Technical Assistance for the Initiative Access to Sustainable Finance for Green and Climate-Smart Value Chains

The European Commission, representing the EU, has launched a call for tenders for Technical Assistance aimed at improving access to sustainable finance for green and climate-smart value chains in Honduras. The call, referenced as EC-INTPA/TGU/2025/EA-RP/0057, highlights a restricted procedure for submissions, which must be submitted electronically. The estimated total value of the contract is €7.1 million, and the contract duration is a maximum of 48 months. The deadline for submitting requests to participate is June 30, 2025.

Eligible applicants include consulting firms and organizations with expertise in investment-oriented support and technical assistance in the areas of green finance. The focus is on building institutional capacities, policy advice, and knowledge-sharing targeted toward State-Owned Development Banks, intermediary financial institutions including microfinance institutions, and final beneficiaries. The main objectives include enhancing the strategic role of development banks in green finance, improving operational efficiency, and increasing responsible investments from Europe in Honduras.

The project's geographic focus is exclusively on Honduras, with expected benefits to local financial institutions and small to medium enterprises. The application process involves an initial stage where candidates provide a request to participate, followed by a second stage for those selected to submit full tenders.

The contract's nature outlines services with a strong emphasis on quality, comprising 80% of the assessment criteria, while financial proposals contribute the remaining 20%. Co-funding is not explicitly required, although collaboration with local institutions is encouraged.

The overall goal is to create a more sustainable and inclusive financial ecosystem in Honduras that supports economic growth and addresses environmental challenges. Applicants are required to obtain a Participant Identification Code, and the project aims to support a variety of strategic objectives, including enabling better access to sustainable finance and increasing gender-responsive standards.

As part of the application procedures, the eSubmission system has specific requirements regarding file types, sizes, and the submission process, ensuring a secure and efficient method for handling submission documents.

The European Commission, on behalf of Honduras, has published a call for tenders EC-INTPA/TGU/2025/EA-RP/0057 for Technical Assistance for the Initiative Access to Sustainable Finance for Green and Climate-Smart Value Chains. The TED reference for this call is 103/2025 348173-2025. This is a restricted procedure, and submissions must be sent electronically. The estimated total value of the contract is 7,100,000 EUR. The TED publication date is 30/05/2025, and the deadline for receipt of requests to participate is 30/06/2025 at 23:00 America/Tegucigalpa time. The lead contracting authority is the European Union, represented by the European Commission. The main classification (CPV) code is 79410000 Business and management consultancy services. The nature of the contract is for services, with a maximum contract duration of 48 months. The award method is best price-quality ratio. No framework agreement is specified. The place of delivery or performance is Honduras, with the code 20000910. The relevant program is America and the Caribbean, with the code 44995889.

The provider will offer specialized investment-oriented support and advisory services and will provide a set of skills for comprehensive international and/or local technical assistance focused on institutional capacity building, policy advice and knowledge-sharing to improve green finance and banking practices and bring access to sustainable and inclusive financial services. This will ensure an integrated technical advice and capacity building for the institutions and beneficiaries, and the coordination between the two components and the national counterparts.

The contract aims to contribute to a more robust and inclusive financial ecosystem that drives sustainable economic growth, promotes equitable opportunities, and enhances resilience to environmental (and social) challenges in Honduras.

This contract supports three State-Owned Development Banks (SDBs) in Honduras, their networks of Intermediary Financial Institutions, including Microfinance Institutions (MFIs), and final beneficiaries with Technical Assistance focused on the following Strategic Objectives (SO):

SO #1: Strengthen State-Owned Development Banks’ strategic role in green finance and green investments targeted for MSMEs and Households.

SO #2 Increase the operational efficiency, market access, institutional knowledge and capacities of State-Owned Development Banks, Financial Intermediaries, and MSMEs, integrating sustainable, gender-responsive, and green practices and standards.

SO #3: Increase socially and environmentally responsible European private sector investments in Honduras.

One document is available for download: ENa5f additional information contract notice en finalInvitation to submit a request to participate, published on 30/05/2025, Version 1, with no translations available.

Submissions must be sent exclusively at the address for submission given below. The submission method is electronic.

There are FAQs available regarding 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? Depending on the type or step of procedure, you can find the submissions in one of these sections: In ‘My Submission(s)’: tenders in response to open calls for tenders, requests to.

Which size should attachments have? eSubmission accepts files that are less than 50 MB in size. Any larger sizes will not be accepted by the system.

How should I name attachments in eSubmission? Name the attachments for your tender draft following the System Requirements. Attachment names must adhere to specific conditions.

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). For subcontractors PIC is.

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. A)For procurement procedures: B)For req.

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. Only one PIC per organisation must be used.

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.

What is the validity period of a PIC? A PIC is unique and its validity is not limited in time.

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.

In the submission report, under the name of our entity, "Legal form: UNKNOWN" is displayed while in the system, our legal form was correctly displayed. Is this a problem for the submission? No, it is just a display issue. This is not blocking for you: you can submit.

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 EU call for tenders seeks a provider to deliver technical assistance in Honduras to strengthen the green finance ecosystem. The project focuses on supporting State-Owned Development Banks, Microfinance Institutions, and MSMEs to integrate sustainable practices and attract European private sector investments. The selected provider will offer specialized investment-oriented support, capacity building, and policy advice. The submission deadline is June 30, 2025, and the estimated contract value is 7.1 million EUR. The tender process is electronic, and applicants must register for a PIC (Participant Identification Code). The eSubmission system supports various file types and languages, encrypts documents for security, and allows draft submissions to be viewed and edited until the deadline.

Eligible Applicant Types: The eligible applicant types are not explicitly stated, but based on the description, the opportunity is targeted towards providers who can offer specialized investment-oriented support and advisory services with skills in international and/or local technical assistance. This suggests that eligible applicants could include consulting firms, technical assistance providers, and organizations with expertise in institutional capacity building, policy advice, and knowledge-sharing in the areas of green finance and banking. The beneficiaries of the technical assistance include State-Owned Development Banks (SDBs), networks of Intermediary Financial Institutions including Microfinance Institutions (MFIs), and final beneficiaries, implying that applicants should be capable of working with these types of entities.

Funding Type: The primary financial mechanism is a service contract, as indicated by the "Nature of the contract: services" detail. The call is for tenders, which means it is a procurement process where the EU is seeking a service provider.

Consortium Requirement: The information does not explicitly state whether a consortium is required or if a single applicant is sufficient. However, given the scope of the project, which involves multiple strategic objectives and a range of beneficiaries (State-Owned Development Banks, Financial Intermediaries, MSMEs), it is possible that a consortium with diverse expertise could be advantageous, but a single applicant with sufficient capacity might also be considered. The text mentions that a 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).

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): The geographic eligibility is primarily focused on Honduras, as the contract aims to contribute to a more robust and inclusive financial ecosystem in Honduras. The place of delivery or performance is specified as Honduras. While the lead contracting authority is the European Union, the services are to be delivered in Honduras.

Target Sector: The program targets the following sectors: finance (specifically green finance and banking), sustainable development, economic development, and environmental sustainability. It also touches upon support for Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) and households.

Mentioned Countries: Honduras.

Project Stage: The project stage is focused on implementation and capacity building. The technical assistance aims to strengthen the strategic role of State-Owned Development Banks, increase the operational efficiency of financial institutions, and promote responsible investments. This suggests that the project is beyond the research and development phase and is geared towards practical application and scaling up of green finance practices.

Funding Amount: The estimated total value of the contract is 7,100,000 EUR.

Application Type: The application type is an open call for tenders with electronic submission. The procedure type is specified as a restricted procedure.

Nature of Support: The beneficiaries will receive non-monetary services in the form of technical assistance, capacity building, policy advice, and knowledge-sharing. The provider will offer specialized investment-oriented support and advisory services.

Application Stages: The procedure type is "Restricted procedure" which implies at least two stages: a first stage where candidates submit a request to participate based on selection criteria, and a second stage where selected candidates are invited to submit a full tender.

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

Co-funding Requirement: The co-funding requirement is not explicitly mentioned in the provided text.

Summary:

This opportunity is a call for tenders issued by the European Union, represented by the European Commission, on behalf of Honduras, for "Technical Assistance for the Initiative Access to Sustainable Finance for Green and Climate-Smart Value Chains" in Honduras. The project aims to enhance the financial ecosystem in Honduras by providing specialized investment-oriented support and technical assistance to State-Owned Development Banks (SDBs), their networks of Intermediary Financial Institutions (including Microfinance Institutions), and final beneficiaries. The selected provider will focus on institutional capacity building, policy advice, and knowledge-sharing to improve green finance and banking practices, promote sustainable and inclusive financial services, and increase socially and environmentally responsible European private sector investments in Honduras. The contract is valued at 7,100,000 EUR and has a maximum duration of 48 months. The submission method is electronic, and the deadline for receipt of requests to participate is 30/06/2025. The procedure is a restricted procedure, implying a multi-stage application process. A Personal Identification Code (PIC) is mandatory for participation, whether as a single entity or as part of a consortium. The overall goal is to drive sustainable economic growth, promote equitable opportunities, and enhance resilience to environmental challenges in Honduras through a more robust and inclusive financial ecosystem.