Technical and scientific support in relation to the implementation of the Birds and Habitats Directives and the Nature Restoration Regulation

Open tender by the European Commission DG ENV (Procedure EC-ENV/2026/OP/0024) to provide technical and scientific support for implementation of the Birds Directive, Habitats Directive and the Nature Restoration Regulation. Estimated contract value €2,800,000 (excluding VAT) for a services contract with an initial period and possible renewal; see tender documents for exact duration. Eligible economic operators including consultancies, research organisations and consortia may apply and must submit tenders electronically via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal eSubmission. Submission deadline is 21 September 2026 at 16:00 Brussels time; applicants must consult the official tender documents on the portal for full requirements and award criteria.

Opportunity type and lead authority

Open tender — DG Environment (European Commission)

Service contract to provide technical and scientific support to the European Commission for implementation of the Birds Directive, Habitats Directive and the Nature Restoration Regulation.

What it funds:Expert technical and scientific assistance, studies, data analysis, guidance and related support activities to help implement EU nature conservation legislation and the Nature Restoration Regulation.

Who can apply:Economic operators (consultancies, research organisations, consortia) able to register in the Commission Participant Register and submit electronically via the Funding & Tenders Portal; tender rules and selection criteria are in the procurement documents.

Indicative contract value and duration:Estimated overall contract amount €2,800,000; initial duration 24 months with one possible 24-month renewal (total planned period 48 months).

1. 1Deadline for submission: 21 September 2026, 16:00 Brussels time
2. 2Submission method: electronic eSubmission via the Funding & Tenders Portal (required)

Tender documents (tender specifications, draft contract, invitation letter) are published on the Funding & Tenders Portal; consult the procurement documents and Invitation to Tender for detailed eligibility, award criteria (quality 70%, price 30%) and submission instructions Funding & Tenders Portal ¹

Footnotes

1. 1Procurement documents include tender specifications and draft contract published on the Funding & Tenders Portal (see Contract Notice and annexes).

Opportunity summary

Call identifier EC-ENV/2026/OP/0024. Tender published on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal by the European Commission, Directorate-General for Environment (DG ENV). The contract's overall objective is to provide technical and scientific support to the Commission for implementing the Birds Directive (Directive 2009/147/EC), the Habitats Directive (Directive 92/43/EEC) and the Nature Restoration Regulation. The estimated overall contract value is €2,800,000. The planned contract duration is 48 months (initial period 24 months, renewable once) and the procurement type is services. Tender submission is electronic only via the Commission eSubmission system on the Funding & Tenders Portal. Main CPV 90700000 (research and development services and related consultancy services).

Deadlines and key dates:Submission deadline: 21 September 2026, 16:00:59 Europe/Brussels (closing date shown as 2026-09-21T16:00:59+00:00). An open tender event is scheduled 22 September 2026 at 10:30 (Europe/Brussels). The procurement documents (Tender specifications, Draft contract and Invitation letter) were published 15 July 2026. The tendering process uses mandatory eSubmission; additional information request period ends 11 September 2026. Please consult procurement documents for precise procedural timing and any possible changes Tender documents and eSubmission. ¹

Who can apply and how

This is an open call for tenders addressed to economic operators able to deliver technical and scientific services. Tender rules require eSubmission through the Funding & Tenders Portal and registration in the Participant Register (PIC required). The procurement documents state specific tenderer qualification requests and selection criteria; groups of economic operators (joint tenders) are explicitly referenced as eligible (each member must register and provide a PIC).

Eligible Applicant Types

Eligible applicant types include private consultancies and consultancies acting as legal economic operators, research organisations, universities, specialised environmental and conservation NGOs acting as economic operators where applicable, independent experts when engaged by an economic operator, public bodies where allowed under the procurement rules, consortia and joint ventures composed of the above. The procurement documents require registration in the Participant Register and compliance with the selection criteria; SMEs are not specifically marked as suitable or targeted (smeSuitableIndicator: false), so participation is allowed but the contract is not reserved for SMEs.

Funding Type

This opportunity is a public procurement tender for a services contract, i.e., a purchase of technical and scientific services by the European Commission. The financial mechanism is a service contract (procurement), not a grant, loan or equity instrument. The Commission will pay the contractor for services delivered under the contract (contract value estimated at €2,800,000).

Consortium Requirement

The procedure allows single economic operators or consortia/joint tenders. The procurement documentation references specific tenderer qualification requests and permits submission by groups; each member of a joint tender must register in the Participant Register and provide a PIC. The contracting documents should be consulted for rules on lead partner, liability, financial capacity and staff allocation for consortia.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility)

The contracting authority is the European Commission DG ENV. The opportunity is published on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal and is intended for economic operators eligible to contract with the European Commission. That typically includes bidders established in EU Member States and certain third countries that have access to EU procurement (consult procurement documents for allowed third country participation). The nature of the work is EU-wide and supports implementation across EU Member States and associated policy instruments.

Target Sector

Primary sector:environment, biodiversity and nature conservation. Thematic areas include implementation of EU nature legislation (Birds and Habitats Directives) and implementation of the Nature Restoration Regulation, monitoring and indicators, habitat assessment, species conservation, guidance development, capacity building, reporting, data analysis, technical advice and stakeholder engagement related to biodiversity policy.

Mentioned Countries

No individual countries are listed in the tender description. The regional scope is the European Union (EU) and actions related to EU nature conservation policy and Member States' implementation of the Birds and Habitats Directives and the EU Nature Restoration Regulation.

Project Stage

Expected project maturity:implementation and operational support. The contract will provide ongoing technical and scientific assistance for implementing and operationalising existing legislation and the Nature Restoration Regulation, including development of guidance, monitoring approaches, evaluations and capacity building; this is post-research, applied technical support at a mature policy implementation stage.

Funding Amount

Estimated overall contract amount:€2,800,000. The procurement notice lists the Cft Estimated Total Procedure Value and Estimated Overall Contract Amount as €2,800,000. The award will be a services contract with that estimated budget; see the draft contract and tender specifications for exact pricing model, invoicing and payment schedules.

Application Type and Submission Method

Application type:open call for tenders published on the Funding & Tenders Portal. Submission method: mandatory electronic submission (eSubmission) via the Commission's eSubmission system integrated with the Funding & Tenders Portal. Tenders submitted in any other way (email, paper) will be disregarded. Economic operators must register in the Participant Register and use their PIC when preparing and submitting tenders.

Nature of Support

The award is a paid services contract:beneficiaries receive monetary compensation for delivering contracted services. The support provided by the contractor will be technical and scientific outputs and advisory services rather than direct grants to third parties.

Application Stages

Indicative stages based on the procurement process:1) Preparation and registration in Participant Register (obtain PIC) and downloading tender documents; 2) Submission of tender via eSubmission by deadline; 3) Administrative and eligibility and selection criteria check; 4) Quality and price evaluation according to award criteria (quality weighted 70 and price weighted 30 as indicated in the procurement lot metadata); 5) Contract award and signature; 6) Contract kick-off and implementation. In procurement terms the applicant passes through at least 3 formal decision stages (selection, award evaluation and contract award).

Success Rates

No explicit success rate is published for this tender. Typical EU single-supplier service procurement success rates depend on competition level; for high-profile DG ENV framework and support contracts, success rates can be low (single-digit to low-double-digit percentages) when many qualified bidders respond. Exact probability of success cannot be determined from published documents.

Co-funding Requirement

No co-funding from the contractor is required because this is a procurement service contract: the Commission finances the services under the agreed contract price. The contractor must demonstrate financial and operational capacity as part of selection criteria, but no matching funds or co-funding obligation is described in the tender metadata.

What the Commission expects bidders to deliver

The contractor will deliver technical and scientific support across a range of activities to assist the Commission and Member States in implementing the Birds Directive, Habitats Directive and the Nature Restoration Regulation. Tasks are likely to include: policy and legal interpretation support; preparation of technical guidance and methodologies; development and maintenance of monitoring approaches and indicators; data analysis and reporting; scientific reviews and assessments; support to the Biogeographical Process and Member State reporting; capacity building, training and workshops; facilitation of stakeholder engagement; development of best-practice documents and tools; and ad-hoc technical assistance to DG Environment. The tender specifications and annexes contain the detailed description of required tasks, deliverables, staff profiles and quality requirements ¹.

1. 1Core deliverables implied by the procurement: technical reports, scientific assessments, monitoring methodologies, guidance documents, training materials, workshop facilitation and stakeholder engagement outputs.
2. 2Quality and price evaluation: weighting indicated in procurement metadata is 70 for quality and 30 for price; tenderers must consult tender specifications for scoring rules and sub-criteria.
3. 3Contract period and renewal: initial period 24 months renewable one time to reach the planned 48 months; contract extension provisions are specified in the draft contract.
4. 4Administrative requirements: electronic eSubmission only, registration in Participant Register (PIC), compliance with selection criteria, and submission of documents listed in tender specifications.
5. 5Financial arrangements: estimated overall contract amount €2,800,000; invoicing and payment schedules defined in the draft contract.

How to prepare a compliant bid (practical guidance and templates)

All bidders must download and study the Tender specifications, Draft contract and Invitation letter available in the procurement documents section of the opportunity. Bids must be prepared and submitted via the eSubmission tool. Each legal entity in a joint tender must be registered in the Participant Register and have a PIC. The procurement metadata and annexes reference the following key documents and templates: Tender specifications (detailed requirements and evaluation methodology), Draft contract (contractual terms including duration and renewal clauses), Invitation letter (instructions on submission and submission deadline) and Annexes to tender specifications in Word format. The eSubmission Quick guide and Participant Register guidance explain technical steps to register and submit. Links are available on the Funding & Tenders Portal listing for the tender Tender documents and registration.

Typical structure of required application documents:Based on standard DG ENV tenders and the published tender specifications, bidders should prepare: 1) Administrative forms (covering declarations, PICs, legal status, power of attorney), 2) Selection documentation (economic and financial capacity evidence, professional and technical capacity, key staff CVs and availability), 3) Technical offer (understanding of tasks, detailed workplan, methodology, task-by-task description, risk mitigation, quality assurance, timetable, deliverables and milestones), 4) Management and staffing (organigram, key experts’ CVs, roles, allocation of hours and contingency), 5) Price offer (detailed budget, unit rates, staff day rates, travel and other direct costs consistent with the draft contract and EU financial rules), 6) Annexes and supporting evidence (references, previous projects, templates requested in tender specifications). Follow the exact structure and file naming requirements set in the eSubmission forms and Invitation letter.

Evaluation and award

Evaluation will follow the award criteria set out in the tender specifications. Procurement metadata indicates quality will carry 70% weight and price 30% weight. Tenderers must meet all selection criteria and pass minimum thresholds where specified. After evaluation, the Commission will award the contract to the most economically advantageous tender in accordance with the stated weighting and scoring. The contracting authority may ask clarification questions, and administrative compliance checks will be carried out before technical evaluation. The award will be published on the Funding & Tenders Portal and the TED database.

Useful links and documents

Tender documents published on 15 July 2026 include:Tender specifications (0024 Support Birds and Habit and NRR_D3_24.6.26 final_V1.pdf), Draft contract (OC 0024_SER Birds Habitats CONTRACT_V1.pdf), Invitation letter (OP0024_Support implementation nature policy_INV_V1.pdf). These are available from the Funding & Tenders Portal opportunity page Tender details and documents.

Further guidance for eSubmission and Participant Register:use the Funding & Tenders Portal help pages and the eSubmission Quick guide linked on the portal. For negotiated low or middle value procedures and ex-ante publicity details consult DG Environment tender pages and TED notices referenced in the procurement metadata.

Long summary and explanation

This procurement seeks a contractor (single economic operator or a consortium) to provide paid technical and scientific assistance to the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Environment to support EU-level implementation of key nature legislation: the Birds Directive, the Habitats Directive and the Nature Restoration Regulation. The work is applied and operational: preparing guidance and methodologies, supporting monitoring and indicators, producing scientific assessments and reports, delivering capacity building and stakeholder engagement, and providing ad-hoc technical advice to DG ENV and Member States. The contract is estimated at €2.8 million over up to 48 months (initial 24-month period, renewable once). Bidders must register in the Participant Register, obtain a PIC, download the tender documents from the Funding & Tenders Portal, and submit tenders exclusively via eSubmission by the stated deadline (21 September 2026). Evaluation will use quality (70) and price (30) weighting; bidders must comply with selection and administrative documentation requirements set out in the tender specifications and draft contract. This is a procurement for services (service contract) rather than a grant; it is open to eligible economic operators able to deliver high-quality scientific and technical outputs in the biodiversity and nature conservation domain across the EU. Interested bidders must consult and follow the tender specifications, draft contract and invitation letter for the precise technical tasks, deliverables, staff profiles, legal and financial conditions, and the exact submission package required ¹.

Footnotes

1. 1Tender specifications, draft contract and invitation letter published on the Funding & Tenders Portal 15 July 2026 contain the full technical scope, selection criteria, award criteria, contractual conditions, templates and annexes. Download and read them carefully on the official opportunity page: ec.europa.eu.

Opportunity Overview

This is an open tender for technical and scientific support to the European Commission (DG ENV) to assist in implementing the Birds Directive, Habitats Directive, and the newly adopted Nature Restoration Regulation (NRL) [[1]][[2]]. The contract aims to provide expert support to the Commission in monitoring, analyzing, and guiding Member States on compliance and restoration targets [[1]].

Procedure Identifier:EC-ENV/2026/OP/0024 [[10]].

Estimated Value:€2,800,000 (excluding VAT) [[4]][[10]].

Key Deadlines

1. 1First deadline: January 1, 2026 at 14:00 UTC (likely for initial submission or clarification) [[Metadata]]
2. 2Final deadline: September 21, 2026 at 16:00 UTC for tender submission [[4]][[Metadata]]

Note:The current date is July 18, 2026, meaning the January 1, 2026 deadline has passed; the active deadline for submission is September 21, 2026 [[4]].

Who Can Apply

Eligible applicants are legal entities capable of providing high-level technical and scientific services in environmental policy, biodiversity, and nature conservation [[1]]. Typical candidates include environmental research institutes, universities, specialized consulting firms, and NGOs with expertise in EU nature legislation [[1]][[2]].

Consortium Requirement:While not explicitly mandated in the summary, complex EU tenders for scientific support often favor consortia combining scientific, legal, and policy expertise [[1]].

Scope of Work & Objectives

The contractor will provide support to the Commission to assist Member States in fully implementing legal obligations under the Birds and Habitats Directives and the Nature Restoration Regulation [[1]]. Key tasks include analyzing progress toward EU Biodiversity Strategy 2030 targets, particularly for protected areas and species/habitat status improvement [[1]].

• Scientific assessment of habitat conditions and restoration needs [[1]][[19]]
• Support for the development and monitoring of National Restoration Plans (NRPs) [[1]][[13]]
• Analysis of compliance with binding restoration targets (e.g., 30% by 2030, 60% by 2040, 90% by 2050) [[7]][[17]]
• Technical input on pollinator monitoring, wetland rewetting, and urban green space obligations [[3]][[13]][[15]]

Funding & Contract Details

Relevant Legislative Context

The Nature Restoration Regulation (Regulation (EU) 2024/1991) entered into force on August 18, 2024, setting binding targets to restore 20% of EU degraded ecosystems by 2030 and all by 2050 [[13]][[17]]. Member States must submit National Restoration Plans by September 2026, making this tender critical for Commission oversight [[9]][[13]].

Key Targets:30% of degraded habitats to good condition by 2030; 60% by 2040; 90% by 2050 [[7]][[17]].

Application Process

Tenders must be submitted electronically via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal [[8]]. The official portal link for this opportunity is EU Tender Portal.

Tenders can be submitted in any EU language, including English, French, German, and others [[8]]. Contact for queries: env-tenders@ec.europa.eu [[2]][[8]].

Applicants should verify the exact duration and specific eligibility criteria in the full tender specifications document ¹.

Footnotes

1. 1Official tender specifications and documents are available at EU Tender Portal.