Trade in Services- COMESA

The European Commission's Directorate-General for International Partnerships (INTPA) has issued a call for tenders to provide technical assistance to the COMESA Secretariat focused on liberating trade in services within the COMESA region. The official procedure identifier is EC-INTPA/LUN/2025/EA-RP/0207, published on November 21, 2025. This procurement opportunity represents a significant initiative with an estimated total value of €8,200,000, intended for a maximum duration of 48 months.

Eligible applicants for this procurement include large enterprises, consultancy firms, and specialized service providers with proven technical expertise in trade services policy. The opportunity is not suitable for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), as indicated by the "smeSuitableIndicator" set to false. The applicants must have substantial organizational capacity to deliver high-quality technical assistance services and are required to have a Personal Identification Code (PIC) to participate, whether as sole bidders or as part of a consortium.

The objective of the contract is to support the implementation of an intervention aimed at increasing services liberalization and exports for selected service sectors in the COMESA region, which pertains to countries in Sub-Saharan Africa.

The application process follows a restricted procedure with two stages. Interested parties must submit a request to participate by January 15, 2026, by 11:00 AM Africa/Lusaka time. The first stage involves pre-selection based on exclusion and selection criteria, and those selected will be invited to submit detailed technical and financial proposals. The evaluation will emphasize technical quality (80% weighting) over cost (20% weighting), reflecting the priority given to specialized expertise.

Payments for the contract will be processed electronically in Euros, based on deliverables specified in the contract. The geographical scope for service delivery is located in Sub-Saharan Africa, with no explicit co-funding requirement from applicants.

Overall, this tender represents a substantial opportunity for qualified organizations to contribute to enhancing trade services across the COMESA framework through expert technical assistance.

The European Commission, Directorate-General for International Partnerships (INTPA), has published a call for tenders, procedure identifier EC-INTPA/LUN/2025/EA-RP/0207, concerning Technical Assistance to Trade in Services for the COMESA Secretariat. The call, referenced in TED as 225/2025 775530-2025, was published on 21/11/2025. This is a restricted procedure, and submissions must be sent electronically via the address for submission provided.

The required service is to provide Technical Assistance to the COMESA Secretariat to support their implementation of an intervention aimed to contribute to the liberalisation of services in the COMESA region. Specifically, the intervention will increase services liberalisation and exports for selected services sectors at multilateral, continental, regional or bilateral level.

The estimated total value of the tender is 8,200,000 EUR. The contract is for services, with a maximum duration of 48 months. The award method will be based on the best price-quality ratio. No framework agreement is specified. The place of delivery or performance is Sub-Saharan Africa. The relevant programmes are Sub-Saharan Africa.

The deadline for receipt of requests to participate is 15/01/2026 at 11:00 Africa/Lusaka time.

One document is available for download: ENACT-61215-a5f additional information contract notice en TA to Trade in Services- CHInvitation to submit a request to participate, published on 21/11/2025, Version 1, with no translations available.

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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).

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This call for tenders from the European Commission focuses on providing technical assistance to the COMESA Secretariat to promote the liberalization of trade in services within the COMESA region, which includes countries in Sub-Saharan Africa. The goal is to boost the liberalization and export of services in selected sectors at various levels, including multilateral, continental, regional, and bilateral agreements. The project has a substantial budget of 8.2 million EUR and is expected to last for 48 months. The tendering process is a restricted procedure, meaning that there will be a pre-selection phase before full proposals are invited. Interested parties must submit their requests to participate by January 15, 2026. The tender will be awarded based on the best price-quality ratio. The EU uses an electronic submission system (eSubmission) for receiving tenders, and applicants must adhere to specific technical requirements, such as file size limits and naming conventions for attachments. A PIC (Personal Identification Code) is mandatory for participation. The eSubmission system supports all official EU languages and encrypts documents to ensure confidentiality.

Eligible Applicant Types: The eligible applicant types are not explicitly stated, but given the nature of the call for tenders, it is likely that eligible applicants include organizations capable of providing technical assistance, such as consulting firms, research institutions, and potentially NGOs with relevant expertise in trade and services. The requirement for a PIC (Personal Identification Code) suggests that registered organizations are the intended applicants.

Funding Type: The funding type is procurement, specifically a service contract. The call is for tenders, indicating a competitive bidding process to secure a contract for services.

Consortium Requirement: The text mentions that a PIC is mandatory to participate in a call for tenders as a sole candidate/tenderer or as a member of a group (consortium). This indicates that both single applicants and consortia are eligible to apply.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): The place of delivery or performance is Sub-Saharan Africa. The call for tenders is related to the COMESA (Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa) Secretariat, suggesting that the geographic eligibility extends to countries within the COMESA region and potentially organizations based in the EU or internationally that can provide services in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Target Sector: The target sector is trade in services, with a focus on the liberalisation of services in the COMESA region. This includes increasing services liberalisation and exports for selected services sectors at multilateral, continental, regional, or bilateral level. The main classification (CPV) code provided, 73000000, points to research and development services and related consultancy services.

Mentioned Countries: The opportunity explicitly mentions Switzerland (CH) in the document title "ENACT-61215-a5f additional information contract notice en TA to Trade in Services- CHInvitation to submit a request to participate". It also implicitly involves countries within the COMESA region, as the technical assistance is aimed at the COMESA Secretariat. The place of delivery or performance is Sub-Saharan Africa.

Project Stage: The project stage is implementation. The call is for technical assistance to support the COMESA Secretariat in implementing an intervention, suggesting that the project is beyond the research or development phase and is focused on practical application and execution.

Funding Amount: The estimated total value of the contract is 8,200,000 EUR.

Application Type: The application type is an open call for tenders, with electronic submission. The procedure type is specified as a restricted procedure, which typically involves a pre-selection phase based on requests to participate, followed by a full proposal submission from shortlisted candidates.

Nature of Support: The beneficiaries will receive a service contract, which implies financial compensation for the provision of technical assistance services. Therefore, the nature of support is monetary, in exchange for services rendered.

Application Stages: Given that the procedure type is "Restricted procedure", there are at least two stages: 1) Submission of a request to participate, and 2) If pre-selected, submission of a full tender.

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

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

Summary:

This opportunity is a call for tenders from the European Commission, specifically the Directorate-General for International Partnerships (INTPA), to provide technical assistance to the COMESA Secretariat. The goal is to support the implementation of an intervention aimed at liberalising trade in services within the COMESA region and increasing services exports. The contract is valued at 8,200,000 EUR and has a maximum duration of 48 months. The procedure is a restricted one, meaning applicants must first submit a request to participate by January 15, 2026. If pre-selected, they will then be invited to submit a full tender. The call is open to both individual organizations and consortia capable of providing the required technical assistance. The place of performance is Sub-Saharan Africa, targeting the COMESA region. Submissions must be electronic, and a Personal Identification Code (PIC) is mandatory for participation. The overall objective is to enhance services liberalisation and exports for selected services sectors at multilateral, continental, regional, or bilateral levels within the COMESA framework. The tender also involves Switzerland (CH).