TECHNICAL SECRETARIAT FOR THE FIRE INFORMATION EXCHANGE PLATFORM (FIEP)

The European Commission DG GROW has published an open procurement for a Technical Secretariat to support the Fire Information Exchange Platform (FIEP), covering planning and organisation of webinars and in-person meetings, coordination, and drafting and finalisation of technical reports. The contract is a services framework with an estimated total value of €400,000, initial duration 12 months renewable up to 48 months, and will be awarded on the best price-quality ratio with quality weighted at 75 percent and price at 25 percent. Submissions are electronic via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal with a tender deadline of 12 October 2026 at 16:00 Brussels time, and the opportunity is open to economic operators eligible under EU procurement rules, including UK suppliers as confirmed in the portal Q&A.

What is funded

Scope (high level)

A service contract to provide the technical secretariat for the Fire Information Exchange Platform (FIEP): planning, preparation, organisation (online and in-person), running and reporting of FIEP events (webinars, plenary and thematic meetings) and preparation, coordination, drafting and finalisation of ad-hoc technical reports and documents based on input from FIEP members and experts.

Contract type and method:Open procedure direct service contract (award: best price-quality ratio). Electronic submission via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal F&T Portal.

1. 1Who can apply: economic operators (sole tenderer or joint tender). Participation open to entities under the EU Treaties, countries covered by applicable procurement agreements (GPA) and third-country operators where market access is granted; subcontracting allowed.
2. 2Minimum offer profile: demonstrable experience organising webinars/events and producing technical reports in fire safety; team members with relevant degrees and at least 5 years experience.

Practical notes:electronic eSubmission is mandatory (EU Login/PIC). Tender documentation includes invitation, tender specifications, draft contract, financial offer form and security/IP annexes. UK suppliers have market access according to published Q&A. Check the Procurement page on the F&T Portal for all documents and Q&A Tender details.

Opportunity summary

Procurement type:Open call for tenders. Contracting authority: European Commission, DG GROW - Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs. Subject: provision of a Technical Secretariat for the Fire Information Exchange Platform (FIEP) covering planning, preparation, implementation and reporting of FIEP meetings (webinars and physical meetings), preparation, coordination, drafting and finalisation of technical reports and ad-hoc technical documents. Framework agreement/direct service contract for services; maximum duration 48 months (initial 12 months + up to 3 renewals of 12 months). Estimated total value: €400,000 (€100,000 per year; see contract notice). Submission method: electronic via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal (eSubmission). Key deadlines: Deadline for receipt of tenders 12 October 2026 16:00 Europe/Brussels; date and time of public opening 13 October 2026 10:00 Europe/Brussels. Draft contract, tender specifications and annexes published on the F&T Portal.

Detailed eligibility and administrative conditions

Eligible applicant types and consortium rules:the procedure is open to any economic operator within the scope of the EU Treaties, international organisations and to natural or legal persons from countries covered by EU access arrangements (including those from countries party to the WTO Agreement on Government Procurement and countries with relevant trade agreements). Tenders may be submitted by a sole tenderer or a group of economic operators (joint tender). Subcontracting is allowed; identified subcontractors (over 10% of contract volume or relied upon for selection criteria) must be declared and provide commitment letters. Entities on whose capacities the tenderer relies (not subcontractors) are permitted but must provide commitment letters. All involved entities must comply with exclusion criteria and provide declarations on honour as requested in the procurement documents. UK suppliers can participate as lead organisations in this tender where market access rules and FTAs permit (explicit Q&A confirms market access to UK economic operators under applicable FTAs).

Eligible Applicant Types:Startups, SMEs and large enterprises, universities and research institutes, non-profit organisations and NGOs, professional associations, consultancies, public bodies and entities, consortia/joint ventures (groups of economic operators), subcontractors and other third-party service providers where permitted by the tender specifications.

Consortium Requirement:Single tenderer or joint tender (consortium). If a joint tender is submitted the group must appoint a group leader. All group members are jointly and severally liable and must sign the Agreement/Power of attorney model (Annex 3). Changes in group composition after submission are generally prohibited except in limited, specified circumstances (merger/takeover or removal for exclusion/restrictive measures under defined conditions).

Geographic/Beneficiary Scope:Open to entities established in EU Member States and to entities from third countries with procurement access under relevant agreements (including GPA and bilateral FTAs). The lead authority is the European Commission (DG GROW); main place of performance is contractor premises, Commission premises in Brussels for management meetings, and agreed EU venues for in-person meetings (Brussels assumed for pricing; other EU locations possible by agreement).

Financial and contract model

Funding type and contract characteristics:This is a service contract (direct/single-award contract) implemented as a direct contract framework-like arrangement with yearly renewals possible (initial 12 months + up to three renewals; maximum contract duration 48 months). Award method: best price-quality ratio. Nature of support: paid service contract — beneficiaries receive monetary payment for services. Estimated total procedural value: €400,000; annual maximum €100,000 per year across the 4 potential years. The tender requires submission of a Financial Offer Form (Annex 6) with unit prices for specified price components and a total price covering Periods 1-4; note: tenderers are instructed that offered price must be identical across years to allow automatic renewals where applicable.

Funding Type:Service contract paid by the European Commission (monetary payments).

Funding Amount:Estimated total value of the procedure €400,000 (€100,000 per 12-month period for up to 4 years). Tenderers must submit a financial tender using the provided financial offer form (Annex 6).

Submission, evaluation and award process

Submission method:exclusively electronic via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal eSubmission. Participant Register / PIC is required. Tender language: any official EU language (English is the language of the procurement documents and the working language of the contract). The contracting authority publishes Q&A on the portal; the contracting authority is not bound to answer questions received less than six working days before deadline. The public opening is virtual; a maximum of two representatives per tender may attend. Evaluation follows a staged approach: administrative eligibility and compliance; exclusion check (Declaration on Honour, EDES screening); selection criteria (legal, financial, technical/professional); award on best price-quality ratio using formula combining price (25%) and quality (75%). Quality is scored up to 100 points across three sub-criteria (methodology 50 points; project management and team organisation 30 points; quality assurance 20 points). Minimum pass thresholds: overall >=60% and at least 50% for each individual quality criterion; failing thresholds leads to exclusion from award ranking.

Application Type:Open call for tenders submitted through eSubmission (electronic only).

Application Stages:Single-stage submission, followed by evaluation phases: administrative checks, exclusion/selection checks, quality and price evaluation, ranking and award decision. Supporting evidence on exclusion/selection may be requested from the presumed successful tenderer before award.

Success Rates:No published historical success rate. Procurement is open and award is a single-winner competition where only compliant tenders meeting exclusion, selection and award thresholds will be ranked. The contracting authority may cancel the procedure at any time before contract signature.

Technical scope of services and project stage targeted

Project stage and target sector:The tender supports policy, knowledge exchange and dissemination activities focused on fire safety of the built environment, with emphasis on domestic fire safety but also allowing related topics (e.g., wildfires) where relevant. The work is operational and service-based rather than research funding: expected maturity is operational implementation, coordination, reporting and dissemination (development, validation and demonstration of outputs such as meeting reports and ad-hoc technical documents). Target sector: buildings and construction, fire safety, safety policy, civil protection and public administration stakeholder engagement.

Target Sector:Buildings and construction safety, fire safety, policy support, stakeholder engagement and knowledge exchange in the construction and public safety sectors.

Deliverables, volumes and service components (technical and pricing guidance)

Core services to be priced and organised in the Financial Offer (Annex 6):unit prices and totals should cover staff costs and related service tasks for the following components: preparation/organisation of full-day in-person Plenary meetings (maximum 1 per year); preparation/organisation of full-day in-person Thematic meetings (maximum 2 per year); preparation/organisation of full-day or half-day webinars (maximum 6 per year); administration, overall coordination, reporting and meetings with the contracting authority (lump sum); travel and accommodation per person per in-person meeting (unit price). Tenderers must supply unit prices that allow conversion between meeting types within the contract budget and must present a total price covering Periods 1-4. For scoring comparability tenderers should assume the indicative yearly setup (6 webinars, 1 plenary, 2 thematic meetings, admin/coordination). Plenary meeting logistics (venue, catering, technical venue support, travel for participants) are NOT covered by the contract; the contractor is responsible for content and programme delivery, invitations, registrations, agendas, chairing support, drafting of minutes and reports, uploading presentations and finalising meeting reports in English within the specified deadlines.

1. 1For pricing: include unit prices for each meeting type, a lump sum for project management and administrative coordination, unit travel and accommodation price per person, and an overall total for Periods 1-4 using the provided financial offer form (Annex 6).
2. 2Deliverables: Inception report and minutes of kick-off; Draft Interim Progress Report and Revised Interim Progress Report and minutes; Draft Final Report and Final Report and meeting minutes. Draft reports must be provided two weeks before meetings; revised reports and minutes within one week after the meeting; contracting authority reviews within one week; contractor finalises within one week thereafter.
3. 3Quality requirements: all materials in English, proof-read to C2 standard; Word format for text deliverables unless agreed otherwise; presentation of templates for rolling-plan, save-the-date, agenda, meeting report templates and a risk management approach included in the technical offer.
4. 4Security and ethics: contractor and personnel must comply with the Commission security requirements (Appendix 1). Background screening/security advice may be required for personnel accessing Commission premises or IT assets; contractors bear any related costs.
5. 5Intellectual property: the Union acquires ownership of results and newly created materials; pre-existing rights must be listed and licensed as required (see contract Article II.13 and Annexes on IPR).

Selection and eligibility evidence, templates and application structure

Documents required with the tender:use the forms and templates provided in the procurement annexes. Mandatory uploads in eSubmission include: Declaration on Honour (Annex 2) for each involved entity as specified in Annex 1, evidence for economic and financial capacity (profit/loss and balance sheets or equivalent for last two closed years for involved entities contributing to the criterion), Europass CVs for team members (including back-ups) and proof of technical capacity (lists of relevant events, meeting reports, publications). Identified subcontractors (over 10% or on whose capacity the tender relies) must be listed (Annex 4) and must provide commitment letters (Annex 5.1). Entities on whose capacities tenderer relies must provide commitment letters (Annex 5.2). Financial tender must be submitted using Annex 6 financial offer form. Where signatures required, qualified electronic signature (QES) is recommended; handwritten signatures are acceptable but originals may be requested during contract award checks.

Templates and form structure to include in the submission:Technical offer: 1) Executive summary and approach (graphical work programme and timetable), 2) Methodology for long-term planning and for organising individual events (webinars/plenary/thematic), 3) Quality assurance and risk management approach, 4) Detailed team composition and back-up arrangements (Europass CVs for each member), 5) Examples and evidence of similar work (lists of events, reports and publications), 6) Draft templates/document layouts to be used (rolling-plan, save-the-date, agendas, meeting minutes/report templates). Financial offer: completed Annex 6 with unit prices, quantities and totals for Periods 1-4, same price across years to allow renewals. Administrative evidence: Annex 2 Declaration on Honour; Annex 3 Agreement/Power of Attorney if joint tender; Annex 4 list of subcontractors and Annex 5 letters as relevant.

Key selection criteria summary (to be addressed precisely in the tender):economic capacity F1: average annual turnover > €150,000 (last two closed financial years) — consolidated assessment; technical/professional capacity T1: evidence of organising at least two conferences/high-level events, two workshops/meetings and five webinars in the last five years (consolidated evidence acceptable); personnel criterion P1: at least two team members with university-level degree and at least 5 years’ experience in construction and/or fire safety; T2: team leader and at least one other team member must demonstrate capacity to draft technical documents in English (lists of technical reports, articles, publications). All evidence required either with tender or on request; tenderers should prepare documents in advance because the contracting authority may request documentary evidence within short deadlines.

Exclusion and compliance checks:Each involved entity must complete the Declaration on Honour (Annex 2) addressing the exclusion grounds set by Article 138 of the Financial Regulation. The contracting authority will consult EDES and may request documentary evidence from presumed successful tenderer. Evidence can be waived only in specified cases (previously submitted, national database free of charge, material impossibility).

Security, IPR and special contractual obligations

Security:contractor and its personnel must comply with the contracting authority’s security requirements (Appendix 1). Where contractor personnel access Commission premises or IT assets they may be subject to background checks and positive security advice by Belgian authorities; contractor bears related costs. Contractor must implement information security and incident management measures, notify security incidents to the contracting authority within 48 hours, cooperate with audits and follow the Commission Security Baseline for external connections where remote access to Commission CIS or data sets is required. Intellectual property: the Union acquires ownership of results newly created under the contract; any pre-existing rights used must be declared in the mandatory Declaration on the list of pre-existing rights (Annex III templates) and licensing granted to the Union under the terms of the contract. Deliverables intended for publication must respect the Commission reuse policy and the IP clauses in the contract. Data protection: personal data processing must comply with Regulation (EU) 2018/1725; contractor must process personal data within the EU/EEA unless contracting authority gives prior authorisation; contractor must notify personal data breaches to the controller within 48 hours and assist with notifications to authorities / data subjects where required.

Practical points and additional information

Practical logistics and other operational details:in-person meetings will most likely be held in Brussels (tenderers should price travel to Brussels). The contracting authority is not responsible for venue logistics or participant travel and accommodation; those are outside the scope of the contract unless explicitly agreed. Contractor is expected to maintain mailing lists for FIEP participants (approx. 1000 contacts). The contractor is expected to propose topics and speakers, liaise with speakers, run webinars (technical/hosting) on platforms such as Teams, produce meeting reports, gather and upload presentations and finalised reports to a Commission-designated platform. All deliverables and meeting reports in English; editing and proof-reading to C2 standard required. The contracting authority supplies templates where specified; tenderers must include draft templates as part of their technical offer for later refinement with the contracting authority.

Mentioned Countries:European Union (EU) — Commission (DG GROW) headquarters Brussels (Belgium) is the default meeting location; other EU locations may be used for in-person meetings by agreement. Q&A confirms UK suppliers have market access to participate where FTAs allow.

How to apply and where to find procurement documents

All procurement documents (Invitation to tender, Tender Specifications, Annexes, Draft Contract, Financial Offer Form and other draft contract annexes including Security Requirements and IPR templates) are available on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal opportunity page for Call EC-GROW/2026/OP/0079. Submissions must be electronic via the Portal (eSubmission) and Participant Register PIC is required for each involved organisation. Questions must be submitted through the Portal Q&A module; the contracting authority is not bound to reply to questions submitted after the date specified in the call documentation (02/10/2026 23:59 Europe/Brussels for this tender). The tender uses an open procedure; tenders should follow the exact structure and content requirements listed in Annex 1 and the tender specifications.

1. 1Access procurement documents and subscribe via the F&T Portal opportunity page: ec.europa.eu
2. 2Register in the Participant Register and obtain a PIC ahead of submission; prepare supporting evidence for selection and exclusion checks.
3. 3Complete technical offer according to Section 4.2 and Annex 1; include CVs in Europass format, drafts of templates and the risk and quality approaches.
4. 4Complete financial offer using Annex 6 financial offer form (unit prices must be identical across years to allow automatic renewals).
5. 5Upload all required annexes and signed Declaration on Honour forms for each involved entity as specified in Annex 1.

This tender provides a standard model draft contract and supporting annexes (security, IPR templates, financial offer spreadsheet, declaration on honour, commitment letters, list of identified subcontractors, Agreement/Power of Attorney for joint tenders, and other standard procurement annexes). The contracting authority will evaluate offers on the basis of the award criteria and follows the financial regulation and procurement rules listed in the tender documentation. The contracting authority may request clarifications and supporting documentation from the tenderer during evaluation and prior to award.

Co-funding Requirement:No co-funding by the Commission is requested beyond the contract price; contractors must cover their own costs for compliance with security screening and other obligations. The contract price is a fixed price for services and reimbursable expenses as defined in the tender documentation; no additional co-funding by other parties is required by the contracting authority unless explicitly stated in a specific task order.

Quick checklist for applicants

1. 1Register organisation and obtain PIC in the Participant Register ahead of submission.
2. 2Subscribe to the F&T Portal tender page to receive updates and Q&A.
3. 3Prepare and upload the Declaration on Honour for each involved entity as required by Annex 1.
4. 4Prepare technical offer addressing methodology, project management, quality assurance, risk management, team composition and back-ups, templates and the graphical work programme.
5. 5Prepare financial offer using Annex 6 (unit prices for meetings, lump-sum project management, travel units) ensuring identical price across years for renewals.
6. 6Identify and provide commitment letters for any identified subcontractors or relied-upon entities (Annex 5.1 and 5.2).
7. 7Sign documents with QES where possible; keep originals of hand-signed documents available in case requested during award checks.
8. 8Ensure compliance with security requirements and be prepared for personnel screening if Commission premises or IT access is required.
9. 9Submit electronically via eSubmission before the deadline 12 October 2026 16:00 Europe/Brussels.

Summary of the procurement documentation available on the F&T Portal:Invitation to tender, Tender specifications with annexes, Draft direct service contract and contract annexes (security, VAT, IPR statements), Declaration on Honour template, Financial offer form (Annex 6), Commitment letters and subcontractor forms, Agreement/Power of Attorney template for joint tenders, and public Q&A. See the opportunity page for downloads and links to templates and help guides.

Eligibility, exclusion and selection evidence may be requested by the contracting authority before award; be prepared to provide up-to-date originals or certified copies within tight deadlines. The contracting authority may refuse to reply to questions submitted after the stated cut-off date for Q&A. Tenderers must ensure all attachments meet eSubmission file format and size requirements (max 50 MB per attachment and up to 200 files accepted by the system).

What this opportunity is about and how to explain it:This is a public procurement by the European Commission (DG GROW) to contract a Technical Secretariat that will run and support the Fire Information Exchange Platform (FIEP). The contractor will plan and run webinars, curate and organise in-person plenary and thematic meetings (content, programme and reporting), produce meeting minutes and technical reports based on inputs from FIEP members and external experts, maintain forward-looking meeting plans, manage stakeholder invitations and communications, and supply annual project management, reporting and quality assurance. The contract is service-based, evaluated on the best price-quality ratio, and contains explicit security, data protection and IPR rules. The annual budget is limited (€100,000/year) and tenderers must price unit activities (webinars, meetings, travel) and present a robust team, methodology and quality approach. Apply via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal, follow the templates and annexes, and be ready to provide evidence for exclusion/selection checks before award. ¹

Footnotes

1. 1Procurement documents and templates are available on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal opportunity page for Call EC-GROW/2026/OP/0079: ec.europa.eu

This is an EU public procurement tender issued by the European Commission, DG GROW, to provide technical secretariat support for the Fire Information Exchange Platform, including meeting preparation and reporting and the drafting and finalisation of technical reports and related documents.[1]

What the opportunity is about

The contract is for services that support the planning, preparation, implementation and reporting of FIEP meetings, both online and in person, together with coordination, drafting and finalisation of ad hoc technical outputs based on input from FIEP members, other experts and the contractor’s own expertise.[1]

Key procurement facts

Who can apply

The tender is open to economic operators that can participate in EU procurement procedures, and the portal Q and A confirms that UK suppliers established in the United Kingdom have market access under applicable free trade agreements. The opportunity is not flagged as SME suitable, so applicants should assume that strong organisational and technical capacity will matter.

Practical conditions and requirements

• EU Login is required to access the submission system and submit a tender.
• Tenders must be submitted electronically through the Funding and Tenders Portal.
• The tender validity period is 6 months.
• The procurement documents include the invitation letter, tender specifications, declaration of honour, financial offer form, draft service contract and several draft contract annexes.
• The evaluation is based on quality and price, with quality weighted more heavily than price.

What applicants will want to know

This is a relatively small value but highly specialised support contract focused on secretariat, coordination and technical drafting services rather than research or implementation of a policy programme. Applicants should be prepared to demonstrate experience with multi stakeholder coordination, meeting management, technical documentation and confidentiality or security compliance where relevant.

The public Q and A also indicates that the default channels for distributing documents to FIEP members are the tools named in the tender documentation, such as CIRCABC and email, with any additional channel subject to the procurement documents.