Support to the Commission for the organisation of an Informal global dialogue on Digital Sequence Information and the Cali Fund

The European Commission's Directorate-General for Environment (DG ENV) has issued a call for tenders with the identifier EC-ENV/2025/OP/0026. This procurement opportunity seeks services to support the organization of an Informal global dialogue on Digital Sequence Information (DSI) and the Cali Fund. The estimated total value of the contract is €150,000, and it has a maximum duration of 12 months. The objective is to facilitate international discussions leading up to negotiations at the Conference of Parties (COP) 17 of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), specifically concerning critical unresolved issues from previous decisions. Contractors selected will be responsible for organizing a workshop in the first semester of 2026, with a possibility of a second workshop in the latter half of 2026 to address outstanding issues and prepare for COP 17 discussions. The award method will be based on the best price-quality ratio. The contract will not involve co-funding, as it is a service agreement where the European Commission will directly pay for the services rendered. This is an open tender process requiring electronic submissions by the deadline of October 6, 2025. Tenderers must possess a Personal Identification Code (PIC) to participate. The electronic submission system supports all 24 official EU languages and allows attachments up to 50 MB in size, with a limit of 200 files per submission. Interested applicants include service providers, consulting firms, or organizations with expertise in environmental policy and international cooperation, specifically related to DSI and biodiversity governance. The geographic eligibility appears to be focused on entities within the EU, but may also extend to international organizations depending on specific tender requirements. The project is at the implementation stage and aims for practical organizational support rather than a research or innovative project. The call for tenders reflects the EU's commitment to advancing global biodiversity governance through facilitated dialogue and international cooperation, involving stakeholders across various sectors related to environmental policy and negotiation processes.

The European Commission, DG ENV Environment, has published a call for tenders, EC-ENV/2025/OP/0026, to support the Commission for the organisation of an Informal global dialogue on Digital Sequence Information and the Cali Fund. The TED reference for this call is 162/2025 555737-2025. This is an open procedure, and submissions must be electronic.

The objective of this contract is to support the Commission in organizing an informal global dialogue on Digital Sequence Information (DSI) and the Cali Fund. This aims to ensure the continuation of the informal process on DSI until COP17 and to foster mutual trust and common understanding among involved parties and stakeholders.

The project includes organizing a workshop in the first semester of 2026 to initiate in depth discussion on the critical unresolved issues of Decision 16/2, maintain momentum on CBD COP16 Decision 16/2, and promote contribution to the Cali Fund. A second workshop may be needed in the second half of 2026 to continue discussion on outstanding issues and prepare for negotiations at CBD COP17 in October 2026.

The estimated total value of the contract is €150,000. The contract's nature is for services, with a maximum duration of 12 months. The award method will be based on the best price quality ratio. No framework agreement is mentioned.

Key milestones include a TED publication date of 26/08/2025. The date and time of the public opening is 07/10/2025 at 11:00 Europe/Brussels time. 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 main classification (CPV) is 90700000 Environmental services.

Submissions must be sent exclusively via electronic submission.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) related to the eSubmission system:

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 the issue persists, clear the cache and cookies on the Internet browser.

Which Internet browsers does eSubmission support? Use the latest versions of Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox. For the most up to date technical recommendations, click on the link System Requirements.

Is it possible to view the details of the submission after the deadline? No, the content of the submission is not accessible after submitting the tender as the system encrypts all attachments upon upload.

Where can I find my submissions in Manage My Area, in the Funding & Tenders portal? Submissions can be found in ‘My Submission(s)’: tenders in response to open calls for tenders, requests to participate.

Which size should attachments have? eSubmission accepts files that are less than 50 MB in size.

How should I name attachments in eSubmission? Follow the System Requirements for naming attachments.

Can I submit a video in eSubmission? Which formats are supported? Check the System Requirements of eSubmission.

I received an invitation from the F&T Portal but cannot view the procurement documents. Invited candidates can only see the procurement documents after having selected an organisation. Go to F&T Portal, “My Invitations”. Click on “Select Organisation” from the “Action”.

Do I need to validate my PIC in order to submit a tender in eSubmission? The Personal Identification Code (PIC) is mandatory to participate in a call for tenders as a sole candidate/tenderer or as a member of a group (consortium).

I have an issue uploading a file in eSubmission and it’s giving me an error. What do I do? Make sure it follows the technical requirements of the system.

How many attachments can I upload per submission? The maximum number of documents the system will allow you to upload per tender is 200 files.

Why do tenderers need a PIC? It is mandatory to register for a PIC if you intend to submit a tender or a request to participate.

How do I register my organisation and get a Participant Identification Code (PIC)? First, check if the organisation is already registered using the Search PIC tool under 'How to Participate' > Participant Register.

How many languages does the system support? The system is multilingual and supports all 24 official EU languages.

Which is the character set encoding in the system? The character set encoding is UTF 8.

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 as an encryption mechanism.

Which file types does the system support? The supported file types depend on the type of submission you want to make. The allowed file types are specified within the system requirements linked to the procedure in question.

Can I view and edit my draft submission? Until the deadline for the submission has been reached, submissions in the draft status can be edited, viewed and deleted.

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 sent when the time limit of receipt defined for the call for tenders has been reached. Until then, you had the possibility of withdrawing.

In summary, this call for tenders seeks a contractor to support the European Commission in organizing and facilitating an informal global dialogue concerning Digital Sequence Information and the Cali Fund. The goal is to foster international cooperation and understanding on these topics, leading up to the CBD COP17. The selected contractor will be responsible for planning and executing workshops, promoting discussions, and contributing to the preparation for international negotiations. The tender is open for electronic submissions, with a deadline in early October 2025. The maximum contract value is €150,000, and the contract duration is 12 months.