Trade Sustainability Impact Assessment (SIA) in support of Free Trade Agreement (FTA) negotiations between the European Union and the Gulf Cooperation...

The European Commission, specifically DG TRADE, has issued a call for tenders (EC-TRADE/2025/OP/0013) for a Trade Sustainability Impact Assessment (SIA) related to Free Trade Agreement (FTA) negotiations between the European Union and Gulf Cooperation Council countries, which include Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates. This assessment aims to provide an ex-ante analysis of the potential economic, social, environmental, and human rights impacts of the trade negotiation, promoting coherence between trade liberalization and the EU's sustainable development and human rights objectives.

The estimated total value of the contract is 500,000 EUR, with a maximum duration of 18 months. This procurement involves a service contract and is classified as an open procedure, meaning any interested parties can submit their tenders electronically. The deadline for submission is set for September 15, 2025, at 14:00 (Europe/Brussels).

Eligible applicants for this tender include companies, research institutes, and consultancies with expertise in economic research and policy analysis related to trade sustainability. While the documentation does not explicitly rule out small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), it indicates through the "smeSuitableIndicator" that SMEs are not specifically targeted.

The funding mechanism is defined as a procurement contract, which differs from a traditional grant, as payments are contingent upon the successful delivery of services. There is no requirement for a consortium; a single applicant is acceptable, and geographic eligibility extends internationally, given the absence of specific restrictions in the tender documents.

The SIA encompasses a variety of sectors, predominantly focusing on consulting, through economic research and sustainability assessments. The project is primarily in the research stage, with the goal of informing policy decisions during trade negotiations.

The application process involves submitting a financial offer, and it adheres to a best price-quality ratio curriculum for awarding the contract. All submissions must use the electronic submission system, which supports all 24 official EU languages and employs encryption for document security.

Stakeholders interested in applying are encouraged to prepare and submit their applications by the specified deadline, ensuring they possess the mandatory Participant Identification Code (PIC) necessary for participation.

The European Commission, DG TRADE is launching a call for tenders EC-TRADE/2025/OP/0013 for a Trade Sustainability Impact Assessment (SIA) in support of Free Trade Agreement (FTA) negotiations between the European Union and the Gulf Cooperation Council countries (Bahrain, KSA, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar and UAE). The TED reference is 126/2025 433970-2025.

The purpose of this SIA is to provide an ex-ante analysis of the potential economic, social, environmental, and human rights impacts of a trade negotiation. The goal is to facilitate a better policy mix and coherence between trade liberalization and the EU's objectives of sustainable development and respect for human rights. The SIA will inform and steer the negotiations, identify trade-offs, and ensure optimized policy choices.

This is an open procedure with an estimated total value of 500,000 EUR. The contract is for services, with a maximum duration of 18 months. The award method is based on the best price-quality ratio. No framework agreement is mentioned.

Key milestones include a TED publication date of 04/07/2025, a public opening date and time of 16/09/2025 at 14:00 Europe/Brussels, and a deadline for receipt of tenders on 15/09/2025 at 14:00 Europe/Brussels. The contracting authority is not bound to reply to questions submitted after 05/09/2025 at 05:00 Europe/Brussels.

Submissions must be sent exclusively via electronic submission.

The following documents are available for download:

Invitation to tender EC-TRADE2025OP0013 Invitation letter, published on 04/07/2025, Version 1, no translations available.
Tender specifications Part 1 Administrative Specifications, published on 04/07/2025, Version 1, no translations available.
Tender specifications Part 2 Technical Specifications, published on 04/07/2025, Version 1, no translations available.
Annex 2 of tech specs Declaration on honour, published on 04/07/2025, Version 1, no translations available.
Annex 6 of tech specs Financial tender Form, published on 04/07/2025, Version 1, no translations available.
Draft service contract including annexes, published on 04/07/2025, Version 1, no translations available.
Annex V to draft service contract, published on 04/07/2025, Version 1, no translations available.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

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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 participate.
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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” column.
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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 is a call for tenders by the European Commission, DG TRADE, seeking a contractor to conduct a Sustainability Impact Assessment (SIA) for the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) negotiations between the EU and the Gulf Cooperation Council countries. The SIA will analyze the potential economic, social, environmental, and human rights impacts of the FTA. The tender is open to all eligible organizations, and the selection will be based on the best price-quality ratio. The estimated value of the contract is 500,000 EUR, and the maximum duration is 18 months. Interested parties must submit their tenders electronically by 15/09/2025. A Participant Identification Code (PIC) is mandatory for participation. The eSubmission system supports various file types and uses encryption to ensure data integrity and confidentiality.

Eligible Applicant Types: The provided text does not explicitly state the eligible applicant types. However, given that it is a call for tenders and refers to "tenderers" and the need for a Participant Identification Code (PIC), it can be inferred that eligible applicants are likely organizations such as companies, research institutes, or other entities capable of providing the required services. The mention of "sole candidate/tenderer or as a member of a group (consortium)" suggests that both single entities and consortia are eligible.

Funding Type: The funding type is procurement, specifically a service contract. This is indicated by the phrases "call for tenders," "service contract," and "financial offer form." The contracting authority is procuring economic research services.

Consortium Requirement: Both single applicants and consortia are eligible, as indicated by the statement "sole candidate/tenderer or as a member of a group (consortium)."

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): The geographic eligibility is not explicitly stated. However, given that it is an EU call for tenders related to trade negotiations, it is highly likely that applicants from the EU and potentially other countries with trade agreements with the EU are eligible.

Target Sector: The target sector is economic research services related to trade, sustainability, and human rights. Specifically, it concerns the "DG TRADE- specific tool Sustainability Impact Assessment (SIA)" and its application to Free Trade Agreement (FTA) negotiations.

Mentioned Countries: Bahrain, KSA (Kingdom of Saudi Arabia), Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, and UAE (United Arab Emirates) are explicitly mentioned as the Gulf Cooperation Council countries involved in the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) negotiations.

Project Stage: The project stage is ex-ante analysis, as the Sustainability Impact Assessment (SIA) is described as "an ex-ante analysis of the potential economic, social and environmental impacts as well as human rights impacts of a trade negotiation." This suggests the project is in the research and assessment phase, prior to the implementation of any trade agreement.

Funding Amount: The estimated total value of the contract is 500,000 EUR.

Application Type: The application type is an open call for tenders, as indicated by the phrase "Open procedure" and "Open For Submission." Submissions must be sent exclusively at the address for submission given below.

Nature of Support: Beneficiaries will receive money in exchange for services rendered, as this is a service contract.

Application Stages: The number of application stages is not explicitly stated, but it can be inferred that there are multiple stages involving administrative and technical specifications, a declaration of honor, and a financial offer.

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

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

Summary:

This is a call for tenders (EC-TRADE/2025/OP/0013) issued by the European Commission, DG TRADE, for a Trade Sustainability Impact Assessment (SIA) in support of Free Trade Agreement (FTA) negotiations between the European Union and the Gulf Cooperation Council countries (Bahrain, KSA, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, and UAE). The estimated total value of the contract is 500,000 EUR, and the maximum contract duration is 18 months. The procedure type is an open procedure, and submissions must be electronic. The deadline for receipt of tenders is 15/09/2025 at 14:00 Europe/Brussels. The SIA is an ex-ante analysis of the potential economic, social, environmental, and human rights impacts of the trade negotiation. The goal is to facilitate a better policy mix and coherence between trade liberalization and the EU's sustainable development and human rights objectives. The award method is based on the best price-quality ratio. Tenderers must submit administrative and technical specifications, a declaration of honor, and a financial offer. A Participant Identification Code (PIC) is mandatory for participation. The eSubmission system supports various file types and has specific requirements for attachment sizes and naming conventions. The system supports all 24 official EU languages and uses encryption to ensure the integrity and confidentiality of information.