Translation and Interpretation Services

Restricted two-stage tender by the European Commission DG ENEST for provision of translation and interpretation services to the EU Delegation in the Republic of Moldova, financed under NDICI (East Global Allocation 2025). Estimated budget €450,000 (excluding VAT) and contract duration 36 months with a possible 12-month extension (maximum 48 months), provisional start 1 January 2027. Requests to participate must be submitted electronically via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal by 28 May 2026 16:00 (EEST), the procedure language is English, and between 4 and 8 candidates will be shortlisted and invited to tender. Mandatory selection criteria include minimum average turnover €300,000 over the last three closed years, current ratio ≥1, at least 3 relevant personnel on average, and technical capacity demonstrated by at least 3 contracts in the last four years each valued ≥ €180,000; award will be based on the best price-quality ratio.

What the contract funds

Scope

Service contract to provide professional, timely and high-quality interpretation and translation services to support the European Union Delegation in Moldova, including dialogue, coordination and outreach linked to Moldova's EU accession process and Growth Plan.

Estimated budget:€450,000 (estimated total value) ¹

Contract duration:Initial 36 months with possible 12-month extension (maximum reported duration up to 48 months).

Who can apply

Open to natural persons and legal entities effectively established in EU Member States or eligible countries under NDICI Regulation, and to international organisations. Consortia allowed; capacity-providing entities and subcontracting permitted subject to eligibility rules.

Procedure and key dates

1. 1Procedure: Restricted tender (shortlisting stage; 4 to 8 candidates to be invited).
2. 2Award method: Best price-quality ratio.
3. 3Submission method: Electronic via the Funding & Tenders Portal (eSubmission).
4. 4Deadline for requests to participate: 28/05/2026 16:00 Europe/Chisinau (confirmed in TED).
5. 5Provisional invitation to tender: 16/06/2026; provisional contract start: 01/01/2027.

Selection highlights

Typical selection requirements include minimum average turnover (€300,000 over last 3 years), technical references for at least 3 contracts in last 4 years (each >= €180,000), and staffing/financial ratios per the procurement documents.

Requests to participate must use the prescribed form and include the Declaration on Honour; submissions made by any other means will be disregarded. Apply and download documents from the F&T Portal Funding & Tenders Portal ¹.

Footnotes

1. 1Full procurement documents, submission link and the official contract notice are available on the Funding & Tenders Portal at the above address.

Opportunity summary

Title:Translation and Interpretation Services. Contracting authority: European Commission, ENEST - Enlargement and Eastern Neighbourhood (ENEST.C.2 Moldova). TED reference: 83/2026 293613-2026. Procedure type: Restricted procedure (two-stage). Main CPV: 79540000 Interpretation services; additional CPV: 79530000 Translation services. Nature of contract: services; Fee-based; Framework agreement. Estimated total value: €450 000 (excluding VAT). Maximum contract duration: 48 months. Initial implementation period: 36 months with possible extension up to 12 months (total maximum 48 months). Place of performance: Republic of Moldova. Language of procedure: English. Submission method: Electronic via eSubmission on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal. Deadlines: TED publication date 29/04/2026; deadlines for requests to participate 28/05/2026 16:00 Europe/Chisinau (16:00:59 UTC+03:00). Provisional invitation to tender: 16/06/2026. Provisional contract start date: 01/01/2027.

Objective and context

Overall objective:to ensure the provision of professional, timely and high-quality interpretation and translation services to the European Union Delegation to the Republic of Moldova. Purpose: to support the Delegation’s dialogue, coordination and outreach activities, notably in the context of Moldova’s EU accession process and Growth Plan implementation. Services required may include consecutive and simultaneous interpretation, conference interpreting, written translation, editing and proofreading, and potentially sworn or certified translations where required by events or official documentation.

Eligible Applicant Types:Eligible applicants: natural persons (nationals) and legal persons established in EU Member States or in eligible countries/territories under Article 28 of Regulation (EU) 2021/947, and international organisations. Participation may be as individual entities or as groupings/consortia (permanent or ad hoc). Subcontracting is allowed. Capacity-providing entities may be used but must respect the same nationality/eligibility rules and supply a commitment to place resources at the disposal of the candidate.

Funding Type:Primary financial mechanism: procurement service contract (tender). The contract is fee-based and financed under NDICI East Global Allocation 2025 (Neighbourhood, Development and International Cooperation Instrument – Global Europe).

Consortium Requirement:Consortium: not mandatory. Candidates may apply as single entities or as consortium members. If submitting as a consortium, all members are jointly and severally liable. A consortium may be permanent or ad hoc for this tender. Composition cannot be changed during the procedure except in specific cases requiring prior written authorisation as per PRAG.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility):Geographic eligibility: open to nationals and entities established in EU Member States, eligible countries and territories under Article 28 of Regulation (EU) 2021/947, and international organisations. The contract will be performed in the Republic of Moldova. Participation is therefore EU plus NDICI-eligible third countries as specified in Article 28 of the NDICI Regulation.

Target Sector:Sector: language services, specifically interpretation and translation for public diplomacy, EU external action, enlargement and neighbourhood policy support. Relevant sectors: public administration support, international relations, communications, legal and policy translation/interpretation.

Mentioned Countries:Explicitly mentioned country: Republic of Moldova. Broader region referenced: European Union (contracting authority) and eligible NDICI geographic scope. Contact and procurement administration located within the European Commission (ENEST).

Project Stage:Project maturity: operational service delivery / implementation. The contract is for ongoing provision of services to support immediate and continuous Delegation needs (support for events, meetings, documentation) rather than research or R&D.

Funding Amount:Estimated value: €450 000 (excluding VAT) for the contract. The contract is fee-based and may be structured as a framework agreement with call-offs. The notice indicates that new similar services may be entrusted up to 10% of the initial contract by negotiated procedure without prior publication.

Application Type:Application method: restricted tender two-stage procedure. First stage: submission of a Request to Participate via eSubmission (open call for requests to participate). Short-listing: between 4 and 8 candidates will be invited to the second stage. Electronic submission via Funding & Tenders Portal eSubmission is mandatory; requests submitted by any other means will be disregarded.

Nature of Support:Beneficiaries will receive a service contract (monetary payment for delivered services). The opportunity provides paid contractual remuneration for interpretation and translation services (money via service contract).

Application Stages:Stages: two main stages. Stage 1: Request to Participate submission and selection/short-listing (4 to 8 candidates invited). Stage 2: Invited candidates submit detailed tenders; award based on best price-quality ratio. The procurement documents and deadlines indicate a restricted two-stage procurement process.

Success Rates:Success rate: depends on number of requests to participate received. The contracting authority will short-list between 4 and 8 candidates. If more than 8 eligible candidates meet selection criteria, ranking (re-examination) by comparative criteria will limit to top 8. Therefore, success rate at shortlist stage equals number of short-list slots divided by eligible submissions; final award success rate equals number of contracts (likely 1 for lot) divided by shortlisted tenders. Exact historical success rates are not disclosed in the notice.

Co-funding Requirement:Co-funding: not applicable. This is a procurement/service contract where the contractor is paid for services. No co-financing from applicants is required or indicated.

Selection and Award Criteria

Selection and award information is specified in the Additional Information about the Contract Notice (document a5f) and the Request to Participate form (b3). All documentation must be submitted via the F&T Portal eSubmission system. Key selection and award points are summarised below.

1. 1Selection: economic and financial capacity, professional capacity, technical capacity.
2. 2Economic and financial capacity: average annual turnover over last 3 closed accounts must be at least €300 000. Current ratio (current assets/current liabilities) in most recent closed year must be at least 1. In a consortium each member must meet the current ratio criterion.
3. 3Professional capacity: on average at least 3 personnel (directly employed or legally contracted) during the current and previous two years in areas specialist to this contract; candidate must not have professional conflicting interests.
4. 4Technical capacity: completion of at least 3 contracts over the last 4 years, each with value not less than €180 000, in translation and/or interpretation services. Documentary evidence required to substantiate references.
5. 5If more than 8 eligible candidates meet selection criteria, re-examination ranking criteria: (1) highest number of contracts meeting technical capacity; (2) highest cumulative value of completed services meeting technical capacity (applied only for ties at the cut-off).
6. 6Award: best price-quality ratio; weighting and scoring details are in the procurement documents and draft contract.

Documentation and Submission Requirements

Mandatory documents and forms:Request to Participate form (use template b3_req_part_form_en(1)_V1.docx), Declaration on honour on exclusion and selection criteria (a14a_declaration_honour_procurement_V1.docx), and the signed request to participate (one signed form per lot if lots apply). Candidates relying on capacity-providing entities must include a separate document with the third party’s data for the relevant selection criteria and a commitment to place resources at the candidate’s disposal. Any additional brochures or unsolicited documents will not be considered. Original declarations on honour must be provided on request.

How to submit:Submission exclusively via eSubmission on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal. A EU Login account (with 2-factor authentication planned to be mandatory across 2026) and a Participant Identification Code (PIC) are required. Upload the Request to Participate under Other documents and the Declaration on Honour under the Declaration on Honour attachment section. Submissions after the deadline will be rejected; eSubmission provides an official timestamp receipt.

Selection criteria and evidence required (detailed)

Candidates must provide financial tables (annual turnover, current assets, current liabilities) from closed accounts for the last three years; personnel statistics for the current and previous two years; areas of specialisation; and up to 15 experience references (only parts completed within the reference period are considered). Documentary evidence must support experience references (approval reports, proof of payment, certificates from clients). If relying on other entities for capacity, submit separate commitment documentation and ensure the third party meets nationality/eligibility rules.

• Financial evidence: closed annual accounts or bank statements for current year if accounts not available.
• Personnel evidence: statement of staff numbers, roles and relevant fields.
• Technical references: for each reference include contract value, part carried out, number of personnel, client, dates and detailed description of services.
• Declarations: signed declarations on honour for exclusion and selection criteria for each legal entity involved.

Practical notes and compliance risks

Key compliance points:candidates must not be listed under EU restrictive measures at award decision; any undeclared ineligible member in a consortium leads to exclusion of the entire consortium; tenderers must avoid proposing experts involved in preparation of the project (conflict of interest); false declarations may lead to exclusion and financial penalties up to 10% of the total estimated contract value. The contracting authority may request originals of scanned declarations if shortlisted.

System requirements and practical guidance:Technical platform: use latest Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox; attachments must be < 50 MB each; total attachments per submission up to 200 files. Follow eSubmission naming conventions and system requirements. EU Login with PIC is mandatory; two-factor authentication will be progressively required in 2026. Consult the eSubmission Quick Guide and System Requirements on the F&T Portal for detailed technical instructions.

Templates and structure of application forms

The tender publishes specific templates and the Request to Participate form. Applicants must complete the b3 request to participate form, which contains the following core sections and tables to be completed and uploaded via eSubmission:

1. 11. Submitted by: identity of legal entity or entities (name, nationality, PIC, leader/member role).
2. 22. Contact person: name, organisation, address, telephone, email.
3. 33. Economic and financial capacity: table for financial data for the last three closed years and projections (annual turnover excluding this contract, current assets, current liabilities, average, current ratio information).
4. 44. Personnel: annual manpower statistics for current year and two previous years, with breakdown of relevant fields and permanent vs other personnel.
5. 55. Areas of specialisation: table listing up to 10 specialist areas related to the contract, indicating which entity holds which specialisation.
6. 66. Experience: up to 15 project references covering last four years, with fields: reference number, project title, legal entity, country, overall contract value, part carried out, personnel provided, client name, funding origin, dates, consortium members if any, detailed description of project and services provided.
7. 77. Declarations and signatures: signed declaration on intention to tender if short-listed, and signed declarations on honour on exclusion/selection criteria (form a14a) for each legal entity. The declaration format must be on headed notepaper for legal entities and accompany the request to participate.
8. 88. Statement and signature: authorised signatory confirmation and signature block.

Applicants must strictly follow the templates and instructions. Additional documents beyond those requested will not be considered. If relying on third-party capacities, include separate commitment letters and the third party’s data for the selection criteria in a separate document as instructed.

Milestones, timelines and contact

Procurement contact and mailbox:delegation-moldova-procurement@eeas.europa.eu. Procurement documents and downloads are available on the Funding & Tenders Portal opportunity page and TED notice. Subscribe to the call on the Portal to receive updates.

Summary — What this opportunity is about and how to approach it

This procurement seeks a qualified supplier (or consortium) to provide interpretation and translation services to the EU Delegation in Moldova. It is a restricted, two-stage procurement financed under NDICI with an estimated value of €450 000. Suitable applicants are language service providers, translation agencies, interpreter networks, or consortia combining translation and interpreting capacity, established in the EU or NDICI-eligible partner countries and able to provide evidence of financial strength, relevant personnel and technical experience (minimum turnover, staff numbers and at least 3 prior contracts each worth at least €180 000 within the last four years). The selection process first short-lists 4 to 8 candidates based on the Request to Participate and selection criteria; shortlisted bidders will be invited to submit full tenders evaluated on best price-quality ratio. Submissions must be made electronically via eSubmission using the provided templates and declarations; strict adherence to form, evidence and deadlines is mandatory. Candidates relying on other entities for capacity must provide binding commitments and ensure those entities meet eligibility rules. Carefully complete the Request to Participate form, attach signed Declarations on Honour, provide documentary evidence for references and financial data, register your organisation PIC and EU Login with 2-factor authentication, and monitor the F&T Portal for clarifications and updates. For procurement documents and templates consult the Funding & Tenders Portal opportunity page and related downloadable annexes F&T Tender Documents. ¹

Footnotes

1. 1Procurement documents (a5f, b3 request to participate form, a14a declaration on honour) and the tender dossier are published on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal opportunity page linked above.

Funding Opportunity Overview

This is a restricted tender procedure for the provision of professional translation and interpretation services to support the European Union Delegation to the Republic of Moldova. The contract is essential for supporting the Delegation's dialogue, coordination, and outreach activities, particularly in the context of Moldova's EU accession process and Growth Plan implementation. The services will be delivered in Moldova and funded through the Neighbourhood, Development and International Cooperation Instrument (NDICI) East Global Allocation 2025.

Contracting Authority:European Commission, Directorate-General for Enlargement and Eastern Neighbourhood (DG ENEST). Contact: delegation-moldova-procurement@eeas.europa.eu

Key Funding Details

Total Estimated Budget:€450,000 (excluding VAT)

Contract Duration:36 months initial period, renewable once for a maximum of 12 months, resulting in a possible maximum duration of 48 months

Financing Instrument:Neighbourhood, Development and International Cooperation Instrument (NDICI) Global Europe, financed from the general budget of the European Union

Nature of Contract:Fee-based service contract

Eligibility and Who Can Apply

Participation is open to all natural persons who are nationals of and legal persons (participating either individually or in a consortium) which are effectively established in a Member State of the European Union or in an eligible country or territory as defined under Article 28 of Regulation (EU) 2021/947. Participation is also open to international organisations. Applicants must not have been involved in the preparation of the procurement documents and must not be subject to professional conflicting interests that may negatively affect contract performance.

Consortium Participation:Consortia are permitted and may be either permanent, legally established groupings or informal groupings constituted for this specific procedure. All consortium members are jointly and severally liable to the contracting authority. Consortium composition cannot be changed during the tender procedure without prior written authorisation from the contracting authority.

Sub-contracting:Sub-contracting is allowed. Subcontractors must comply with the same eligibility and non-exclusion requirements as the main contractor.

Selection Criteria ¹

Applicants must meet the following mandatory selection criteria to be eligible for the tender stage:

Economic and Financial Capacity

• Average annual turnover of the last 3 financial years for which accounts have been closed must be not less than €300,000
• Current ratio (current assets divided by current liabilities) in the last year for which accounts have been closed must be at least 1. For consortia, this criterion must be fulfilled by each member individually

Professional Capacity

• During the current year and the previous two years, on average, at least 3 personnel directly employed or otherwise legally contracted on a permanent or non-permanent basis in areas of specialist knowledge related to translation and interpretation services
• Not subject to professional conflicting interests which may negatively affect contract performance

Technical Capacity

• Completed services under at least 3 contracts implemented at any moment during the last four years before the submission deadline
• For each contract, the value of services completed must not be less than €180,000
• The completed services must be in the domain of translation and/or interpretation

Candidates may refer to projects completed within the reference period although started earlier, or to projects partially implemented during but not yet completed within the reference period. Only the part completed during the reference period will be considered. Documentary evidence must be provided including approval of reports or deliverables, proof of payment, or statements from the entity which awarded the contract, detailing the value. For consortium implementations, the part successfully completed by the candidate must be clearly identified through documentary evidence such as consortium agreements and bank transfers between members.

Additional Comparative Criteria

If more than 8 eligible candidates meet the selection criteria, the contracting authority will rank them using the following additional comparative criteria in order of priority:

1. 1The highest number of contracts under which services have been completed that meet the technical capacity criterion
2. 2The highest cumulated value of completed services that meet the technical capacity criterion (applied only to tied candidates for the 8th position)

Procedure and Timeline

Procedure Type:Restricted two-stage procedure

Deadline for Requests to Participate:28 May 2026 at 16:00 (UTC+03:00 Eastern European Summer Time)

Number of Candidates to be Short-listed:Between 4 and 8 candidates will be invited to submit detailed tenders. If fewer than 4 eligible candidates meet the selection criteria, the contracting authority may invite all qualifying candidates to submit tenders.

Provisional Date of Invitation to Tender:16 June 2026

Provisional Contract Commencement Date:1 January 2027

Award Criteria

The contract will be awarded on the basis of the best price-quality ratio. Detailed award criteria will be specified in the tender documents provided to short-listed candidates.

Submission Requirements and Process

Submission Method:Electronic submission exclusively via the Funding and Tenders Portal (F&T Portal) at Funding and Tenders Portal. Requests submitted by email, post, or hand delivery will be disregarded.

Language of Procedure:All written communications and tender submissions must be in English

Required Documents:

• Request to participate form (completed using the official template)
• Signed declaration of intent to participate (using the annexed format)
• Declaration on honour on exclusion and selection criteria (form a14a)
• Supporting documentation for financial, professional, and technical capacity as specified in the tender documents

All applicants must register in the European Commission's Participant Register to obtain a Participant Identification Code (PIC). For consortia, each member must be registered separately. Any additional documentation sent with the request to participate beyond what has been requested will not be considered.

Registration Requirements:Applicants must have an EU Login account to access the F&T Portal and submit requests to participate. As of 30 June 2026, two-factor authentication will be mandatory for EU Login accounts.

Important Conditions and Restrictions

Conflict of Interest:Applicants must declare that they have not been involved in the preparation of the procurement documents and have no conflict of interest or professional conflicting interests. Applicants who propose experts involved in preparing the project may be rejected and excluded from other EU-funded procedures.

Exclusion Grounds:Applicants must not be in any of the exclusion situations listed in Section 2.4.2.1 of the Practical Guide (PRAG), including bankruptcy, breach of tax or social security obligations, grave professional misconduct, fraud, corruption, or significant deficiencies in contract performance. Applicants included in EU restrictive measures lists cannot be awarded the contract.

Short-list Restrictions:Short-listed candidates may not form alliances or subcontract to each other for this contract. Any tenders received from tenderers with different composition than the short-listed request to participate forms will be excluded unless prior authorisation is obtained.

Single Submission Rule:No more than one request to participate or tender can be submitted by any natural or legal person in any form (individual, consortium leader, or consortium member). Multiple submissions will result in exclusion of all submissions involving that person.

Financial and Administrative Information

Currency:All financial data must be expressed in EUR. Where amounts are originally in a different currency, conversion to EUR shall be made using the InforEuro exchange rate of May 2026.

Payment and Ordering:Electronic ordering and electronic payment will be used

Contract Options:New services or works consisting of repetition of similar services may be entrusted to the initial contractor up to 10 percent of the initial contract value by negotiated procedure without prior publication of a contract notice, provided they are in conformity with the basic project.

Clarifications and Support

Questions and Clarifications:Any requests for clarifications must be made in writing through the F&T Portal. Clarifications can be requested by clicking Create a question in the Questions and Answers tab at the latest 21 days before the deadline for submission of requests to participate. Clarifications will be published on the F&T Portal at the latest 8 days before the submission deadline.

Notification of Results:Candidates will be notified of the outcome of the evaluation by email sent to the address provided in the eSubmission application. It is the candidate's responsibility to provide a valid email address and check it regularly.

Withdrawal and Modification:After submitting a request to participate but before the deadline, a candidate may withdraw or replace it with a new submission. A withdrawal receipt will be provided by eSubmission as proof.

Strategic Context

This procurement is part of the European Union's broader support for Moldova's EU accession process. The Directorate-General for Enlargement and Eastern Neighbourhood (DG ENEST), established on 1 February 2025, manages the EU's financial and technical assistance to enlargement partners and Eastern Neighbourhood countries. Moldova is a candidate country for EU membership, and the provision of high-quality translation and interpretation services is critical to supporting the Delegation's work in facilitating Moldova's alignment with EU standards and supporting its Growth Plan implementation.

Key Contacts and Resources

Procurement Contact:European Commission, DG ENEST, Delegation to Moldova. Email: delegation-moldova-procurement@eeas.europa.eu. Postal address: 10, Mitropolit Petru Movilă street, Chisinau, Moldova

Portal Access:Funding and Tenders Portal

Tender Documentation:All procurement documents including the Request to Participate Form, Declaration on Honour, and Additional Information about the Contract Notice are available on the F&T Portal

TED Reference:293613-2026

Internal Procedure Identifier:EC-ENEST/KIV/2026/EA-RP/0044

Footnotes

1. 1Selection criteria are based on the Additional Information about the Contract Notice (document a5f) and the Request to Participate Form (document b3). Applicants should consult these documents for detailed guidance on evidence requirements and documentation standards. Financial data must be based on closed annual accounts for the last three years for which accounts have been closed, or on appropriate bank statements if current year accounts are not yet available.