Provision of Research, Innovation and Engineering Assistance and Advisory Services

The European Border and Coast Guard Agency (FRONTEX) has issued a call for tenders, designated as FRONTEX/2025/OP/0040, for the provision of Research, Innovation, and Engineering Assistance and Advisory Services. The estimated total value of this procurement is €8 million, divided into two lots, each valued at €4 million. The tender aims to support FRONTEX's mission to enhance border security and operational capabilities through research and engineering services focused on technology development, validation, and operational research.

Eligible applicants include large consulting firms, research organizations, and specialized engineering services that have the capacity to manage complex framework contracts. Notably, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are indicated as less suitable for this tender. Both individual and consortium applications are allowed, with a requirement for a Personal Identification Code (PIC) for participation.

The procurement is a service contract, not a grant, and employs a framework agreement allowing for the engagement of selected contractors for defined services over an initial duration of 48 months, extendable by another 24 months. The evaluation of tenders will rely on a mixed criteria system, focusing 60% on quality and 40% on price.

Applications must be submitted electronically by December 22, 2025, with a public opening scheduled for the same day. The nature of support involves financial compensation for services rendered, with no co-funding obligation on the applicants. Proposals will undergo a single-stage evaluation process, and there will be no specific success rate data available, though the opportunity is competitive.

The services span a range of project maturity stages, including research, technical assistance, and engineering support. Submissions must comply with electronic submission standards outlined in the EU Funding and Tenders Portal, utilizing support across all 24 official EU languages.

In summary, this procurement opportunity by FRONTEX represents significant engagement for large entities in the fields of research, innovation, and engineering aimed at bolstering EU border management capabilities, with a structured process for submission and evaluation central to its execution.

The European Border and Coast Guard Agency (FRONTEX) has published a call for tenders FRONTEX/2025/OP/0040 with TED reference 220/2025 754738-2025 for the provision of Research, Innovation and Engineering Assistance and Advisory Services. The estimated total value of this procurement is 8,000,000 EUR. The TED publication date is 14/11/2025. The deadline for receipt of tenders is 22/12/2025 12:00 Europe/Warsaw. The date and time of public opening is 22/12/2025 14:00 Europe/Warsaw. The contracting authority is not bound to reply to questions submitted after 12/12/2025 07:00 Europe/Warsaw. The main classification (CPV) is 73000000 - Research and development services and related consultancy services. The submission method is electronic and submissions must be sent exclusively at the address for submission given.

The call for tenders is divided into two lots:

Lot 1: Research, Innovation and Engineering studies. This lot involves contracted services to provide Frontex with studies in support of its activities in the domains of Research, Innovation, and Engineering. Examples of services include: a) Research studies b) Technical studies. The nature of the contract is services. The maximum contract duration is 48 months. The award method is best price-quality ratio. The estimated value is 4,000,000 EUR. The framework agreement is partly without reopening and partly with reopening of competition.

Lot 2: Assistance for Research, Innovation and Engineering projects. This lot involves contracted services to provide Frontex with technical assistance for conducting projects in the domains of Research, Innovation, and Engineering. Technical activities on-the-field, providing hands-on expertise, are expected to be a significant component of these services. Examples of services include: a) Support to pilot projects b) Support to technology demonstration projects c) Support to performance assessment of technological systems d) Support to the development of standards e) Support to the development of prototypes, proofs-of-concept or Minimum Viable Products (MVP) of novel technological solutions f) Support to engineering projects. The nature of the contract is services. The maximum contract duration is 48 months. The award method is best price-quality ratio. The estimated value is 4,000,000 EUR. The framework agreement is partly without reopening and partly with reopening of competition.

The following documents are available for download: Invitation letter, Annex I Tender Specifications Research and Inovation final, Annex II - Terms of reference, Annex IV - Financial proposal template - LOT1, Annex IV - Financial proposal template - LOT2, Annex V - Declaration on honour, Annex III - Draft FWC Draft contract, Appendix I to ToR - Model TDAF, Appendix II to ToR - FO Template, Appendix III to ToR - Research Agenda 2025-27. All documents are version 1 and have no translations available.

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In summary, this is a call for tenders by FRONTEX seeking research, innovation, and engineering assistance and advisory services. The tender is divided into two lots: one for research, innovation, and engineering studies, and another for technical assistance in related projects. The total estimated value is 8 million EUR, with each lot valued at 4 million EUR. The contracts will be framework agreements lasting 48 months, awarded based on the best price-quality ratio. The call is aimed at organizations capable of providing research studies, technical studies, and hands-on technical support for pilot projects, technology demonstrations, standards development, and prototype creation in the fields of border security and related technologies. The submission deadline is December 22, 2025, and submissions must be made electronically.

Eligible Applicant Types: The eligible applicant types are not explicitly stated, but based on the nature of the tender, it is likely that eligible applicants include companies, research institutions, and other organizations with expertise in research, innovation, and engineering. This could include SMEs, large enterprises, universities, research institutes, and consultancies.

Funding Type: This opportunity is a procurement, specifically a call for tenders. The financial mechanism is a service contract, as the selected tenderers will be providing services to Frontex. The call aims to establish a Framework Agreement.

Consortium Requirement: The tender documentation mentions the need for a Personal Identification Code (PIC) for participants, whether they are sole candidates or members of a group (consortium). This suggests that both single applicants and consortia are eligible to apply.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): The geographic eligibility is not explicitly stated, but given that it is an EU tender, it is highly likely that applicants from the EU and potentially EEA countries are eligible. The European Border and Coast Guard Agency (FRONTEX) is the lead contracting authority, suggesting a focus on entities within the EU.

Target Sector: The primary target sectors are research, innovation, and engineering, specifically in the context of border security and technology development for the European Border and Coast Guard. This includes technology, operational and border security research, engineering expertise, design, consultation, testing, verification, and validation.

Mentioned Countries: No specific countries are mentioned, but the European Border and Coast Guard and its Member States are referenced, implying a focus on EU member states. Warsaw, Poland is mentioned as the location for the date and time of the public opening.

Project Stage: The expected maturity of the project is not explicitly stated, but the tender focuses on providing assistance and advisory services, as well as conducting studies and technical assistance for projects. This suggests that the projects could be in various stages, including research, development, demonstration, and validation. The tender also mentions support for prototypes, proofs-of-concept, and Minimum Viable Products (MVP), indicating that some projects may be in the early stages of development.

Funding Amount: The estimated total value of the tender is 8,000,000 EUR. Each of the two lots has an estimated value of 4,000,000 EUR.

Application Type: The application type is an open call for tenders, with electronic submission.

Nature of Support: Beneficiaries will receive money in exchange for providing services related to research, innovation, and engineering.

Application Stages: The number of application stages is not explicitly mentioned, but the process involves submitting a tender, which will then be evaluated based on the best price-quality ratio. This suggests a multi-stage process involving eligibility checks, technical evaluation, and financial evaluation.

Success Rates: The success rates are not mentioned in the provided text.

Co-funding Requirement: The co-funding requirement is not explicitly stated.

Summary:

This is a call for tenders issued by the European Border and Coast Guard Agency (FRONTEX) for the provision of Research, Innovation, and Engineering Assistance and Advisory Services. The procedure identifier is FRONTEX/2025/OP/0040. The total estimated value of the tender is 8,000,000 EUR. The tender is divided into two lots: Lot 1 focuses on Research, Innovation, and Engineering studies, while Lot 2 focuses on Assistance for Research, Innovation, and Engineering projects. The nature of the contract is for services, with a maximum duration of 48 months. The award method is based on the best price-quality ratio. The deadline for receipt of tenders is December 22, 2025, at 12:00 Europe/Warsaw. Submissions must be sent electronically. The tender aims to support or improve activities related to the responsibilities and mission of Frontex in the area of Research, Innovation, and Engineering. This includes technology, operational and border security research, engineering expertise, design, consultation, testing, verification, and validation. The tender is open to both single applicants and consortia. Applicants must register for a Personal Identification Code (PIC) to participate. The system supports all 24 official EU languages, and the character set encoding is UTF-8. The system encrypts all uploaded documents to ensure integrity and confidentiality. The maximum number of documents that can be uploaded per tender is 200 files, each less than 50 MB in size.