Provision of translation and post-editing services regarding texts in the legal field

Open call for tenders CDT/2026/OP/0003 (TED ref 86/2026 306967-2026) issued by the Translation Centre for the Bodies of the European Union (Luxembourg) to establish framework agreements for translation, revision and post-editing of legal texts across 12 language-combination lots. The estimated total value is €3,795,850 with individual lot ceilings (largest: English into French €1,460,000); maximum contract duration is 48 months with renewals not extending beyond 31 August 2030. Tenders must be submitted electronically via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal (EU Login with 2FA required); deadline for receipt of tenders is 18 June 2026 at 10:00 Luxembourg time. Awards will be made by best price-quality ratio, with selection based on legal translation experience, quality of the proposed linguistic team, IT security and the submitted prices.

What it funds

Framework agreements to supply translation, revision, modification and light or full post-editing of legal texts related to EU bodies and institutions. Work will normally be delivered electronically (SDLXLIFF, CAT-processed files, MT output when available).

Who can apply

Translation service providers, consortia or groups of economic operators and subcontractors. Applicants must register in the EU Participant Register (PIC), use the EU eSubmission portal (EU Login) and comply with exclusion/selection rules and data protection requirements. Joint bids and subcontracting are permitted; group members share joint and several liability.

Key volumes and lots:Estimated total value of all lots: €3,795,850. Example lot estimates: English→French €1,460,000; English→German €910,000; English→Spanish €445,000. Lots cover 12 source→target language pairs.

1. 1Prepare PIC and EU Login account and register in the Centre’s call portal
2. 2Submit electronic tender and required annexes (legal, technical and financial) through eSubmission by the lot deadlines

Award is by best price-quality ratio. Bidders must meet selection criteria (economic/financial and technical-professional capacity including legal translation experience and qualified linguistic teams) and provide specified annexes (Declaration on Honour, professional experience, CVs, IT security info, financial form).

Tender documents, draft framework contract and templates (annexes, invitation to tender and Q&A) are published on the F&T Portal and must be followed exactly; eSubmission is the only allowed submission channel F&T Tender details. ¹

Footnotes

1. 1Procurement documents including tender specifications, draft contract and annexes are available at the official tender page: Tender dossier.

Opportunity summary

What this procurement covers

The Translation Centre for the Bodies of the European Union has published an open call for tenders (procedure reference CDT/2026/OP/0003; TED ref 86/2026 306967-2026) to establish multiple non-exclusive framework service contracts in cascade for translation, revision, modification and post-editing services of texts in the legal field relating to the work of EU bodies and institutions. The procurement is divided into 12 language-combination lots. The overall estimated value for all lots over the framework duration is €3 795 850. Contracts are framework agreements without reopening of competition and will be implemented by means of specific contracts (order forms). Submissions are electronic through eSubmission on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal. The tender dossier includes draft framework contract, tender specifications and annexes providing templates and mandatory forms.

Primary contracting authority:Translation Centre for the Bodies of the European Union, Bâtiment Technopolis Gasperich, 12E rue Guillaume Kroll, L-1882 Luxembourg EU Funding & Tender Portal ¹

Procurement type and procedure:Tender (procurement). Open procedure. Framework contracts in cascade; multiple framework contracts per lot (three contractors ranked per lot where possible). Award by best price-quality ratio.

Key dates:TED publication date 05/05/2026. Deadline for receipt of tenders 18/06/2026 10:00 Europe/Luxembourg. Public opening 19/06/2026 14:30 Europe/Luxembourg. Contract maximum duration four years (initial 12 months with up to three automatic 12-month renewals provided no extension beyond 31/08/2030).

Estimated total value (all lots):€3 795 850 (total maximum for the framework agreements across all lots).

Lots, volumes and languages

The call is divided into 12 independent lots. Each lot is a separate framework contract and will be awarded and implemented separately; tenderers may bid on one or multiple lots. For each lot the contracting authority will establish a ranked list of up to three contractors; specific requests (order forms) are issued in cascade following that ranking. The Centre has published estimated budgets per lot (indicative only) and each lot has its own estimated value and maximum contract duration.

Services required and technical details

Scope of services:translation (with or without full post-editing), revision, modification and light post-editing of legal texts relating to EU bodies/institutions. Typical document types: reports, studies, minutes, administrative texts and other legal-domain documentation. Assignments are frequently produced and delivered in bilingual SDLXLIFF files and may include pre-translation outputs: translation memory matches and machine translation. Contractors are required to work with translation memory (CAT) tools compatible with SDLXLIFF and to follow project-specific instructions and terminology guidance supplied by the Centre. The Centre currently uses Trados Studio 2021 and Office 2019; contractors must be able to work with relevant file formats and translation-memory output. Machine translation may be supplied and is expected to be post-edited when applicable; the Centre has defined pricing weightings for pre-translation matches and machine translation for invoicing.

1. 1Services: translation with or without full post-editing; revision; modification; light post-editing.
2. 2File formats: SDLXLIFF bilingual files and common office formats. Translation memory compatibility required.
3. 3Quality expectation: final deliverables must require no further correction by Centre services; quality is assessed using a Standard Assessment Sheet with a point system; repeated low-quality deliveries can lead to sanctions including termination.
4. 4Delivery: assignments ordered via the Centre’s Freelance Portal; contractor accepts order and returns delivered files via the Portal; strict confidentiality and secure data handling required.

Commercial terms and invoicing

Pricing model:price per standard page (1,500 characters without spaces) in euro. Price must be inclusive of all costs (salaries, overheads, insurance, IT, management, etc.). The Centre is tax-exempt; prices are net of VAT and invoiced accordingly. The contract includes a defined matching and post-editing weighting scheme to adjust invoices for pre-translation (translation memory matches) and machine-translation content. Revisions and modifications have separate weighting factors. Payments: no pre-financing or interim payments; balance invoiced and paid within 30 days following acceptance unless a suspension applies. No performance or retention guarantees apply to this framework.

Matching and invoicing weights (summary):Translations pre-processed with TM/MT: full TM matches / repetitions counted at 20%; fuzzy 85-99% at 50%; fuzzy 75-84% and empty segments at 100%; machine translation output counted at 80%. Revisions: invoiced at 50% of the price per standard page. Modifications: new/modified pages invoiced at 130% of the price per standard page. Light post-editing: TM full matches 20% and remaining characters 50%.

Who can apply and how (eligibility)

Eligible applicant types:legal persons (companies), natural persons (freelancers), groups of economic operators (consortia/joint tenders). Subcontracting is permitted; identified subcontractors above 10% must be declared and submit commitment letters. Entities on whose capacities tenderers rely to meet selection criteria may be used but must provide commitment letters and evidence. Tenderers must be established in countries with access to procurement under EU rules (third country restrictions apply; UK entities are not eligible under this call). Tenderers and all involved entities must not be subject to EU restrictive measures and must not be in exclusion situations defined in the Financial Regulation.

• Eligible applicant types: SMEs, large enterprises, freelance translators (individuals), translation companies, universities/research institutes (if offering services), nonprofits and other legal persons able to provide the services.
• Joint tenders allowed: a group leader must be designated and a power of attorney provided (Annex 3). All group members are jointly and severally liable.
• Subcontractors: must be declared when above 10% share or relied upon for selection criteria; Annex 4 and Annex 5.1 commitment letters required.
• Entities on whose capacities tenderer relies (not subcontractors): Annex 5.2 commitment letter required.

Selection, award and evaluation

Selection and award:exclusion checks are based on Declaration on Honour and EDES. Selection criteria include legal/regulatory capacity, economic/financial capacity and technical/professional capacity. Key technical selection minima: average turnover threshold, proof of translation experience in legal field (minimum 2,000 standard pages for Criterion T1), minimum reference projects including high-quality assessments for Criterion T2, qualified linguistic team (degrees in law or translation/languages for linguists) for Criterion T3, and IT/technical capacity for Criterion T4. Award method is best price-quality ratio: price 30%, quality 70% (quality scored up to 100, including criteria C1, C2, C3). Tenders scoring under 60/100 for quality will be rejected. Framework contracts will be awarded to the top-ranked tenderers (up to three per lot) and ranked for cascade implementation.

1. 1Exclusion evidence: Declaration on Honour (Annex 2) and supporting documents for exclusion criteria where requested.
2. 2Selection evidence: financial statements or equivalent, certificates of experience and references, curriculum vitae for proposed linguists, IT/technical environment evidence (Annex 11).
3. 3Award scoring: Price 30%; Quality 70% (C1 qualification of team 30 points; C2 team organisation and QA 40 points; C3 use of language technologies and workflow 30 points).

Application process and required documents

Submission method:all tenders must be submitted electronically via eSubmission on the Funding & Tenders Portal. Tenderers must be registered in the Participant Register (PIC) and also complete the Centre’s Call for Tenders Portal forms for linguistic teams. The tender dossier requires completion and upload of mandatory annexes: Declaration on Honour (Annex 2), Power of Attorney for joint tenders (Annex 3), List of identified subcontractors (Annex 4), Commitment letters (Annex 5.1 and 5.2), Financial offer form (Annex 6), evidence of professional experience (Annex 7), linguistic team form (Annex 8), CVs (Annex 9), Technical tender (Annex 10), and Technical capacity (Annex 11). Failure to attach required documents in the proper eSubmission folders will result in rejection.

Mandatory eSubmission folders and key uploads:Use the eSubmission structure: Legal-Reg for legal and regulatory evidence and signatures; Exclusion for supporting exclusion documents; Econ-Fin for balance sheets and financial evidence; Tech-Prof for technical evidence and team data; Technical-Tender for CVs and technical tender text; Financial Tender for the completed price table (Annex 6). See Annex 1 for the full list. The Centre may request additional evidence during evaluation.

Evaluation and contract award mechanics

Ranking and cascade:for each lot the Centre will establish a ranked list of contractors based on the price-quality evaluation. The first-ranked contractor receives requests first; if they cannot perform or refuse an assignment, the contracting authority may substitute with next-ranked contractors. Refusal to accept a service request may lead to sanctions including termination and liquidated damages. The Centre reserves the right to terminate the framework contract for poor quality, lack of capacity or breaches defined in the draft contract.

Security, confidentiality and data protection

All documents and assignments are confidential. Contractors must ensure confidentiality agreements with staff and subcontractors and must not process assignment content with third-party cloud or generative AI services unless those tools are fully self-hosted and compliant with data location and security clauses. Personal data processing must comply with Regulation (EU) 2018/1725 and the contract sets specific obligations including data localisation within the EU/EEA unless prior authorisation is obtained. Contractors must notify the contracting authority immediately of any personal data breach and cooperate with audits and checks.

Evaluation stages and success rates

Application stages:1) submission and administrative compliance check; 2) exclusion and selection checks (including documentary evidence requests); 3) technical/quality evaluation of the tender and linguistic teams; 4) financial evaluation and combined scoring; 5) award and ranking. The contracting authority uses the EDES database and may request clarifications during the procedure. Success rates are not published; because this is an open procedure with up to three framework contractors per lot, the probability of award depends on the number and quality of competing tenders per lot and the contracting authority’s requirements.

Consortium requirement:The procurement accepts single tenderers or joint tenders (consortia). If a joint tender is submitted, a group leader must be appointed, all members sign the power of attorney (Annex 3) and members are jointly and severally liable.

Co-funding and payment modalities

Co-funding:not applicable. Payments: fees paid by the Centre under specific contracts. No pre-financing is provided. Invoice and payment rules are in the draft framework contract. Payments will be made in euro to the account indicated by the contractor; late payment interest and suspension rules are specified in the contract.

Templates and application forms

The tender dossier includes downloadable templates and forms:Draft Contract (framework and specific contract templates), Tender Specifications, Annexes in Word including: Annex 2 Declaration on Honour, Annex 3 Power of Attorney, Annex 4 List of identified subcontractors, Annex 5.1 and 5.2 Commitment letters, Annex 6 Financial offer form, Annex 7 Professional experience form, Annex 8 Linguistic team form, Annex 9 CV template, Annex 10 Technical tender template, Annex 11 IT and security questionnaire. Tenderers must complete and upload the templates into the eSubmission folders indicated in Annex 1. The Annexes in Word are provided in the procurement documents.

1. 1Annex 2 Declaration on Honour on exclusion and selection criteria (mandatory).
2. 2Annex 3 Power of Attorney (for joint tenders; mandatory if joint).
3. 3Annex 4 List of identified subcontractors (if any above 10% share).
4. 4Annex 6 Financial offer form: fill and upload in the Financial Tender folder in eSubmission.
5. 5Annexes 7–11: professional experience, linguistic team, CVs, technical tender and IT capacity must be filled and uploaded in Technical-Tender or Tech-Prof folders as specified.

Practical notes and recommended actions for applicants

Register early in the Participant Register and create any required EU Login accounts. Complete the Centre’s Call for Tenders Portal forms for each lot and ensure the linguistic team entries are consistent with Annex 8 and CVs. Prepare proofs for selection criteria and certificates of experience (signed by the client and including volume, language pair, field and quality mark where required). Ensure TM/CAT compatibility with SDLXLIFF and confirm secure storage and processing locations for personal data. Submit the tender by the stated deadline via eSubmission and verify all attachments are in the correct folders as per Annex 1. Allow time to respond to potential clarification requests from the contracting authority.

Eligible Applicant Types:Startups, SMEs, large enterprises, translation agencies, individual freelancers (linguists), universities and research institutions or other legal entities that provide translation and post-editing services, consortia of such entities, NGOs or nonprofits if they offer the required services. Public authorities may participate only where permitted by access rules. Subcontractors and entities on whose capacities the tenderer relies may also participate following the rules in the tender specifications.

Funding Type:Procurement – framework service contracts (paid services). Not a grant, loan or equity instrument.

Consortium Requirement:Single tenderer allowed or consortium/joint tender permitted. Joint tenderers must appoint a group leader and supply a power of attorney (Annex 3). Joint tender members are jointly and severally liable.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility):Entities established in EU Member States and other countries with procurement access under EU rules may apply. Entities subject to EU restrictive measures or in exclusion situations are not eligible. The tender documents specify that UK operators are NOT eligible for this call.

Target Sector:Translation services and language industry, specifically legal translations and post-editing in the legal field for EU institutions and bodies.

Mentioned Countries:EU Member States generally; the tender is for services used by EU bodies. The tender text specifically notes that UK entities are not eligible under the procurement access rules for this call.

Project Stage:Operational / service delivery (ongoing production). This is a service-provision contract for operational translation work rather than a research or development funding opportunity.

Funding Amount:Estimated total framework ceiling €3 795 850 across all lots. Individual lot estimated values published (see lot table). Actual orders depend on Centre requirements and specific contracts; framework ceiling is the maximum spend.

Application Type:Open call for tenders via eSubmission on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal. Electronic submission is mandatory. Questions and answers are handled through the portal Q&A.

Nature of Support:Commercial payment for services (monetary). Contractors receive payment under specific contracts based on agreed unit prices and the weighting rules for pre-translation and post-editing; no non-monetary services are foreseen as the primary support.

Application Stages:Four main stages: 1) submission and administrative checks; 2) exclusion and selection checks (document verification); 3) technical quality evaluation and scoring; 4) financial evaluation and award (ranking and framework contract signature).

Success Rates:Not published. Award depends on number and quality of competing tenders per lot and compliance with selection criteria. Up to three contractors per lot may be awarded and ranked; being ranked increases chance of receiving specific contract orders during the framework period.

Co-funding Requirement:No co-funding required. Contractors invoice the Centre for services delivered and will be paid according to contract terms.

Templates and application structure — practical checklist

Applicants must use provided Annex templates:Declaration on Honour (Annex 2), Power of Attorney for joint tenders (Annex 3), List of Identified Subcontractors (Annex 4), Commitment letters (Annex 5.1/5.2), Financial offer form (Annex 6), Professional experience form (Annex 7), Linguistic team form (Annex 8), CV template (Annex 9), Technical tender (Annex 10) and IT/technical capacity questionnaire (Annex 11). Each annex indicates which eSubmission folder to upload the completed document to; Annex 1 of the tender specifications maps every required document to the eSubmission folder. Ensure the Group leader and authorised signatory delegations are evidenced. Submit early to resolve eSubmission technical issues before the deadline.

1. 1Complete Participant Register and obtain PIC before starting eSubmission.
2. 2Register in the Centre’s Call for Tenders Portal and complete linguistic team forms for every lot applied for.
3. 3Complete Annex 6 Financial offer and enter total amount in the eSubmission 'Total amount' field for each lot.
4. 4Upload all annexes in the indicated eSubmission folders: Legal-Reg, Exclusion, Econ-Fin, Tech-Prof, Technical-Tender, Financial Tender.
5. 5Keep original signed documents available on request; some originals may be requested during validation.

Where to find the full dossier and ask questions:Full tender dossier, draft contract, tender specifications and annexes are published on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal opportunity page. Questions must be submitted via the portal Q&A; the contracting authority will not be bound to answer questions submitted after the Q&A deadline indicated in the procurement notice. For technical eSubmission support contact the eSubmission Helpdesk via the Portal EU Funding & Tenders Portal opportunity ¹.

Footnotes

1. 1Opportunity page on the Funding & Tenders Portal: ec.europa.eu

Opportunity Overview

This is an open call for tenders issued by the Translation Centre for the Bodies of the European Union for the provision of translation and post-editing services regarding texts in the legal field. The tender covers multiple language combinations and is structured as a framework agreement without reopening of competition. The services are intended to support the work of various bodies and institutions of the European Union.

Tender Reference:CDT/2026/OP/0003 (TED reference: 86/2026 306967-2026)

Contracting Authority:Translation Centre for the Bodies of the European Union, located in Luxembourg

Key Dates and Deadlines

Applicants must submit their tenders electronically through the EU Funding and Tenders Portal. An EU Login account with 2-factor authentication is required for submission. Questions about the tender must be submitted before the specified deadline, after which the contracting authority is not obligated to respond.

Funding and Contract Value

Total Estimated Value:€3,795,850 across all lots ¹

Contract Type:Framework agreement with multiple suppliers, without reopening of competition

Maximum Contract Duration:48 months from entry into force, not extending beyond 31 August 2030

The framework agreement is renewable automatically three times for twelve months each, provided renewal does not extend beyond 31 August 2030. Either party may prevent renewal by providing formal notification at least three months before the end of the ongoing duration.

Lots and Language Combinations

The tender is divided into 12 lots, each covering a specific language combination for translation and post-editing services in the legal field. Applicants may bid for one or multiple lots depending on their language capabilities and experience.

The estimated values shown represent the maximum contract value for each lot. Actual payments will depend on the volume of work ordered and the prices proposed by successful tenderers.

Who Can Apply

Eligible Applicants

This is an open procedure with no reserved participation. Any natural or legal person, including translation service providers, language service companies, and individual translators, may submit a tender. Applicants may submit tenders as sole tenderers or as part of a group of economic operators (consortium). Subcontracting is permitted under specified conditions.

Exclusion Criteria

Applicants must not be in any of the following situations:bankruptcy or insolvency proceedings; breach of tax or social security payment obligations; grave professional misconduct; fraud, corruption, or criminal offences; significant deficiencies in contract performance; irregularities; creation of entities to circumvent legal obligations; or intentional resistance to investigations or audits. Applicants must declare their compliance with exclusion criteria through a signed Declaration on Honour. ²

Selection Criteria

Applicants must demonstrate professional and technical capacity to perform the services. Key selection criteria include extensive professional experience in translation in the legal field, quality of the proposed linguistic team, and technical capacity including IT security and data protection measures.

Professional Experience Requirements

Criterion T1 requires tenderers to prove extensive experience in translation in the legal field for the specific language combination(s) for which they are bidding. According to the tender specifications, tenderers must demonstrate at least 500 pages of translation experience on topics related to European affairs or public administration matters in the relevant language combination. ³

Criterion T2 requires evidence of quality through at least three assignments of minimum 70 pages each, demonstrating the quality of work through quality marks or certifications.

Experience may be drawn from various types of clients, including EU institutions, national governments, international organisations, or private sector clients working in the legal field. The tender specifications clarify that there is no restriction on the types of clients whose certificates of experience will be accepted, provided the work demonstrates the required expertise in legal translation.

Linguistic Team Requirements

Criterion T3 requires applicants to propose a qualified linguistic team. The team must include linguists with appropriate academic qualifications, professional profiles, or accreditations demonstrating specialisation in legal translation. Applicants must submit curriculum vitae for each proposed linguist, including their translation experience, language proficiency levels, and technical skills.

The proposed team must demonstrate complementarity and specialisation appropriate to the legal field. Applicants should provide evidence of the academic qualifications and professional profiles of proposed linguists responsible for carrying out assignments.

Technical and Organisational Requirements

Quality Assurance and Team Organisation

Applicants must describe their quality control and quality assurance mechanisms, including linguistic resources available to support operational effectiveness. The proposed organisation and coordination of the linguistic team must guarantee continuity of service, operational resilience, and consistent delivery of high-quality legal translations. Quality-related certifications are valued.

Language Technologies and Technical Workflow

Applicants must describe how language technologies and technical tools are integrated into the translation workflow to enhance efficiency, consistency, quality assurance, and secure handling of data. This includes translation memory software, file compression tools, and other relevant software for handling non-standard formats.

IT Security and Data Protection

Applicants must demonstrate robust IT security measures including antivirus programmes, firewall solutions, and data protection tools. Off-site data back-up systems and regular data back-up procedures (daily, weekly, or monthly) are required. Applicants must provide details on disaster recovery solutions and data restoring systems. All final deliverables must be usable as received without further revision or correction by the Translation Centre's services.

Pricing and Financial Terms

Price Structure

Applicants must submit a financial tender form specifying the price per standard page in euros for each language combination they are bidding for. The financial tender must also indicate the minimum daily capacity that the applicant commits to maintaining for each lot.

Award Criteria

The award method is best price-quality ratio. This means that contracts will be awarded based on a combination of price and quality factors, not solely on the lowest price. The tender specifications detail the specific quality criteria and their weighting in the evaluation process.

Payment Terms

Payments shall be made in euros into the bank account specified by the contractor. The framework agreement does not provide for pre-financing. Payment is made following delivery of services and submission of invoices. The contractor must comply with EU invoicing requirements and may be required to use e-invoicing.

Submission Requirements

Required Documents

Applicants must submit the following documents electronically through the EU Funding and Tenders Portal:

• Declaration on Honour on exclusion and selection criteria (Annex 2), signed and uploaded under 'DoH' folder
• Power of Attorney (Annex 3) if submitting as a group, uploaded under 'Legal-Reg' folder
• List of identified subcontractors (Annex 4) if applicable, uploaded under 'Legal-Reg' folder
• Commitment letters from subcontractors (Annex 5.1) and entities on whose capacity is being relied (Annex 5.2), uploaded under 'Legal-Reg' folder
• Financial tender form (Annex 6) with prices per standard page and minimum daily capacity, uploaded under 'Financial Tender' folder
• Professional experience of the tenderer (Annex 7) for each lot, uploaded under 'Tech-Prof' folder
• Linguistic team information (Annex 8) for each lot, uploaded under 'Tech-Prof' folder
• Curriculum vitae for each proposed linguist (Annex 9) and supporting documents for selection criteria, uploaded under 'Technical-Tender' folder
• Technical tender (Annex 10) describing team qualification, quality assurance, and language technologies, uploaded under 'Technical-Tender' folder
• Technical capacity information (Annex 11) on IT security, back-up tools, and data loss prevention measures, uploaded under 'Tech-Prof' folder

All documents must be uploaded only once in the specified folders. The system does not accept duplicate uploads. Curriculum vitae and diploma copies should be uploaded only under the 'Technical-Tender' folder, not in multiple locations.

Technical Specifications for Submission

Submissions must be made exclusively through electronic submission via the EU Funding and Tenders Portal. Individual file attachments must not exceed 50 MB in size. The maximum number of documents per tender submission is 200 files. Supported file types depend on the type of submission and are specified within the system requirements. The system supports all 24 official EU languages and uses UTF-8 character set encoding.

Applicants should use the latest versions of Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox browsers. The system encrypts all uploaded documents using asymmetric key encryption to ensure confidentiality and integrity. Once submitted, the content of the submission is not accessible after the deadline as the system encrypts all attachments upon upload.

Evaluation Process

The contracting authority will evaluate tenders based on the criteria set out in the tender specifications. The evaluation will assess professional experience, quality of the proposed linguistic team, technical capacity, quality assurance mechanisms, and pricing. Tenders will be evaluated for each lot separately, allowing applicants bidding for multiple lots to be assessed individually for each language combination.

The public opening of tenders is scheduled for 19 June 2026 at 14:30 Luxembourg time. Applicants will be notified of the evaluation results and award decisions in accordance with EU procurement procedures.

Contract Implementation

Upon award, the successful contractor will enter into a framework service contract with the Translation Centre. The framework agreement establishes the terms and conditions under which the Translation Centre may order services through specific contracts or order forms. The contractor is not granted any exclusive right to provide the services.

The framework agreement is implemented in cascade, meaning the Translation Centre orders services by sending requests for specific contracts to contractors ranked in order. The request for specific contract must determine the volume of work, deadline for completion, and remuneration due.

Intellectual Property and Confidentiality

All results produced under the framework contract, including translations and post-edited texts, become the property of the Translation Centre. The contractor retains ownership of pre-existing materials and intellectual property rights that existed before the contract, but must grant the Translation Centre a non-exclusive, royalty-free licence to use such materials for the purposes of the contract.

The contractor must maintain confidentiality regarding all information received in connection with the contract and must not disclose confidential information to third parties without prior authorisation from the Translation Centre. All documents and information related to the contract are subject to EU transparency and access to documents rules.

Liability and Performance Standards

The contractor is responsible for the quality of all deliverables. Final deliverables must be usable as received without any further revision or correction by the Translation Centre's services. The contractor must comply with quality standards specified in the tender specifications and contract.

If the contractor fails to meet quality standards or delivery deadlines, the Translation Centre may apply liquidated damages or reduce the price. The contractor may also be subject to suspension or termination of the contract for material breach of obligations, including failure to maintain minimum daily capacity or quality standards.

Termination and Dispute Resolution

Either party may terminate the framework agreement for convenience by providing formal notification. The contract may also be terminated for material breach, including failure to perform obligations, insolvency, or breach of exclusion criteria. Upon termination, the contractor must complete any ongoing specific contracts within six months unless otherwise agreed.

The framework agreement is governed by EU law, specifically the Financial Regulation and the general conditions for framework contracts for services. Any disputes arising from the contract are subject to the dispute resolution procedures set out in the contract, which may include negotiation, mediation, or referral to the competent courts.

Additional Information and Support

Applicants can access the full tender documentation, including tender specifications, draft contract, and annexes, through the EU Funding and Tenders Portal at Link Title. The portal provides a question and answer section where applicants can submit clarification requests before the deadline.

For technical support with the submission system, applicants should contact the IT Helpdesk through the portal. For substantive questions about the tender, applicants must submit questions through the Q&A section before the deadline of 10 June 2026 at 23:59 Luxembourg time. Responses to questions will be published on the portal for all applicants to view.

Applicants must have a valid Participant Identification Code (PIC) to submit a tender. If an organisation is not yet registered, it can be registered through the Participant Register on the EU Funding and Tenders Portal. Registration requires only basic information and is free of charge.

Key Considerations for Applicants

This is a significant procurement opportunity with a total value of nearly €3.8 million across multiple language combinations. The framework agreement structure allows for flexibility in ordering services over a four-year period, making it attractive for established translation service providers with capacity to handle ongoing work. ⁴

Applicants should note that the tender emphasises quality and technical capacity alongside pricing. The best price-quality ratio award method means that the lowest price will not automatically win; instead, the Translation Centre will balance cost considerations with quality factors. Applicants with strong quality assurance systems, experienced linguistic teams, and robust IT infrastructure will be well-positioned.

The minimum daily capacity requirement is a significant commitment that applicants must be prepared to meet. Failure to accept assignments or maintain minimum capacity can result in contractual penalties. Applicants should carefully assess their capacity before bidding and ensure they can sustain the committed volume throughout the contract period.

For applicants bidding on multiple lots, each lot must be evaluated separately, and applicants should ensure they have the appropriate linguistic expertise and capacity for each language combination. The tender allows applicants to propose up to two translators per lot, and all proposed linguists must pass competency tests and sign contract annexes.

Footnotes

1. 1The maximum total contract value of €3,795,850 is distributed across 12 language combination lots. Individual lot values vary significantly, with English into French representing the largest allocation at €1,460,000 and French into German the smallest at €1,350. This reflects anticipated demand for translation services in different language combinations.
2. 2The Declaration on Honour on exclusion criteria requires applicants to confirm they are not in any of the specified exclusion situations. These include bankruptcy, tax or social security payment breaches, grave professional misconduct, fraud, corruption, criminal offences, significant deficiencies in contract performance, irregularities, creation of entities to circumvent legal obligations, and intentional resistance to investigations. Applicants must provide supporting documentary evidence such as recent extracts from judicial records or certificates from competent authorities, unless such evidence has already been submitted for a previous procedure of the same contracting authority within the past year or is accessible through a national database.
3. 3The requirement for at least 500 pages of translation experience in the legal field for the specific language combination is a key selection criterion. This experience must be documented through certificates or evidence from clients, which can include EU institutions, national governments, international organisations, or private sector clients. The tender specifications clarify that there is no restriction on the types of clients whose certificates will be accepted, provided the work demonstrates expertise in legal translation.
4. 4The framework agreement structure is typical for EU procurement of ongoing services. It allows the Translation Centre to order services as needed over the four-year period without reopening competition for each individual assignment. This provides stability for successful contractors while allowing the Translation Centre flexibility in managing its translation needs. The automatic renewal provisions mean the agreement can extend to 31 August 2030 unless either party provides notice of non-renewal at least three months before the end of each 12-month period.