Provision of travel services related to returns by scheduled flights supported by Frontex

European Border and Coast Guard Agency (FRONTEX) is procuring a framework service contract for travel desk services including booking, ticketing, amendments, cancellations, refunds and operational support for forced and voluntary returns by scheduled flights, with substantial IT integration and API work to connect contractor systems to Frontex. The estimated maximum value is €350,000,000 (excl. VAT) for an initial 24-month term renewable once for 24 months, with orders placed via the framework agreement. The award will be based on the best price-quality ratio with a 70 percent technical and 30 percent financial weighting and strict minimum selection and technical thresholds. Tenders must be submitted electronically via the EU Funding and Tenders Portal eSubmission by 30 November 2026 at 17:00 Warsaw time.

What it funds

A framework service contract to provide travel desk services for Frontex-supported returns by scheduled flights: booking, ticketing, cancellations and refunds, 24/7 helpdesk, operational support for special cases (medical, SSR), and development/maintenance of an API interface between the contractor’s booking system and Frontex’s FAR platform.

Who can apply & key facts

Open procedure. Eligible applicants:legal persons and natural persons, and joint tenders, established in EU Member States or countries with procurement access as specified in the tender documents. Tenders must show substantial travel agency capacity (GDS access, IATA/BSP access, corporate travel references, software/API experience) and meet security and data protection requirements.

Estimated value:Estimated total framework ceiling €350,000,000 ¹.

1. 1Core services: booking, ticketing, cancellations/refunds, ticket issuance and management; 24/7 dedicated helpdesk.
2. 2IT: deliver and maintain API integration with Frontex FAR, provide separate Production/Staging/Training/Development environments; support GDS, NDC and LCC connectivity.

Contract details:open, electronic submission via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal; framework contract initial duration 24 months with option to renew once for 24 months; award on best price-quality ratio (70% technical / 30% price). Technical requirements, IT security guidelines, draft contract, SLA and data processing agreement are published in the procurement documents.

Footnotes

1. 1Full tender documentation and submission portal: EU Funding & Tenders Portal

Opportunity summary

Frontex is launching an open call for tenders to conclude a framework service contract for the provision of travel desk, booking and ticketing services for EU Member States that organise forced and voluntary returns by scheduled flights with Frontex support. The contract includes travel agency operations (bookings, ticket issuance, cancellations, refunds), IT integration and API interconnection with Frontex’ FAR (Frontex-Assisted Returns) module of IRMA, dedicated staffed teams (travel agents and software developers), a 24/7 helpdesk and maintenance/improvements of the interface and environments. The framework contract has a maximum estimated total value of €350,000,000 (excl. VAT) for up to 48 months (initial 24 months with one 24-month renewal option). The procurement procedure is an open procedure with electronic submission via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal and eSubmission. See procurement documents (Invitation to Tender, Tender Specifications, Terms of Reference, Draft Contract, Appendices and templates) for full requirements and templates. Tenderers must register (EU Login and PIC) and submit via eSubmission. For portal access and eSubmission guidance see the Funding & Tenders Portal Funding & Tenders Portal ¹.

Eligible Applicant Types:Open to natural and legal persons as defined in the EU Treaties, international organisations and economic operators established in third countries with public procurement access (SAA, EEA, Association Agreements). Typical eligible applicant types: travel management companies and travel agencies, global distribution system integrators, IT/software development firms, SMEs and large enterprises, consortiums / joint ventures combining travel and IT providers, subcontractors and service partners. Tenderers must not be subject to EU restrictive measures and must meet exclusion criteria (Declaration on Honour).

Funding Type:Procurement / tender resulting in a service contract implemented as a framework agreement awarding orders via order forms. Nature of contract: services; award method: best price-quality ratio.

Consortium Requirement:Single tenderer or joint tender (consortium) allowed. Joint tenders must appoint a group leader and all members assume joint and several liability. No special legal form required for the consortium at tender stage; contracting authority may require a legal form before signature.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility):Eligible applicants established in the EU and participating third countries with procurement access: EU, EEA (Iceland, Norway, Liechtenstein), candidate/associated countries noted in the tender (e.g., Georgia, Moldova, Ukraine, Western Balkans per Stabilisation and Association Agreements) where applicable. Processing and hosting of Frontex personal data must remain within the EU/EEA unless explicitly authorised.

Target Sector:Transport and travel services sector combined with ICT services: travel management and ticketing, travel agency services, global distribution systems (GDS), NDC integrations, software development, API engineering, IT security, helpdesk services, and operations supporting border management and return logistics.

Mentioned Countries:Explicitly: Poland (Frontex HQ location for timezone and public opening session Europe/Warsaw). General geographic scope: EU Member States and EEA; references in the tender documents to Member States using Frontex support. Procurement published EU-wide on the Funding & Tenders Portal.

Project Stage:Operational delivery and implementation: the opportunity expects an operational-ready travel services provider with mature systems for booking and ticketing, IT integration capability to connect to FAR (API), and operational teams for immediate delivery (production readiness within 120 calendar days from contract signature).

Funding Amount:Estimated total procedure value (ceiling) €350,000,000 (excl. VAT) for the overall duration of the framework contract (up to 48 months including renewal). Specific services are ordered via order forms; the ceiling may be increased up to 50% (negotiated procedure without prior publication) during three years following signature if justified and conditions apply.

Application Type:Open tender (open procedure) with electronic submission via the Funding & Tenders Portal (eSubmission). Public TED reference 183/2026 652366-2026; call published on the Portal. Submission must be electronic; EU Login PIC is mandatory.

Nature of Support:Monetary: services contract (payment for performed services, transaction fees, staff man-hours, helpdesk/monthly fees). Non-monetary: IT integration, provision of API environments, technical maintenance and knowledge transfer – these are contracted services covered by financial items in the Financial Proposal. Frontex will reimburse travel/ticket costs and pay fees for services delivered. Processing and data handling obligations included (Data Processing Agreement template provided).

Application Stages:Single-stage tender submission in response to call (technical + financial submission). Evaluation stages include admissibility check, exclusion/selection verification, technical evaluation, and financial evaluation. Tenderers may be requested to provide documentary evidence during evaluation (usually within 10 working days for selection evidence).

Success Rates:Not stated explicitly in the procurement documents. As an open EU-level procurement with a single lot and competitive scoring (technical 70% / financial 30%) and high minimum thresholds (technical pass threshold 50% overall and 50% for each main TEC), successful tendering will require meeting stringent selection and technical requirements; expected success rate is typically low for single-award framework procurements of this scale.

Co-funding Requirement:No co-funding required. This is a public procurement service contract: Frontex will reimburse ticket costs and pay fees according to contracted prices. Tenderers must propose all-inclusive net prices (excluding VAT).

Project Stage Requirements: Technical and operational must-haves:Mandatory capabilities per Terms of Reference and Appendices: 1) travel agency experience and scale (min. issuance 20,000 tickets per year for the past 3-year periods and three corporate travel management contracts in the last 5 years with minimum aggregated value thresholds); 2) operational capacity: nominated team of at least five permanent travel agents and one permanent software developer dedicated to the contract, 24/7 helpdesk with minimum staffing, defined shift patterns and fallback pool; 3) IT capability: API integration with FAR using REST principles, four isolated environments (Production, Staging/UAT, Training, Development), GDS EDIFACT connectivity (required), readiness to integrate NDC and LCC content, API documentation and full security compliance in line with Appendix 5; 4) data protection: processing only within EU/EEA, Data Processing Agreement, compliance with Regulation (EU) 2018/1725 and relevant Frontex privacy provisions; 5) financial: provision of monthly accumulated invoicing, specification template with FAR ID references, transaction fees and man-hour billing model as per Annex IV financial template.

1. 1Key dates: tender submission deadline 30/11/2026 17:00 Europe/Warsaw; public opening 01/12/2026 10:00 Europe/Warsaw; TED publication date 22/09/2026.
2. 2Estimated total value: €350,000,000 (max. ceiling; framework agreement without reopening of competition).
3. 3Maximum contract duration: 48 months total (24 months initial + 24 months renewal option).
4. 4Award method: best price-quality ratio with weighting technical 70% / price 30% (technical pass threshold: minimum 50% overall and minimum 50% per main TEC block).
5. 5Submission method: electronic via EU Funding & Tenders Portal (EU Login / PIC mandatory).
6. 6Documents to download and study: Invitation to Tender, Annex I Tender Specifications, Annex II Terms of Reference, Draft Contract, Annex IV Financial template, Annex VI Tender Submission Form, Annex VIII Technical proposal template, Appendix 4 Technical Requirements, Appendix 5 ICT Security Guidelines, Appendix 6 SLA and Data Processing Agreement template.

Application guidance and mandatory templates:The procurement documents include an Invitation to Tender, Tender Specifications (Annex I), Terms of Reference (Annex II) with Appendices (Technical Requirements Appendix 4, ICT Security Appendix 5, SLA Appendix 6), Draft Contract, a Financial Proposal template (Annex IV), Tender Submission Form (Annex VI), Declaration on Honour (Annex V), Power of Attorney and commitment letter templates (Annex VII), Technical Proposal template (Annex VIII) and Statement of Intent template (Annex IX). All templates must be used where indicated in the Tender Specifications. Technical Proposal must fully address the Technical Evaluation Criteria and use the scoring sub-criteria indicators provided.

Key technical document requirements:Tenderers must include: filled Technical Proposal template (Annex VIII), supporting evidence for selection criteria (financial statements, turnover declaration, proof of ticket volumes from GDS/BSP reports, copies of relevant contracts and reference letters), CVs and evidence of staff qualifications and availability, evidence of GDS access, proof of IATA accreditation and GDS licences, API and integration experience and examples, security compliance evidence (SAST/SCA/pen test reports as applicable during evaluation or upon request), Data Processing Agreement proposals and documentation demonstrating data centre locations within EU/EEA.

Pricing model and proposal notes:Prices must be net, excluding VAT and all-inclusive. Use Annex IV Financial Proposal template. Financial evaluation uses the reference total price formula: lowest total price receives financial score 100, remaining proposals are scored proportionally. Transaction fees, man-hour rates for permanent and seasonal travel agents and software developers, and a monthly helpdesk fee should be provided. Integration costs for API/FAR are proposed in Annex IV but intentionally excluded from the total reference price; the ToR indicates a maximum of €100,000 for integration-related developments as an indicative limit.

Legal, security and data protection:Tenderers must comply with Frontex Financial Regulation and applicable EU procurement law. Data processing of personal data is governed by Regulation (EU) 2018/1725; the controller is Frontex and a Data Processing Agreement template is provided (Annex III to contract). Critical requirement: processing and storage of Frontex personal data must be within EU/EEA (Appendix 4 and Terms of Reference), and contractor must follow ICT Security Software Development Guidelines (Appendix 5). Security testing and penetration testing may be required prior to production acceptance. Frontex may conduct audits and request documentary evidence during the procedure and contract execution.

Footnotes

1. 1Access the Funding & Tenders Portal for this tender and eSubmission guidance: Funding & Tenders Portal.

This is a public procurement tender, not a grant, for a framework service contract under which Frontex seeks a professional provider for booking, ticketing, travel desk support and related IT interface development for returns by scheduled flights supported by the Agency ¹².

Opportunity snapshot

The authoritative portal notice shows the deadline for receipt of tenders as 30 November 2026 at 17:00 Warsaw time, with the public opening scheduled for 1 December 2026 at 10:00 Warsaw time ¹.

What the contract is about

Frontex wants a high quality travel desk service for returns supported by the Agency, including booking and ticketing for Member States that organize forced and voluntary returns by scheduled flights with Frontex support ².

The contractor must also establish and maintain an interface with the local Frontex IT system used for contacts and ticketing operations with Member States, which means the contract includes substantial IT integration and API related work ¹².

• Travel desk support for scheduled return flights, including booking, issuance, amendments, cancellations and refund handling ²
• Operational support for forced and voluntary return operations coordinated with Member States ²
• Integration between the contractor systems and Frontex systems for contacts, ticketing and data exchange ¹²
• Service level and ICT security obligations, including data processing and confidentiality requirements ¹

Who can apply

Participation is open to natural and legal persons within the scope of the EU Treaties, including international organisations, and to certain operators established in third countries covered by relevant procurement access agreements, subject to the conditions set out in the tender specifications ².

• Single tenderers are allowed ²
• Joint tenders or consortia are allowed, with a designated leader and joint and several liability ²
• Subcontracting is allowed if the subcontractors are clearly identified and documented ²
• Tenderers may rely on other entities for selected capacities, subject to proof and commitment letters ²

Tenderers and all involved entities must not be subject to EU restrictive measures, exclusion grounds or professional conflicting interests, and they must have the legal, economic, financial, technical and professional capacity needed to perform the contract ².

Selection criteria and minimum thresholds

For the ticketing and contract execution phases, the tenderer may be asked to provide staff specific declarations, confidentiality forms, statements of intent, clean criminal record certificates and other supporting proofs within short deadlines ¹².

Award criteria and scoring

The tender is awarded on the basis of the most economically advantageous offer, with a technical to price weighting of 70 to 30, and only tenders passing the minimum technical thresholds can remain in the competition ¹².

Technical quality is normalized against the best score, and the final score is calculated as 0.7 times the technical score plus 0.3 times the financial score ².

Submission process and deadlines

• Submit exclusively through the electronic submission system on the Funding and Tenders Portal ¹
• An EU Login account is required for submission, subscription and question management ¹
• Questions should be raised through the portal, and the contracting authority is not bound to reply to questions submitted after 20 November 2026 at 23:59 Warsaw time ¹
• The public opening is online on 1 December 2026 at 10:00 Warsaw time, and the opening session allows at most one representative per tender according to the tender specifications ¹²
• Tenderers are responsible for checking updates and modifications during the submission period ¹

Key contractual and compliance points applicants should note

• The framework contract runs for 24 months and may be renewed once for 24 months, with a maximum overall duration of four years ¹²
• Frontex is not obliged to place orders just because the framework contract is signed ²
• Prices must be quoted in euro net of VAT, and VAT is generally excluded from evaluation because Frontex is exempt under EU rules ²
• Joint tenders require a power of attorney and joint and several liability declarations ²
• Subcontractors must be identified, and commitment letters are required even when capacities are merely relied upon ²
• Confidentiality, data processing, ICT security and service level obligations are built into the procurement package through multiple annexes ¹²

Practical assessment for bidders

This opportunity is best suited to large, established travel management providers with strong airline distribution reach, proven government or institutional references, high volume ticketing capability, robust financial scale, and the ability to integrate securely with Frontex systems at API level ².

Applicants should expect a demanding compliance and delivery package, because the tender combines travel services, operational resilience, data protection, security, and systems integration in one framework contract ¹².

Footnotes

1. 1Official portal notice and metadata for the tender: EU Funding and Tenders Portal tender details.
2. 2Tender invitation and tender specifications published on the portal, including the eligibility rules, selection criteria, award criteria, contract duration and technical requirements: Invitation to tender PDF and Tender specifications PDF.