Shipping Advisor Services

This is a tender opportunity for Shipping Advisor Services, identified by the procedure identifier CONSILIUM/2025/OP/0017, published by the General Secretariat of the Council of the European Union. The estimated total value of the contract is €121,000, with a maximum duration of 24 months, consisting of an initial 12-month term that can be renewed once. The tender is targeted toward any legal entity capable of operating within the EU, although it is not specifically designed for small and medium enterprises (SMEs).

The core of the contract involves providing specialized shipping advisory services to the European Union Naval Force (EUNAVFOR) operational headquarters in Rota, Spain. The application process is an open procurement procedure, and submissions must be made in paper form, which is relatively unusual for EU tenders. The deadline for submission is set for January 28, 2026, at 12:00:59 UTC+01:00, with the bids opening scheduled for January 29, 2026.

Applications will be evaluated based on a 50% quality and 50% price ratio. There's no requirement for a consortium, meaning a single applicant can submit a proposal independently. The contract does not necessitate any co-funding from the applicants, as the entire amount is funded by the EU budget.

The tender documents provide detailed instructions on the application process and include components such as the invitation letter, compliance matrix, instructions to bidders, terms of reference, financial offer form, declaration of honor, and draft contract. Interested parties are required to submit their proposals at the designated address specified in the procurement documents, and they should also be aware that no questions will be answered post the clarification deadline of January 19, 2026.

This opportunity focuses on the maritime advisory services sector and is open to bidders who can comply with the technical and administrative requirements laid out in the tender. The publication date for the tender announcement is December 18, 2025, providing clear guidance for potential applicants regarding timelines and the required documentation to participate in the tender process.

This is a call for tenders for Shipping Advisor Services, procedure identifier CONSILIUM/2025/OP/0017. The TED reference is 244/2025 842929-2025. It is an open procedure, and submissions must be non-electronic. The contracting authority is The General Secretariat of the Council of the European Union.

The subject of the contract is the provision of Shipping Advisory services by a company able to operate in the EU (hereinafter "operator"), to the EUNAVFOR OHQ Rota, according to the technical descriptions contained in Procurement Documents. The main classification (CPV) is 60640000 Shipping operations. The nature of the contract is for services.

The estimated total value is 121000 EUR. The maximum contract duration is 24 months. The award method is best price-quality ratio. There is no framework agreement.

Key milestones include:
TED publication date: 18/12/2025
Date and time of public opening: 29/01/2026 12:00 Europe/Brussels
Deadline for receipt of tenders: 28/01/2026 12:00 Europe/Brussels
The contracting authority is not bound to reply to questions submitted after: 19/01/2026 07:00 Europe/Brussels

The following documents are available for download:
EN1. INVITATION TO TENDER Invitation letter Published on 18/12/2025 Version 1 No translations available
ENAnnex IV Compliance Matrix Tender specifications Published on 18/12/2025 Version 1 No translations available
ENA. INTRUCTIONS TO BIDDERS Tender specifications - adm. part Published on 18/12/2025 Version 1 No translations available
ENANNEX VII -Cover Letter Tender specifications - adm. part Published on 18/12/2025 Version 1 No translations available
ENANNEX II TERMS OF REFERENCE Terms of reference Published on 18/12/2025 Version 1 No translations available
ENANNEX III. FINANCIAL OFFER Financial offer form Published on 18/12/2025 Version 1 No translations available
ENANNEX VI DECLARATION OF HONOR Declaration on honour (tender) Published on 18/12/2025 Version 1 No translations available
ENB. CONTRACT Draft contract: special conditions Published on 18/12/2025 Version 1 No translations available
ENANNEX I GENERAL CONDITIONS FOR SERVICE CONTRACT Draft contract: general conditions Published on 18/12/2025 Version 1 No translations available
ENANNEX V EPF_BP_ID_ORGANIZATION_ENDraft contract annex Published on 18/12/2025 Version 1 No translations available

Submissions must be sent exclusively at the address for submission given in the procurement documents. The submission method is non-electronic.

Some frequently asked questions (FAQ) and their answers related to the eSubmission system are:

How to proceed if the system is slow or doesn’t work while uploading/downloading documents?
Please make sure you use the latest versions of Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox. If the issue persists, try the following steps: 1. Clear the cache and cookies on the Internet browser.

Which Internet browsers does eSubmission support?
Please use the latest versions of Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox. For the most up-to-date technical recommendations, click on the link System Requirements.

Is it possible to view the details of the submission after the deadline?
The content of the submission is not accessible after submitting the tender as the system encrypts all attachments upon upload. Thus, the system will not allow decryption after the upload.

Where can I find my submissions in Manage My Area, in the Funding & Tenders portal?
Depending on the type or step of procedure, you can find the submissions in one of these sections: In ‘My Submission(s)’: tenders in response to open calls for tenders, requests to participate.

Which size should attachments have?
For attaching files to your tender submission, eSubmission accepts files that are less than 50 MB in size. Any larger sizes will not be accepted by the system.

How should I name attachments in eSubmision?
In eSubmission, you must name the attachments for your tender draft following the System Requirements. With regards to all attachment names, please see the following conditions: The allowed characters are a-z, A-Z, 0-9, underscore "_", hyphen "-" and dot ".". Each attachment name must have a meaningful name.

Can I submit a video in eSbmission? Which formats are supported?
You can check the System Requirements of eSubmission.

I received an invitation from the F&T Portal but cannot view the procurement documents.
Invited candidates can only see the procurement documents after having selected an organisation. Go to F&T Portal, “My Invitations”. Click on “Select Organisation” from the “Action” column.

Do I need to validate my PIC in order to submit a tender in eSubmission?
The Personal Identification Code (PIC) is mandatory to participate in a call for tenders as a sole candidate/tenderer or as a member of a group (consortium). For subcontractors PIC is not mandatory.

I have an issue uploading a file in eSubmission and it’s giving me an error. What do I do?
When uploading a file in eSubmission, you must first make sure it follows the technical requirements of the system.

How many attachments can I upload per submission?
The maximum number of documents the system will allow you to upload per tender is 200 files.

Why do tenderers need a PIC?
It is mandatory to register for a PIC if you intend to submit a tender or a request to participate. Only one PIC per organisation must be used.

How do I register my organisation and get a Participant Identification Code (PIC)?
First, check if the organisation is already registered using the Search PIC tool under 'How to Participate' > Participant Register.

How many languages does the system support?
The system is multilingual and supports all 24 official EU languages.

Which is the character set encoding in the system?
The character set encoding is UTF-8.

Does the system use encryption to ensure the integrity and the confidentiality of the information?
Yes, the system encrypts all uploaded documents, using an asymmetric key as an encryption mechanism.

Which file types does the system support?
The supported file types depend on the type of submission you want to make. The allowed file types are specified within the system requirements linked to the procedure in question.

Can I view and edit my draft submission?
Until the deadline for the submission has been reached, submissions in the draft status can be edited, viewed and deleted.

In the submission report, under the name of our entity, "Legal form: UNKNOWN" is displayed while in the system, our legal form was correctly displayed. Is this a problem for the submission?
No, it is just a display issue. This is not blocking for you: you can submit.

I sent my submission on time and a few days later, I received an automatic email informing me that the deadline for the reception of submissions had been reached. Does this mean that my submission was not correctly sent?
No, this is an auto-generated notification sent when the time limit of receipt defined for the call for tenders has been reached. Until then, you had the possibility of withdrawing.

In summary, this is a European Union call for tenders seeking a company to provide shipping advisory services to EUNAVFOR OHQ Rota. The contract is valued at 121,000 EUR and has a maximum duration of 24 months. The tendering process is open, and submissions must be made non-electronically by January 28, 2026. The award will be based on the best price-quality ratio. Interested companies must be able to operate within the EU and should consult the provided procurement documents for detailed technical specifications and submission instructions. A Personal Identification Code (PIC) is mandatory for participation. The eSubmission system supports multiple languages and encrypts uploaded documents for security.

Eligible Applicant Types: The eligible applicant type is a company able to operate in the EU, referred to as "operator".

Funding Type: The funding type is procurement, specifically a service contract.

Consortium Requirement: The opportunity does not explicitly state whether a consortium is required or if a single applicant is sufficient. However, the text refers to "a company," suggesting that a single legal entity can apply.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): The geographic eligibility is for companies able to operate within the EU.

Target Sector: The target sector is shipping operations, specifically the provision of shipping advisory services.

Mentioned Countries: The opportunity mentions the EU.

Project Stage: The project stage is not explicitly mentioned, but it implies a service provision that is ready for implementation.

Funding Amount: The estimated total value of the contract is 121,000 EUR.

Application Type: The application type is an open call for tenders.

Nature of Support: The beneficiaries will receive money in exchange for services.

Application Stages: The number of application stages is not explicitly stated, but the process involves submitting a tender, which implies at least one stage of evaluation.

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

Co-funding Requirement: The co-funding requirement is not mentioned in the provided text.

Summary: This is a call for tenders for the provision of shipping advisory services to EUNAVFOR OHQ Rota. The General Secretariat of the Council of the European Union is the lead contracting authority. The tender is open to companies operating within the EU. The estimated total value of the contract is 121,000 EUR, and the maximum contract duration is 24 months. The award method is based on the best price-quality ratio. The deadline for receipt of tenders is 28/01/2026 at 12:00 Europe/Brussels, and submissions must be sent via non-electronic means, with the address for submission to be found in the procurement documents. The TED reference for this tender is 244/2025 842929-2025 and the procedure identifier is CONSILIUM/2025/OP/0017. The tender documents include an invitation to tender, compliance matrix, instructions to bidders, cover letter, terms of reference, financial offer form, declaration of honor, draft contract special conditions, general conditions for service contract, and a draft contract annex. The contracting authority will not reply to questions submitted after 19/01/2026 07:00 Europe/Brussels.