Technical Assistance for Climate Change Adaptation Planning and Improved Response

Restricted tender under the Instrument for Pre-accession Assistance (IPA III) for technical assistance on climate change adaptation addressing river and torrential floods in Bosnia and Herzegovina, estimated value €3,000,000 (excluding VAT) and maximum duration 30 months. Requests to participate must be submitted electronically via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal by 27 April 2026, 12:00 Europe/Sarajevo time, with 4–8 candidates to be short-listed for invitation to tender. Selection criteria include minimum average turnover, professional staffing and demonstrated technical experience in flood adaptation, and the contract will be awarded on a best price-quality ratio. Contracting authority: European Commission ENEST (Enlargement and Eastern Neighbourhood); procurement documents and templates are available on the Funding & Tenders Portal.

What it funds

Scope (high level)

A restricted tender to deliver technical assistance for climate change adaptation in Bosnia and Herzegovina, addressing river floods (renewal of hydrological information systems, reservoir impact analysis, agricultural flood-protection guidelines, and a "Living with Floods" manual) and torrential floods (cadastre of torrential basins, sensitivity/erosion modelling, and a study plus catalogue of retention and runoff/sediment-reduction interventions).

Who can apply:Natural persons, legal entities and consortia established in EU Member States or eligible IPA III countries, plus international and regional organisations; participation rules and exclusions follow PRAG/IPA III. ¹

1. 1Estimated total value: €3 000 000 (services).
2. 2Maximum contract duration / implementation period: 30 months.
3. 3Procedure: restricted two-stage (shortlisting 4 to 8 candidates) with award on best price-quality ratio.
4. 4Submission: electronic via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal / eSubmission (EU Login/PIC required).
5. 5Language: English. Location of performance: Bosnia and Herzegovina (Region IPA instrument).

Provisional invitation to tender:May/June 2026. Provisional contract start: October 2026. Candidates must meet financial, professional and technical selection criteria (minimum average turnover €1 200 000; relevant contracts of at least €1 000 000; staffed expertise in water resources/flood management).

Footnotes

1. 1Procurement documents and the additional information note are available on the Funding & Tenders Portal: Procurement page

Tender summary

Opportunity title:Technical Assistance for Climate Change Adaptation Planning and Improved Response. Procedure identifier: EC-ENEST/SJJ/2026/EA-RP/0035. TED reference: 61/2026 212606-2026. Lead contracting authority: European Commission, ENEST - Enlargement and Eastern Neighbourhood. Location of performance: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Region IPA instrument. Programme: Instrument for Pre-accession Assistance (IPA III). Main CPV: 90700000 - Environmental services. Nature of contract: services. Maximum contract duration: 30 months. Estimated total value: €3 000 000 (excluding VAT). Award method: best price-quality ratio. Submission method: electronic via eSubmission / Funding & Tenders Portal.

Project scope and deliverables

The contract foresees technical assistance activities addressing climate change adaptation measures for two distinct flood types: river floods and torrential floods. Activities are separated according to the unique characteristics of each flood type and include system renewal, analysis, studies, guidelines, cadastre development and manuals. The contract will be delivered as technical and advisory services, research and analysis, study preparation and documentation, and development of operational tools and guidance materials.

River floods activities

1. 1Renewal of the Hydrological Information System (HIS) for the main sub-basins in Bosnia and Herzegovina, including compilation and integration of flood events from 2010 to present.
2. 2Analysis of the impact of existing reservoirs on the water regime and proposals to improve high-water wave management and increase water retention during dry periods.
3. 3Development of guidelines for flood protection of agricultural land.
4. 4Preparation of the manual Living with Floods providing an overview of necessary measures and best practices for flood risk management.

Torrential floods activities

1. 1Development of a cadastre of torrential basins, including a sensitivity model based on existing erosion maps.
2. 2Preparation of a study on increasing basin water retention capacity through measures aimed at reducing runoff and sediment transport, together with a catalogue of applicable interventions.

Key administrative and procedural information

This is a restricted procedure (two-stage) with an invitation to submit a request to participate published. Between 4 and 8 candidates will be short-listed and invited to submit full tenders. Provisional invitation to tender is May/June 2026. Provisional commencement of contract: October 2026. All communications and submissions for this tender procedure must be in English. Electronic submission via the Funding & Tenders Portal eSubmission is mandatory; EU Login account and Participant Identification Code (PIC) registration are required. The contracting authority may request legal and financial validation of participants (PIC validation).

Deadlines:Deadline for receipt of requests to participate: 27 April 2026, 12:00:59 (Europe/Sarajevo, UTC+02:00). TED publication date: 27 March 2026. Provisional invitation to tender: May/June 2026. Provisional contract start: October 2026.

Eligibility and participation

Participation is open to all natural persons who are nationals of, and legal persons effectively established in, an EU Member State or in an eligible country or territory as defined under Article 11 of Regulation (EU) No 2021/1529 (Instrument for Pre-accession Assistance). Participation is also open to international and regional organisations. The procedure allows participation either individually or as a consortium (grouping). Sub-contracting is allowed. Short-listed candidates may not form alliances or subcontract to each other for this contract unless prior authorisation is obtained from the contracting authority.

Eligible applicant types:Eligible applicants include private sector companies (SMEs and large enterprises), consultancies, international and regional organisations, research institutes, universities, NGOs, and public bodies effectively established in EU Member States or eligible IPA III countries. Consortia are permitted and commonly used for multidisciplinary services requiring combined technical, hydrological, environmental and stakeholder engagement capacities.

Selection and award criteria

Selection criteria combine economic/financial capacity, professional capacity and technical capacity. Award will be based on best price-quality ratio; detailed award weighting and marks will be provided in the procurement documents and the invitation to tender.

Selection criteria (detailed):1) Economic and financial capacity: average annual turnover of last 3 closed financial years must be at least €1 200 000. 2) Professional capacity: during the current year and previous two years, the candidate must have on average at least 5 personnel directly employed or legally contracted with specialist knowledge in water resources management or flood management. 3) Technical capacity: the candidate must have completed at least 1 contract during the last four years with a value not less than €1 000 000; completed services must be in climate change adaptation in the context of flood prevention/protection/management planning implemented in EU Member States or EU candidate/potential candidate countries. References relating to hydrological equipment supply, construction or supervision of flood-related infrastructure, wastewater management or water supply management are not considered relevant for this project.

Between 4 and 8 candidates meeting the selection criteria will be short-listed. If more candidates are eligible, re-examination comparative criteria will rank candidates by: (1) highest number of contracts meeting the technical capacity criterion and then (2) highest cumulated value of those completed services. If fewer than 4 meet the criteria the contracting authority may still invite candidates who satisfy the criteria.

Contract and implementation details

Contract type:global price, service contract. Maximum duration: 30 months. Period of implementation: 30 months from contract start. The contract is financed under IPA 2022 Annual Country Action Programme for Bosnia and Herzegovina, EU4 Environment and Climate Change, financing reference BGUE-B2022-15.020201-C1-NEAR DELBIH. The procurement is subject to Regulation (EU, Euratom) 2024/2509 and the Practical Guide (PRAG) provisions for EU external actions. The contract is not covered by the Government Procurement Agreement (GPA).

Place(s) of performance:Primary place of performance: Bosnia and Herzegovina. The contract will be performed in the Region IPA instrument context and delivered in-country with possible regional or remote support as required.

Financial and contractual specifics

Estimated total value:€3 000 000 excluding VAT. Payment and electronic ordering/payment will be used. Financial figures in requests and tenders must be expressed in EUR; where conversion is required use the InforEuro exchange rate of February 2025 as specified in the procurement documents. The contract will be awarded on a best price-quality ratio basis, with detailed weighting to appear in the procurement documents.

Application process and templates

Requests to participate must be submitted using the request to participate form provided by the European Commission (available via the annexes link in the procurement documents). The request to participate must be accompanied by a Declaration on Honour on exclusion and selection criteria using the template provided. All supporting documents must be uploaded to the appropriate attachment sections in the Funding & Tenders Portal submission interface. Only the documents requested should be included; additional brochures or unsolicited material will not be taken into consideration.

Required submission steps and documents:1) Register organisation in the Participant Register and obtain PIC. 2) Complete the official Request to Participate form. 3) Attach Declaration on Honour on Exclusion and Selection criteria using the provided template. 4) Provide financial data in EUR for last three closed financial years (average annual turnover). 5) Provide evidence of professional capacity: personnel details showing at least 5 relevant specialists on average during the last three years. 6) Provide technical references: documentary evidence for at least one contract in the last four years valued at or above €1 000 000 in the specified domain. 7) If relying on capacity-providing entities or subcontractors, include signed declarations from them and separate documentation showing their capacities. 8) Submit electronically via the Funding & Tenders Portal before the deadline. The procurement documents link contains the request to participate form and annexes. Failure to provide required supporting evidence at submission time may lead to rejection.

Assessment stages and timeline

The procurement follows a two-stage restricted procedure. Stage 1:submission and evaluation of Requests to Participate; short-listing of between 4 and 8 candidates. Stage 2: invitation of short-listed candidates to submit full tenders; evaluation of tenders and award based on best price-quality ratio. Applicants should expect at least two formal evaluation stages. Provisional invitation to tender is May/June 2026, with the tendering stage following short-listing. The contracting authority will publish clarifications and Q&A via the Funding & Tenders Portal; clarification requests must be submitted through the portal no later than 21 days before the deadline for requests to participate and answers will be published at the latest 8 days before the deadline.

Number of application stages:Two main stages: 1) short-listing via Request to Participate, 2) invited tender submission by short-listed candidates followed by evaluation and award.

Success rates and competition

Estimated success rates are not published. The procedure will short-list between 4 and 8 candidates from all eligible submissions; therefore, short-listing probability depends on the number of eligible applicants. Final award probability for a short-listed candidate depends on the number of short-listed participants and evaluation results. Historically restricted procedures of this nature are competitive; short-listing typically excludes a significant portion of initial applicants when many candidates apply.

Co-funding and financial contributions

No co-funding requirement is stated in the procurement documentation. The contract is fully financed by the IPA programme allocation stated in the procurement documents. Tenderers should not assume any requirement to provide co-financing unless stated in tender instructions. All financial proposals should be structured as global price offers in EUR in accordance with the procurement documents.

Technical and scientific expectations

Tenderers are expected to demonstrate strong technical expertise in hydrology, flood risk management, water resources management, reservoir operation analysis, erosion and sediment transport modelling, basin retention measures, agricultural land protection against floods, and the development of operational information systems (Hydrological Information Systems). Evidence of applied project experience in climate change adaptation planning specifically related to flood prevention/protection/management is mandatory for technical capacity. Capacity to develop GIS-based cadastres, sensitivity models using erosion mapping, and practical catalogues of measures for basin retention is required. Experience in stakeholder engagement, guidance/manual drafting and knowledge transfer in the Western Balkans or similar contexts is advantageous.

Contact and procurement documents

Procurement documents, including the Request to Participate form and the Additional Information about the Contract Notice (A5f), are available via the Funding & Tenders Portal opportunity page. Address for submission (eSubmission) and portal links are provided in the procurement notice. Contact email for procurement queries: delegation-bosnia-and-herzegovina-procurement@eeas.europa.eu. Clarification requests must be submitted through the Funding & Tenders Portal Q&A tab; no questions will be accepted by other channels.

Mentioned countries and geographic scope

Primary country of performance:Bosnia and Herzegovina. Eligibility: EU Member States and eligible IPA III countries as defined under Article 11 of Regulation (EU) No 2021/1529; participation is also open to international and regional organisations. The procurement is part of the Instrument for Pre-accession Assistance for Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Region IPA instrument.

Summary of applicant requirements

1. 1Be a natural person national of or a legal person effectively established in an EU Member State or eligible IPA III country, or be an international/regional organisation.
2. 2Register in the Participant Register and obtain a PIC.
3. 3Submit a Request to Participate form with required declarations and supporting evidence via the Funding & Tenders Portal by 27 April 2026, 12:00:59 Europe/Sarajevo.
4. 4Meet economic/financial criterion: average turnover >= €1 200 000 over last 3 closed financial years.
5. 5Demonstrate professional capacity: average of at least 5 relevant personnel during the last three years.
6. 6Demonstrate technical capacity: at least one completed service contract in the last four years valued at >= €1 000 000 in climate change adaptation for floods in EU member or candidate/potential candidate countries, with documentary evidence.
7. 7Provide signed Declaration on Honour for exclusion and selection criteria.
8. 8If relying on third-party capacities, provide signed commitments and separate supporting documentation for those entities.

How to prepare a compliant Request to Participate

Follow exactly the Request to Participate form template and the instructions in the procurement documents. Populate financial entries in EUR; attach supporting documentary evidence for turnover, audited accounts if available, staff lists and CV summaries for key personnel, and documentary evidence for referenced contracts (approval of deliverables, proof of payment, certificate from contracting entity). If part of a consortium provide consortium agreement or letter of intent clarifying roles and joint and several liability. Ensure all required declarations are signed and uploaded in the correct attachment categories in eSubmission. Do not include unsolicited brochures or extra material beyond what is requested.

Risks, exclusions and compliance

Candidates listed in EU restrictive measures lists at the time of award cannot be awarded the contract. Candidates must submit a signed declaration on exclusion and selection criteria. The contracting authority reserves the right to exclude requests in case of ineligibility or if requirements are not met. Only one request to participate or tender may be submitted by a natural or legal person. In case of lots candidates may submit one request per lot. If more than one request is submitted by the same entity all submissions in which that entity participated will be excluded.

Practical notes and system requirements

Use latest Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox for eSubmission and the Funding & Tenders Portal. eSubmission accepts attachments up to 50 MB per file and up to 200 files per tender. File naming and formats must comply with eSubmission system requirements. Submissions are encrypted on upload and cannot be accessed after submission. If system disruptions occur within last 5 calendar days before the deadline the contracting authority may extend the deadline and publish the extension on the portal. Ensure timely PIC validation if requested and monitor the Funding & Tenders Portal Q&A and document updates by subscribing to the opportunity.

This opportunity concerns implementation of hydrological information system renewal, reservoir impact analysis, agricultural flood protection guidelines, Living with Floods manual, torrential basin cadastre and sensitivity modelling, and a study plus catalogue for measures to increase basin water retention and reduce runoff and sediment transport. Candidates should ensure full compliance with selection and submission rules, and consult the procurement documents and A5f Additional Information for details and templates Funding & Tenders Portal opportunity page ¹

Comprehensive classification answers

1. 1Eligible Applicant Types: startups (if meeting turnover and experience), SMEs, large enterprises, consultancies, universities, research institutes, non-profit organisations, international and regional organisations, public bodies and NGOs effectively established in EU Member States or eligible IPA III countries; consortia allowed.
2. 2Funding Type: procurement/service contract (tender) financed by grant-like EU external action funds under IPA III; primary mechanism: services contract (procurement).
3. 3Consortium Requirement: not mandatory but consortium participation is allowed; both single entities and consortia may apply. Short-listed candidates must maintain the same composition as in the request to participate unless prior authorisation is obtained.
4. 4Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): EU Member States and eligible IPA III countries as per Article 11 of Regulation (EU) No 2021/1529; performance in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Participation also open to international and regional organisations.
5. 5Target Sector: environment, climate adaptation, water resources management, flood management, natural hazards, agricultural protection; cross-cutting sectors include ICT for hydrological information systems and GIS.
6. 6Mentioned Countries: Bosnia and Herzegovina explicitly. Eligible countries referenced include EU Member States and IPA candidate/potential candidate countries (example list includes Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, Turkey, Ukraine, Kosovo as potential candidate).
7. 7Project Stage: research/analysis, development and demonstration of planning tools and guidance, implementation of technical assistance and capacity building; maturity expected to be at study, system renewal and policy/guideline development stages rather than construction.
8. 8Funding Amount: estimated total value €3 000 000 (excluding VAT).
9. 9Application Type: restricted call for tenders with two-stage procedure: request to participate (short-listing) followed by invitation to tender for short-listed candidates; electronic submission via Funding & Tenders Portal.
10. 10Nature of Support: monetary contract payment for services (service contract) — beneficiaries receive payments under the procurement contract for delivering services; non-monetary outputs include reports, systems, manuals and guidelines.
11. 11Application Stages: 2 main stages (1: Request to Participate and short-listing; 2: invitation to tender and award).
12. 12Success Rates: not specified; short-list between 4 and 8 candidates will be invited, final award to 1 bidder per lot. Probability of success depends on number and quality of applicants; historically competitive.
13. 13Co-funding Requirement: none specified; contract is financed from IPA funds and tenderers submit global price offers in EUR without required co-financing.

Final summary

This tender procures technical assistance services to strengthen climate change adaptation planning and response for river and torrential floods in Bosnia and Herzegovina under the Instrument for Pre-accession Assistance (IPA III). It combines hydrological system renewal, reservoir impact analysis, agricultural protection guidance, practical manuals on Living with Floods, cadastre and sensitivity modelling for torrential basins, and studies and catalogs of interventions to increase basin retention and reduce runoff and sediment transport. The procurement is a restricted two-stage procedure managed by the European Commission ENEST (Enlargement and Eastern Neighbourhood). Eligible applicants are organisations and entities established in EU Member States or eligible IPA III countries, as well as international/regional organisations. Short-listing will select between 4 and 8 candidates who meet specified financial, professional and technical capacity thresholds; invited candidates will then submit full tenders evaluated on best price-quality ratio. Estimated contract value is €3 million and the contract duration up to 30 months. Interested parties should register in the Participant Register, obtain a PIC, follow the exact Request to Participate and Declaration on Honour templates, and submit electronically via the Funding & Tenders Portal by the deadline 27 April 2026, 12:00:59 Europe/Sarajevo. All technical, financial and documentary requirements and templates are in the procurement documents and the A5f additional information document available on the opportunity page Funding & Tenders Portal opportunity page ¹.

Footnotes

1. 1Procurement documents and the A5f Additional Information to the Contract Notice, including the Request to Participate form and Declaration on Honour templates, are available on the Funding & Tenders Portal opportunity page. Access requires EU Login account and registration in the Participant Register.

This is a restricted tender procedure under the IPA III Instrument for Pre-accession Assistance, aimed at implementing climate adaptation measures for river and torrential floods in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The estimated total value is €3,000,000 for services classified under CPV 90700000 (Environmental services), with a maximum contract duration of 30 months and performance in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Key Dates and Procedure

TED Publication Date:27 March 2026.

Deadline for Requests to Participate:27 April 2026, 12:00 Europe/Sarajevo time. Submissions must be electronic via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal.

Provisional Invitation to Tender:May/June 2026.

Provisional Contract Start:October 2026.

The procedure is restricted:candidates submit requests to participate, with 4-8 shortlisted for detailed tenders. Award via best price-quality ratio. All communications in English.

Scope of Work

The contract focuses on technical assistance for climate adaptation, addressing river floods and torrential floods separately.

River Floods Activities

1. 1Renewal of the Hydrological Information System (HIS) for main sub-basins in Bosnia and Herzegovina, including flood events from 2010 to present.
2. 2Analysis of existing reservoirs' impact on water regime, with proposals for high-water wave management and dry-period retention.
3. 3Guidelines for flood protection of agricultural land.
4. 4Manual 'Living with Floods' on measures and best practices for flood risk management.

Torrential Floods Activities

1. 1Cadastre of torrential basins with sensitivity model based on erosion maps.
2. 2Study on increasing basin retention capacity to reduce runoff and sediment, with catalogue of interventions.

Eligibility and Who Can Apply

Open to natural persons who are nationals of, and legal persons established in, EU Member States or eligible countries/territories under Article 11 of Regulation (EU) 2021/1529 (IPA III), including candidate countries (e.g., Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, Turkey) and potential candidate (Kosovo). International and regional organisations also eligible. Consortia allowed (permanent or informal), with joint and several liability.

No more than one request per person/entity per lot. Sub-contracting permitted. Short-listed candidates cannot form alliances or subcontract to each other.

Selection Criteria

Applied to consortia as a whole (except where specified). Candidates must declare no exclusion grounds per PRAG Section 2.4.2.1. Capacity from other entities allowed with commitments; they must meet eligibility.

• Economic/Financial: Average annual turnover last 3 years >= €1,200,000.
• Professional: Average of at least 5 personnel (permanent/non-permanent) in water resources/flood management over last 3 years.
• Technical: At least 1 completed service contract (value >= €1,000,000) in climate change adaptation/flood prevention/protection/management planning in EU states or candidate/potential candidate countries, over last 4 years. Note: Excludes supply of equipment, construction/supervision, wastewater/water supply.

If >8 eligible, ranked by:1) highest number of qualifying contracts; 2) highest cumulated value of qualifying contracts (for ties).

Submission Requirements

1. 1Register in Participant Register for PIC (mandatory for individuals/consortia). Reuse existing PICs.
2. 2Use official Request to Participate form and Declaration on Honour (Annexes at EU Wiki Annexes).
3. 3Upload via F&T Portal: form and declarations under specified tabs.
4. 4Financial data in EUR (use InforEuro Feb 2025 rates). No extra docs considered.
5. 5Questions via F&T Portal Q&A (by 21 days before deadline). Check for updates.

Primary documents:Invitation to submit request at F&T Portal, A5f Additional Information Contract Notice (Re-launch). TED Notice: TED 212606-2026. Contracting authority: European Commission, ENEST - Enlargement and Eastern Neighbourhood (email: delegation-bosnia-and-herzegovina-procurement@eeas.europa.eu).

Funding and Contract Details

This tender aligns with ongoing BiH flood management efforts (e.g., EU Floods Directive, prior IPA/WBIF projects on mapping, infrastructure).¹²

Footnotes

1. 1Context from related projects: UNDP/GCF scaling flood risk management; WBIF/EIB flood protection investments.
2. 2Official source: EU F&T Portal and A5f document.