Provision of services of interim workers (temporary agency workers)

The European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) invites tenders under procedure FRA/2026/OP/0002 to establish multiple framework contracts in cascade for the provision of interim temporary agency workers primarily to be deployed at FRA premises in Vienna. The framework ceiling is €2,000,000 excluding VAT for a maximum duration of up to 48 months and awards will be made by best price quality ratio with quality weighted 60 percent and price 40 percent. Tenders must be submitted electronically via the EU Funding and Tenders Portal eSubmission system and the deadline for receipt of tenders is 26 October 2026 at 23:30 Europe Vienna.

What it funds

Scope

Framework contracts to supply qualified interim (temporary agency) workers to the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) for time‑limited business and operational needs (administrative, finance, HR, IT, communications, legal, data analysis and similar profiles).

Contract model:Multiple framework contracts in cascade (up to 3 contractors). Specific contracts/orders will be placed under the framework. Award method: best price-quality ratio ¹.

Who can apply

Eligibility highlights

Open to economic operators established in the EU (natural or legal persons) and eligible third‑country operators where rules apply. Joint tenders allowed; subcontracting permitted. Each involved entity must meet exclusion and selection rules (legal/regulatory capacity, financial turnover, technical experience). Tenderers must be registered in the Participant Register (PIC) and submit electronically via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal (eSubmission).

Key administrative requirements:Use the Standard Submission Form (Annex 3) and the Financial Offer Form (Form 14). Declarations on honour and supporting evidence may be requested before award. eSubmission and EU Login are required.

How much (budget & duration)

Financial and timing summary

Estimated total procedure value:€2,000,000 (framework ceiling). Maximum framework duration: 48 months (initial 24 months with two 12‑month renewals possible). Indicative need: approx. 6 interim workers per year (illustrative only).

1. 1Procedure: open procedure (FWC, without reopening of competition)
2. 2Award: best price‑quality ratio (quality 60%, price 40%)
3. 3Submission: electronic via eSubmission; deadline 26/10/2026 23:30 Europe/Vienna (see portal)

Procurement documents (invitation, technical and administrative specifications, draft FWC, financial offer template) are published on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal. Subscribe on the opportunity page and submit via eSubmission FRA tender page. ¹

Footnotes

1. 1See Invitation to Tender and Tender Specifications (Annex 1) on the F&T Portal for full award, scoring and submission rules: Documents for FRA/2026/OP/0002.

Opportunity summary

Lead contracting authority:European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA). Procedure: open call for tenders (ESUBMISSION). Objective: establish one or more framework contracts (multiple FWC in cascade with maximum three contractors) for the provision of interim workers (temporary agency workers) to cover time-limited business and operational needs at FRA headquarters in Vienna and on hybrid basis. Estimated total procedure value: €2 000 000 (ceiling for the framework contracts). Maximum FWC duration: up to 48 months. Award method: best price-quality ratio. TED reference: 178/2026 632939-2026. Submission is electronic only via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal eSubmission system; EU Login and PIC registration required. Public opening: 28/10/2026 10:00 Europe/Vienna. Deadline for receipt of tenders: 26/10/2026 23:30 Europe/Vienna.

Important procurement documents:Invitation to tender, Annex 1 Part 1 Administrative specifications, Annex 1 Part 2 Technical specifications, Annex 2 draft FWC, Annex 3 Standard Submission Form (includes Form 14 Financial Offer Form). Documents published in English on the Funding & Tenders Portal F&T opportunity page ¹.

Who can apply and how

Eligible applicant types

Eligible applicants include natural persons and legal persons providing temporary employment services. The procurement is open to: single tenderers; groups of economic operators (joint tenders) with or without legal personality; private companies (SMEs or large enterprises); staffing and temporary-work agencies; public-private consortia where applicable; subcontractors are permitted and must be identified when they contribute to selection criteria or exceed 10% share. Entities must not be subject to EU restrictive measures. International organisations may participate where rules on access to procurement allow.

Funding type and nature of support

This is a public procurement framework agreement. The contracting authority will procure services (service contract) rather than provide grants, loans or equity. Beneficiaries receive payment for services delivered under specific contracts; support is monetary via contract payments against timesheets and invoices (quarterly invoicing agreed) and non-financial services in the form of ordered placements and access to FRA premises/systems as required by assignments.

Consortium requirement and application type

Procedure allows single tenderers or joint tenders (consortium). Joint tenders:each member must sign the Agreement/Power of Attorney (Annex 3 Form 3) and accept joint and several liability. The call is an open call for tenders; submission is electronic (eSubmission) via the Funding & Tenders Portal. PIC registration and EU Login are required; the Personal Identification Code (PIC) must be used. Subcontractors must be declared (Form 4) if they: contribute to selection criteria or exceed 10% of the contract. Commitment letters required from identified subcontractors (Form 5) and from entities on whose capacity tenderer relies (Form 6).

Beneficiary scope (geographic eligibility)

Participation is open to natural and legal persons within the scope of the EU Treaties. Entities established in third countries may participate only where an international agreement on public procurement applies or when that third country has a special procurement arrangement with the EU. Bidders must indicate country of establishment and provide acceptable evidence. Tenderers and all involved entities must not be subject to EU restrictive measures.

Technical and contractual details

Target sectors and roles

Target sectors and professional profiles:office-support services covering administrative and secretarial support, horizontal specialist support (finance, procurement, IT, HR, communications, project assistance), and higher-skilled advisory roles (legal, policy, data analysis). Contracting authority will define required profile category per specific contract. Interim workers remain employees of the contractor; they are assigned to FRA and work under FRA supervision.

Minimum technical requirements and project maturity

Tenderers must meet selection criteria covering legal/regulatory capacity, economic/financial capacity and technical/professional capacity. Minimums include: average annual turnover over the last two financial years > €500 000 (consolidated); experience demonstrating at least three similar projects/contracts completed in the last three years; designation of a contract manager and backup each with at least three years’ relevant experience and English at least CEFR B2. Detailed documentary evidence must be provided (Forms 8-11, Form 10 project references, CVs in Europass). The expected project stage for assignments is operational delivery of interim staff to FRA (deployed staff ready to work).

Categories and salary linkage:Interim workers are grouped in categories: Category II (Profile A), Category III (Profile B), Category IV (Profile C). The remuneration per hour is linked to FRA statutory staff basic salary adjusted by a correction coefficient for Austria; net salary minima for the categories are shown in the Financial Offer Form (Form 14). The contractor pays the interim worker the agreed net salary and covers all employer social contributions and legal obligations in Austria; the contractor’s mark-up covers employer costs and agency fee.

Delivery, place of performance and working conditions

Place of performance:FRA headquarters in Vienna as primary place of work; hybrid working arrangements possible where appropriate; occasional missions outside Vienna or outside the EU must be pre-authorised and reimbursed per FWC rules. Normal working hours: 8 hours/day; core/hybrid arrangements as per FRA rules; timesheets are mandatory and must be countersigned by FRA line managers. Probationary periods, replacements, termination rules and a cool-off period of at least 3 months between assignments of same interim are set out in the Technical Specifications. Maximum assignment per interim: 18 months including extensions.

Volume, price model and invoicing

Indicative expected number of interim workers per year:6 (indicative only). The FWC ceiling: €2 000 000 excluding VAT over up to 48 months. Price model: fixed hourly price per category; tenderers must upload the Financial Offer Form (Form 14) in Annex 3. Financial scoring uses total tender price based on an indicative purchase scenario in Form 14; lowest price receives 100 points, others scored proportionally. Invoices are quarterly per specific contract, supported by timesheets signed by FRA and the contractor. FRA will not accept separate invoices per interim worker unless agreed in the specific contract.

1. 1Evaluation method: best price-quality ratio with weighting Quality 60% and Price 40%. Quality is scored against three sub-criteria (organisation of services, contract management and quality control measures, interim workers welfare and development) with minimum thresholds. Minimum overall quality pass score: 60/100.
2. 2Abnormally low tenders: tenderers must respect Point 23 of Annex I to the EU Financial Regulation; contracting authority may reject abnormally low offers.
3. 3Multiple FWCs in cascade: tenderers who pass evaluation will be ranked and the contracting authority will offer specific contracts to the first ranked contractors in sequence when services are needed.

Administrative and contractual compliance

Mandatory documents to submit with the tender (see Annex A):Declaration on Honour (Form 7), Form 1 Identification, Form 3 Agreement/Power of Attorney for joint tenders, Form 4 list of identified subcontractors (if applicable), Form 5 commitment letters from subcontractors (if applicable), Form 6 commitment letters from entities on whose capacity tenderer relies (if applicable), Form 8 legal/regulatory evidence, Form 9 financial evidence (balance sheets, P&L for last 2 years), Form 10 project references, Form 11 CVs for contract manager and backup, Form 12 declaration on compliance, Technical Tender (narrative and evidence), Financial Tender using Form 14 (Excel). Tenderers must sign declarations; QES recommended; handwritten signatures accepted but originals must be retained for 5 years. The contracting authority may request supporting documents during evaluation and will request evidence before award.

Exclusion and selection checks:Tenders will be checked for exclusion (Article 138 of the Financial Regulation) and selection criteria. Declarations on honour will be requested and documentary evidence may be requested prior to award. The contracting authority will consult EDES and may ask for supporting documents; failure to provide evidence within deadlines may cause rejection.

Administrative deadlines, contacts and Q&A

Key dates:TED/F&T publication 15/09/2026; deadline for receipt of tenders 26/10/2026 23:30 Europe/Vienna; public opening 28/10/2026 10:00 Europe/Vienna; contracting authority is not bound to reply to questions received after 16/10/2026 23:59 Europe/Vienna. Questions must be submitted through the Funding & Tenders Portal Questions & Answers function. One public Q&A has been published (clarifying legal/regulatory capacity applies to each economic operator in a joint tender).

Categorisation answers

1. 1Eligible Applicant Types: staffing agencies (temporary employment undertakings), SMEs, large enterprises, joint consortia, legal persons and natural persons able to contract, subcontractors, organisations providing employment services, potentially public-private partnerships if compliant with rules.
2. 2Funding Type: procurement contract (service contract) via public procurement; not a grant, loan or equity.
3. 3Consortium Requirement: either single tenderer or consortium/joint tender is allowed; consortium members must sign Agreement/Power of Attorney and accept joint and several liability.
4. 4Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): entities established in EU Member States; third country participation only where special procurement arrangements apply; bidders must indicate country of establishment and provide evidence; services performed mainly in Austria (Vienna) but missions may occur elsewhere.
5. 5Target Sector: office-support services, human resources and staffing, temporary work agency services, administrative support, finance, procurement, IT, HR, communications, legal, policy, data analysis.
6. 6Mentioned Countries: Austria is explicitly mentioned (FRA headquarters in Vienna). The call is EU-wide; other specific countries referenced in documentation include Member States implicitly; example references in Q&A include Germany as example for national licences but not restrictive. For procurement rules the EU coverage is applicable.
7. 7Project Stage: operational delivery, recruitment/placement and management of interim staff (deployment and on-the-job provision).
8. 8Funding Amount: estimated total procedure value/ceiling €2 000 000 (over up to 48 months).
9. 9Application Type: open call for tenders; electronic submission via F&T Portal eSubmission; EU Login account and PIC required; submission is not rolling; specific Q&A deadlines apply.
10. 10Nature of Support: monetary payments for services delivered (contract payments); non-monetary operational support in the form of orders, placement opportunities and access to FRA premises/systems.
11. 11Application Stages: single-stage tender submission; evaluation (exclusion, selection, technical evaluation, financial evaluation) and award. Practically: 1) submission; 2) opening & admissibility checks; 3) exclusion/selection checks; 4) technical evaluation; 5) financial evaluation; 6) award/contract signature.
12. 12Success Rates: not published; success rate depends on number of compliant tenders; framework awards up to three contractors will be retained based on ranking, so success depends on being within top three ranked compliant tenders.
13. 13Co-funding Requirement: no co-funding required; contracting authority will pay contractors for services rendered under specific contracts up to FWC ceiling.
14. 14Templates: procurement provides mandatory templates and forms in Annex 3 Standard Submission Form: Form 1 Identification, Form 3 Power of Attorney (joint tenders), Form 4 List of Identified Subcontractors, Form 5 Commitment letter for subcontractors, Form 6 Commitment by entity on whose capacity tenderer relies, Form 7 Declaration on Honour, Form 8 Legal and Regulatory Capacity evidence, Form 9 Financial data, Form 10 Project references list, Form 11 Personnel selection grids and CVs (Europass), Form 12 Declaration of compliance with technical minimums, Form 13 Technical tender guidance, Form 14 Financial Offer Form (Excel - mandatory to use). The draft FWC and order form templates are provided (Annex 2 and Annex III).

Templates and application structure:the Financial Offer Form (Form 14) is an embedded Excel model that must be completed for the three profile categories. The Standard Submission Form (Annex 3) provides a structured set of forms and templates (Form 1 to Form 14). Tenderers must upload the Technical Tender and the Financial Tender (Form 14) separately in eSubmission under the designated slots as specified in Annex A of the administrative specifications. All forms flagged as mandatory must be completed. Joint tenderers must attach the Agreement/Power of Attorney (Form 3). Commitment letters must be signed by any identified subcontractor or entity on whose capacity the tenderer relies (Forms 5 and 6).

Risks, compliance and evaluation points

Key compliance risks and evaluation focus:1) confirm legal/regulatory capacity per economic operator (every involved entity must provide proof of authorisations and registrations required by its country of establishment); 2) provide clear evidence for consolidated economic capacity (Form 9, two years’ accounts); 3) demonstrate technical capacity with 3 project references in the last 3 years and CVs for contract manager and backup with required experience and English level; 4) ensure the Financial Offer Form is completed exactly per instructions, avoid manipulation of formulas or additional text in protected cells; 5) avoid abnormally low pricing and be prepared to justify prices if requested; 6) prepare evidence for non-exclusion and data protection compliance in advance.

• Submission portal: EU Funding & Tenders Portal eSubmission (EU Login required) F&T Portal ¹.
• Mandatory language: documents published in English; tenders may be submitted in any EU official language but procurement documents are in English.
• Contact: procurement@fra.europa.eu for administrative matters; HR@fra.europa.eu for technical HR matters as indicated in the Invitation to tender.

Summary:This procurement seeks experienced temporary employment agencies or consortia to supply qualified interim workers to FRA for time-limited operational needs. It is an open EU procurement for framework contracts (cascade, up to three contractors) with an overall ceiling of €2 000 000 for up to 48 months. Tenderers must satisfy exclusion and selection criteria, complete the Standard Submission Form including the mandatory Financial Offer Form (Form 14) and present a strong technical proposal demonstrating recruitment and contract management capacity. Award is based on best price-quality ratio (Quality 60% / Price 40%). Submission is electronic via the F&T Portal; follow Annex A for required documents and Annex 3 for templates.

Footnotes

1. 1All procurement documents, Q&A and eSubmission are available via the Funding & Tenders Portal opportunity page: ec.europa.eu

This is an EU procurement tender by the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights for a framework contract on the provision of interim workers, also described as temporary agency workers. The procedure identifier is FRA/2026/OP/0002 and the opportunity is published on the EU Funding and Tenders Portal ¹.

Opportunity at a glance

What the contract covers

The objective is to establish a framework contract for the supply of interim workers to cover time-limited business and operational needs. Services will be performed mainly at the FRA premises in Vienna, Austria, with hybrid working arrangements also possible, and exceptional travel within or outside the EU may be required.

The procurement documents state that variants are not allowed, so tenderers must propose a solution that fully complies with the tender specifications and draft contract.

Who can apply

Any interested economic operator may submit a tender as a sole tenderer or as part of a joint tender. Subcontracting is permitted, and the procedure is open on equal terms to natural and legal persons within the scope of the EU Treaties, international organisations, and certain third-country operators that benefit from a special agreement with the EU on public procurement.

Tenderers must not be subject to EU restrictive measures, and neither identified subcontractors nor other involved entities may create a compliance issue that would prevent award. The documents also note that the WTO Government Procurement Agreement does not apply to this procedure, so access is not open to all GPA countries by default.

• Each participating entity in a joint tender must have a valid PIC and be registered in the Participant Register.
• Each group member must meet the legal and regulatory capacity requirements individually.
• A joint tender requires an agreement or power of attorney between the members.
• The tender must be prepared and submitted independently and autonomously.
• Cross subcontracting is not allowed.

Selection requirements applicants should plan for

1. 1Legal and regulatory capacity: proof of enrolment in a relevant trade or professional register, authorisation to perform the contract in the country of establishment, or membership of a specific professional organisation, depending on the operator.
2. 2Economic and financial capacity: average yearly turnover of the last two closed financial years above €500000.
3. 3Technical and professional capacity: at least three similar projects or contracts completed in the last three years.
4. 4Operational capability: designation of a contract manager and a backup contact person with at least three years of experience managing a similar contract.
5. 5Language capability: the contract manager and backup must have English at least at B2 level or equivalent.

How tenders are evaluated

Tenders are first checked for compliance, eligibility, exclusion grounds, selection criteria, and absence of restrictive measures. Only compliant tenders then enter the award stage, where the technical offer is evaluated before the financial offer.

The quality evaluation is divided into three subcriteria:organisation of the services, contract management and quality control measures, and interim workers welfare and development. The tenderer must satisfy the minimum score for each subcriterion and the overall quality threshold.

Financial and contract conditions

• The framework contract is planned for an initial period of 24 months and can be renewed twice, for a maximum total duration of 48 months.
• The framework ceiling is €2000000 and indicative volumes in the financial model are for evaluation only.
• Within three years after signature, the contracting authority may use a negotiated procedure for repeat services up to 50 percent of the initial framework ceiling.
• The financial offer must be submitted in euros and free of VAT, duties, taxes, and other charges.
• The tender validity period is 6 months.
• The contracting authority may offset debts owed to the Union against payments due under the contract.
• Security, fraud prevention, environmental obligations, and equal opportunity requirements apply during performance.

Key dates:Deadline for receipt of tenders is 26 October 2026 at 23:30 Europe Vienna. Public opening is on 28 October 2026 at 10:00 Europe Vienna. The contracting authority will not reply to questions submitted after 16 October 2026 at 23:59 Europe Vienna.

Submission and documentation

Tenders must be submitted electronically through the Funding and Tenders Portal eSubmission system. EU Login is required, and tenderers must use the documents published for the procedure, including the invitation to tender, the administrative and technical specifications, the draft framework contract, the standard submission form, and the financial offer form.

The financial offer form is built around the estimated staffing scenarios in the procurement documents and includes declarations that the offer covers all technical costs and is not abnormally low. Tenderers should also prepare support evidence in advance because the contracting authority may request it quickly during the process.

Footnotes

1. 1Official tender page and documents are available at EU Funding and Tenders Portal tender details.