Support for the implementation of the EU pledge on three billion additional trees by 2030

The European Commission, specifically the Directorate-General for Environment (DG ENV), has released a call for tenders, referencing EC-ENV/2025/OP/0024, to support the implementation of its pledge to plant three billion additional trees by 2030. This tender constitutes a service contract worth an estimated total of 600,000 EUR and will last for a maximum of 48 months. The tender submission deadline is set for October 6, 2025, at 16:00 local time in Brussels, with a public opening scheduled for October 7, 2025.

The initiative stems from the EU Biodiversity Strategy announced in 2020, which aims to increase forest cover substantially. The successful contractor will focus on promoting this pledge through stakeholder engagement across all 27 EU Member States. Key responsibilities for the contractor include organizing educational and promotional events such as webinars and conferences, managing the outreach for the annual Three Billion Trees Award, and liaising with various stakeholders such as public and private organizations, land and forest owners, foresters, and governmental authorities.

This procurement opportunity is open to various types of bidders, primarily service providers with relevant experience in environmental consulting and implementation strategies related to forestry and biodiversity. While small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) may apply, the indication that "SME suitable" is false suggests the contract may favor larger organizations. Single applicants are permitted for the tender, and there are no explicit requirements for forming a consortium.

The contract is structured for services rather than as a traditional grant, meaning that payments will be made against services rendered upon meeting stipulated milestones. The evaluation of bids will follow a best price-quality ratio award method.

Applications must be submitted electronically via the EU's Funding and Tenders Portal, where detailed tender documents and specifications can be accessed. Participants are required to have a Personal Identification Code (PIC), which is necessary for both individual and consortium submissions. The tender supports submissions in all 24 official EU languages and outlines specific technical requirements for document formats, sizes, and naming conventions.

This tender represents a significant opportunity for organizations involved in environmental services, particularly those focused on implementing sustainable forestry practices and contributing to climate action goals. The contractor's role is vital for bridging the gap between high-level policy and practical implementation in diverse ecological and regulatory contexts across Europe.

The European Commission, DG ENV Environment, has announced a call for tenders, EC-ENV/2025/OP/0024, to support the implementation of the EU pledge on three billion additional trees by 2030. The TED reference for this tender is 152/2025 522801-2025. This is an open procedure, and submissions must be electronic.

The EU Biodiversity Strategy announced in 2020 includes a pledge to plant three billion additional trees in the EU. The implementation of this pledge relies heavily on initiatives at the national and subnational levels. A roadmap with milestones for the pledge's implementation was published in the 2021 EU Forest Strategy. The contractor will build upon the accomplished milestones and further promote the implementation of the EU pledge. This promotion will involve liaising with potentially interested stakeholders, including public and private organizations of land and forest owners, foresters, and national and sub-national authorities in all Member States. The contractor will also organize webinars, seminars, and conferences, and support the Commission in the outreach and organization of the yearly three billion trees award.

The estimated total value of this contract is 600,000 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. This is not a framework agreement.

Key milestones include a TED publication date of August 11, 2025. The date and time of the public opening are scheduled for October 7, 2025, at 10:30 in Europe/Brussels time. The deadline for receipt of tenders is October 6, 2025, at 16:00 Europe/Brussels time. The contracting authority is not bound to reply to questions submitted after September 26, 2025, at 06:00 Europe/Brussels time.

The available documents include:

1. Invitation to Tender Invitation letter, published on August 11, 2025, Version 1, no translations available.
2. Tender Specifications, published on August 11, 2025, Version 1, no translations available.
3. Annexes in Word, published on August 11, 2025, Version 1, no translations available.
4. Draft Contract, published on August 11, 2025, Version 1, no translations available.

Submissions must be sent exclusively via electronic submission.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) address various technical aspects of the eSubmission system:

1. How to proceed if the system is slow or doesn’t work while uploading/downloading documents: Use the latest versions of Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox. If issues persist, clear the cache and cookies. Published on February 13, 2025, at 21:52.
2. Which Internet browsers does eSubmission support: Use the latest versions of Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox. Refer to the System Requirements link for up-to-date technical recommendations. Published on February 13, 2025, at 21:52.
3. Is it possible to view the details of the submission after the deadline: No, the content is not accessible after the deadline due to system encryption. Published on February 13, 2025, at 21:50.
4. Where can I find my submissions in Manage My Area, in the Funding & Tenders portal: Submissions can be found in ‘My Submission(s)’ for open calls for tenders. Published on October 17, 2024, at 21:40.
5. Which size should attachments have: Attachments must be less than 50 MB in size. Published on October 17, 2024, at 21:36.
6. How should I name attachments in eSubmission: Follow the System Requirements for naming attachments. Published on October 3, 2024, at 17:39.
7. Can I submit a video in eSubmission? Which formats are supported: Check the System Requirements of eSubmission. Published on October 3, 2024, at 17:37.
8. I received an invitation from the F&T Portal but cannot view the procurement documents: Select an organization in the F&T Portal under “My Invitations”. Published on October 3, 2024, at 17:37.
9. Do I need to validate my PIC in order to submit a tender in eSubmission: A Personal Identification Code (PIC) is mandatory for all tenderers, including members of a consortium. Published on October 3, 2024, at 17:36.
10. I have an issue uploading a file in eSubmission and it’s giving me an error. What do I do: Ensure the file follows the technical requirements of the system. Published on October 3, 2024, at 17:36.
11. How many attachments can I upload per submission: The system allows a maximum of 200 files per tender. Published on October 3, 2024, at 17:35.
12. Why do tenderers need a PIC: A PIC is mandatory to submit a tender or a request to participate. Published on April 23, 2024, at 18:14.
13. How do I register my organisation and get a Participant Identification Code (PIC): Check if the organization is already registered using the Search PIC tool. Published on April 23, 2024, at 17:07.
14. How many languages does the system support: The system supports all 24 official EU languages. Published on April 1, 2024, at 20:56.
15. Which is the character set encoding in the system: The character set encoding is UTF-8. Published on February 23, 2024, at 00:58.
16. 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. Published on February 23, 2024, at 00:57.
17. Which file types does the system support: The supported file types depend on the type of submission. Check the system requirements for the procedure in question. Published on February 22, 2024, at 00:55.
18. Can I view and edit my draft submission: Yes, until the submission deadline. Published on March 24, 2023, at 22:32.
19. 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 and not blocking for submission. Published on August 3, 2021, at 23:07.
20. 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. Published on August 3, 2021, at 23:05.

In summary, this tender opportunity aims to bolster the EU's commitment to planting three billion additional trees by 2030. The European Commission is seeking a contractor to promote this pledge across Member States by engaging with stakeholders, organizing events, and supporting the annual Three Billion Trees Award. The selected contractor will play a crucial role in driving the implementation of the EU's biodiversity and forest strategies at the national and subnational levels. The tender involves environmental services, with a focus on promoting the uptake of the tree-planting pledge through various outreach and engagement activities. The submission process is electronic, and applicants must adhere to specific technical requirements for file formats, sizes, and naming conventions. A PIC code is mandatory for participation. The contract is valued at 600,000 EUR and spans a maximum of 48 months, with the award based on the best price-quality ratio.

Eligible Applicant Types: The eligible applicant types include public and private organizations of land and forest owners, foresters, and national and sub-national authorities.

Funding Type: This is a procurement opportunity, specifically a service contract.

Consortium Requirement: The text does not explicitly state whether a single applicant or a consortium is required. However, the FAQ section mentions that a Personal Identification Code (PIC) is mandatory to participate as a sole candidate/tenderer or as a member of a group (consortium), suggesting that both single applicants and consortia are eligible.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): The opportunity targets stakeholders in all Member States of the European Union.

Target Sector: The target sector is environmental services, specifically related to forestry, biodiversity, and climate action.

Mentioned Countries: No specific countries are mentioned, but the opportunity is open to all EU Member States.

Project Stage: The project stage is implementation and promotion of an existing pledge (the EU pledge for three billion additional trees). It involves building on accomplished milestones and further promoting the pledge.

Funding Amount: The estimated total value of the contract is 600,000 EUR.

Application Type: The application type is an open call for tenders, with electronic submission.

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

Application Stages: The number of application stages is not explicitly stated, but it involves at least one stage of submitting a tender.

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 by the European Commission, DG ENV - Environment, for a service contract to support the implementation of the EU pledge to plant three billion additional trees by 2030. The procedure identifier is EC-ENV/2025/OP/0024. The estimated total value of the contract is 600,000 EUR, and the maximum contract duration is 48 months. The TED reference is 152/2025 522801-2025.

The contractor will be responsible for promoting the uptake of the pledge by liaising with potentially interested stakeholders, including public and private organizations of land and forest owners, foresters, and national and sub-national authorities in all EU Member States. The contractor will also organize webinars, seminars, and conferences, and support the Commission in the outreach and organization of the yearly three billion trees award.

The submission method is electronic, and the deadline for receipt of tenders is 06/10/2025 at 16:00 Europe/Brussels time. The contracting authority is not bound to reply to questions submitted after 26/09/2025 at 06:00 Europe/Brussels time. The award method is best price-quality ratio.

The call is open to organizations in all EU Member States. Tenderers need a Personal Identification Code (PIC) to participate, whether as a single candidate or as part of a consortium. The system supports 24 official EU languages and uses UTF-8 character set encoding. The system encrypts all uploaded documents. The maximum number of documents that can be uploaded per tender is 200, and the maximum file size is 50 MB.