Provision of interim staff for the European Labour Authority and the European Commission Representation in Slovakia / Bratislava

Public procurement tender led by the European Labour Authority, with the European Commission Representation in Slovakia as participating entity, for a single interinstitutional framework contract to provide interim staff services. The estimated maximum value is €8 million and the framework may run up to 48 months (initial 24 months with one renewal); award is by best price-quality ratio with quality weighted 60% and price 40%. The contractor must source, preselect, employ and administer temporary workers for assignments in Bratislava, comply with Slovak labour and social security law, note the EU-nationality requirement for EC Representation posts, and submit electronically via the EU Funding and Tenders Portal by 17 December 2026 at 16:00 Europe/Bratislava.

Provision of interim staff for ELA and EC Representation Bratislava

What is being procured

Framework agreement (single-contractor) for processing requests, preselection and supply of interim/temporary agency staff to the European Labour Authority (lead) and the European Commission Representation in Slovakia, Bratislava (DG COMM). Services include candidate search, preselection, replacement and ongoing contractor–client communication.

Submission is electronic only via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal eSubmission. Tender documents (tender specifications, draft FWC, financial and technical models and templates) are published on the Portal; consult the procedure page for downloads and Q&A Funding & Tenders Portal. 1

Footnotes

1. 1All procurement documents, deadlines and annexes are available on the Funding & Tenders Portal opportunity page: ec.europa.eu

Tender reference and procurement snapshot

What is being procured

Contract model, duration and value

Place of performance and working arrangements

Who may apply

Tender and submission mechanics

Evaluation, selection and award

Contractual, legal and compliance highlights

The contractor remains the employer of the interim staff at all times and must comply with Slovak employment, social security and tax law. The contractor is solely responsible for any labour, tax or social security irregularity and indemnifies the contracting authority. The FWC contains standard EU clauses on confidentiality, data protection (Regulation (EU) 2018/1725), fraud prevention and audits, checks and OLAF/EPPO investigative rights. The contractor must comply with environmental, social and labour law obligations, including the Temporary Agency Work Directive and applicable Slovak rules on maximum duration of temporary assignments; the contractor must notify ELA at least three months before an assigned worker reaches statutory assignment limits.

Pricing and financial model

Tenderers must use Annex 6 Financial Offer Form. The contracting authority provides reference net monthly salaries by function group (used as a baseline to ensure compliance with the principle of equal treatment): Function Group I: €1,887.12; Group II: €1,959.83; Group III: €2,507.55; Group IV: €3,194.98. Tenderers must provide a single all-inclusive monthly fee (contractor multiplicator x net staff salary) covering employer social security, payroll taxes, contractor fee and all costs related to the provision of interim staff. The total tender price used for evaluation will be the total calculated amount for 4 years as computed in Annex 6. The contracting authority is exempt from VAT in line with Protocol on Privileges and Immunities; tenders must be submitted VAT excluded. Price revision: net remuneration references may be updated annually; price revision formula and index (HICP prc_hicp_midx) are in the special conditions and Article II.20 of the draft Framework Contract.

Award & contract management practicalities

Evaluation templates and required tender documents

Award, checks, audits and remedies

The contract will be awarded to the tender with the best price-quality ratio after compliance checks, exclusion and selection verification and evaluation against award criteria. The contracting authority may ask the presumed successful tenderer to provide documentary evidence on exclusion and selection criteria before award. The contracting authority and authorised EU bodies (OLAF, Court of Auditors, EPPO) may perform on-the-spot checks and audits. Findings may lead to recovery, contract termination, exclusion from procurement or other sanctions. The courts of Bratislava have exclusive jurisdiction for disputes under the special conditions.

Risk areas, recommended proposer actions and intake checklist

Footnotes

1. 1Procurement page for the call: access procurement documents, Annexes and eSubmission via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal at the tender details URL. Use the Portal to subscribe for updates and to access the eSubmission application for electronic tender submission.

Executive summary

This is a public procurement tender, not a grant or subsidy opportunity. The contracting authorities seek one temporary staffing service provider under a framework contract to source, preselect, employ and administer interim workers for the European Labour Authority and the European Commission Representation in Bratislava.

The estimated maximum value is €8 million over a maximum period of 48 months. The contract will be awarded through an open procedure using the best price quality ratio, with quality weighted at 60 percent and price at 40 percent. The framework contract does not guarantee any minimum volume of orders or revenue for the successful contractor.

The authoritative procurement record and all tender documents are available through the EU Funding and Tenders Portal Official procurement record.

Opportunity identification

Purpose and scope of the procurement

The contractor will operate as a temporary staffing agency and provide interim workers when requested by either participating entity. The services cover the complete staffing cycle, including processing requests, searching for candidates, preselection against specified profiles, supplying candidates, supporting selection and maintaining communication throughout recruitment and employment.

The procurement is intended to address temporary staffing needs, including long term sickness absence, parental leave, resignations, pending recruitment procedures, workload peaks, temporary organisational or project assignments, temporary reinforcement and other interim support requirements.

The services will primarily support administrative and related functions in Bratislava. Work will normally take place at the premises of ELA or the European Commission Representation. Occasional home working may be authorised by the contracting authority, subject to compliance with labour, social security and tax requirements.

The contracting authority may request profiles beyond the indicative function groups where operational needs justify this. Specific requirements, duties, qualifications, language skills and assignment periods will be defined in individual requests and orders.

Contracting authorities and operating model

ELA is the lead contracting authority. It will publish and manage the procedure, organise the evaluation, sign and manage the framework contract and act on behalf of the participating entities. ELA and the European Commission Representation may each use the resulting framework contract independently by placing specific contracts or order forms.

The successful tenderer will not receive a guaranteed allocation of work. Signing the framework contract only establishes the mechanism for future purchases. Each assignment requires a separate order signed by the relevant contracting authority and the contractor before services begin.

Applicant profile and eligibility

The opportunity is aimed primarily at established temporary employment agencies, recruitment firms, staffing companies and consortia that can lawfully employ and administer temporary workers in Slovakia. The procurement is marked as not suitable for SMEs, although smaller firms may assess whether a consortium or subcontracting structure provides the required capacity.

A tenderer may participate individually, as a joint tender or by relying on the capacities of other entities, subject to the requirements in the tender specifications. The tenderer must have the legal and regulatory capacity to perform the services and must satisfy the applicable economic, financial, technical and professional selection criteria.

The tenderer, group members, relevant subcontractors and entities whose capacities are relied upon must complete the applicable declaration on honour and must not be subject to exclusion grounds. These include insolvency, serious tax or social security violations, grave professional misconduct, fraud, corruption, criminal organisation offences, money laundering, terrorist financing, trafficking, serious contractual failures, irregularities, conflicts of interest and obstruction of audits or investigations.

Tenderers and relevant involved entities must also comply with EU restrictive measures, must not have established debts to the Union where relevant, and must confirm that the tender was prepared independently and without coordination with competing tenders.

The declaration on honour permits the contracting authority to request supporting evidence, including judicial records, tax certificates, social security certificates and other official documents. Evidence may need to be supplied within a short deadline even where it is not required with the initial tender.

Specific nationality condition

For assignments at the European Commission Representation, the contractor must provide only interim workers who are nationals of EU Member States. The supplied context does not indicate that the same nationality restriction applies to all assignments at ELA, but the specific tender documents and each request should be checked before proposing candidates.

Required staffing and operational capacity

The contractor must maintain an effective candidate sourcing and preselection system, access to suitable candidate databases and sufficient staffing capacity to respond quickly to requests. The technical tender model specifically asks tenderers to explain their advertising methods, database access and database volume.

The contractor must verify that proposed candidates match the requested qualifications, experience, education, technical skills and language requirements. The technical offer should explain candidate screening methods, including possible language and computer skills testing.

A designated Service Coordinator is required to manage communications, requests, candidate submissions, orders, reporting and operational continuity. The contractor must also maintain replacement capacity and arrangements for sickness, unavailability, poor performance and other unexpected events.

Minimum requirements for interim workers

The general minimum requirements for interim workers include English at CEFR level B2, with C1 potentially required for particular posts, the ability to work in a multilingual and multicultural environment, advanced proficiency in standard office software and education appropriate to the assigned function group.

Knowledge of Slovak at CEFR level B2 may be required for assignments at the European Commission Representation. Each individual request may impose higher or more specific requirements.

The reference salaries are net monthly amounts indicated in the procurement documents. They do not include VAT, employer social security contributions or other mandatory employer costs. The contractor must determine and pay the applicable gross remuneration so that the worker receives at least the required net amount, while complying with Slovak law and equal treatment requirements.

The salary figures are based on the stated Slovakia correction coefficient of 85.1 percent for 2026. The applicable remuneration may be updated during the contract in accordance with the contract provisions. Changes normally apply to new orders and extensions and are not retroactive.

Estimated financial model

The financial model uses a contractor multiplicator applied to the reference salary and estimated staffing volumes. Tenderers must complete the designated cells in the official financial tender form and submit only the prescribed form. The multiplicator is binding for the duration of the contract, subject to the specific revision mechanisms in the framework contract.

The estimated volumes are solely for financial evaluation and do not constitute a purchase commitment. The actual number, duration and composition of assignments may be lower, higher by category or different from the indicative scenario, provided the framework contract ceiling is respected.

Mission expenses are subject to a stated maximum of €20,000 over the full framework contract period, including renewals. Such expenses require prior authorisation and may include travel, accommodation, subsistence and shipment costs in accordance with the applicable rules.

Duration and renewal

The framework contract is planned for an initial period of 24 months and may be renewed once for a further period, resulting in a maximum duration of 48 months. The contract documents should be treated as controlling if the portal summary and individual documents appear inconsistent.

Individual interim assignments may not exceed the maximum duration permitted under applicable Slovak temporary agency legislation. The contractor must monitor statutory limits, notify the contracting authority at least three months before a worker reaches the applicable maximum assignment period and prevent arrangements that could create an employment relationship between the interim worker and the contracting authority.

Ordering and service levels

A request for services will normally specify the function group, job description, qualifications, professional experience, technical and language skills, number of workers required, expected assignment period and response deadlines.

The contractor must normally provide at least three suitable and available CVs within five working days of receiving a request. If the contracting authority finds the proposed candidates unsuitable, additional CVs must be supplied within three working days.

Once a candidate is selected, the contractor must make the person available within a maximum of three working days. No work may begin before the specific order has been signed by both parties.

For extended sickness or other extended unavailability, the contractor must propose a replacement solution on the sixth working day of absence. Where replacement is requested because of unsatisfactory performance or unsuitability, new CVs must be provided within ten working days. Replacement costs are borne by the contractor and cannot generate additional remuneration beyond the agreed contract pricing.

The contracting authority may request an electronic system for candidate databases, CV transmission and ordering during contract performance. This system is not stated to be an evaluated tender criterion, but the contractor may be required to implement it at its own expense.

Employer responsibilities and labour law

The contractor remains the employer of all interim workers throughout their assignments. It is responsible for employment contracts, salaries, tax withholding, health insurance, social security, pension contributions, statutory benefits, holiday and sickness administration, labour law compliance and any dismissal or employment-related costs.

The contractor must comply with EU and Slovak labour, social security, tax and temporary agency work legislation, including rules concerning illegal work and illegal employment and statutory limits on temporary assignments. It must notify the contracting authority of legal changes affecting the contract and provide evidence of salary payments and social security compliance when requested.

The contractor must ensure equal treatment of interim workers in relation to comparable staff, including applicable working conditions and salary conditions. Interim workers do not become employees of ELA or the European Commission Representation, and the contractor must indemnify the contracting authority against liabilities arising from an employment relationship being created by operation of law.

The contractor must ensure that workers are physically fit, trustworthy and suitable for their assignments. Workers assigned to ELA must have a valid official identity document extending at least six months beyond the start date and must provide recent proof of a clean criminal record. Confidentiality and conflict of interest declarations are also required for each worker proposed under a specific contract.

Working arrangements

Assignments are generally performed Monday to Friday under a maximum working week of 40 hours and normally no more than eight hours per day. Overtime is not allowed and will not be compensated by ELA. Breaks and other working conditions must comply with Slovak law.

Interim workers follow the contracting authority holiday calendar. The institutional holiday calendar may differ from Slovak national holidays. The contractor remains responsible for statutory holiday premiums, compensatory leave and other employment costs required by Slovak law.

Evaluation and award criteria

The technical tender model limits the main responses to four pages for organisation of services and two pages for contract management and two pages for quality control and risk management. Information must be placed in the response area for the relevant question because information elsewhere may not be assessed unless the procurement documents permit it.

Key tender documents

The tender package includes the tender specifications, technical tender model, financial tender form, invitation to tender, declaration on honour, draft framework contract and the holiday calendars for ELA and the European Commission Representation.

The financial tender form is mandatory for the price offer. Tenderers must complete the specified cells, provide only one amount in each cell, use numbers with no more than one decimal place where required, avoid adding comments and sign and date the form. Failure to follow the form requirements may lead to rejection.

The draft framework contract should be reviewed closely for payment conditions, performance obligations, confidentiality, data protection, audits, liability, indemnities, replacement, termination, ordering and price revision provisions.

Submission and timetable

The tenderer must create or use an EU Login account, register the organisation in the Participant Register and obtain or confirm a valid Participant Identification Code before submission. Electronic submission is made through the portal address specified in the procurement record.

The portal information identifies 17 December 2026 at 16:00 Europe/Bratislava as the operative tender deadline. Any separate metadata date should be treated as subordinate to the official submission terms displayed in the procurement record and tender documents.

The tenderer should submit well before the deadline because uploaded documents are encrypted, technical validation may take time and an incomplete or technically invalid submission may not be accepted. The tenderer should retain the electronic submission report and verify that the status confirms successful submission.

Commercial assessment for potential applicants

The opportunity is potentially attractive to staffing providers with a strong Bratislava or Slovak employment infrastructure, access to multilingual administrative professionals and the ability to absorb employer liabilities within a fixed multiplicator. The expected demand profile is concentrated in administrative, executive assistant, communications, policy support, HR, finance, IT and officer-level roles.

The main commercial risk is volume uncertainty. The €8 million figure is a maximum estimated value rather than guaranteed turnover, and the indicative monthly staffing scenario is expressly provided only for evaluation. A bidder must therefore model profitability under lower utilisation and account for periods in which no orders are issued.

The fixed or binding pricing structure creates additional exposure to changes in Slovak labour costs, social contributions, statutory benefits, salary adjustments, absence management, replacement costs and compliance requirements. The financial offer should be stress tested against salary revisions and employer cost changes permitted under the contract.

The quality weighting means that the lowest price alone is unlikely to secure the contract. A credible candidate sourcing system, fast response times, documented screening, service continuity, labour law expertise, data protection controls and a robust replacement process are central to competitiveness.

Recommended bid preparation checklist

Overall assessment

This is a substantial institutional staffing framework for a specialist temporary employment provider rather than a conventional EU funding project. The successful contractor will need to combine recruitment scale with rigorous Slovak employment compliance, fast candidate delivery, multilingual candidate quality and disciplined contract management.

The strongest applicants are likely to be providers that can show proven temporary staffing delivery to public or international organisations, reliable access to administrative and communication professionals in Slovakia, strong internal compliance controls and a pricing model that remains sustainable despite uncertain call-off volumes.

The most significant conditions to address are the absence of guaranteed orders, the single-contractor framework structure, the 60 percent quality weighting, the requirement to employ and administer workers under Slovak law, the nationality restriction for European Commission Representation assignments, the statutory limits on temporary assignments and the requirement to use the prescribed electronic tender and financial forms.