence-based policymaking in domains such as the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF), macro-financial assistance (MFA) to partner countries, structural reforms, and public finances, by designing and executing robust methodologies, triangulating quantitative and qualitative evidence, and conducting comprehensive stakeholder consultations. Each assignment follows a rigorously defined cycle: inception and evaluation matrix; data collection and analysis; and structured reporting at inception, intermediate, draft final, and final stages, including multilingual executive summaries and dissemination planning. The tender is open worldwide under EU procurement rules (and GPA), but bidders must meet high capacity thresholds: a consolidated average annual turnover above €2 million; at least four comparable projects of €120,000 each completed in the past three years; a multilingual core team able to work in English at C1 level and at least four additional EU languages; and a named core team of senior leaders and consultants across five expertise areas (EU Better Regulation, stakeholder consultation, economics, fiscal policy, and statistics/econometrics). Award is based on best price-quality ratio (40% price, 60% quality), with strict quality thresholds and scenario-based pricing that simulates two major assignments (MFA evaluations and an RRF ex-post evaluation). Prices are fully loaded daily rates (including travel for Brussels/Luxembourg) and payments are staged per assignment length. Successful framework contractors will subsequently compete in mini-competitions for each specific evaluation or impact assessment. For experienced evaluation consultancies and research organisations, this framework offers recurring opportunities to shape and assess EU economic policies with substantial methodological, sectoral, and multilingual breadth, under a robust legal and security framework aligned with EU data protection, confidentiality, and intellectual property rules.

Footnotes

1. 1Primary opportunity page and documents are available on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal. See the call page EC-ECFIN/2026/OP/0015 and core Tender Specifications Tender Specifications.

This is an open procedure call for tenders (EC-ECFIN/2026/OP/0015) for multiple Framework Service Contracts in Competition to provide evaluation, evaluation-related services, and support for impact assessment activities to the European Commission, Directorate-General for Economic and Financial Affairs (DG ECFIN). The framework will cover studies, interim and ex-post evaluations, fitness checks, and impact assessments across DG ECFIN's policy areas, including economic policy instruments, macro-financial assistance (MFA), structural reforms, public finances, Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF), and more. Up to four framework contracts will be awarded, with a maximum total value of €5,000,000 over 48 months.

Key Dates and Procedure Details

Tenders must be submitted electronically via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal. The procedure is open to all economic operators within the scope of EU Treaties, international organisations, and signatories to the WTO GPA. Registration in the Participant Register for a PIC number is required.

Eligibility and Exclusion Criteria

Tenderers must not be in exclusion situations per Article 138 of the Financial Regulation (bankruptcy, tax/social security breaches, fraud, corruption, etc.). A signed Declaration on Honour (Annex 2) is required. Evidence may be requested from successful tenderers. No involvement in preparing procurement documents if it distorts competition.

Selection Criteria

Economic and Financial Capacity (Consolidated)

• Average yearly turnover of last two years > €2,000,000. Evidence: Profit/loss accounts and balance sheets (most recent closed within 18 months).

Technical and Professional Capacity (Consolidated)

• T1: At least 4 similar projects (scope/complexity) completed in last 3 years, each >= €120,000. List with details.
• T2: 4 projects with English reporting in last 3 years; team with C1 English (3 members) and working knowledge of 4+ EU languages. List + CVs/language proof.
• T3: Core team per Annex 8 Staffing Table (min. 3 Cat I, 3 Cat II, 3 Cat III experts across key areas: EU Better Regulation, stakeholder consultation, economics, fiscal policy, statistics/econometrics). Completed Staffing Table + CVs (Europass, max 4pp) for 3 Cat I and 3 Cat II.

No professional conflicting interests allowed. CVs for Cat III-V may be requested later.

Services Required

Support DG ECFIN with evaluations (interim/ex-post/fitness checks) and impact assessments following Better Regulation Guidelines. Assignments: short (2-€4M), medium (6-€8M, <€200M budget), long (9-€10M, >€200M). Key areas: economic policy, MFA, RRF (green/digital), public finances, structural reforms. Deliverables: Inception/Intermediate/Draft Final/Final reports (SWD format), executive summaries (EN/FR/DE, max 6pp), annexes. Up to 5 ISG meetings.

2026-2028 Evaluation Plan (Indicative, Annex 10):MFA Ukraine (ongoing), MFA Moldova/North Macedonia (Q2 2026), MFA Ukraine ERA (Q4 2026), RRF ex-post (Q4 2026), MFA Egypt (Q2 2028), Pericles IV (2028), MFA Jordan IV/V (TBC), Business/Consumer Surveys (TBC).

Award Criteria (Quality 60%, Price 40%)

Technical offer must address two hypothetical scenarios (Annexes 12a/€12B):MFA evaluation (255 days, 13 experts); RRF ex-post (1,000 days, 25 experts). Financial offer uses Annex 6 form (daily rates incl. all costs; Grand Total for evaluation).

Staffing Requirements (Annex 8)

Core Team (min):Cat I (Project Mgr/Team Leader: 10y exp, min 3); Cat II (Sr Consultant: 7y, min 3); Cat III (Consultant: 5y, min 3). Key expertise: EU Better Reg, consultations, economics, fiscal policy, stats/econometrics. CVs (max 4pp Europass) for Cat I/II.

Financial Offer (Annex 6)

Fixed daily rates (all-inclusive, EUR) for 5 categories. Scenarios for scoring:Scenario 1 (MFA: 255 days); Scenario 2 (RRF: 1,000 days). Grand Total = sum of scenarios. No separate reimbursements (travel in rates).

Submission Requirements (Annex 1)

1. 1Declaration on Honour (Annex 2)
2. 2Authorisation to sign
3. 3Agreement/PoA (joints)
4. 4Subcontractor list (Annex 4)
5. 5Commitment letters (Annex 5)
6. 6Financials (2y accounts)
7. 7Tech capacity lists/CVs/Staffing Table
8. 8Technical tender (scenarios)
9. 9Financial tender (Annex 6)

Key Documents

12 documents available on portal:Invitation to Tender, Tender Specs, Declaration Honour, Financial Form, Draft FWC, Security Req, Staffing Table, Internal Charter, 2026 Eval Plan, MFA Guidance, Scenarios. Q&A: 2 public questions (no extension; staffing confirmation).

Portal requires PIC registration. Electronic submission only. Max 200 attachments (<50MB ea). Use Chrome/Firefox. ¹

Footnotes

1. 1Primary source: EU Funding & Tenders Portal. All data as of scraped content (TED pub 10/03/2026). Check portal for updates. EU Portal