Technical assistance to upgrade food safety and animal health management in the Turkish Cypriot community

Restricted two-stage procurement by the European Commission DG REGIO for technical assistance to upgrade EU-aligned food safety and animal health management in the Turkish Cypriot community. The fee-based service contract is estimated at €2,750,000 with a maximum duration of 36 months and a provisional start of 06 May 2027. Submission is electronic via the Funding & Tenders Portal with a deadline for requests to participate on 03 November 2026; shortlisted candidates (4–8) will be invited to submit full tenders. Eligible legal persons and consortia established in EU Member States or in territories authorised under Council Regulation (EC) No 389/2006 may apply, and award will be based on the best price-quality ratio (quality 80%, price 20%).

Scope

Service contract to provide technical assistance, guidance and capacity building to accelerate implementation of EU-aligned food safety and animal health management standards in the Turkish Cypriot community.

Who can apply

Open to legal persons (individuals or consortia) established in EU Member States, authorised countries/territories under Council Regulation (EC) No 389/2006, and international organisations. Natural persons covered by the Regulation may participate under its provisions.

Estimated contract value:Approximately €2,750,000 for the contract ¹.

1. 1Procedure type: Restricted (two-stage) — requests to participate then invited tenders
2. 2Submission method: Electronic via EU Funding & Tenders Portal (EU Login and PIC required)
3. 3Deadline for requests to participate: 3 November 2026, 14:00 (Europe/Brussels)
4. 4Maximum contract duration: 36 months; provisional start May 2027
5. 5Award: Best price-quality ratio; short-listing: minimum 4, maximum 8 candidates

Selection highlights:minimum average turnover requirement €1,800,000 (last 3 years); technical references require at least 3 contracts in the last 4 years (each valued at €1,100,000) covering EU food safety and EU animal health domains; minimum team: average of 5 specialists across defined areas.

Submit requests to participate and view procurement documents on the Funding & Tenders Portal: access via the tender details page and upload via eSubmission. Ensure PIC registration and check published annexes for forms and templates ¹.

Footnotes

1. 1Tender documents and submission link: Funding & Tenders Portal — Tender EC-REGIO/2026/EA-RP/0066 (Technical assistance to upgrade food safety and animal health management in the Turkish Cypriot community) Tender details.

Opportunity summary

Opportunity type:Tender (restricted two-stage procedure). Contracting authority: European Commission, DG REGIO - Regional and Urban Policy (REGIO.DDG). Purpose: A fee-based service contract to provide technical assistance to support, guide, upgrade and accelerate implementation of EU-aligned food safety and animal health management standards in the Turkish Cypriot community (northern part of Cyprus). Main CPV: 85200000 Veterinary services. Additional CPV: 71356200 Technical assistance services. Estimated total value: €2 750 000 (estimated overall contract amount). Maximum contract duration: 36 months. Award method: Best price-quality ratio. Place of performance: Cyprus (northern part of the island; Extra-Regio Europe). Language of procedure and written communications: English.

Legal basis and programme:Legal basis: Council Regulation (EC) No 389/2006 of 27 February 2006 establishing an instrument of financial support for encouraging the economic development of the Turkish Cypriot community. Programme title: Instrument of financial support for encouraging the economic development of the Turkish Cypriot community. Programme period coverage noted: 2014-2020 and 2021-2027. The procurement is funded by the EU programme Support to the Turkish Cypriot Community (2021/2027).

Key dates and logistics

TED publication date:22/09/2026. Submission method: Electronic via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal eSubmission system (EU Login required). Deadline for receipt of requests to participate (first step): 03/11/2026 at 14:00:59 Europe/Brussels (UTC+01:00). Provisional invitation to tender (second step) date: 18/11/2026. Provisional contract commencement: 06/05/2027. Project implementation period: 36 months. Note: This is a two-stage restricted procedure: Step 1 = request to participate; shortlisted candidates (min 4, max 8) will be invited to submit full tenders.

Eligible Applicant Types

Eligible applicants:All legal persons established in a Member State of the European Union or in countries or territories of the regions covered and/or authorised by Council Regulation (EC) No 389/2006; international organisations may participate. Natural persons participation is governed directly by Council Regulation (EC) No 389/2006. Participation explicitly includes entities residing or established in the ‘areas’ of the Republic of Cyprus in which the Government of the Republic of Cyprus does not exercise effective control (northern part of Cyprus). Consortiums (permanent or formed for this procurement) are permitted and frequently used.

Examples of eligible organisation types:Startups (if legal persons established in eligible jurisdictions), SMEs, large enterprises, consultancies, universities, research institutes, non-profit organisations, international organisations and public-private groupings may participate provided they meet selection and eligibility rules. Natural persons may participate under the legal rules of the Regulation, with additional requirements applied.

Funding Type and Nature of Support

Funding type:Procurement service contract (fee-based) financed by EU funds under the instrument for encouraging economic development of the Turkish Cypriot community. Nature of support to beneficiaries: contractual fee for services (monetary payment to the successful contractor). The opportunity is a public procurement (services) not a grant/loan/equity instrument.

Consortium Requirement

Consortiums are allowed but not mandatory. The procedure is a restricted two-stage procurement: any eligible single applicant may apply; group submissions (consortia) are permitted. If a consortium is formed, all members are jointly and severally liable. Short-listed candidates must submit tenders with the same composition as the request to participate unless prior authorisation to change is granted by the contracting authority.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility)

Geographic eligibility:Entities established in EU Member States or in countries/territories covered and/or authorised by Council Regulation (EC) No 389/2006; international organisations are allowed. Place of performance: northern part of Cyprus (areas of the Republic of Cyprus in which the Government of the Republic of Cyprus does not exercise effective control). The contract is implemented within EU external action rules specific to the instrument for the Turkish Cypriot community.

Target Sector and Technical Focus

Target sectors:Food safety, animal health and veterinary public health; official controls and enforcement; hygiene rules for food business operators; management of EU-funded projects and capacity-building. Technical assistance will address EU-aligned standards on food and feed law, animal health and welfare, official controls and hygiene requirements for production and processing of food of animal origin, processed products, non-animal origin and composite products.

Project Stage and Expected Maturity

Expected maturity:implementation, operational capacity-building, institutional strengthening, alignment and rollout of EU standards. The contractor should be able to deliver operational technical assistance, training, institution-level advisory services, implementation support and project management for EU-alignment activities (demonstration, validation and rollout phases). Prior practical project experience in implementation and service delivery is required.

Funding Amount and Contract Terms

Estimated total contract value:€2 750 000 (currency EUR). Maximum contract duration: 36 months. The procedure is fee-based; payments and invoicing will follow contract and PRAG/Tender dossier rules. Award will be made on the basis of best price-quality ratio with quality and price weighting indicated in procurement documents (quality 80%, price 20% as per the lot data specifying subordinate awarding criterion weights). The contract may be subject to EU external action financial rules (PRAG and Financial Regulation Title IV Part 2).

Application Type and Submission

Application method:Restricted two-stage electronic submission via the Funding & Tenders Portal eSubmission system (EU Login account required). Step 1: submit Request to Participate form (B3 template) and Declaration on Honour (A14a) and supporting documents via eSubmission. Step 2: shortlisted candidates (4-8) will be invited to submit full tenders. Submissions in any other format (email, paper) will be disregarded unless stated for indirect management; for this procedure electronic submission is required.

Important eSubmission details:Applicants must register in the Participant Register to obtain a PIC. The request to participate must be uploaded under correct attachment sections: Request to participate form under Other documents; Declaration on Exclusion and Selection under Declaration on Honour. eSubmission system requirements, supported file types and size limits apply (individual attachments under 50 MB; max 200 files per submission). Technical issues: contact eSubmission Helpdesk. The timestamp produced by eSubmission is the proof of timely submission.

Selection and Award Criteria (detailed)

Selection is based on exclusion, selection and short-listing criteria described in the Additional Information to the Contract Notice (A5f) and in the Request to Participate form (B3). Award criterion: best price-quality ratio. The contracting authority will apply the exclusion grounds and then selection thresholds shown below.

1. 1Selection: Economic and financial capacity: Minimum average annual turnover over last 3 closed financial years: €1 800 000. Current ratio (current assets/current liabilities) in last closed year must be at least 1. In case of a consortium this must be fulfilled by each member.
2. 2Professional capacity: Over the current year and the previous two years, on average at least 5 personnel directly employed or legally contracted (permanent or non-permanent) with specialist knowledge cumulatively covering: EU food safety standards; EU animal health standards; EU official controls and other official activities to ensure application of food and feed law and animal health/welfare; EU general and specific hygiene requirements for food business operators (production/processing of food of animal origin, processed products, non-animal origin and composite products); management of EU-funded projects according to PRAG.
3. 3Technical capacity: The candidate must have completed services under at least 3 contracts implemented at any time during the last 4 years before the submission deadline; each contract referenced must have a value of at least €1 100 000 and collectively must cover both domains: EU animal health standards and EU food safety standards (at least one contract per domain). Documentary evidence (approval of report/deliverable, proof of payment, certificate from contracting entity) required to substantiate value and role; only the portion carried out by candidate will be considered.
4. 4Short-listing: Between 4 and 8 candidates invited to tender. If more than 8 eligible candidates meet selection criteria, re-examination ranking criteria will be applied: (1) highest number of qualifying contracts meeting technical capacity criterion; (2) highest cumulative value of qualifying completed services.

Sub-contracting is allowed. Capacity-providing entities may be relied upon, but their data for the relevant selection criterion must be provided separately and they must meet nationality/eligibility rules; for economic/financial criteria those entities become jointly and severally liable.

Application templates and required forms

Required forms and templates (available from the Funding & Tenders Portal procurement documents): Request to Participate form (B3 template) — EU/EDF-funded service contract; Declaration on Honour on Exclusion and Selection Criteria (A14a); Invitation to submit a Request to Participate (B8a) and Additional Information Contract Notice (A5f). Applicants must use the B3 Request to Participate form and follow its structure for financial data, personnel statistics, areas of specialisation, experience references (max 15 references across the request) and declarations. The Declaration on Honour (A14a) must be signed (QES recommended) and submitted in the Declaration on Honour attachment section. If relying on capacity-providing entities, include separate commitment documents and supporting evidence.

B3 Request to Participate structure (key sections to complete):1 Identity of candidate and consortium composition; 2 Contact person details; 3 Economic and financial capacity table (annual turnover, current assets, current liabilities, current ratio); 4 Personnel statistics (permanent and other personnel, relevant fields); 5 Areas of specialisation matrix (max 10 specialisations); 6 Experience table (up to 15 references, details of value, client and portion carried out); 7 Declarations and signatures.

Submission supporting documents and evidence

Documents to attach at Step 1:completed B3 request to participate form (signed); Declaration referred to in point 7 of the B3 form (format on headed notepaper if required); Declaration on Honour A14a signed and dated by each legal entity (leader and consortium members and capacity-providing entities/subcontractors where required). Financial statements, certificates, evidence of project references (approval of deliverables, certificates, proof of payment) must be available and will be requested where necessary for validation. PIC legal and financial validation may be requested. Additional documents beyond those requested will not be considered.

Evaluation process and stages

Application stages:Two main stages. Stage 1: Requests to participate are evaluated against exclusion and selection criteria; contracting authority short-lists 4 to 8 candidates. Stage 2: Shortlisted candidates invited to submit full tenders (technical and financial) evaluated against award criteria (best price-quality ratio). The procurement documents specify the tender dossier, award weighting and detailed evaluation methodology. The number of procedural stages for applicants: 2 (request to participate then full tender). The opening and evaluation are not public; communications and notifications will be via the email address provided in eSubmission.

Success rates and competitiveness

Success rates:Not published. Procedural structure implies short-listing to 4-8 candidates from the pool of eligible applicants. Practical expected success rate at Step 1 depends on the number of eligible applicants; statistically, if many candidates apply, short-listing to 4-8 means competitive selection; final success rate equals 1 over number of shortlisted candidates invited to tender multiplied by success in Stage 2. No official success-rate percentages are provided in the procurement documents.

Co-funding and financial obligations

Co-funding requirement:None specified in the procurement documents. This is a fee-based public contract; bidder costs for proposal preparation are borne by the bidder. Contractors must comply with PRAG/Financial Regulation rules for contracts implemented under EU external action instruments. Where shipments or local tax treatment are relevant, the contracting authority indicates that tenderers will not be requested to pay customs duties, import taxes, fees, VAT or similar taxes on goods entering the northern areas for the EU-financed contract and that expatriate key staff will not be requested to pay personal income taxes related to the contract portion; local staff not exempt. Tenderers must verify and assume responsibility for local logistics and administrative requirements.

Technical and sector-specific requirements (in full detail provided in procurement documents)

Mandatory technical selection and experience requirements include:documented experience implementing services in domains of EU animal health standards and EU food safety standards; minimum contract references (3 contracts in last 4 years, each of minimum €1 100 000, with at least one contract covering animal health domain and one covering food safety domain); personnel capacity — average of at least 5 specialist personnel over the last 3 years with cumulative coverage of listed specialist areas; ability to manage EU-funded projects per PRAG; absence of professional conflicting interests. All documentary evidence referenced must demonstrate the candidate's role and the portion carried out by the candidate. For detailed schemes, refer to the Request to Participate form (B3) and the Additional Information (A5f) for exact wording and documentary evidence requirements.

Procurement rules, exclusions and compliance

Grounds for exclusion follow PRAG and Financial Regulation provisions. Candidates must complete and sign the Declaration on Honour (A14a) attesting absence of exclusion grounds (bankruptcy, serious professional misconduct, fraud, corruption, irregularities, tax or social security non-payment, creation of entities to circumvent obligations, resistance to audits, etc.). Entities listed under EU restrictive measures at the award decision moment cannot be awarded the contract. Remedies and remedial measures are possible in line with PRAG and the Financial Regulation; detailed evidence requirements and possible remedies are set out in A14a.

Contact, review and additional information

Procurement documents and downloads (Invitation to submit a request to participate, Request to Participate form, Declaration on Honour, Additional information contract notice) are published on the Funding & Tenders Portal opportunity page (procurement documents section). Questions during Step 1 must be submitted via the Funding & Tenders Portal Questions & Answers tab (EU Login required). Contact email for information and QA: REGIO-CYPRUS-SETTLEMENT-SUPPORT-TENDERS@ec.europa.eu. Review body for remedies: Court of Justice of the European Union and relevant Commission contacts as listed in the tender dossier. Personal data processing governed by Regulation (EU) 2018/1725; privacy statement link available in the procurement documentation. Applicants may be listed in the Early Detection and Exclusion System (EDES) if exclusion grounds apply.

Where to find procurement documents and submission link:Procurement documents and submission access: Funding & Tenders Portal opportunity page EC-REGIO/2026/EA-RP/0066. Direct eSubmission address: webgate.ec.europa.eu. See procurement document list for exact PDF forms: 3_a5f_additional_information_contract_notice_en_V1.pdf, 4_b3_req_part_form_en_V1.pdf, 6_b8a_invit_en_V1.pdf, 5_a14a_declaration_honour_procurement_en_V1.pdf ¹.

1. 1Submission must be electronic via eSubmission; EU Login account required and PIC for organisation(s).
2. 2Request to Participate (B3) must be submitted in English and include signed Declarations and supporting evidence.
3. 3Short-listing will select between 4 and 8 candidates to the second stage; shortlisted candidates will be invited to submit full tenders.
4. 4Award based on best price-quality ratio; consult tender dossier for detailed scoring and weighting (quality and price components indicated in the procurement documents).

Specific practical notes and site conditions

The contracting authority notes particularities for working in the northern part of Cyprus:the tenderer is expected not to pay customs duties, import taxes, fees or VAT on goods entering the areas for the EU-financed contract and will receive documentation to that effect; expatriate key staff will be exempt from personal income tax for their contract-related remuneration, but local staff will not. Shipments via areas under the effective control of the Government of the Republic of Cyprus are subject to the Green-Line Regulation (Council Regulation (EC) No 866/2004). Tenderers are responsible for checking local technical and administrative conditions before submitting a tender. The Contracting Authority will not prepare or present customs/import documents for the tenderer.

Summary: What this opportunity is about and who should apply

This is a restricted procurement for a technical assistance service contract financed by the EU to strengthen, align and implement EU food safety and animal health management standards in the Turkish Cypriot community (northern Cyprus). The contract covers advisory, capacity-building, operational support and project management tasks over up to 36 months and is estimated at €2 750 000. Eligible applicants include legal persons established in EU Member States and those authorised under Council Regulation (EC) No 389/2006, plus international organisations; consortia are permitted. Ideal applicants are organisations or consortia with demonstrable, recent large-scale experience in EU animal health and food safety standards implementation, with a minimum track record of high-value contracts (each >= €1 100 000), professional teams covering the specified specialist areas and capacity to manage EU-funded projects to PRAG standards. The procurement is competitive and conducted in two stages: requests to participate (short-listing) and invitations to tender for shortlisted candidates. Interested applicants should carefully follow the B3 Request to Participate template and Declaration on Honour, submit all required documentary evidence in eSubmission by the deadline and ensure PIC validation and compliance with EU procurement and PRAG requirements.

Footnotes

1. 1Procurement documents are published on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal opportunity page for this call (EC-REGIO/2026/EA-RP/0066). Direct access to the Additional Information (A5f), Request to Participate (B3), Invitation (B8a) and Declaration on Honour (A14a) PDFs is available from the opportunity documents section on the portal.

This is a two stage restricted service procurement by the European Commission, DG REGIO, to provide technical assistance for upgrading food safety and animal health management in the Turkish Cypriot community. It sits within the wider EU aid framework for the Turkish Cypriot community, and the Commission's 2026 programme continues to support food safety and animal health alignment, including the Halloumi/Hellim PDO workstream.[15]

Key Contract Facts

What the Contract Is About

The service contract is intended to support, guide, upgrade and accelerate the implementation of EU aligned food safety and animal health management standards in the Turkish Cypriot community. The scope is consistent with longstanding EU support to improve food safety, official controls, animal health, disease prevention and implementation capacity in the sector.

Who Can Apply

Participation is open to all eligible legal persons acting individually or as part of a consortium, provided they are established in a Member State of the European Union or in a country or territory covered or authorised by Council Regulation (EC) No 389/2006. International organisations may also participate, and natural persons are covered by the legal basis referred to in the notice. The notice also expressly includes entities established in the areas of Cyprus where the Government of the Republic of Cyprus does not exercise effective control, without implying recognition of any authority other than the Government of the Republic of Cyprus.

• Consortia may be permanent or formed specifically for this procedure.
• All consortium members are jointly and severally liable to the contracting authority.
• Subcontracting is allowed.
• Only one request to participate may be submitted by each natural or legal person, whether alone or as part of a consortium.
• If an ineligible person participates, that person and, where applicable, the entire consortium are excluded.
• Shortlisted candidates may not form alliances with each other or subcontract to each other for this contract.
• Candidates subject to EU restrictive measures cannot be awarded the contract.
• The procedure is limited to one request to participate per entity and, where relevant, one per lot.

Selection, Shortlisting and Award

Economic operators may rely on the capacities of other entities if those entities formally commit their resources to the contract. For technical and professional capacity, those entities must perform the tasks for which their capacity is relied upon. For economic and financial capacity, the entities relied upon become jointly and severally liable.

Submission Requirements and Procedure

1. 1Submit the request to participate using the official request to participate form and the declaration on honour on exclusion and selection criteria.
2. 2Submit exclusively through the electronic submission system on the Funding and Tenders Portal; email, paper or courier submissions are disregarded.
3. 3Register in the Participant Register and use a PIC for each participating organisation, including each consortium member.
4. 4Upload the request to participate form under Other documents and the declaration on honour under Declaration on Honour.
5. 5Additional brochures or unsolicited documents are not taken into account unless explicitly requested by the contracting authority.
6. 6All written communications and the contract language are in English.
7. 7Clarifications must be requested through the portal, and the contracting authority is not bound to answer requests received too late before the deadline.
8. 8Candidates may withdraw or replace a submission before the deadline, and the eSubmission timestamp serves as proof of timely submission.
9. 9Only selected candidates will be invited to submit a full tender in the second step.

Delivery and Operating Conditions

The implementation period is 36 months and the provisional commencement date is 06 May 2027. The notice also contains special local operating assumptions for the northern part of Cyprus, including practical treatment of customs, VAT and certain tax matters, as well as references to the Green Line Regulation for movements via the areas under effective control of the Government of the Republic of Cyprus. Applicants should factor these conditions into pricing, staffing and logistics.

• The contract is not a grant, so no funding rate applies.
• The contract is a paid service procurement with an estimated value of €2750000.
• The authority will shortlist between 4 and 8 candidates for the second stage, if enough qualified requests are received.
• Financial data in the request must be expressed in EUR.