Provision of technical and scientific support for activities related to EU antimicrobial resistance (AMR) monitoring, including the preparation of ann...

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) invites tenders for a single-award framework contract to provide technical and scientific support for EU antimicrobial resistance (AMR) monitoring, including maintenance of genomic pipelines, data validation and drafting of the annual EU Summary Reports on AMR. The maximum financial ceiling for the framework is €600,000 for an initial 12-month period renewable once to a maximum of 24 months, and awards will be made on a best price-quality ratio basis with quality weighted more heavily. Eligible applicants are economic operators established in EU/EEA countries or countries covered by a European Commission adequacy decision for data protection; submission is electronic via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal using the provided financial template. The tender deadline is 1 October 2026 at 14:30 Europe/Rome and the contract requires strict compliance with data protection, confidentiality, and specified service level agreements.

What it funds

A framework contract to provide technical and scientific support for EU antimicrobial resistance (AMR) monitoring. Work includes maintaining AMR genomic pipelines and data catalogues, selecting isolates for confirmatory testing, scientific validation of reporting-country AMR data, and drafting the annual EU Summary Report on AMR and related outputs.

Who can apply

Economic operators established in eligible countries (EU/EEA and countries with an EU adequacy decision for personal data where required). Joint offers and subcontracting are allowed; teams must demonstrate relevant technical capacity (AMR genomics, data validation, epidemiology, PowerBI/R skills, project management) and meet declared selection criteria.

Estimated maximum value:Up to €600,000 for the entire framework (maximum duration up to 24 months) ¹.

1. 1Contract type: single framework contract (implementation via order forms)
2. 2Duration: up to 24 months (initial 12 months with one 12-month renewal)
3. 3Award method: best price-quality ratio (quality 70 / price 30 weighting)
4. 4Place of performance: remote and contractor premises; some participation in EFSA meetings

Tenderers must submit electronically via the Funding & Tenders Portal eSubmission system and use the financial template provided. Offers must be in an official EU language (English is used for contract execution).

Evaluation & minimum requirements:Applicants are assessed against exclusion, selection (financial turnover and technical capacity) and award criteria; quality thresholds apply (minimum per-criterion pass marks and overall quality threshold) and use of AI systems for delivery is prohibited in this procurement.

Apply and download procurement documents on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal:Tender page.

Footnotes

1. 1The procurement documents and draft framework contract state a total estimated ceiling of €600,000 for the maximum 2-year duration. Full details and the financial offer template are available on the call page: Tender page.

Call type, contracting authority and high-level facts

Opportunity type:Open public tender (framework contract) published by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). Framework contract reference EFSA/2026/OP/0020. Main CPV: 73000000 Research and development services and related consultancy services. Nature of contract: services. Estimated total procedure value: €600,000 for the maximum framework duration (overall maximum 24 months). The framework is a single-award FWC (one contractor) concluded for an initial period of 12 months renewable once to reach 24 months. This call uses the eSubmission electronic procedure via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal ¹.

Key deadlines and milestones:Contract notice / documents published: 03/08/2026. Deadline for questions: 23/09/2026 (23:59 Europe/Rome). Deadline for receipt of tenders: 01/10/2026 at 14:30 Europe/Rome. Public opening session (virtual): 02/10/2026 at 14:30 Europe/Rome. Tender evaluation notification estimated Nov/Dec 2026; contract signature estimated January 2027 ¹.

What EFSA will buy (scope and tasks)

Purpose:provide technical and scientific support to EFSA for EU antimicrobial resistance (AMR) monitoring activities including maintenance and specification of AMR genomic pipelines, updates to AMR gene/mutation catalogues, support for confirmatory testing selection and interpretation, scientific validation of AMR monitoring data submitted by reporting countries, preparation of annual EU Summary Reports on AMR (pre-consultation and post-consultation versions plus Plain Language Summary), testing and scientific verification of new automated analytical outputs and dashboards, and ad hoc AMR scientific outputs (e.g. baseline surveys).

Detailed tasks and deliverables (summary)

1. 1Objective 1: Technical and scientific support for AMR genomic pipelines, data catalogues and testing of new developments. Deliverables include: review and revision proposals for reporting manuals and business rules; scientific and technical specification of AMR gene detection workflow; containerisation and implementation artefacts for EFSA testing; updates to gene/mutation catalogues; selection of isolates for confirmatory testing; testing reports for new infrastructure and automated outputs.
2. 2Objective 2: Preparation of annual EU Summary Reports on AMR (reporting years 2026 and 2027 during years 1 and 2 of the FWC). Deliverables include: revised scientific data validation plan; scientific validation of reporting-country AMR data (validation files, logs and archival documentation); pre-consultation and post-consultation report versions (two options supported: full report drafting or review/drafting of discussion with EFSA-provided automated text); combined human-animal analyses for Salmonella and Campylobacter; Plain Language Summaries; annex data files for publication.
3. 3Objective 3: Support for other AMR outputs and ad hoc analyses (e.g., baseline surveys) and provision of project management and coordination (meetings, minutes, archiving).

Deliverable timing:many deliverables are tied to the EFSA annual data validation and reporting cycle (scientific validation activity in June–July, pre-consultation report by beginning of September of reporting year n+1, integrated Salmonella/Campylobacter human–animal chapters by November of reporting year n+1, post-consultation version by mid-January of reporting year n+2). Order forms will set exact dates and volumes. The acceptance cycle has three phases (EFSA review, contractor corrections, EFSA residual assessment) and SLAs apply to accuracy/consistency and testing effectiveness. The working language is English.

Eligibility and applicant requirements

Eligible applicant types:EFSA permits economic operators established in eligible countries. The procurement documents and selection rules require registration in the Participant Register (PIC) and submission via eSubmission. The tender permits single tenderers or joint offers; subcontracting is allowed but prior conditions and disclosure rules apply. Evidence of economic, financial, technical and professional capacity must be provided (see selection criteria).

Eligible applicant types — detailed

• Universities and research institutes (appropriate given the scientific/technical scope).
• Research consortia and public research organisations.
• SMEs and large enterprises with specialist capabilities in AMR genomics, bioinformatics, surveillance analytics or scientific reporting.
• Non-profit organisations, NGOs and consultancies with demonstrated AMR technical capacity.
• Public-private partnerships and networks (as joint offers, with a single lead).

Note:subcontractors can be used. All entities processing personal data must be established in the EU/EEA or in third countries covered by an EC adequacy decision for personal data protection per the tender specifications. EFSA will not require PIC validation for subcontractors unless they provide selection evidence; however PIC is mandatory for tender submission for the lead and partners as indicated in the procurement documents ¹.

Selection, exclusion and proof requirements

Exclusion grounds:tenderers must not be in any of the exclusion situations listed in Article 138 of the Financial Regulation (bankruptcy, fraud, grave professional misconduct, tax or social security arrears etc.). Tenderers must sign the Declaration on Honour (section A) and may be requested to supply documentary evidence during evaluation. Entities subject to EU restrictive measures under Article 29 TEU/Article 215 TFEU are excluded.

Minimum economic requirement:annual consolidated turnover of at least €300,000 in each of the last two closed financial years (2023 and 2024) (declaration on honour required; EFSA may request supporting accounts).

Technical and professional capacity requirements (high detail):the tenderer must demonstrate organisational experience in: designing, documenting and validating WGS-based AMR gene/mutation detection pipelines aligned with Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2020/1729; contributing to or updating AMR gene/mutation catalogues (e.g., ResFinder-based updates); coordinating or providing scientific assessment for National Reference Laboratory networks, proficiency tests, ring trials, confirmatory testing exercises; assessing comparability and quality of AMR data across Member States; interpreting phenotypic/genotypic concordance/discordance and temporal trends at EU and country level; and supporting scientific reporting (preparation of major technical chapters for EU summary reports). Knowledge of R and PowerBI (or equivalents) is requested.

Team requirements:provide CVs (recommended EU CV format) for at least four project team members covering scientific AMR expertise, genomics/bioinformatics, epidemiology/statistics, data visualisation (PowerBI or equivalent) and project management. Experts in scientific chapters and data validation should have minimum years of experience (typically 5 years for technical scientific experts; 2 years minimum for One Health interpretation experts; project leader 5 years in international project management). EFSA will request Individual Declarations of Interest for key personnel prior to contract signature to screen for professional conflicting interests.

Funding, pricing and financial rules

Total estimated value:€600,000 (maximum available for the entire framework contract duration up to 24 months). The financial offer must use the Annex 1 financial Excel template supplied by EFSA. Prices must be quoted in euros, VAT excluded (EFSA is VAT-exempt) and are all-inclusive (overheads, travel and subsistence, licence costs for pre-existing rights if applicable). Unit prices in Annex 1 are binding for the duration of the FWC; order forms will be issued using those unit prices. EFSA has included a 10% contingency and potential indexation within the envelope. EFSA reserves the right under the Financial Regulation to repeat similar services under negotiated procedure up to +50% of the initial envelope during the first year if the envelope is at risk of being consumed.

Financial offer template and rules:Tenderers must complete the provided Annex 1 Excel financial offer template and enter unit prices in the highlighted cells only; all other cells contain locked formulas that compute totals and the overall tender amount. The maximum envelope for evaluation is €600,000 for the two-year maximum FWC duration. All prices must be exclusive of VAT and in euro ¹.

Contract implementation and ordering

Contract type:single-award framework contract without re-opening of competition. Implementation via Order Forms (also called Specific contracts). Order forms will reference the unit prices in Annex 1 and set exact deliverable schedules, volumes and payment terms. The FWC is concluded for an initial 12 months and automatically renewable one time for 12 months (overall max 24 months). Place of performance: EFSA premises for kick-off meeting only and contractor premises for service delivery unless otherwise specified in Order Forms.

Payment terms and invoicing

Payment:interim payment (optional) can be 30% of the specific contract price if included in the Order Form. Final payment: submission of final deliverables and invoice; EFSA aims to pay within 90 days of receipt of an acceptable invoice and deliverable. Invoicing rules require the list/declaration of any pre-existing rights incorporated into deliverables; absence of declaration will be interpreted as confirmation that there are no pre-existing rights or that licences for them have been secured for EFSA use. Invoicing is electronic and must follow the EFSA/Portal e-invoicing configuration described in the draft contract. Bank details and specific invoicing clauses are in the draft framework contract Annex II.

Evaluation and award method

Award method:best price-quality ratio. Quality accounts for 70% of the total score and price 30% (formula provided in tender specs). Quality criteria: methodology proposed (40 points), project organisation (30 points) and risk management/quality assurance (30 points). Minimum thresholds: each quality criterion must achieve at least 60% of its maximum, and the overall quality score must be at least 70% to remain eligible for price evaluation. Price offers must be within the maximum budget (€600,000) to be considered. Selection and exclusion checks are performed before award. EFSA may request clarifications and corrections that do not substantially change the offer during evaluation.

Service Level Agreements (SLA) and penalties

1. 1SLA01 Single contact point (Project Leader): maximum two replacements allowed in the two-year contract; repeated non-compliance could trigger contract resolution.
2. 2SLA02 Timely delivery: deliverables must be submitted by deadlines in Order Forms; missed submission = no payment; delayed submission = 10% penalty subject to EFSA assessment of impact.
3. 3SLA03 Accuracy and consistency for major deliverables (pre-consultation and post-consultation EU Summary Report chapters): acceptable residual errors threshold (e.g., accuracy: at most 5 residual data errors after correction cycle; consistency: at most 3 inconsistencies). From the 6th residual data error or 4th residual inconsistency, penalties apply (5% up to thresholds; can increase to 10% beyond higher counts).
4. 4SLA04 Effectiveness of testing new developments: limits on missed findings (e.g., at most 3 missed findings per deliverable; penalties start at 4th missed finding).

Penalties are additional to any liquidated damages for delay and do not replace EFSA’s rights to recover damages or terminate the FWC for serious breaches. SLAs are detailed in the tender specifications.

Intellectual property, pre-existing rights and data reuse

Ownership:for results produced specifically under the FWC, EFSA acquires ownership and worldwide intellectual property rights. Pre-existing rights: where contractor incorporates pre-existing materials, the contractor must provide a declaration and licence to EFSA (royalty-free, non-exclusive, irrevocable, worldwide for EFSA purposes) or otherwise ensure EFSA’s right to use the materials for the intended purposes. The contractor must deliver a list of pre-existing rights upon invoicing for the balance and provide documentary evidence on request. EFSA aims to publish outputs and supporting annexes (datasets, protocols) on its Knowledge Junction (Zenodo) with attribution to the contractor; contractors must ensure permissions for reuse or provide licence terms to EFSA.

Personal data, confidentiality and AI use

Personal data:processing must comply with Regulation (EU) 2018/1725 (EUDPR). Controller: EFSA for personal data processed by EFSA; contractors processing personal data act as processors and must ensure EU/EEA processing or processing in countries with an EC adequacy decision as required. Detailed Article II.9.2 requirements in the draft contract require technical and organisational measures, breach notification (within 48 hours), assistance for data subject rights, and data deletion/return after the contract period.

Submission process, required documents and templates

Submission method:exclusively electronic via eSubmission accessible from the Funding & Tenders Portal. EU Login account and Participant Identification Code (PIC) are required. Maximum number of attachments and system technical constraints are in the eSubmission System Requirements. Tenders must be complete at time of submission; tenderers can withdraw or replace tenders before the deadline. The tender documentation package includes: Invitation to tender, Tender specifications (Annex I), Draft framework contract (Annex II), Financial offer Excel template (Annex 1), and additional annexes (draft Order Form, environmental management Annex 3).

Required attachments and templates:Mandatory documents to upload: Declaration on Honour (sections A, B and C as applicable), technical offer (methodology addressing quality award criteria), CVs of proposed team members (recommended EU CV format), Annex 1 financial offer Excel completed in the highlighted cells only, Annex 3 environmental information, and any certificates/evidence requested for selection criteria. There is no mandatory format for the technical offer (PDF/Word acceptable); financial offer must use the provided Excel template ¹.

Evaluation process and remedies

Evaluation order:checks on exclusion grounds and eligibility, compliance with tender specifications and minimum requirements, selection criteria (economic, financial, technical), quality evaluation and scoring, then price and final ranking using best price-quality ratio formula. Minimum single-award thresholds must be satisfied for quality to proceed to price evaluation. Remedies: tenderers may ask questions through F&T Portal and may file complaints to EFSA or to the European Ombudsman; legal actions for annulment are possible before the EU General Court as per the Invitation to Tender. Individual Declarations of Interest for key personnel may be requested prior to contract signature and are a condition of award.

Geographic and beneficiary scope

• Beneficiary geographic eligibility: entities established in the EU and EEA and countries with EC adequacy decisions for personal data processing where required. Reporting countries referenced in the AMR context include all 27 EU Member States and other reporting countries as specified by EFSA (e.g. UK in respect of Northern Ireland where applicable).
• Place of performance: Contractor premises (majority of work) and EFSA premises for limited meetings (kick-off).

Target sectors and project maturity

Target sector:health (AMR), veterinary/public health surveillance, food safety, genomics and bioinformatics, data analytics and science communication. Expected project stage / maturity: operational implementation and demonstration of workflows and reporting processes; scientific validation, reporting and translation into policy-relevant outputs. This FWC requires mature, operational capabilities (development, testing, validation, reporting and maintenance).

Consortium requirement and submission model

Consortium requirement:single contractor is required (single FWC award). Joint offers are acceptable — a lead partner must be nominated and a Power of Attorney provided; joint tender members are jointly and severally liable, except derogations allowed for national law in the draft contract. A consortium may include subcontractors; subcontracting must be declared and any subcontractors contributing to selection criteria must be included in the offer. EFSA requires a Project Leader contact and reserves the right to require replacement of personnel or subcontractors for cause.

Project timeline and expected volumes

Maximum duration of each Order Form:typically aligned with annual AMR data cycles. The FWC overall maximum duration is 24 months. Estimated volumes per deliverable (Annex 1) are provided as scenarios for evaluation but are not binding; actual volumes and schedules will be defined in Order Forms. The financial envelope of €600,000 covers an overall scenario for up to two years. EFSA may renew one time (12 months) for a total of 24 months and may increase the FWC envelope by up to 50% during the first year if needed.

Risk management, quality assurance and acceptance

EFSA expects detailed risk registers, mitigation measures (including personnel continuity and backup), quality control and assurance procedures, peer review and validation workflows, reproducibility artefacts (containerisation, test datasets and expected outputs), and archiving practices for validation correspondence and datasets. Acceptance cycles include contractor corrections and EFSA residual review; SLA penalties apply where residual data errors, inconsistencies or missed findings exceed thresholds.

How to prepare a compliant bid — practical checklist

1. 1Register your organisation in the Participant Register and obtain PIC; create an EU Login account and subscribe to this call on the F&T Portal.
2. 2Download and read all procurement documents (Invitation to tender, Tender specifications, Draft FWC, Annex 1 financial template and Annex 3 environmental info).
3. 3Prepare Declaration on Honour (sections A, B, C as applicable) signed and dated. Collect Individual Declarations of Interest for key personnel to be provided later if shortlisted/awarded.
4. 4Prepare technical offer that addresses the quality award criteria: clear methodology for Objectives 1–3, step-by-step implementation, staff roles and responsibilities, communication plan with EFSA, risk register and mitigation, QA procedures, evidence of experience (references, publications, reports) and technical infrastructure (bioinformatics and containerisation capabilities).
5. 5Compile CVs (EU CV format recommended) for at least four team members and one-page summary of team roles. Provide evidence of language competence (English C1 certificate or equivalent experience).
6. 6Complete Annex 1 financial offer Excel template strictly in the highlighted cells and ensure the total does not exceed €600,000 for evaluation. Prices must be in EUR and VAT excluded.
7. 7Prepare any additional documents (certificates, proofs of turnover for 2023 and 2024, relevant reports/publications) and combine into the eSubmission package. Use PDFs for technical documents and the exact Annex 1 for finance.
8. 8Upload all files into eSubmission well before the deadline, check system requirements and maximum file sizes. Obtain submission receipt timestamp. If necessary, withdraw and resubmit before deadline following the eSubmission instructions.

Success rates, stages and co-funding

Success rates:not published. This is a competitive single-award FWC; success depends on meeting selection criteria, high quality against award criteria and competitive price within the envelope. Application stages: single-stage submission with post-opening evaluation; potential follow-up clarification requests. Number of application stages applicants must pass: 1 (tender submission) plus internal EFSA checks and selection, but evaluation itself entails sequential checks (exclusion, selection, compliance, quality, price) — practically a multi-step process within one submission. Co-funding: not required; prices must be all-inclusive and EFSA will not provide additional co-funding beyond Order Forms under the agreed unit prices.

What templates look like and how to use them

Financial offer template:an Excel file (Annex 1) with locked formulas. Tenderers must enter unit prices in the highlighted cells only; all other fields are protected. The sheet includes an itemised list of deliverable types with estimated volumes for the two-year scenario; the template automatically calculates totals and the D39 cell value is used for evaluation. Do not alter locked cells or formulas. Technical offer template: no mandatory format — tenderers can provide their own Word or PDF formatted technical proposal addressing all quality criteria and the minimum requirements. Required declarations follow EFSA templates available in the procurement documents ¹.

Questions and Q&A published by EFSA (highlights)

• EFSA confirmed: data, analytical outputs, documentation, workflows and materials developed under existing contracts relevant for the FWC will be made available to the appointed contractor exclusively for performance under this FWC; they may not be used outside this scope. The appointed contractor may leverage contacts and stakeholder networks already established by EFSA relevant to the FWC and is not expected to re-establish those relationships independently.
• EFSA confirmed there is no preferred template for the technical offer; tenderers may use the format they consider appropriate. For financial offers, tenderers must use the provided Excel template (Annex 1).

EFSA publishes Q&A on the Funding & Tenders Portal; tenderers should consult the Q&A tab for clarifications and updates during the submission window ¹.

Evaluation scoring and formula (explicit)

Quality maximum = 100 points (methodology 40, organisation 30, risk/QA 30). Minimum thresholds: 60% per quality criterion and 70% overall quality. Price scoring: price factor contributes 30% of total score via formula: Total score C = 30 * (cheapest price / price of tender X) + 70 * (total quality score (out of 100) for tender X / 100).

Procurement documents and where to access them

All procurement documents are available on the Funding & Tenders Opportunities Portal where the tender is published. Documents include: Invitation to tender, Tender specifications (full technical annexes), Annex 1 Financial offer template (Excel), Draft Framework Contract (Annex 2), environmental information (Annex 3), and online Q&A. Tenderers must subscribe to the call on the Portal to receive notifications of updates ¹.

Practical risks and recommendations

1. 1Prepare full technical documentation showing clear reproducible artefacts (containerisation specs, test datasets, expected outputs) to meet Task 2 and Task 5 requirements.
2. 2Demonstrate prior coordination with National Reference Laboratories, EURLs or documented experience of executing confirmatory testing selection and interpretation tasks.
3. 3Ensure robust data protection measures and on-premises / EU-located processing to meet EUDPR obligations and EFSA prohibition on external AI usage.
4. 4Complete Annex 1 exactly and validate total does not exceed the evaluation envelope; explain any pre-existing rights and licence costs clearly in the technical and financial offer.
5. 5Plan team availability and replacement strategies and document them in the risk register; EFSA will evaluate risk mitigation for key expert continuity.

Concluding summary — what is this opportunity about and why apply

This EFSA open tender seeks a scientifically mature contractor to provide high-level technical and scientific support for the EU AMR monitoring programme over a framework contract of up to 24 months. The work is multi-disciplinary: genomics/bioinformatics pipeline specification and testing, AMR gene/mutation catalogue updates, scientific validation of Member State-reported AMR data, drafting and finalisation of the annual joint EFSA–ECDC EU Summary Report on AMR, testing/validation of new automated analytical outputs and dashboards, and supporting ad hoc AMR scientific outputs. The contract is funded within a total FWC envelope of €600,000 and is awarded on a best price-quality ratio basis with strong emphasis on technical expertise and delivery quality. Proposals must be submitted electronically via the Funding & Tenders Portal, must include the financial Excel template provided, comply with data protection and confidentiality rules, and accept the draft FWC terms. The opportunity is appropriate for organisations or consortia with proven AMR genomics, surveillance and reporting experience, strong bioinformatics reproducibility capability and a track record of working with national reference laboratories and EU reporting systems. Detailed procurement documents and Q&A are available on the Portal ¹.

Footnotes

1. 1Official tender page and procurement documents for EFSA/2026/OP/0020, including the Invitation to Tender, Tender specifications, Draft Framework Contract and Annex 1 Financial Offer template are published on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal: ec.europa.eu

This is an open procurement call from the European Food Safety Authority for a single framework contract to provide technical and scientific support for EU antimicrobial resistance monitoring, including the annual EU Summary Reports on AMR and related outputs.[1][12] The contract is structured as a services tender, submitted electronically, and awarded on the best price-quality ratio basis.[1]

What the contract is about

The work covers scientific and technical support for AMR genomic pipelines, data catalogues, confirmatory testing, testing of new analytical and visualisation developments, scientific validation of AMR monitoring data, preparation of the EU Summary Reports on AMR, and other AMR scientific outputs.[1][12] The background is the EU AMR monitoring framework under Directive 2003/99/EC and Commission Implementing Decision 2020/1729, which sets harmonised AMR monitoring and reporting rules for 2021 to 2027.[11][12]

• Maintain and update AMR reporting manuals, business rules, genomic workflows, and gene and mutation catalogues.[1]
• Support the selection of isolates for confirmatory testing and interpret the related results scientifically.[1]
• Test new infrastructure, automated outputs, graphs, tables, and automated text for scientific accuracy and consistency.[1]
• Validate AMR data reported by Member States and other reporting countries, including communication of validation comments and review of replies.[1]
• Draft pre-consultation and post-consultation versions of the EU Summary Report on AMR, Plain Language Summaries, annexes, and consultation documentation.[1]
• Provide ad hoc scientific support for other AMR outputs, reports, and analyses requested by EFSA.[1]
• Provide project management and technical coordination, including meetings, agendas, and minutes.[1]

Who can apply

Single tenderers and joint tenders are allowed, provided the tenderers and partners are established in eligible countries, which for data processing purposes means EU and EEA countries or countries covered by a European Commission adequacy decision.[1] Subcontracting is allowed for all tasks, but subcontractors that fall outside the market access rules must also be in adequacy decision countries for data protection purposes.[1]

• Tenderers must have a valid PIC and submit through the EU Funding and Tenders eSubmission system.[1]
• Tenderers must not be in an exclusion situation under Article 138 of the Financial Regulation and must submit the signed declaration on honour.[1]
• The minimum economic and financial capacity is an annual turnover of at least €300000 in each of the last two closed financial years, 2023 and 2024.[1]
• The call is not marked as SME suitable, so it is likely aimed at organisations with established scientific and delivery capacity.[1]

Funding, pricing and contract conditions

The maximum financial ceiling for order forms under the framework contract is €600000 over an overall maximum period of two consecutive years, and the ceiling already includes a 10 percent contingency and possible price indexation.[1] EFSA may, if necessary, launch a negotiated procedure during the first year after signature for similar services, but any increase to the envelope cannot exceed 50 percent of the initial value.[1]

• Prices must be quoted in euro and must be free of VAT and other taxes or duties.[1]
• The financial offer must be all inclusive, covering overheads, travel, subsistence, accommodation, and any licensing costs for pre-existing rights used in the deliverables.[1]
• Unit prices will be binding for the life of the framework contract.[1]
• Order forms will be issued against the unit prices in the financial offer, and EFSA may request supplementary services only if they are necessary and within the essential terms of the contract.[1]
• The contract is initially for 12 months and may be renewed once, for a total maximum duration of 24 months.[1]
• The working language for implementation is English.[1]

Key delivery expectations and quality controls

The tender specification includes service level agreements for timely delivery, accuracy, consistency, and effectiveness of testing, with penalties for late delivery and for residual scientific errors or missed findings in specified report deliverables.[1] EFSA also requires a single Project Leader, and repeated replacement of that contact point can trigger serious contractual consequences.[1]

• The contractor must not use AI systems or large language models in delivering the services, although use of such tools in preparing the tender must be disclosed.[1]
• All deliverables, source codes, and commissioned outputs are intended to be owned by EFSA, while any pre-existing rights must be clearly identified and properly licensed.[1]
• EFSA may publish deliverables, datasets, and supporting material in the Knowledge Junction or related EFSA publication channels.[1]
• Confidentiality and EU data protection rules apply throughout the contract, including strict handling of non-public Member State data.[1]

Deadlines and submission process

Questions must be submitted through the Funding and Tenders Portal, and EFSA is not obliged to reply to questions submitted less than six working days before the submission deadline.[1] Tenders submitted after the deadline or through any channel other than eSubmission will be rejected.[1]

Practical assessment for applicants

This opportunity is most suitable for organisations with strong AMR microbiology, genomics, bioinformatics, scientific writing, and data-validation capability, ideally with experience in EU surveillance reporting and collaborative work with public authorities.[1][12] Applicants should be able to deliver under tight annual reporting cycles, handle confidential datasets, and produce scientifically robust outputs in English without relying on AI tools in delivery.[1]