Strategic Advice to Europe’s Rail Joint Undertaking

The EU-RAIL/2025/OP/0001 call for tenders titled "Strategic Advice to Europe’s Rail Joint Undertaking" was published on April 9, 2025. This open procedure aims to secure external providers for strategic advice and support in programme management for the EU-Rail Joint Undertaking. The EU-Rail JU seeks to augment its expertise with selected contractors to ensure effective management and address the complexities of its programme, all while minimizing organizational rigidity and costs.

The framework contract will cover specific contracts that define the required expertise, duration of services, and other relevant details. Expertise needed includes a strong understanding of the railway market, advanced rail technology developments, innovative engineering design, and project management.

The tender details three main tasks:
1. Providing strategic advice to the EU-Rail JU.
2. Supporting the EU-Rail JU System Pillar.
3. Assisting the Deployment group.

The estimated total value of the tender is EUR 1,200,000, with a maximum contract duration of 48 months. The award will be based on the best price-quality ratio without requiring the reopening of the competition.

Selection criteria for applicants include:
- Suitability to undertake the professional activity as detailed in the procurement documents.
- Sufficient economic and financial standing.
- Demonstration of technical and professional ability.

Key deadlines include the tender submission deadline on June 10, 2025, at 15:00 Europe/Brussels time, and the public opening of tenders on June 11, 2025, at 10:00 Europe/Brussels time. The contracting authority will not entertain questions submitted after June 2, 2025, at 05:00 Europe/Brussels time.

Applicants must submit their tenders electronically through the designated eSubmission system. They will need a Personal Identification Code (PIC) and must adhere to specific technical requirements regarding file formats, sizes, and naming conventions. There are no co-funding requirements or explicit consortium stipulations indicated in the tender.

The tender outlines that responses to specific case studies must be included in the technical proposal, which will be a critical element in evaluating the submission quality. The process is designed to ensure comprehensive assessment and management capabilities that align with the goals of modernizing rail infrastructure and enhancing cross-border connectivity throughout the EU.

The EU-RAIL/2025/OP/0001 call for tenders, titled "Strategic Advice to Europe’s Rail Joint Undertaking," was published on April 9, 2025, with TED reference 70/2025 230095-2025. This open procedure aims to secure external providers to offer strategic advice and support to programme management for the EU-Rail Joint Undertaking (JU). The EU-Rail JU seeks to complement the expert knowledge of its members with selected contractors to ensure effective management, address the complexity of its programme, and achieve its objectives without increasing organizational rigidity or costs.

The framework contract will be implemented through specific contracts, detailing the type of expertise, duration of services, and other relevant elements. The advice needed requires a strong understanding of the railway market and the latest rail technology developments. Competencies in innovative engineering design and project management are also essential.

The tender specifies three main tasks:

Task 1: Strategic advice to EU-Rail JU.
Task 2: Support to the EU-Rail JU System Pillar.
Task 3: Support to the Deployment group.

The estimated total value of this tender is 1,200,000 EUR. The contract's nature is for services, with a maximum duration of 48 months. The award method will be based on the best price-quality ratio, utilizing a framework agreement without reopening competition.

Selection criteria include:

Suitability to pursue the professional activity (consult the procurement documents).
Economic and financial standing (consult the procurement documents).
Technical and professional ability (consult the procurement documents).

Key milestones include:

TED publication date: April 9, 2025.
Date and time of public opening: June 11, 2025, at 10:00 Europe/Brussels time.
Deadline for receipt of tenders: June 10, 2025, at 15:00 Europe/Brussels time.
The contracting authority will not reply to questions submitted after June 2, 2025, at 05:00 Europe/Brussels time.

The following documents are available for download:

ENOP.01.25 Invitation to tender Invitation letter (Published April 9, 2025, Version 1, No translations available)
ENOP.01.25 Tender-specs Invitation letter (Published April 9, 2025, Version 1, No translations available)
ENOP.01.25 ANNEXES Invitation letter (Published April 9, 2025, Version 1, No translations available)
ENOP.01.25 Case Study Task 1 Invitation letter (Published April 9, 2025, Version 1, No translations available)
ENOP.01.25 Case Study Task 2 Invitation letter (Published April 9, 2025, Version 1, No translations available)
ENOP.01.25 Case Study Task 3 Invitation letter (Published April 9, 2025, Version 1, No translations available)
ENOP.01.25 Financial Model Invitation letter (Published May 16, 2025, Version 2, No translations available)
ENOP.01.25 Draft FWC Invitation letter (Published April 9, 2025, Version 1, No translations available)

Submissions must be sent electronically via the provided address for submission.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) and Answers:

Question 65639: Clarification regarding Quality Criteria 1 and 2. Answer: Refer to the answer provided to question 65419 (sub-question b) and section 5.4.1 of the tender specifications. Published May 28, 2025, 19:09.
Question 65636: Clarification relating to section 4.2 of the ToR regarding the Agreement on Government Procurement (GPA). Answer: This procurement is NOT covered by the Agreement on Government Procurement (GPA) because EU-RA. Published May 28, 2025, 19:05.
Question 65635: Confirmation that case studies are merely examples. Answer: Your understanding is correct. Replies to the case studies must be included in the technical proposal as indicated in section 5.4.1 of the tender specifications. Published May 28, 2025, 19:01.
Question 65632: Regarding Quality control measures in page 36 of Tender-specs_v1. Answer: Your understanding is correct. Refer to the answer to question 65419. Quality criteria 3 will not be assessed based on the examples from the case studies. Published May 28, 2025, 18:58.
Question 65419: Regarding section 5.4.1, Evaluation of the quality of the tender, for the “Quality criteria 2. Organisation of the work”. Answer: No budget breakdown should be provided in the allocation of the budget resources in the replies to the case studies. No financial tender is requested at this stage. Published May 26, 2025, 17:09.
Question 65416: According to Tender Specifications, criterion T5 and criterion T6 three senior experts and six junior experts shall be included. Answer: Each junior expert must demonstrate professional experience of at least three (3) years in the subject of the contract. Published May 26, 2025, 17:04.
Question 65413: According to Tender Specifications, criterion T3 stipulates that the tenderer "must prove experience in providing strategic advice". Answer: The examples provided should be in the context of a large transnational PPP technological and/or research programme change i.e. in the relevant to a Joint Undertaking-type structure. Published May 26, 2025, 16:58.
Question 64817: Confirmation whether there are any page limits foreseen for the case study responses. Answer: Please refer to the answer provided in Question 64655. Published May 19, 2025, 13:57.
Question 64669: Clarifications regarding the 2nd case study on TSI, specifically the scope. Answer: The scope of the case study is the Standardisation and TSI input plan, which shall support the transfer of EU-Rail outcomes, relevant for harmonisation, into the adequate harmonisation framework. Published May 16, 2025, 14:44.
Question 64668: Observation that the provided form in excel format does not sum up the weighted price of each profile. Answer: No specific answer provided. Published May 16, 2025, 14:42.
Question 64657: Whether there is a specific template that must be used for the CVs in the submission of the proposal. Answer: For the evidence to be submitted in e-submission please refer to Annex 1. LIST OF DOCUMENTS TO BE SUBMITTED WITH THE TENDER OR DURING THE PROCEDURE- When and where to submit the documents. Published May 16, 2025, 14:13.
Question 64655: In order to ensure our responses to the case studies in the technical proposal are aligned with your expectations. Answer: We confirm there is not minimum or maximum length (i.e.: number of pages) for the specific reply to each of the three 3 case studies. As the case studies will be evaluated under quality criteria. Published May 16, 2025, 14:05.
Questions 64386 and 64385: Regarding templates for CVs and alignment of case study responses. Answer: The answer will be published shortly. Published May 12, 2025, 20:38 and 20:35.
Question 64355: In order to ensure our responses to the case studies in the technical proposal are aligned with your expectations. Answer: Annex 7 to each of the four LOTs (Case Study) contains indication on maximum number of pages which the solved case study can have. Please read also carefully all published answers in Q&A. Published May 12, 2025, 20:30.
Question 64377: Regarding a specific template that must be used for the CVs in the submission. Answer: The answer concerning the number of the CVs to be submitted and the format can be found in the Tender Specifications-Part 1, section 3.2.3. Technical and professional capacity, selection criteria. Published May 12, 2025, 20:02.

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In summary, this tender is an invitation for companies to provide strategic advice and support to Europe's Rail Joint Undertaking. The EU-Rail JU needs external expertise in railway market developments, rail technologies, innovative engineering design, and project management. The selected contractor will work on specific contracts within a framework agreement, focusing on strategic advice, system pillar support, and deployment group support. The tender involves submitting responses to case studies and demonstrating the technical and professional ability to handle complex transnational projects. The submission process is electronic, and potential tenderers must adhere to specific technical requirements for file formats, sizes, and naming conventions. A key aspect of the evaluation will be the quality of the tender, with no budget breakdown required in the initial case study responses.

Eligible Applicant Types: The eligible applicant types are not explicitly stated but can be inferred to be organizations capable of providing strategic advice and support to program management, possessing sound knowledge of the railway market, rail technologies, innovative engineering design, and project management. This could include companies, research institutions, consulting firms, or other entities with relevant expertise.

Funding Type: Procurement. This is a call for tenders, indicating a procurement process where the contracting authority (Europe's Rail Joint Undertaking) is seeking services from external providers. The nature of the contract is services.

Consortium Requirement: The text does not explicitly state whether a single applicant or a consortium is required. However, the requirement for a Personal Identification Code (PIC) for all participants, including members of a group (consortium), suggests that both single applicants and consortia are eligible.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): The geographic eligibility is not explicitly defined. Given that it is an EU funding opportunity related to Europe's Rail Joint Undertaking, it is highly likely that the beneficiary scope includes EU member states and potentially other countries associated with EU programs.

Target Sector: The target sector is primarily transport, specifically the railway industry. It also encompasses research and development, consultancy services, and project management within the context of rail technology and infrastructure.

Mentioned Countries: No specific countries are mentioned. The opportunity is focused on Europe's Rail Joint Undertaking, suggesting a European scope.

Project Stage: The project stage is focused on providing strategic advice and support to program management, which implies activities related to the development, management, and deployment phases of rail-related projects.

Funding Amount: The estimated total value of the tender is 1,200,000 EUR.

Application Type: Open call. The procedure type is explicitly stated as an "Open procedure," meaning it is an open call for tenders.

Nature of Support: The beneficiaries will receive service contracts. The selected contractors will provide strategic advice and support services to the EU-Rail JU.

Application Stages: The number of application stages is not explicitly stated, but it involves at least one stage of submitting a tender, which will then be evaluated based on the selection criteria outlined in the procurement documents.

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

Co-funding Requirement: The text does not explicitly mention a co-funding requirement.

Summary:

This is a call for tenders (EU-RAIL/2025/OP/0001) issued by Europe's Rail Joint Undertaking (EU-Rail JU) to seek external providers for strategic advice and support to program management. The EU-Rail JU aims to enhance its management capabilities and address the complexities of its program by engaging external expertise in strategy and program management. The selected contractors will complement the knowledge of the EU-Rail JU's membership. The framework contract will be implemented through specific contracts detailing the expertise, duration, and other relevant elements.

The requested advice requires knowledge of the railway market, rail technologies, innovative engineering design, and project management. The tender specifies three main tasks: strategic advice to EU-Rail JU, support to the EU-Rail JU System Pillar, and support to the Deployment group.

The procedure is an open call, and submissions must be electronic. The estimated total value of the tender is 1,200,000 EUR, and the maximum contract duration is 48 months. The award method is based on the best price-quality ratio.

The tender documents include an invitation to tender, tender specifications, annexes, case study tasks, a financial model, and a draft framework contract. Tenderers must meet specific selection criteria related to their suitability to pursue the professional activity, economic and financial standing, and technical and professional ability, as detailed in the procurement documents.

The deadline for receipt of tenders is June 10, 2025, at 15:00 Europe/Brussels. The contracting authority will not reply to questions submitted after June 2, 2025, at 05:00 Europe/Brussels.

To participate, tenderers need a Personal Identification Code (PIC). The eSubmission system supports various file types and has specific requirements for attachment sizes and naming conventions. The system also supports all 24 official EU languages and uses encryption to ensure the integrity and confidentiality of the information.