Support to the "4 for Europe" competition and related services

The announcement is regarding a procurement contract titled "Support to the '4 for Europe' competition and related services," organized by the European Commission Representation in Hungary. This contract, which spans four years from 2025 to 2028, focuses on providing travel vouchers and ancillary services for participants in the “4 for Europe” competition, as well as other competitions like half marathons. The eligible applicants for this procurement are primarily service providers capable of delivering travel and related services, with an indication that smaller enterprises may not be the main focus, as suggested by the smeSuitableIndicator being set to false. The opportunity is not a traditional grant but rather a service procurement where the European Commission will pay for the services rendered.

Key details include that the registration for expressions of interest opens on May 26, 2025, with a deadline set for September 30, 2025. The tender is categorized under recreational, cultural, and sporting services with a main CPV code of 92000000. The contract is classified as a middle or low-value negotiated procedure, although no specific funding amount is disclosed. Submissions must be made electronically via the Funding and Tenders Portal.

This procurement represents a stable opportunity for established travel service providers and event management companies with experience in the sector, aimed at facilitating the European competitions over the specified duration. The official call for tenders is anticipated to launch around October 3, 2025.

This is a publication announcing the contracting authority’s intention to publish a future negotiated low or middle value procedure, not a call for tenders. More information can be found via a link. Submissions must be sent exclusively at the address for submission given.

The procedure identifier is EC-COMM/BUD/2025/MVP/0479-EXA.

The Representation intends to sign a four-year framework contract for travel and ancillary services to support activities organised by the Representation of the European Commission in Hungary between 2025-2028.

The contract includes:
A. Provision of travel vouchers for the best participants of the ‘4 for Europe’ national and other competitions
A.1. Travel vouchers ‘4 for Europe’ competition
A.2. Travel vouchers for ‘Half marathon’ and other competitions

The procedure type is a planned negotiated procedure for a middle/low value contract. The estimated total value is not specified. The lead contracting authority is the European Commission, DG COMM Communication. The main classification (CPV) code is 92000000 Recreational, cultural and sporting services. The nature of the contract is for services. The maximum contract duration is 48 months. It is a framework agreement without reopening of competition.

Milestones:
Start date for expression of interest: 2025-05-26 Europe/Brussels
Deadline for expression of interest: 30/09/2025 05:59 Europe/Budapest
Indicative date of launch of the negotiated procedure: 2025-10-03 Europe/Budapest

Expression of interest:
Submissions must be sent exclusively at the address for submission given. The method of expression of interest is electronic. The address for expression of interest is via the "Express interest" link.

A question and answer section is available, requiring a login to create questions. A FAQ section is also available, with the option to download FAQs in xls format.

One public Q&A is listed:
Question: Where can I find the procurement documents for calls for tenders with ‘ExA' in the reference?
Answer: References that feature an ‘ExA’ are not calls for tenders. They are a publication announcing the contracting authority’s intent to launch in the future a low or middle negotiated procedure.
Published on 03/10/2024 17:32

In summary, this is a pre-announcement for a future negotiated contract by the European Commission's Representation in Hungary. The contract will be a four-year framework agreement for providing travel and related services to support the "4 for Europe" competition and other events like the "Half marathon" between 2025 and 2028. This is not a call for tenders yet, but an invitation to express interest. The expression of interest must be submitted electronically by September 30, 2025. The actual call for tenders is expected around October 3, 2025. The contract is classified as a low to middle value contract.

Eligible Applicant Types: The eligible applicant types are not explicitly stated in the provided text. However, given the nature of the contract which involves providing travel and ancillary services, it is likely that eligible applicants would include service providers such as travel agencies, event management companies, and other businesses capable of fulfilling the requirements of the framework contract.

Funding Type: The funding type is a procurement, specifically a framework contract for services.

Consortium Requirement: The text does not explicitly state whether a single applicant or a consortium is required. It is possible that both single applicants and consortia could be eligible, but this would need to be confirmed in the full call for tenders documentation when it is released.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): The services are to support activities organized by the Representation of the European Commission in Hungary. Therefore, it is highly likely that the geographic eligibility will prioritize applicants established or operating in Hungary, although this is not explicitly stated. The call is issued by the European Commission, so entities from the EU may be eligible.

Target Sector: The target sector is recreational, cultural, and sporting services, specifically travel and ancillary services related to the "4 for Europe" competition, half marathons, and other competitions.

Mentioned Countries: Hungary is explicitly mentioned as the location where the services will be provided.

Project Stage: This is a call for services, so the concept of project stage is not directly applicable. However, the service providers would need to be at a stage where they can deliver the required services between 2025 and 2028.

Funding Amount: The estimated total value is not specified, but the procedure is described as a "planned negotiated procedure for middle/low value contract." This suggests that the funding amount is likely to be in the range of under €200k, but this is only an estimation.

Application Type: The application type is a planned negotiated procedure. This means that after the expression of interest, selected applicants will be invited to negotiate the terms of the contract.

Nature of Support: The beneficiaries will receive money in exchange for providing travel and ancillary services.

Application Stages: The application process appears to involve at least two stages: an expression of interest and a subsequent negotiated procedure for selected applicants.

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

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

Summary:

This is a pre-announcement of a planned call for tenders by the European Commission, DG COMM, specifically for the Representation of the European Commission in Hungary. The call will be for a four-year framework contract (2025-2028) to provide travel and ancillary services to support activities organized by the Representation, including the "4 for Europe" competition, half marathons, and other competitions. The services include the provision of travel vouchers for participants. The procedure will be a negotiated procedure for a middle/low value contract. The first step is an expression of interest, with a deadline of September 30, 2025. The indicative date for the launch of the negotiated procedure is October 3, 2025. The main CPV code is 92000000, which relates to recreational, cultural, and sporting services. Interested parties should monitor the EU Funding & Tenders Portal for the official call for tenders and related documentation. This pre-announcement serves to inform potential applicants of the upcoming opportunity and to allow them to prepare their expression of interest. The procedure identifier is EC-COMM/BUD/2025/MVP/0479-EXA.