Strengthening the capacities of the IPA Bodies for the effective implementation of the Operational Programme EU for Youth Employment 2024-2027

This is a restricted EU procurement (service contract) in Albania to provide technical assistance to strengthen the institutional, administrative and operational capacities of bodies implementing the Operational Programme EU for Youth Employment 2024–2027. The estimated contract value is €3,540,000 with a maximum duration of 36 months and the award will follow a best price-quality ratio (quality 80%, price 20%). Requests to participate must be submitted on paper for shortlisting with a deadline of 22 October 2026; between four and eight candidates will be invited to tender. Applicants must meet the detailed selection and qualification criteria in the procurement documents, including minimum turnover and relevant contract experience requirements.

Tender — EC-ENEST/TIA/2026/EA-RP/0113

Summary

Procurement to deliver technical assistance to the Managing Authority, Intermediate Bodies, partners, end recipients and other stakeholders for implementation of the IPA III Operational Programme EU for Youth Employment 2024–2027 in Albania. Activities include institutional and administrative strengthening, capacity building, preparation of project and procurement documentation, monitoring, evaluation and reporting support, contract management assistance, and communication/visibility.

Who can apply:Open to natural persons and legal entities established in EU Member States or eligible IPA III countries, including consortia and international/regional organisations. Shortlisting will invite 4 to 8 candidates. See procurement documents for detailed eligibility and exclusion rules Procurement documents ¹

1. 1Estimated contract value €3,540,000 (excl. VAT)
2. 2Maximum duration 36 months; provisional start September 2027
3. 3Procedure type: Restricted; award by best price-quality ratio (quality 80%, price 20%)
4. 4Submission: non-electronic (sealed paper submission to CFCU, Tirana) in English
5. 5Key selection highlights: minimum average turnover €1,800,000 (last 3 years); technical references: at least 2 contracts >= €1,200,000 each in last 4 years; minimum specialist staff

Deadlines:requests to participate must be received by 22 October 2026, 16:30 Tirana time. Procedure is managed by the General Directorate for Financing and Contracting (CFCU), Government of Albania; review body National Court of Albania.

Footnotes

1. 1Full tender dossier, forms and submission details are available on the Funding & Tenders Portal Tender page.

Basic Opportunity Information

Title:Strengthening the capacities of the IPA Bodies for the effective implementation of the Operational Programme EU for Youth Employment 2024-2027. Procedure identifier / Internal reference: EC-ENEST/TIA/2026/EA-RP/0113. TED reference / Publication number: 649237-2026 (182/2026). Lead contracting authority / Buyer: General Directorate for Financing and Contracting of European Union (EU), World Bank and Other Donor Funds / Central Finance and Contracting Unit (CFCU), Government of Albania. Review organisation: National court of Albania. Funding programme: Instrument for Pre-accession Assistance (IPA III).

Purpose of the contract:To provide technical assistance to strengthen the institutional, administrative and operational capacities of the Managing Authority, Intermediate Bodies for Policy and Financial Management, Partners, End Recipients and other stakeholders for the implementation of the IPA III Operational Programme EU for Youth Employment 2024–2027 in Albania. Support includes institutional and administrative strengthening, capacity-building activities, preparation of project and procurement documentation (including technical documentation), support for programme monitoring, evaluation and reporting, assistance in procurement and contract management, and organisation of communication and visibility activities related to the Programme.

Place of performance / Delivery:Albania (country code AL). Nature of contract: Services. Main CPV: 75131000 Government services. Estimated total value (excluding VAT): €3,540,000. Maximum contract duration: 36 months. Award method: Best price-quality ratio. Framework agreement: The buyer reserves option for additional purchases up to 30% of the initial contract by negotiated procedure without prior publication, provided services conform to the basic project.

Important Dates and Submission

TED publication / CFT publication date shown:21/09/2026 (contract notice documents published 21/09/2026). Deadline for receipt of requests to participate: 22/10/2026 16:30 (Europe/Tirane, UTC+02:00). Provisional date of invitation to tender (if shortlisted): 20/01/2027. Provisional commencement date of contract: 20/09/2027. Period of implementation: 36 months. Submission method: Non-electronic / Paper submission only: Requests to participate must be submitted in sealed envelope to the address given in procurement documents (CFCU protocol office in Tirana) or hand-delivered for receipt acknowledgement. Electronic submission is not allowed for this stage.

Documents and How to Access

Procurement documents published on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal:contract notice (a5e), additional information (a5f) and request to participate form (b3). Official procurement documents are available in English only. Primary online entry for this tender: Funding and Tenders Portal - Tender details. Procurement document package including PDFs: a5e_contractnotice_en_V1.pdf, a5f_additional_info_contract_notice_en_V1.pdf, b3_req_part_form_en_V1.pdf. Please consult procurement documentation for exact submission address and formatting instructions Tender documents. ¹

Eligibility and Applicant Requirements

Legal and geographic eligibility:Participation is open to natural persons (nationals) and legal persons established in a Member State of the European Union or in an eligible country or territory as defined under Article 11 of Regulation (EU) No 2021/1529 establishing IPA III. Participation is also open to international and regional organisations. Candidates on EU restrictive measures lists at the moment of award cannot be awarded the contract.

Eligible Applicant Types:Consultants, consultancies, international and regional organisations, NGOs, public bodies, private companies and consortia. Consortiums are allowed and commonly used for this type of service contract. Sub-contracting is permitted. Consortium members are jointly and severally liable. All entities must satisfy nationality/establishment eligibility rules under IPA III.

Selection and Exclusion Requirements:Candidates must submit a signed Declaration on Honour on exclusion and selection criteria (template referenced in procurement documents). Grounds for exclusion follow PRAG (Section 2.4.2.1). Where candidates rely on capacity-providing entities, those entities must provide signed declarations and may be jointly liable for economic/financial criteria.

Procurement Procedure Details

Procedure type:Restricted procedure. Two-stage restricted process: requests to participate are invited and between 4 and 8 candidates will be short-listed and invited to submit full tenders. If fewer than 4 eligible candidates meet selection criteria, contracting authority may still invite those who satisfy the criteria. If more than 8 meet criteria, re-examination and ranking using additional comparative criteria will identify top 8.

1. 1Minimum number of candidates to invite to second stage (tender): 4
2. 2Maximum number of candidates to invite to second stage (tender): 8
3. 3Short-list ranking re-examination criteria (if >8): number of matching reference contracts, then cumulated value of qualifying services

Selection and Award Criteria — Requirements in Detail

Selection criteria:economic and financial capacity, professional capacity and technical capacity as set out in the procurement documents (request to participate form b3 and a5f). Award criteria: quality (80%) and price (20%), using best price-quality ratio evaluation.

Project Scope, Tasks and Expected Outputs

Core scope:deliver technical assistance and capacity building to ensure effective implementation of the Operational Programme EU for Youth Employment 2024–2027 in Albania. Key task areas include but are not limited to institution-building, administrative strengthening, capacity-building training and coaching, drafting and preparing project documentation and procurement documentation including technical specifications, supporting programme monitoring, evaluation and reporting systems, supporting procurement and contract management processes for beneficiaries, and organising communication and visibility activities in line with EU visibility rules.

1. 1Institutional and administrative strengthening of Managing Authority and Intermediate Bodies
2. 2Capacity building for partners and end recipients (training, coaching, workshops)
3. 3Preparation and review of project documentation and procurement documentation including technical documentation and specifications
4. 4Support in programme monitoring, evaluation, reporting and performance indicators
5. 5Assistance in procurement processes and contract management for programme implementation
6. 6Design and implementation of communication and visibility activities in compliance with EU rules

Project Stage, Duration and Financials

Project Stage / Expected maturity:Implementation / Operational stage: the contract supports implementation, monitoring, evaluation and administrative capacity — tasks for operationalising an approved Programme (not research or basic R&D).

Funding Amount:Estimated overall contract value: €3,540,000 (value excluding VAT). The contract is fee-based and financed under IPA III budget line 15 02 02 01. The buyer may award additional purchases up to 30% of initial contract value under the stated option.

Contract Duration:Maximum duration of the contract: 36 months. Provisional start date indicated in procurement documents: September 2027.

Application Process and Templates

Application / participation is by submission of a Request to Participate (Annex b3 request to participate form) in English, completed strictly following the provided template and accompanied by the Declaration on Honour (template a14a referenced in PRAG Annexes). The request to participate must include financial tables, personnel statistics, list of areas of specialisation, and up to 15 project references supporting technical capacity criteria. If relying on capacity-providing entities, include separate supporting commitments. The procurement documents specify required documentary evidence for references and financial data.

1. 1Use the request to participate form (Annex b3) exactly as provided; one signed original must be submitted.
2. 2Include signed Declaration on Honour on exclusion and selection criteria (form a14a), originals to be provided if requested.
3. 3Provide financial data for last three closed accounting years and averages, consistent with selection criteria.
4. 4Provide personnel statistics for current and previous two years and confirm minimum technical staff availability.
5. 5List and document up to 15 relevant projects (references) in the past four years with supporting evidence and values.

Submission format and address:paper submission only to the contracting authority postal/courier address or hand delivery to CFCU protocol office in Tirana. Details and opening hours are listed in the a5f additional information document. The outer envelope must be clearly labelled with contract title, publication reference and words Not to be opened before the opening session / Të mos hapet perpara datës së sesionit të hapjes. Late or electronic submissions are not accepted for this stage.

Evaluation Stages, Success Rates and Co-funding

Application stages:two-stage restricted tender procedure. Stage 1: submission of Request to Participate (pre-selection). Stage 2: shortlisted candidates (between 4 and 8) invited to submit full tenders; evaluation of tenders by best price-quality ratio and final award. Number of stages: 2.

Success Rates:Not published explicitly. Based on the restricted short-list process, maximum of 8 shortlisted candidates will be invited from all eligible requests to participate; success rate depends on number of valid requests but short-listing reduces the applicant pool substantially. Exact probability cannot be determined from the procurement documents.

Co-funding requirement:No requirement for co-funding from candidates is specified in the procurement documents; contract is fee-based and financed by IPA III. Candidates must however demonstrate financial and economic capacity per selection criteria.

Nature of Support and Contract Modalities

This is a service contract for technical assistance under EU external action rules. Beneficiaries (the contracting authority) will procure and pay for technical assistance services; selected contractor(s) will receive monetary payments under the contract. Electronic ordering and electronic payment will be used during contract execution; electronic invoicing is not allowed. The contract may include deliverables such as training sessions, reports, technical specifications, monitoring tools, communication and visibility outputs.

Sectors and Technologies Targeted

Target sector:public administration and governance with focus on employment and youth employment programme implementation. Thematic sectors include public policy, programme management, labour market / youth employment measures, public procurement, monitoring & evaluation, capacity building, and communications. This is not a technology development or R&D procurement; focus is on institutional strengthening and operational support.

Mentioned Countries and Geographic Eligibility

Explicit country references:Albania (place of performance; contracting authority) and EU Member States/eligible countries under IPA III for candidate/tenderer establishment. The beneficiary scope for the procurement is Albania and participation is open to entities established in EU Member States or eligible countries/territories under Article 11 of IPA III, as well as international and regional organisations.

Templates and Application Form Structure

Key templates referenced in procurement documents and to be used exactly as provided:Annex b3 Request to Participate Form (detailed sections), Declaration on Honour (form a14a), Annexes providing instructions and format. The b3 form structure includes: identification of legal entity or consortium, contact person, economic & financial capacity tables (annual turnover, current assets/liabilities), personnel statistics (permanent and other staff), areas of specialisation, experience references (max 15), declarations and signature. If relying on capacity-providing entities, submit separate documents with commitments and supporting evidence. Financial figures must be in EUR and conversion rules use InforEuro exchange rate (September 2026).

1. 1Request to Participate form (b3) — mandatory; includes financial tables and personnel statistics
2. 2Declaration on Honour (a14a) — mandatory; originals may be requested
3. 3Project reference documentation — certificates, reports, proof of payment for each referenced contract
4. 4Where applicable, commitment letters from capacity-providing entities (separate document)

Other Practical and Legal Notes

Legal basis:Regulation (EU, Euratom) 2024/2509 on the financial rules applicable to the general budget of the Union and Regulation (EU) No 2021/1529 establishing IPA III as applicable. Procurement is governed by PRAG and local law for EU external actions financed from the general budget and EDF. Candidates must comply with conflict of interest and ethics clauses as per PRAG. Clarification requests must be submitted through the Funding & Tenders Portal Questions & Answers tab and will be published; copy clarifications to tender_CFCU@financa.gov.al. Clarifications can be requested up to 21 days before the deadline; answers published at latest 8 days before the submission deadline. The contracting authority may extend deadlines in case of disruptions.

Quick Checklist for Applicants

1. 1Confirm eligibility under IPA III nationality/establishment rules and that your entity is not listed under EU restrictive measures.
2. 2Ensure average annual turnover for last 3 closed years >= €1,800,000.
3. 3Confirm technical capacity: at least 2 completed contracts in last 4 years each >= €1,200,000 with the required subject-matter evidence.
4. 4Prepare personnel statistics showing on average >= 6 relevant staff in the current and previous two years.
5. 5Complete Annex b3 Request to Participate and Declaration on Honour (a14a) exactly per templates; collect supporting documentary evidence for references and financials.
6. 6Submit one signed paper Request to Participate (sealed envelope) to the CFCU address in Tirana before 22/10/2026 16:30 local time.
7. 7If relying on capacity-providing entities, include separate signed commitments and evidence as required.

Contact for administrative questions and postal submissions:General Directorate for Financing and Contracting of EU, World Bank and Other Donor Funds (CFCU), Ministry of Finance, Third floor (CFCU protocol office), Bulevardi Deshmoret e Kombit No. 3, 1001 Tirana, Albania. Email for clarifications and administrative contact: tender_CFCU@financa.gov.al.

Comprehensive Summary

This restricted tender procures fee-based technical assistance services to strengthen institutional, administrative and operational capacities for implementation of the multiannual Operational Programme EU for Youth Employment 2024–2027 in Albania under IPA III financing. The contract is services-focused, valued at approximately €3.54 million, with a maximum duration of 36 months and possible additional purchases up to 30% by negotiated procedure. The procurement follows a two-stage restricted procedure: interested parties must submit a paper Request to Participate using the provided Annex b3 template and meet stringent selection criteria on financial capacity, personnel and technical experience. Between 4 and 8 candidates will be short-listed and invited to tender; award is by best price-quality ratio (quality 80% / price 20%). Submissions must be in English and delivered physically to the contracting authority in Tirana by the deadline 22/10/2026 16:30 local time. Detailed requirements, templates and documentary evidence instructions are contained in the procurement documents available on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal. Potential applicants must consult and follow these documents precisely to be considered eligible and shortlisted.

Footnotes

1. 1Primary procurement documents and contract notice are available on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal: Funding and Tenders Portal - Tender details (search or access by reference EC-ENEST/TIA/2026/EA-RP/0113) and the documents listed under 'Documents' (a5e, a5f, b3). Funding and Tenders Portal - Tender details

Opportunity summary

This is a restricted EU procurement for services in Albania seeking technical assistance to strengthen the institutional, administrative and operational capacities of the bodies implementing the Operational Programme EU for Youth Employment 2024 to 2027. It is a contract notice, not a grant, so there is no funding rate; the award is based on a service contract with an estimated value of €3,540,000 and a maximum duration of 36 months.

What the contract is about

The contract covers technical assistance for the Managing Authority, Intermediate Bodies for Policy and Financial Management, partners, end recipients and other stakeholders involved in implementing the IPA III Operational Programme on EU for Youth Employment 2024 to 2027 in Albania. The scope includes institutional and administrative strengthening, capacity building, project and procurement documentation preparation, support for programme monitoring, evaluation and reporting, procurement and contract management assistance, and communication and visibility activities.

Who can apply

The notice is issued under a restricted procedure, so candidates first submit a request to participate and only shortlisted candidates are expected to move to the next stage. The available notice does not publish the full selection criteria in the summary data, but it indicates that the detailed tenderer requirements are set out in the procurement documents, and the call is not marked as SME suitable, which suggests the contracting authority is likely seeking organisations with substantial technical and institutional capacity.

Key financial and procedural details

Conditions and applicant considerations

• Applicants should consult the request to participate form and the additional information notice because the summary entry does not expose the full qualification criteria.
• The contract is for technical assistance, so strong references in public administration support, EU funds management, procurement, monitoring and reporting will likely be important.
• The submission route is paper based, so electronic submission is not accepted for this procedure.
• The notice indicates no framework agreement and no DPS usage.
• There is an inconsistency in the supplied metadata about deadlines; the official notice details in the context point to 22 October 2026 at 16:30 local time, which is the date to rely on unless the procurement documents state otherwise.

Programme context

It sits within the wider IPA III financing framework for Albania's youth employment agenda, and the related multiannual action for Albania on youth employment has an EU budget contribution of €100 million across 2025 to 2027[1].

Source note

Official portal entry and procurement documents:EU Funding and Tenders Portal ¹.

Footnotes

1. 1The portal notice identifies the tender as EC-ENEST/TIA/2026/EA-RP/0113 and provides the official documents and submission instructions.