Support to the European School Survey Project on Alcohol and Other Drugs (ESPAD)

The European Union Drugs Agency (EUDA) is procuring services to support the European School Survey Project on Alcohol and Other Drugs (ESPAD), including international coordination, questionnaire finalisation, data management, quality assurance, analysis and production of the ESPAD 2028 report. The contract is estimated at €350,000, has a maximum duration of 48 months organised in four 12-month phases, and will be awarded on the basis of the best price-quality ratio. Eligible tenderers are natural or legal persons and international organisations within the scope of the EU Treaties and must submit electronic tenders via the Funding & Tenders Portal by 16 September 2026 (Lisbon time).

What it funds

Service contract to coordinate, compile, analyse and report cross‑European school survey data (ESPAD) on alcohol, tobacco, medicines, illicit drugs and related behaviours among 15–16 year olds; tasks include questionnaire development, quality assurance, centralised data management, analytical deliverables, trainings and support to the 2028 ESPAD report package.

Who can apply

Open procedure for economic operators established in EU Member States and other entities eligible under the EU Treaties; joint tenders and subcontracting allowed subject to the procurement rules and exclusion/selection checks in the tender specifications.

Estimated contract value:€350 000 (total, for up to 48 months) ¹.

1. 1Contracting authority: European Union Drugs Agency (EUDA).
2. 2Procedure: Open electronic submission (eSubmission) — best price-quality ratio award.
3. 3Maximum duration: 48 months; delivered in four 12-month phases with defined deliverables.
4. 4Key deliverables: workplans, questionnaire revision and finalisation, methodological handbook, national questionnaire collection, centralised cleaned database, draft summary and full ESPAD 2028 report and thematic analytical briefs.

Submissions must be made electronically via the Funding & Tenders Portal eSubmission system; registration (Participant Register/PIC) and EU Login are required. See procurement documents and templates (administrative and technical specifications, draft contract, annexes) on the official call page F&T Tender EUDA/2026/OP/0005 ¹.

Eligibility & selection highlights

Selection requires adequate legal capacity, average annual turnover above €50 000 (last 2 years), and consolidated technical experience (minimums include at least two similar projects in the last 5 years and five years’ experience in project management, data collection and QA in substance-use research focused on adolescents).

How award is scored

Award on best price-quality ratio. Quality split:scientific quality (50 %) and coordination/management expertise (50 %). Minimum threshold 6/10 per qualitative award criterion; price evaluated alongside quality.

Footnotes

1. 1Procurement documents, timelines and submission are published on the Funding & Tenders Portal call page: Support to the European School Survey Project on Alcohol and Other Drugs (ESPAD) EUDA/2026/OP/0005 (Tender details and downloadable annexes).

Administrative summary and key facts

Procuring entity:European Union Drugs Agency (EUDA). Procedure type: Open procedure (electronic submission via the Funding & Tenders Portal eSubmission). TED reference: 541883-2026. Internal procedure identifier: EUDA/2026/OP/0005. Nature of contract: services; main CPV: 73200000 Research and development consultancy services. Estimated total value: €350 000 (total for the entire contract, excluding VAT). Maximum contract duration: 48 months, organised in four 12-month phases. Award method: best price-quality ratio. The contract is intended to provide international coordination, data compilation, analysis, reporting and methodological support for the ESPAD 2028 data collection and related EUDA monitoring activities.

Publication and process dates:TED publication date 05/08/2026; Funding & Tenders Portal publication 05/08/2026. Deadline for receipt of tenders: 16/09/2026 12:00:59 Europe/Lisbon. Public opening of tenders: 17/09/2026 10:30 Europe/Lisbon. Last date to submit questions to contracting authority: 08/09/2026 23:59 Europe/Lisbon. Submissions: electronic only via eSubmission (EU Login account and Participant Register/PIC required).

What the contract buys (scope, objectives, deliverables)

Purpose:provide technical assistance, international coordination and data provision based on the ESPAD project to strengthen EUDA monitoring of adolescent substance use and to support the 2028 ESPAD data collection, compendium and reporting. Core tasks across the contract period include questionnaire review and finalisation, updating and finalising the data collection handbook, supporting national project plans and sampling issues, organizing preparatory and network meetings (online and annual face-to-face), developing a centralised survey data platform and delivering trainings, applying data management and quality assurance procedures, compiling national cleaned datasets into an international database, producing draft summary results and the full ESPAD 2028 report, and providing yearly thematic analytical deliverables and briefings on emerging trends. The contractor is also to support the development and implementation of a data sharing agreement, liaise with ESPAD principal investigators and assist EUDA in report production processes.

Contract structure and phasing:Maximum 48 months divided into four 12-month phases. Continuation to phases 2 and 3 is subject to EUDA consent following progress review. Deliverables and payment schedule are defined per year with milestone-linked payments. Example yearly estimated budgets: Year €1 50 000; Year €2 100 000; Year €3 100 000; Year €4 100 000.

Eligibility and applicant requirements

Eligible applicant types:Any natural or legal persons within scope of the EU Treaties and international organisations. Practical applicant types expected and appropriate include universities, research institutes, independent research consultancies, large research NGOs, consortia of universities and institutes, and specialised international survey coordination teams. The procurement documents explicitly permit submissions by sole tenderers or joint tenders (groups of economic operators). Subcontracting is allowed; identified subcontractors above 10% share or relied-on for selection criteria must be declared and submit commitment letters. Entities on whose capacities the tenderer relies (not subcontractors) must provide commitment letters and evidence.

Minimum selection requirements (as specified):Financial: consolidated average yearly turnover over the last two financial years above €50 000. Technical/professional: consolidated evidence of at least two similar projects in the last five years (surveys or international survey coordination or peer-reviewed articles on the topic) and at least five years' experience in project management, planning, protocol development and validation, data collection, data quality assurance and trainings in the substance use field with focus on adolescents; CVs and team descriptions required. Tenderers must declare absence of exclusion situations and complete Declaration on Honour (Annex 2).

Eligible geographic scope (beneficiary scope):Applicants must be established in countries that have access to this procurement under EU rules. The call is open to natural and legal persons within the scope of the EU Treaties. Tenderers established in third countries are not eligible for this EUDA call unless specific access rules apply; the procurement documents make clear that decentralised EU agencies are not covered by certain third-country procurement agreements. The operational focus of the work is on at least 15 EU Member States and the broader ESPAD network (>35 European countries).

Evaluation, award and scoring

Award method:best price-quality ratio. Tenders are evaluated for exclusion, selection and award criteria. Administrative and eligibility checks precede technical evaluation. Tender validity required for 6 months.

1. 1Award criteria and weighting: Quality 50% (scientific quality, methodology, ability to work with complex multicountry datasets, prior experience); Expertise/coordination capacity 50% (experience running school surveys, capacity to produce high-quality reports and datasets).
2. 2Quality scoring: each qualitative criterion scored 1–10; minimum pass score 6 per award criterion (tenders failing to reach minimum in any award criterion will be excluded).
3. 3Price: total tender price used in formula combined with quality to determine highest global score.

Detection of abnormally low tenders:contracting authority reserves right to apply Financial Regulation rules and reject where appropriate. Tenderers must submit complete technical and financial offers via eSubmission; any missing mandatory attachments listed in Annex 1 results in rejection.

Application process and documents (templates and upload requirements)

Submission method and portal:Electronic submission exclusively via the Funding & Tenders Portal eSubmission system. EU Login account and Participant Register (PIC) required. See the official procedure page for eSubmission system requirements, accepted file types and size limits. Tenders submitted by any other means will be disregarded. Late submissions will be rejected; eSubmission timestamp constitutes proof of receipt.

Mandatory documents to upload with tender (Annex 1):Required at time of submission (key items): 1) Declaration on Honour (exclusion and selection criteria) — Annex 2; 2) Technical tender (detailed technical offer addressing the technical specifications, methodology, workplan, team profiles and CVs); 3) Financial tender (complete price breakdown in EUR, total amount must match the eSubmission 'Total amount' field); 4) Evidence of technical/professional capacity (project descriptions, publications, CVs); 5) Evidence of economic and financial capacity (profit & loss accounts or bank statements for last two closed years); 6) If submitting as joint tender: Agreement/Power of Attorney between members (Annex 3); 7) List of identified subcontractors where applicable (Annex 4) and commitment letters from identified subcontractors (Annex 5.1) or from entities on whose capacities the tenderer relies (Annex 5.2).

Where evidence is not submitted with the tender, the contracting authority may request it later during the procedure within a short deadline. Several documents may be requested only from the presumed successful tenderer prior to award.

Eligibility, exclusion and compliance

Exclusion and supporting evidence:Tenderers must complete the Declaration on Honour (Annex 2) covering bankruptcy, tax/social security breaches, grave professional misconduct, fraud, corruption, organised crime, money laundering/terrorist financing, irregularities on prior EU-funded contracts, and other grounds. The contracting authority will consult the European Union's Early Detection and Exclusion System (EDES) and may request documentary evidence from the presumed successful tenderer.

Consortium and subcontracting rules

Consortium requirement:single tenderer or group tender allowed. If joint tender, group leader must be appointed and an Agreement/Power of Attorney (Annex 3) signed by all members; all members are jointly and severally liable. Subcontracting permitted; identified subcontractors representing >10% of contract or relied on for selection criteria must be named in Annex 4 and provide Annex 5.1 commitment letters. Entities whose capacities are relied upon (not subcontractors) must provide Annex 5.2 commitment letters with supporting evidence.

Detailed technical requirements (summary)

The technical specifications (Tender specifications - Part 2) set out the detailed work package for each year: Year 1 includes workplan, review of 2024 questionnaire, update of handbook, kick-off and online meetings and an initial thematic analytical deliverable. Year 2 includes finalisation of 2028 questionnaire and handbook, preparatory meetings, review of national project plans and support to data sharing agreement. Year 3 includes centralised data platform development, online trainings, application of data management procedures and assistance during data collection. Year 4 includes compiling cleaned national datasets into an international database, drafting ESPAD 2028 summary and full report and supporting EUDA report production and final deliverables. The contractor must ensure high standards of data management, quality assurance, disaggregation (sex/gender where possible) and compliance with data protection rules.

Technical evaluation evidence and team requirements

Required evidence includes:descriptions of at least two similar projects completed in the previous five years (for consolidated technical capacity), a proposed work plan and methodologies, a team description with short profiles and CVs (demonstrating minimum five years' relevant experience for key staff), institution description and experience with multicountry surveys and data platforms, and evidence of capacity to manage and harmonise complex multicountry datasets. Tenderers must demonstrate ability to deliver reports, datasets, training, quality assurance and to liaise with national partners and ESPAD Principal Investigators.

Administrative, contractual and legal rules

Contracting authority:EUDA, based in Lisbon, Portugal. Applicable law: Union law complemented by Portuguese law where necessary. Draft contract and full General and Special Conditions are published as Annex 6 (draft service contract) and must be carefully reviewed by tenderers. The contracting authority may require use of an electronic exchange system for exchanges during contract implementation. Security clearances are not foreseen as standard but any applicable security requirements in the contract must be complied with at contractor expense.

Data protection and confidentiality:All personal data processed by EUDA will be handled in accordance with Regulation (EU) 2018/1725. The contractor must comply with data protection obligations (Regulation (EU) 2018/1725 and where applicable GDPR) and implement technical and organisational security measures, notify personal data breaches and assist EUDA with controller obligations. Confidentiality obligations apply to both parties and to subcontractors and related persons.

Financial and contractual modalities

Estimated overall contract amount:€350 000. The tender price shall be quoted in euros, exclusive of VAT, and must be fixed for the first contract year. Payment schedule is milestone-based for each of the four yearly phases (example: Year 1: two payments 50%/50%; Year 2: 50%/30%/20%; Year 3: 50%/40%/10%; Year 4: 50%/20%/20%/10%). Pre-financing is not applicable. Performance guarantees are not required unless specified in the final contract. VAT rules and invoice requirements are described in the draft contract; EU institutions are VAT-exempt under national rules where applicable.

Procurement and submission practicalities

Tenders must be prepared in one of the official EU languages. All uploads are via eSubmission; attachments must follow the system naming rules and size limits (eSubmission accepts attachments < 50 MB; maximum number of attachments per submission is 200 files). Participant Identification Code (PIC) is mandatory for the tenderer and for subcontractors where PIC is required. After submission, tenderers may withdraw or replace their tender before the deadline; only the last submitted tender is evaluated.

1. 1How to ask questions: use the Funding & Tenders Portal Questions & answers facility (Create a question) before the contracting authority’s cut-off (08/09/2026, 23:59 Europe/Lisbon).
2. 2Where to download procurement documents (Annexes): Funding & Tenders Portal tender-details page Tender Documents and Annexes.¹
3. 3Opening session: up to two representatives per tender may attend; names and ID details must be sent to infoprocurement@euda.europa.eu at least two working days prior to the opening.

The contracting authority reserves the right to reject tenders that are non-compliant with mandatory requirements, abnormally low tenders, or tenderers in exclusion situations. EUDA may cancel the procurement at any time prior to contract signature without liability for compensation.

Categorisation answers (structured)

1. 1Eligible Applicant Types: universities, research institutes, research consultancies, non-profit research organisations, international NGOs, public sector research bodies, consortia (joint tenders), subcontractors as named in Annex 4; individuals alone may participate only where allowed by procurement rules but institutional capacity is expected.
2. 2Funding Type: procurement / service contract (tender) providing paid services rather than grant, loan or equity.
3. 3Consortium Requirement: other (single or consortium allowed). The procedure accepts single tenderers or joint tenders (consortia).
4. 4Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): EU institutions’ procurement rules apply; eligible tenderers must be established in countries that have access under the EU Treaties (effectively EU Member States and entities within scope of the Treaties). The activity will cover at least 15 EU Member States and the broader ESPAD network (>35 European countries).
5. 5Target Sector: public health / drugs monitoring / epidemiology / social research (health, education and youth survey sector; data management and research consultancy).
6. 6Mentioned Countries: EU Member States (region: Europe). Contracting authority address: Lisbon, Portugal (EUDA).
7. 7Project Stage: data collection coordination, methodological development, data management, analysis and reporting — activities span planning, implementation, quality assurance and reporting (research, development, validation and demonstration stages combined over the contract).
8. 8Funding Amount: estimated total contract value €350 000 (for entire 48-month duration). Yearly estimates: Yr1 €50 000; Yr2 €100 000; Yr3 €100 000; Yr4 €100 000 (as per technical specifications).
9. 9Application Type: open call / tender — single closing date (16/09/2026, 12:00:59 Europe/Lisbon) via the Funding & Tenders Portal eSubmission (electronic).
10. 10Nature of Support: monetary (service contract payments) and contractually delivered services (research, coordination, data provision, training, platform development).
11. 11Application Stages: 1 (single-stage open procedure). The tender is submitted once; contracting authority may request clarifications and supporting evidence during evaluation and from the presumed successful tenderer prior to award.
12. 12Success Rates: not specified in the procurement documents; success rate depends on number of bidders (not disclosed).
13. 13Co-funding Requirement: no co-funding requirement is specified; the contract is fully funded up to the estimated amount by EUDA. Tenderers must quote total prices in EUR and show price breakdown; no required beneficiary contribution indicated.
14. 14Templates: procurement annexes and templates are published: Invitation to tender; Tender specifications Part 1 (Administrative) and Part 2 (Technical); Annex 1 List of documents to be submitted with the tender; Annex 2 Declaration on Honour (exclusion and selection); Annex 3 Agreement - Power of attorney (for joint tenders); Annex 4 List of identified subcontractors (template); Annex 5.1 Commitment letter by an identified subcontractor (template); Annex 5.2 Commitment letter by an entity on whose capacities is being relied (template); Annex 6 Draft contract. Annex 1 explicitly lists the exact upload locations (eSubmission fields) for each document. Tenderers must follow the Annex 1 instructions for file naming and upload sections.

Templates and what each template captures (outline):1) Declaration on Honour (Annex 2) — exclusion and selection declarations, to be signed by each involved entity as required; 2) Agreement / Power of Attorney (Annex 3) — signed by all group members to appoint group leader and specify joint and several liability; 3) Annex 4 List of identified subcontractors — name, registration and proportion of subcontracting; 4) Annex 5.1 Commitment letter by identified subcontractor — commitment to provide resources and confirmation of no professional conflicting interests; 5) Annex 5.2 Commitment letter by entity on whose capacities is being relied — authorises tenderer to rely on capacity; 6) Technical tender — free-format but must address requirements and award criteria, include methodology, quality assurance, data management, staffing and timetable; 7) Financial tender — breakdown by year and deliverables, quoted in EUR, exclusive of VAT. Annex 1 details where to upload each file in eSubmission.

Practical recommendations for applicants

1. 1Carefully read Tender specifications Part 1 (Administrative) and Part 2 (Technical) and the Draft contract (Annex 6).
2. 2Prepare Declaration on Honour (Annex 2) and ensure no exclusion grounds apply. If previously submitted to the contracting authority and still valid, indicate reference and date as permitted in Annex 2.
3. 3Gather financial evidence (profit & loss or bank statements) for the last two closed financial years to demonstrate the minimum turnover criterion (€50 000 average).
4. 4Assemble technical evidence: project summaries (max 1 000 words each), team bios and CVs (include key staff with five years' relevant experience), examples of similar international survey coordination work and publications where applicable.
5. 5If relying on external entities or subcontractors, secure Annex 5.1 / 5.2 commitment letters and list subcontractors in Annex 4 where applicable. Declare subcontracting proportions and include commitment letters in the tender package.
6. 6Prepare a clear workplan and detailed timetable covering all 48 months, and provide the specified yearly deliverables matching the milestone payment schedule.
7. 7Validate all uploads in the eSubmission system well before the deadline. Confirm PICs and EU Login details for all involved organisations and representatives.

Risk areas and compliance highlights

Key compliance points:(a) strict electronic-only submission; (b) tender language and signature rules (QES recommended); (c) minimum technical and financial selection thresholds; (d) submission of all mandatory documents listed in Annex 1 at time of tender to avoid rejection; (e) anti-fraud and audit provisions — EUDA may perform checks, EDES and OLAF and EPPO rights apply; (f) data protection obligations under Regulation (EU) 2018/1725 and GDPR; (g) contracting authority reserves right to require replacement of subcontractors and to reject tenders with conflicts of interest or exclusion grounds.

Specific contract deliverables and payment milestones (condensed)

Payments are conditional on contracting authority approval of deliverables; the contracting authority may suspend payments, request additional evidence, apply price reductions or liquidated damages for delays or poor quality as described in the draft contract and general conditions.

Where to find the official procurement documents

All procurement documents and annexes are published on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal tender-details page for this call. The invitation letter, administrative and technical tender specifications, list of documents (Annex 1), Declaration on Honour (Annex 2), Agreement/Power of attorney (Annex 3), Annexes 4–6 and the draft contract are available for download. Subscription to the call for tenders allows receiving notifications on document updates and clarifications.

Full procurement package available on the Funding & Tenders Portal Tender page — ESPAD EUDA/2026/OP/0005.¹

Concluding summary — What is this opportunity and how to approach it

This is a competitive EU procurement (service contract) to provide technical coordination, data management, quality assurance, analysis and reporting services in support of the ESPAD 2028 international school survey across Europe. The EUDA seeks a contractor (single entity or consortium) with proven experience coordinating multicountry substance-use surveys among adolescents, strong project management and data platform skills, and the capacity to deliver an international cleaned dataset and a high-quality ESPAD report package. The contract is modest in total budget (€350 000 across up to 48 months) and is milestone-driven with specific deliverables each year. Bidders should propose a clear, efficient team structure, demonstrate prior survey coordination and multicountry data handling experience, provide robust QA and data-sharing arrangements, and submit complete administrative, technical and financial documentation through the eSubmission system by the stated deadline. Compliance with exclusion, selection and data protection rules is mandatory and Annex 1 provides the exact list of documents and where to upload them in eSubmission.

Footnotes

1. 1Procurement documents and annexes are hosted on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal tender-details page for procedure EUDA/2026/OP/0005. Download and subscription links are available on that page.

This is an EUDA open procurement for services with an estimated total value of €350000 and a maximum duration of 48 months, implemented in four equal phases of 12 months each.[3] Tenders are submitted electronically through the Funding and Tenders Portal, and the current deadline for receipt of tenders is 16 September 2026 at 12:00 Lisbon time, with public opening on 17 September 2026 at 10:30 Lisbon time.[3]

What the contract is about

ESPAD is a long running international school survey that collects comparable data every four years in more than 35 European countries from 15 to 16 year old students on alcohol, tobacco, medicines, illicit drugs and other addictive behaviours.[1][3][7][8][13] The contract is intended to support the international coordination of ESPAD and to collect, compile, analyse and report the results so EUDA can strengthen its monitoring of drug use and emerging drug related risks among adolescents.[3]

Who can apply and how bids can be organised

The call is open to natural and legal persons within the scope of the Treaties and to international organisations, but it is not open to entities established in third countries because the access agreements for certain third countries do not apply to EUDA as a decentralised agency.[3] Tenderers may bid as a sole operator or as a joint tender, and subcontracting is allowed subject to the rules on independence, no cross subcontracting and the required identification of relevant subcontractors.[3]

• Each economic operator must be registered in the Participant Register and use a Participant Identification Code for submission.[3]
• Electronic submission through eSubmission is mandatory and submissions sent by email or post are rejected.[3]
• Tenderers must submit in complete independence, and the same entity cannot appear as both sole tenderer and group member or in multiple groups.[3]
• Subcontractors with an intended share above 10 percent, or subcontractors relied upon for selection criteria, must be identified and supported by commitment letters.[3]

Eligibility, exclusion and selection requirements

Tenderers must submit a Declaration on Honour on exclusion and selection criteria, and the contracting authority will also check for exclusion situations and restrictive measures.[3] The tender documents require compliance with the access rules, the absence of conflicts of interest, and the absence of established debt to the Union for the successful tenderer, which may be offset against payments due under the contract.[3]

Award and contract performance

The contract will be awarded on the basis of the best price-quality ratio.[3] Quality is assessed through scientific quality and expertise in coordinating and managing international projects on substance use, each weighted 50 percent within the quality score, and each qualitative criterion must score at least 6 points or the tender is excluded.[3]

The services will mainly be performed at the contractor premises, with online meetings expected and possible annual in person meetings covered by the contract; no other travel is foreseen.[3] The specifications also state that variants are not allowed, the contract is not divided into lots, and the award will result in a direct contract for services.[3]

Practical points applicants should note

• No questions will be answered after 8 September 2026 at 23:59 Lisbon time, so clarification requests should be submitted well before that date.
• Tender validity is 6 months according to the procurement documents.[3]
• The published documentation includes the invitation letter, administrative and technical specifications, the declaration on honour, power of attorney form, subcontractor annexes and draft contract.[3]