Provision of layout services

Open EU procurement by the European Training Foundation (ETF) for a single framework contract (reference ETF/2026/OP/0004) to provide layout and graphic design services for reports and communication outputs. The framework has an estimated ceiling of €180,000 and a maximum duration of 48 months (initial 12 months plus up to three renewals) with award on the most economically advantageous tender (quality 60 / price 40) and technical thresholds including a sample layout exercise. Participation is open to legal and natural persons established in EU member states and specified partner countries (UK excluded). Submission is electronic only via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal with deadline 21 September 2026, 16:00 Europe/Rome.

What it funds

Scope

A single framework contract for layout services to produce attractive, professional files (reports, periodicals, leaflets and similar) following the ETF style guide, deliverable as web-ready interactive PDFs and print-ready high-resolution PDFs. Work includes MS Word and Adobe InDesign layout, image editing, re-creation of complex graphics where needed, correction rounds and archiving of open files.

Contract value:Estimated total value €180,000 for the framework (maximum ceiling); contract duration up to 48 months (framework with renewals). ¹

1. 1Procedure: open procedure — framework agreement without reopening of competition
2. 2Award method: most economically advantageous tender (best price-quality ratio)
3. 3Submission method: electronic via EU Funding & Tenders Portal (EU Login required)

Who can apply

Participation is open to natural and legal persons established in the EU plus the following countries: North Macedonia, Albania, Montenegro, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Iceland, Norway, Liechtenstein, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine; international organisations may also apply. UK tenderers are excluded. Joint tenders and subcontracting are permitted subject to the procurement documents and selection criteria.

Minimum selection highlights:Tenderers must demonstrate technical capacity (minimum 3 years of similar experience), meet financial solvency/turnover requirements in the tender specifications, and provide team CVs, a sample layout exercise and the financial offer per the scenario (Annex F).

Practical notes

Submissions must follow the Tender Specifications and Annexes (Invitation, Draft contract, Annexes A–G, Appendix I sample Word file). Documents and Q&A are published on the Funding & Tenders Portal and e-submission is mandatory. The contracting authority is the European Training Foundation (ETF).

1. 1Workload: ETF publishes around 70 publications per year as an indicative volume; actual volumes are not guaranteed
2. 2Tools: contractor must be able to work in MS Word and Adobe InDesign (Creative Cloud) and produce interactive PDFs
3. 3AI use: allowed only with ETF prior written consent and subject to data protection and contractual conditions

Full procurement documents, submission link and official call details are on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal (see procurement page) Funding & Tenders Portal.

Footnotes

1. 1Tender specifications, invitation, draft contract and annexes are published on the F&T Portal and contain full eligibility, exclusion, selection and award criteria as well as the Annex F pricing scenario and Appendix I sample Word file. See the procurement page ETF tender documents.

Summary

The European Training Foundation (ETF) has published an open call for tenders (Procedure identifier ETF/2026/OP/0004, TED ref. 155/2026 561068-2026) to award a single framework contract for the provision of layout services. The contract covers layout, formatting and production of high-quality documents (reports, periodicals, leaflets and similar items) following ETF style guides and templates for both web (interactive/static PDFs) and print (high-resolution PDFs). The framework contract maximum duration is 48 months (initial 12 months plus up to three renewals) and the estimated total value is €180,000. The procurement is managed electronically via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal (eSubmission). Key dates: tender launch 12/08/2026, deadline for clarification 11/09/2026, tender submission deadline 21/09/2026 at 16:00 Europe/Rome, public opening 22/09/2026 at 10:00 Europe/Rome.

Lead contracting authority:European Training Foundation (ETF), Turin, Italy. Contact mailbox: procurement@etf.europa.eu.

Scope of services / deliverables:The contractor will provide layout services for a wide range of ETF communication outputs (reports, periodicals, leaflets, cards, toolkits, statutory documents, stationery). Main tasks: lay out Word files (primary), InDesign files (occasionally), produce web-ready interactive PDFs with an interactive table of contents, and high-resolution print-ready PDFs (CMYK 4-colour where required). Tasks include image editing, recreation of non-editable graphical elements when values are not provided, quality checks, organising correction rounds, archiving open/source files and assets for each delivered document. Use of AI tools is permitted only with prior written consent and under strict conditions (no uploading ETF data to external models for training, human oversight required).

Estimated total procedure value and contract model:Estimated total value €180,000. The contract will be a single framework agreement (no reopening of competition) concluded for an initial 12-month period renewable up to three times, maximum total duration 48 months.

Award method and evaluation:Award on the most economically advantageous tender (MEAT) using a quality/price ratio: Quality (technical) 60 points (Team 10, Methodology 30, Sample 20) and Price 40 points. Quality thresholds apply: tenderers scoring less than 60% on any technical award criterion are excluded. Tenderers not meeting minimum requirements are rejected (minimum technical requirements include compliance declarations and capacities).

Who can apply and how to submit

Participation is open to natural and legal persons established (domicile or headquarters) in EU member states, North Macedonia, Albania, Montenegro, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Iceland, Norway, Liechtenstein, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine, and to international organisations. UK tenderers may not participate. Submission is electronic only via the Funding & Tenders Portal eSubmission system. A PIC and EU Login account are required. The tender language is English (official text). Supporting documents (Annexes A–G, draft contract, tender specifications, templates) are published on the Portal and must be used. The contracting authority may refuse questions submitted after 11/09/2026 23:59 Europe/Rome and will not reply to late queries.

Mandatory documents and administrative checklist:Tender must include: tender report (eSubmission), signed Legal Entity Form and supporting documents, Declaration on honour for exclusion/selection (Annex C), Declaration on minimum requirements (Annex E), financial offer in the required format (Annex F), signed technical proposal, tender checklist with contact and SME status (Annex A), business partners identification form(s) for lead member and partners (Annexes B1–B3) where applicable, and financial solvency table (Annex D). Originals or QES signatures to be provided if requested.

Detailed structured categorisation (answers)

Eligible Applicant Types

Permitted applicants:legal persons and natural persons established in eligible jurisdictions (EU Member States, selected Western Balkans, EEA states Iceland/Norway/Liechtenstein, Georgia, Moldova, Ukraine) and international organisations. The procurement documentation explicitly contemplates: SMEs, larger enterprises, sole traders, natural person tenderers, public law bodies, NGOs and nonprofit organisations where registered as eligible entities in the stated jurisdictions. Joint tenders (consortia) are allowed; subcontracting is allowed but subcontractors exceeding 10% of the contract value must be declared and documented. UK entities are explicitly excluded.

Funding Type

Procurement / service contract under public procurement procedures. Primary financial mechanism: services contract (framework service contract) awarded by public procurement (not a grant, loan or equity instrument).

Consortium Requirement

Not required. Single tenderers are allowed. Joint offers (consortia) are permitted and must appoint a lead member with power of attorney. The tender may be submitted by a group of economic operators without a separate legal personality; members assume joint and several liability.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility)

Eligible geography:European Union, EEA-associated (Iceland, Norway, Liechtenstein), Western Balkans and partner countries explicitly listed: North Macedonia, Albania, Montenegro, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine, and international organisations. UK not eligible.

Target Sector

Sector classification:Graphic design services (CPV 79822500) and related composition and printing services (CPV 79822000, 79820000). Thematic target: communications, publishing, design, graphic arts and digital document production for an EU agency.

Mentioned Countries

Explicitly mentioned eligible countries/regions:European Union (EU), EEA states Iceland, Norway, Liechtenstein, North Macedonia, Albania, Montenegro, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine. Contracting authority location: Italy (Turin).

Project Stage

Operational/Procurement and Delivery stage. This is a service delivery contract for production and formatting of communication materials: immediate production and ongoing operational delivery (implementation, production, quality assurance over contract duration).

Funding Amount

Estimated total procedure value:€180,000 (ceiling for the whole framework contract over up to 48 months). Indicative scenario pricing requested in Annex F; the scenario is used for financial evaluation. Individual specific contracts / order forms will be issued under the framework within the total ceiling.

Application Type

Open procedure (electronic submission via eSubmission). Public call; submissions accepted only electronically (eSubmission required).

Nature of Support

Paid services contract:monetary payment to the contractor for delivered services (financial support), combined with service delivery obligations and non-financial obligations (production of files, provision of open files, archiving, quality assurance).

Application Stages

Single-stage tender submission followed by evaluation and award. The procurement includes these operational stages: (1) publication and Q&A period; (2) electronic tender submission; (3) virtual public opening; (4) possible requests for clarifications and evidence during evaluation; (5) technical and financial evaluation; (6) notification and contract signature; (7) specific contract/order form requests during framework implementation. For framework call selection only one formal submission stage is required (plus clarifications).

Success Rates

Not published. As an open single-award framework for one contractor with an estimated ceiling of €180,000, only one successful tender will be selected. Success rate depends on the number of bidders; typical procurement success rates for EU agency public tenders vary widely and are not provided in the notice.

Co-funding Requirement

No applicant co-funding is required as a precondition to submit. Tenderers must include all costs (human resources, overheads, administrative costs) in the financial proposal. VAT treatment: ETF is exempt from VAT for EU providers; non-EU tenderers must verify VAT rules and include taxes in their price where applicable. Financial solvency and minimum turnover requirements apply: tenderers must meet minimum yearly turnover and liquidity criteria (e.g., minimum yearly turnover requirement €45,000 per year per tenderer and other solvency ratios as per Annex D and tender specifications); tenderers not meeting the minimum turnover (€180,000 yearly turnover referenced in Annex D table) risk rejection.

Templates and application forms:Tender documents and templates provided on the Portal include: Invitation (ETF2026OP0004_Invitation_V1.pdf), Tender Specifications (ETF2026OP0004_Tender_Specifications_V1.pdf), Appendix I Example file Word layout (ETF2026OP0004_Appendix_I_Example_file_Word_layout_V1.docx), Annex A Contact details (tender checklist), Annexes B1/B2/B3 Business partner forms (identification forms for private, natural person and public bodies), Annex C Declaration on exclusion and selection criteria, Annex D Financial solvency table (excel), Annex E Declaration on minimum requirements, Annex F Scenario and financial offer form (excel), Annex G Sample, and Draft contract (ETF2026OP0004_Draft-contract_V1.pdf). Tenderers must complete and submit the specified Annexes in the required formats. The sample layout exercise requires using the Word model in Appendix I for the technical sample submission.

1. 1Key submission steps: register PIC / EU Login; subscribe to call; download documents; prepare administrative, technical and financial annexes per templates; submit via eSubmission before deadline.
2. 2Technical submission must include: Declaration on minimum requirements (Annex E), team profiles (contract manager, 3 layout staff, QA officer, financial officer), methodology, and sample layout using Appendix I.
3. 3Financial submission must use Annex F Scenario and Financial Offer form and present prices in EUR, VAT treatment clarified in the tender specs.

Evaluation and practical points to note for tenderers:provide the full set of required administrative declarations (Annexes C, D, E), demonstrate at least three years’ experience in similar services including work with non-EU languages, include examples of prior work, demonstrate capacity to produce Word-based layouts and InDesign outputs, confirm ability to work with latest Adobe Creative Cloud InDesign and to supply open files, supply proof of capacity for archive management and delivery of interactive web-ready PDFs. If proposing subcontractors who will undertake more than 10% of the contract value, include letters of intent and clear roles. If participating as a consortium, include power of attorney to the lead member and evidence of joint and several liability.

Technical quality / sample exercise:Tenderers must submit a sample layout using the Word model in Appendix I and state a realistic turnaround time in working days. Evaluation focuses on compliance with ETF style guide (fonts, heading levels, colours, tables and image treatment), quality control procedures, mentor/QA arrangements, ability to deliver interactive table of contents, and print-ready PDF preparation. The Tender Specifications provide very detailed model formatting rules (fonts, sizes, spacing, color hex values) that must be respected in the sample.

Monitoring, reporting and invoicing:Each signed specific contract / order form will define deliverables and timelines. Final payment is conditional on acceptance of deliverables and submission of a final progress report listing documents, type, page counts by type, proof PDFs and invoices. Invoices must be in EUR and in conformity with VAT rules and e-invoicing rules if the Portal e-invoicing function is used.

Risks, constraints and practical observations

Key practical points:ensure Annex D financial solvency and minimum turnover thresholds are met (Annex D requires data for last two financial years and a general liquidity ratio equal or above 1); use the exact Annex F financial scenario template for price evaluation (total scenario price evaluated); ensure capacity for languages indicated (ETF primarily English but also other EU and non-EU partner country languages including Cyrillic languages and occasional Arabic by separate agreement); comply with draft contract conditions and framework ordering process (six calendar days to provide a detailed budget breakdown after request for specific contracts, then three calendar days to sign the order form).

Procurement contacts and where to apply:All procurement documentation and submission are managed at the EU Funding & Tenders Portal. Access and submit tenders here: Funding & Tenders Portal. For procurement queries: procurement@etf.europa.eu.

This opportunity is a standard open procurement for a public framework service contract to supply layout and document production services to an EU agency (ETF) for communication and publication needs. The contract is non-exclusive, awarded to a single supplier, and administered under the ETF draft framework contract and the public call documentation. Tenderers should use supplied Annex templates, comply with financial and solvency minimums and fully address quality award criteria in their technical proposal. Annex I example file and Annex F pricing scenario are central to the technical and financial evaluation.

Footnotes

1. 1All official procurement documents, annexes, templates and the draft contract are published on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal at the tender details page linked above. Refer to Tender Specifications (ETF2026OP0004_Tender_Specifications_V1.pdf) and Appendix I for mandatory formatting and sample exercise requirements.

This is an open EU procurement procedure for a single framework service contract led by the European Training Foundation for layout services supporting ETF communication outputs over four years, with an estimated total value of €180,000 and award based on best price-quality ratio.[1]

What the contract is about

The contractor will provide layout services for reports, periodicals, leaflets, guides and related documents according to the ETF style guide and templates, producing attractive web ready PDFs, interactive PDFs where needed, and high quality print ready PDFs.[1]

The ETF expects the contractor to work mainly in Microsoft Word and sometimes Adobe InDesign, to handle proof PDFs and correction rounds, to deliver archives with source files and supporting materials, and to respect the ETF instruction that layouts may be requested in English and other partner country languages, including French, Russian and occasionally Arabic or other ad hoc languages.[1]

Artificial intelligence use is allowed only in coordination with the ETF and must not involve entering ETF information, personal data or third party information into an AI system without prior written consent; the contractor remains fully responsible for quality, accuracy and fitness for purpose.[1]

Who can apply

Participation is open to natural and legal persons established in the European Union, North Macedonia, Albania, Montenegro, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Iceland, Norway, Liechtenstein, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine, as well as international organisations.[1]

United Kingdom tenderers are explicitly excluded, and any joint tender or subcontracting arrangement must still respect the eligibility and exclusion rules for the involved entities.[1]

• A single tenderer may apply on its own or as a consortium.[1]
• Each consortium member must come from an eligible country, and the exclusion of one member can lead to exclusion of the whole tender.[1]
• Subcontractors exceeding 10 percent of the contract value must be identified and supported by a letter of intent and role description.[1]
• The tenderer must have a PIC and use EU Login for electronic submission.[1]

Selection requirements

• At least three years of experience in similar layout services, including work with the languages used by the ETF.[1]
• Evidence may include at least three comparable layout contracts for each of the past three years, with short descriptions, dates, values, recipients and languages; at least two of those contracts should cover non EU partner country languages.[1]
• For the last two closed financial years, the tenderer must show yearly turnover of at least €45,000 and a short term assets to short term debts ratio of at least 1.[1]
• Annex D also contains a statement that tenderers not meeting a minimum yearly turnover of €180,000 will be rejected, which appears inconsistent with the 45,000 threshold in the tender specifications and should be checked against the official files before submission.[1]
• Tenderers must also confirm compliance with environmental, social and labour law obligations and data protection requirements.[1]

Evaluation and award

Tenders scoring less than 60 percent of the technical quality points for any one technical award criterion are excluded, so a strong sample and methodology are critical even when the price is competitive.[1]

The award method is best price-quality ratio, and the financial evaluation is based on the scenario in Annex F rather than on every possible service item.[1]

Budget, duration and payment

The framework contract starts in November 2026 and is expected to end in October 2030, with an initial duration of 12 months and up to three renewals, for a maximum total duration of 48 months.[1]

The maximum budget available under the framework contract is €180,000, but the ETF does not commit to ordering a specific volume of services and will issue specific contracts or order forms as needed.[1]

1. 1The contractor receives service requests, usually grouped monthly, together with documents to be laid out and a timetable.[1]
2. 2Within six calendar days, the contractor must submit a detailed budget breakdown and flag any issues.[1]
3. 3The ETF then sends a specific contract or order form, which the contractor must sign within three calendar days.[1]
4. 4Payment is made after delivery and acceptance, supported by the final progress report and invoice, with the specific contract value paid at 100 percent on completion.[1]

Submission, documents and timetable

• Submission method: electronic only through eSubmission on the Funding and Tenders Portal.[1]
• Deadline for tenders: 21 September 2026 at 16:00 Europe/Rome.[1]
• Questions deadline: the contracting authority is not bound to reply to questions submitted after 11 September 2026 at 23:59 Europe/Rome.[1]
• Public opening: 22 September 2026 at 10:00 Europe/Rome.[1]
• Documents include the invitation, tender specifications, example Word layout, contact details, business partner forms, declaration on honour, financial solvency table, minimum requirements declaration, scenario prices and sample files.[1]

Tenderers are expected to sign documents with a qualified electronic signature where possible; handwritten signatures are accepted only if the original can later be provided, and all tender documents must be complete at submission because the tender cannot be corrected after the deadline except in limited clarification cases.[1]

Bottom line for applicants

This opportunity suits established layout or graphic design providers with multi language production experience, solid editorial workflow capacity, and the ability to manage fast turnaround on recurring framework call offs for a small to medium sized EU agency communication programme.[1]

The key risks are eligibility by country, meeting the financial thresholds, preparing a strong sample layout in the ETF template, and reconciling the turnover requirement inconsistency between the tender specifications and Annex D before submission.[1]