Supply of the vault/cash operations equipment for strengthening institutional capacity of the Central Bank of Montenegro

EU‑financed open procurement for the supply, delivery, unloading, siting, installation and commissioning of vault and cash operations equipment for the Central Bank of Montenegro to strengthen cash handling, vault continuity and euro protection. Bidders established in EU Member States or eligible IPA III countries, including consortia, may submit a single non‑electronic (paper) tender by 8 October 2026, 14:30 Europe/Podgorica, with delivery DDP to CBCG in Podgorica. A tender guarantee of €2,600 and a performance guarantee of 10% of the contract price are required, award will be to the lowest price among technically compliant offers and the contract implementation period is up to 180 days from start.

What it funds

Scope (summary)

Supply, delivery, unloading, siting and installation of vault and cash‑operations equipment to strengthen the Central Bank of Montenegro’s operational resilience and euro protection against counterfeiting. Main items include banknote sorting and banding machines, coin sorters/counters, a south lift/table/vacuum packer and compact coin scales. Full technical specifications, quantities and conditions are in Annex II of the tender dossier Tender dossier. ¹

Who can apply:Natural and legal persons (including consortia) effectively established in an EU Member State or in eligible countries under IPA III; international and regional organisations may participate. Subcontracting and capacity‑providing entities are allowed; consortium members are jointly and severally liable.

1. 1Tender type: open non‑electronic procedure (paper submission).
2. 2Award criterion: lowest price among compliant bids.
3. 3Contract nature: supplies, DDP delivery to Central Bank of Montenegro.
4. 4Performance/security: tender guarantee €2,600; performance guarantee 10% of contract value; pre‑financing 40% (pre‑financing guarantee required).
5. 5Contract duration/implementation: maximum 180 days from start date notified by contracting authority.

Place of delivery:Central Bank of Montenegro, Podgorica. Procurement financed under the Instrument for Pre‑accession Assistance (IPA III). Interested suppliers must consult the full tender dossier for binding technical, financial and submission requirements and follow instructions on submission address and required documents. Tender page.

Footnotes

1. 1Full tender dossier (documents, technical specifications, forms, instructions to tenderers and procurement contacts) is published on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal at the link above.

Basic opportunity summary

This is an open non-electronic public procurement (open procedure) procured by the Government of Montenegro, Ministry of Finance, Directorate for Finance, Contracting and Implementation of the EU Assistance Funds (CFCU) under the Instrument for Pre-accession Assistance (IPA III). The contract covers the supply, delivery, unloading, siting, installation and commissioning of vault and cash operation equipment for the Central Bank of Montenegro (CBCG). Main CPV: 30132200 – banknote counting machines. Delivery location: Central Bank of Montenegro, Podgorica. Planned maximum contract duration: 180 days from the start date notified by the contracting authority. Award criterion: lowest price. Tender dossier and full specifications are published on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal and the tender dossier must be consulted for binding technical, quantity and contractual conditions ¹.

Key dates:Publication date (TED / F&T): 24/08/2026. Deadline for receipt of tenders: 08/10/2026 14:30 Europe/Podgorica. Public opening: 15/10/2026 09:00 Europe/Podgorica. Last date to submit questions: 17/09/2026 23:59 Europe/Podgorica.

What is being procured (scope and items)

Subject:Supply, delivery, unloading, siting, installation and commissioning of vault/cash operations equipment to strengthen CBCG institutional capacity, operational risk management and business continuity management and support alignment with EU central banking standards on euro protection. The procurement is for supplies (not services) and is a single lot (LOT-0001).

1. 1Banknote sorting and banding machine (floor/office machine) – 1 unit (detailed model and performance specs in Annex II).
2. 2South lift + table + vacuum packer assembly – 1 set (lift for coin rolls, packing table, freestanding vacuum sealer with chamber and sealing bars specified in technical annex).
3. 3Coin sorting machine (floor standing, high speed, multi-pocket with bagging) – 1 unit.
4. 4Desktop coin counter (compact, hopper-fed) – 1 unit.
5. 5Compact scale for coins (precision platform scale) – 1 unit.
6. 6Desktop banknote sorting machine (desktop sorter with serial number capture and banding compatibility) – 1 unit.

All item-level technical requirements, minimum capacities, dimensions, interfaces, languages and compatibility requirements (for example compatibility with the CBCG SoftCash application) are described in Annex II – Technical specifications + Annex III – Technical offer template in the tender dossier. Tenderers must propose equipment exactly to the specification fields or show superior features explicitly; simple statements such as 'compliant' are not sufficient in the technical offer.

Procurement and application details

Procurement procedure and submission method:Open procedure. Submission method: Non-electronic (paper submissions). Tenders must be sent to the contracting authority address indicated in the tender dossier and tender specifications. The tender opening session will be public and held at the Directorate premises (attendance by prior email notification).

Award and contract:Award method: lowest price among technically compliant tenders. The tender dossier contains the draft contract (main, special and general conditions), provisional and final acceptance templates, performance and pre-financing guarantee templates and the evaluation and administrative compliance grids. The performance guarantee is 10% of the contract value and a tender guarantee of €2,600 is required with submission.

Procurement documents and dossier contents

The tender dossier published on the Funding and Tenders Portal contains:Invitation letter; Instructions to tenderers (tender specifications); Main and Special conditions; General conditions annex; Technical specifications (Annex II) and Technical offer template (Annex III); Budget breakdown and model financial offer (Annex IV); Tender form and Declaration on honour (Annex A14a); Administrative and evaluation grids; Draft contract annexes (performance guarantee, pre-financing guarantee, tender guarantee) and identification/administrative forms. Tenderers must consult the annexes for exact technical data, quantities, packaging, labeling, delivery paperwork and warranty/after-sales obligations.

Submission language:All communications and the tender must be submitted in English. Technical manuals and warranty documents must be in English or Montenegrin where stated in technical spec.

Eligibility, selection and exclusion

Participation is open to natural persons and legal persons established in EU Member States and eligible countries listed under Article 11 of Regulation (EU) 2021/1529 (IPA III) and to international/regional organisations. All parties must submit the Declaration on honour (Annex A14a). Subcontracting is allowed. Capacity-providing entities can be declared and must provide commitments and documentary proof when requested.

Selection criteria (summary):Financial capacity: average annual turnover for last 3 closed financial years not less than €400,000. Professional capacity: average of at least 3 personnel with specialist knowledge during the current and previous two years; no professional conflicting interests. Technical capacity: at least 2 delivered supplies in the cash management domain in the last 4 years, each with value not less than €90,000. Documentary evidence must be provided on request.

Eligibility and evaluation process

The evaluation follows three steps:1) administrative compliance; 2) technical compliance against minimum technical specifications and selection criteria; 3) financial evaluation where arithmetical errors are corrected and lowest price among technically compliant offers wins. Variant bids are not accepted. Tender validity minimum 90 days. Tenderers must provide tender guarantee, declarations, identification, financial and technical documentation and the completed technical and financial annexes in the format requested.

Commercial and contractual conditions

Price, currency and taxes:Tenders and contract pricing must be in euro. The Incoterm is DDP (Delivered Duty Paid) to the Central Bank of Montenegro address. VAT and other taxes: according to the Framework Agreement between the Government of Montenegro and the European Commission, supplies are exempt from taxes and import duties under the project; tenderers must check the tender dossier and Annex V VAT instructions for exact handling.

Payments:Typical payment schedule in the tender dossier: pre-financing (40%) after contract signature and submission of pre-financing guarantee, balance (60%) upon provisional acceptance and submission of required certified documents and invoice. The dossier sets payment timing and invoice requirements; final payment deadlines are set in the special conditions (final payment timelines differ from standard general conditions).

Technical, delivery, warranty and after-sales

All items must match the technical specifications in Annex II. Delivery, installation and testing will be performed DDP at the address stated in the distribution list and acceptance is by provisional acceptance certificate. Warranty: minimum commercial manufacturer warranty of two years transferable to beneficiary; contractual warranty obligations at least one year from provisional acceptance as set in the general and special conditions. After-sales service obligations, spare parts availability, manual and training provisions are specified in the technical annex and are obligatory.

Detailed answers to program categorization and structured questions

Eligible Applicant Types

Eligible applicants:natural persons (individuals) and legal persons (companies or organisations) established in EU Member States or eligible IPA III countries as defined by Regulation (EU) No 2021/1529, and international and regional organisations. Tenderers may participate singly or in consortia. Subcontractors and capacity-providing entities are permitted; all must meet eligibility and non-exclusion rules. Typical eligible legal entity types: SMEs, large enterprises, manufacturers, authorised distributors, maintenance/service providers, installers, importers, consulting bodies acting as suppliers and providers of after-sales services, research organisations acting as suppliers where appropriate. Public bodies may tender where allowed by national rules, with special rules on guarantees. Participation exclusions: entities in exclusion situations (bankruptcy, serious professional misconduct, fraud/corruption, money laundering, terrorist financing, trafficking in human beings, established debt to EU etc.) as described in the Declaration on Honour (Annex A14a).

Funding Type

Primary mechanism:procurement (public supply contract) financed from EU funds (Instrument for Pre-accession Assistance, IPA III). This is not a grant, loan or equity funding call; it is a contract (supply) procured by a contracting authority on behalf of the beneficiary and financed by EU IPA resources.

Consortium Requirement

Consortium:not mandatory. Single tenderer allowed. Consortia (permanent or ad hoc) are permitted. If a consortium participates, all members are jointly and severally liable. Only one tender per economic operator is permitted. Where entities rely on capacity of third parties this must be documented and the capacity-providing entity may be jointly liable for selection criteria if required by the contracting authority.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility)

Geographic eligibility:EU Member States and eligible IPA III countries (Montenegro is the beneficiary country). Participation is open to entities established in EU Member States and countries eligible under Article 11 of Regulation (EU) 2021/1529. International and regional organisations may also participate. Place of delivery: Montenegro (Central Bank of Montenegro, Podgorica).

Target Sector

Sector:banking operations, cash handling and currency protection. Thematic targets: banking/central bank operations, cash processing equipment, counterfeiting detection and protection of euro currency, secure vault operations, cash management technology and related after-sales service and maintenance.

Mentioned Countries

Explicitly mentioned:Montenegro (place of performance and beneficiary). Reference is also made to EU Member States and eligible IPA III countries generally (geographic eligibility).

Project Stage

Project maturity expected:procurement for capital equipment and operational improvement. Typical project stage: demonstration/implementation and operational deployment (supply, installation, commissioning). Equipment must be delivered, installed, tested and accepted within the contract implementation period (maximum 180 days).

Funding Amount

The tender notice does not state an estimated total value in the public summary. The budget breakdown template is provided in the dossier (Annex IV). Tenderers must complete their financial offer in Annex IV. Refer to the tender dossier for the official procurement budget sheets and the financial envelope if published ¹.

Application Type

Submission method:open call / open tender advertised publicly on TED and the EU Funding & Tenders Portal. Submission is non-electronic (paper) and requires physical delivery to the contracting authority address. The procedure is not rolling; it is a single-call deadline with clarifications via the Portal.

Nature of Support

Beneficiaries will receive non-grant supplies (tangible goods) procured via a supply contract purchased with EU IPA funds: therefore non-loan monetary flow from the EU funds finances the procurement, but beneficiaries receive physical equipment and associated services (installation, warranty, training). This is not direct cash to private beneficiaries (no grant to supplier).

Application Stages

Number of evaluation stages:1) administrative compliance check; 2) technical compliance assessment (including selection criteria evaluation); 3) financial evaluation. These steps are performed sequentially within a single tender procedure. Therefore overall stages to secure contract: effectively 3 evaluation steps within the single procurement procedure.

Success Rates

No published historic success rate is provided in the dossier. As an open single contract procurement the theoretical success rate depends on number of compliant bidders; typical public procurement success rates vary widely. The contracting authority will award a single supplier for the lot to the lowest-price technically compliant tenderer.

Co-funding Requirement

No co-funding from the supplier is required as part of the contract price; the procurement is fully financed under the IPA III action described in the tender dossier. Tenderers must include full DDP pricing. If applicable, VAT/exemptions and local tax arrangements are described in the tender dossier; tenderers must follow the VAT instructions and the Framework Agreement between Montenegro and the European Commission.

Templates and tender forms

The tender dossier provides templates that must be completed and included in the submission: tender form for supply contract (Annex c4l), Declaration on honour (Annex A14a), technical offer template (Annex II+III), financial offer / budget breakdown (Annex IV), tender guarantee form, performance guarantee form, pre-financing guarantee form, identification forms for natural and legal persons, tender form and administrative/evaluation grids, draft contract with main/special/general conditions and annexes (including provisional/final acceptance certificates). The technical offer template requires detailed line-by-line responses against the technical specifications and documentation to identify exact model numbers, accessories, and confirm compliance. The financial offer must follow the model budget breakdown and quote DDP prices excluding taxes (VAT separately indicated where applicable). Tenderers must also complete the administrative identification and bank account forms (Annex V) and provide supporting documentation (company registration, financial statements, references for supplies in cash management domain fulfilling the selection criteria).

1. 1Technical offer: complete Annex II+III template; include model numbers, technical brochures, compatibility statements (SoftCash compatibility), interface details, languages and operator features.
2. 2Financial offer: complete Annex IV model financial offer/Budget breakdown with DDP pricing to Central Bank delivery address.
3. 3Tender Guarantee: original signed guarantee €2,600 (per tender dossier template).
4. 4Declarations: completed and signed Tender Form (Annex c4l) and Declaration on Honour (Annex A14a) for each legal entity in the tender (lead and all consortium members), identification forms and supporting documents.
5. 5Performance guarantee to be provided by the successful tenderer (10% of contract value) using the draft format in Annex V at contract signature.

Tenderers must follow the exact order and formatting required in the Instructions to Tenderers. Failure to present required documents may lead to rejection. Clarifications are issued to all tenderers via the Portal; requests for clarifications must be emailed to the address cfcu@mif.gov.me within the stated deadline.

Footnotes

1. 1Tender dossier and all annexes including technical specifications, forms and draft contract are published on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal tender details page: ec.europa.eu

This is an EU financed procurement tender, not a grant, for the supply, delivery, unloading, siting and installation of vault and cash operations equipment for the Central Bank of Montenegro. The notice aims to strengthen cash handling, vault continuity, operational risk management and alignment with EU central banking standards on euro protection and counterfeiting resistance ¹.

Nature of the opportunity

The procedure is an open supply contract under the Instrument for Pre-accession Assistance 2021 to 2027 (IPA III). The contract covers a defined list of equipment for cash operations and gold testing, with delivery to Podgorica, Montenegro. The award method is lowest price, and the contract is not divided into lots.

Estimated value and funding:The extracted tender notice does not publish an estimated total contract value. A funding rate is not applicable because this is a procurement contract; payment is made under the contract price. The notice does specify a tender guarantee of €2,600 and a performance guarantee of 10 percent of the contract price.

Who can apply

Eligible bidders include all natural persons and legal persons effectively established in a Member State of the European Union or in an eligible country or territory under the IPA III eligibility rules. International and regional organisations may also participate. Participation is open to single bidders and to consortia, including informal consortia created for this specific procedure.

• Consortium members are jointly and severally liable to the contracting authority
• Only one tender may be submitted by the same natural or legal person, whether alone or as part of a consortium
• Subcontracting is allowed
• All goods may originate in any country
• Tenderers must comply with the exclusion rules, conflict of interest rules and EU restrictive measures

Selection criteria and capacity requirements

Selection criteria are applied to the tenderer, or to the consortium as a whole where applicable. Economic and financial capacity requires an average annual turnover of at least €400,000 over the last three closed financial years. Professional capacity requires at least 3 directly employed or legally contracted personnel on average during the current year and the previous two years, and no professional conflicting interests. Technical capacity requires evidence of at least 2 completed supply contracts in the cash management domain within the last 4 years before the submission deadline, with each contract valued at no less than €90,000.

Main timetable and submission method

What the contractor must supply

• South Lift plus Table plus Vacuum packer
• Coin sorting machine
• Banknote sorting and banding machine
• Desktop banknote sorting machine
• Desktop coin counter
• Compact scale for coins

Key contractual and financial conditions

• The contract is unit price based
• Tenders must be submitted in English
• Variants are not allowed
• The tender dossier requires a detailed technical offer, financial offer, tender guarantee, declaration on honour, identification form, warranty information and technical brochures
• The tender guarantee is €2,600 and must remain valid for 45 days beyond the tender validity period
• The performance guarantee is 10 percent of the contract price
• The draft special conditions indicate a pre financing mechanism and balance payment after provisional acceptance
• The manufacturer warranty must be transferable and valid for 2 years from provisional acceptance
• The contracting authority may vary quantities by plus or minus 100 percent at contracting and during the contract, provided the overall contract value does not vary by more than 10 percent from the original offer
• All taxes and customs duties are exempt under the relevant Montenegro and European Commission framework agreement

The technical and administrative package is relatively demanding for a supply tender. Bidders should be ready to demonstrate market experience in cash management equipment, provide signed declarations and authorisations, and submit manufacturer documentation showing the exact model offered. A compliant tender must also reflect the delivery term DDP and the specified delivery location in Podgorica.

Footnotes

1. 1Official tender notice and tender dossier for procedure EC-ENEST/TGD/2026/EA-LOP/0101, as provided in the opportunity metadata and supporting documents.