VT/2026/017 - Study on in-work poverty in the European Union - challenges and solutions

VT/2026/017 is an open call for tenders by the European Commission DG EMPL to commission a 14-month analytical study on in-work poverty across the EU, covering its scale, drivers, Member State policy responses and good-practice models. Tenders must be submitted electronically via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal by 30 September 2026 16:00 Europe/Brussels and will be evaluated on the best price-quality ratio (70% quality, 30% price). The contract requires detailed methodological, workplan and staffing proposals, national expert coverage for EU-27 and deliverables including inception, interim and final reports with a publishable executive summary in English and French. Selection and exclusion rules, required templates and draft contract are published in the tender specifications on the Funding & Tenders Portal.

What it funds

Study scope

A commissioned study to:analyse the scale, evolution and drivers of in-work poverty across EU Member States; map and assess Member States’ tax-benefit and labour/employment responses (incl. measures to increase work intensity, job security and yearly earnings); and identify effective integrated policy approaches and good-practice models for EU and national policymaking.

Contract type and duration:Service contract (open procedure). Maximum contract duration 14 months; award by best price-quality ratio; electronic submission only ¹.

1. 1Who can apply: economic operators (natural or legal persons) established in the EU/EEA (including joint tenders). Subcontracting and reliance on third-party capacities are allowed subject to procurement rules.
2. 2Key administrative requirements: registration in Participant Register (PIC), Declaration on Honour and supporting evidence on exclusion/selection criteria when requested.
3. 3Deliverables and payments: inception, interim and final reports (publishable executive summary); payments in two instalments (interim ~40% upon approved interim report, balance on final acceptance).

How to apply:submit a full technical and financial tender electronically via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal eSubmission tool using your organisation PIC (Participant Identification Code). Tender must follow the published Tender Specifications and draft contract available on the Portal Funding & Tenders Portal. ¹

Footnotes

1. 1Procurement documents (Invitation, Tender Specifications, draft contract and annexes) are published in English on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal. The tender specifications detail eligibility, exclusion and selection criteria, deliverables, reporting, payment schedule and security/data rules.

Opportunity summary

Procurement type:Open procedure call for tenders launched by the European Commission, DG EMPL (Unit D.1 Social Policies, Child Guarantee, SPC). Title: Study on in-work poverty in the European Union - challenges and solutions. Procedure reference: EC-EMPL/2026/OP/0014 (internal id 202dc87a-a04a-€462B-ade1-8b701de5d4d5). Main CPV: 79400000 Business and management consultancy and related services. Nature of contract: services. Location of performance: contractor premises and online. Maximum contract duration: 14 months from signature. Submission method: electronic via the Funding & Tenders Portal eSubmission system. Deadlines: questions cut-off 22/09/2026 23:59 Europe/Brussels; final deadline for tenders 30/09/2026 16:00 Europe/Brussels. Public opening: 01/10/2026 10:00 Europe/Brussels.

Purpose, scope and work required

Overall aim:provide evidence and policy guidance to the Commission on in-work poverty (IWP) across the EU, supporting the EU Anti-Poverty Strategy and a planned Commission Recommendation on fighting in-work poverty. The contract requires a comprehensive analytical study with three core objectives: (1) analyse the scale, evolution and drivers of in-work poverty in the EU and Member States; (2) map and assess Member States' policy responses to IWP with particular attention to tax-benefit systems and policies that increase work intensity, job security and yearly earnings; (3) identify successful integrated policy approaches and models of intervention, including cross-country grouping and good practice templates.

Analytical tasks and deliverables:Tasks: Task 1 analysis of IWP scale, trends and drivers using EU-SILC microdata and complementary sources; Task 2 mapping and assessment of policy measures: Sub-task 2.1 tax-benefit measures (2015-2025) and quantitative/qualitative assessment (including EUROMOD simulations where proposed) and Sub-task 2.2 labour/employment measures (2019-present) including ALMPs, labour law reforms and enforcement; Task 3 identification of models of intervention and good practices with Member State fiches. Required deliverables: draft and final inception report; draft and final interim report; draft final report + draft publishable executive summary + supporting material; final report and publishable executive summary. All deliverables to be in English; executive summary also in French. The study must be finalised within 14 months of contract signature. Payments are two instalments: interim payment up to 40% on delivery and approval of final interim report; balance on delivery and approval of final report. The contracting authority will provide a Word cover template for final deliverables and the contractor must respect the Commission visual identity rules.

Eligibility and how to apply

Who can apply:any legal or natural person with access to procurement under EU rules. Participation is open to entities from EU Member States and other countries party to GPA or the Treaties, subject to checks on restrictive measures. Registration: economic operators must be registered in the Participant Register and use a Participant Identification Code (PIC) and an EU Login account to submit via eSubmission. Submission is electronic only via the Funding & Tenders Portal eSubmission tool. Up to two representatives per tender may attend the virtual public opening. Tender validity: 9 months. Language: any official EU language may be used for submission, but procurement documents are published in English and English is the procedural language. See tender documents on the Portal for full instructions and templates.

Documents provided by the contracting authority

1. 1Invitation letter (published 11/08/2026)
2. 2Tender specifications - Study on IWP elaborated v3 final (published 11/08/2026) — contains full scope, tasks, methodology expectations, deliverable schedule, payments, award and selection criteria and annexes
3. 3Declaration of honour template (Annex 2)
4. 4Draft contract and annexes (draft contract, annexes on VAT, IPR statements)
5. 5Appendix 2 Security requirements (security rules, ethics reminder for contractor personnel)
6. 6Annexes: list of documents to submit, power of attorney template for joint tender, commitment letter templates, financial tender form

Evaluation, award and weighting

Award method:best price-quality ratio. Award criteria: Price 30%, Quality 70%. Quality evaluation subcriteria and weights: (1) Quality of the proposed methodology (50 points, minimum 30); (2) Expertise and organisation of the work and resources (40 points, minimum 15); (3) Quality control measures (10 points, minimum 5). Minimum quality thresholds: at least 50% on each award criterion and overall minimum 60% to be eligible for award. Scoring formula combines normalized price (30%) and quality score (70%).

Selection and exclusion requirements

Exclusion:contractors must submit the Declaration on Honour covering exclusion grounds in Article 138 of the Financial Regulation; the Contracting authority may request documentary evidence and consult EDES. Selection (economic and financial): consolidated average annual turnover in last two years must exceed €300 000 (evidence: profit & loss and balance sheets or bank statements). Technical and professional selection requirements (consolidated where indicated): at least three relevant research projects in last three years in poverty/social inclusion/income support collectively covering at least 5 Member States and total value at least €200 000; at least two research publications of excellent editorial quality in English (same as projects cited); project team requirements: project manager with minimum 7 years research experience in social policy and at least 4 years project management experience (including managing teams and projects of minimum combined value €200 000); at least three experts covering poverty/social exclusion, social investment policies, and quantitative analysis including microsimulation; language requirements: project manager C1 English, at least one other C1 English, others at least B2 English; network of at least 15 national experts covering all 27 Member States. Tenderers may rely on capacities of subcontractors or other entities subject to commitment letters and evidence. Professional conflicting interests must be declared and may preclude award.

Administrative, legal and contractual matters

Contracting authority:European Commission, DG EMPL - Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion, Directorate D Social Rights and Inclusion, Unit D.1. Legal basis: Financial Regulation (Regulation (EU, Euratom) 2018/1046 and its recast 2024/2509 referenced where applicable). The draft contract and annexes set out terms on IPR, confidentiality, data protection, security, liability, checks and audits, termination, force majeure, payments, VAT rules, and invoicing. The contracting authority owns the results. Pre-existing rights incorporated into results must be declared and licensed; contractor must provide evidence of rights transfer or licences. Processing of personal data is governed by Regulation (EU) 2018/1725; contractor must assist the Commission on data protection obligations and incident reporting.

Security and personnel screening:Appendix 2 requires contractors to comply with Commission security rules. Personnel accessing Commission premises or IT assets may require background screening and positive security advice from Belgian authorities; contractors must obtain and pay for screening consents and fees. Contractors must ensure service providers sign the ethics reminder and abide confidentiality and security rules.

Application templates and required attachments

The portal package includes mandatory templates and annexes to be submitted with the tender. Key templates and required attachments (see Annex 1 in tender specifications): 1) Declaration on Honour on exclusion and selection criteria (Annex 2); 2) Agreement/Power of attorney for joint tenders (Annex 3); 3) List of identified subcontractors and proportion of subcontracting (Annex 4); 4) Commitment letters by identified subcontractors or entities on whose capacity is relied (Annex 5.1 and 5.2); 5) Financial tender form (Annex 6). Technical tender must include proposed methodology, workplan, risk assessment, staff allocation and CVs of proposed team and evidence supporting selection criteria (project references and publications).

1. 1Annex 1: full list of documents and where to upload in eSubmission (identification, capacities, technical and financial offers, supporting evidence).
2. 2Annex 2: Declaration on Honour (exclusion and selection).
3. 3Annex 3: Agreement/Power of Attorney template for joint tenders (mandatory where applicable).
4. 4Annex 4: List of identified subcontractors (mandatory where subcontractor share >= 20% or when relied upon for selection criteria).
5. 5Annex 5.1 and 5.2: Commitment letter templates (for subcontractors and entities on whose capacities the tender relies).
6. 6Annex 6: Financial tender form to be used for submitting the price in euros (VAT excluded).

Categorisation and structured extraction

Below are explicit answers to the categorisation questions based on the procurement documentation and call metadata.

1. 1Eligible Applicant Types: The opportunity is open to legal and natural persons and therefore eligible applicant types include research institutes, universities, large consultancies, SMEs, nonprofit organisations, think tanks and consortia that can demonstrate the required technical and financial capacities. Joint tenders are allowed. Subcontracting is permitted. Entities from EU Member States and countries covered by the EU Treaties and GPA participating states may apply. Individual experts cannot be awarded directly unless they are legal persons or their CVs are presented within a tender by an organisation.
2. 2Funding Type: This is a procurement/service contract, not a grant or loan. The financial mechanism is a public contract for services paid by the contracting authority (service contract).
3. 3Consortium Requirement: Consortium or single applicant is permitted. The procedure accepts single applicants or joint tenders. If joint tender, the group must appoint a group leader and sign the Agreement/Power of attorney template. The call does not mandate a consortium but allows and provides templates for joint tenders. Subcontracting is allowed.
4. 4Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): Geographic eligibility is EU focused: applicants established in EU Member States and entities from countries party to the GPA and Treaty scope can participate. The study covers EU-27 Member States and requires national experts covering all 27 Member States.
5. 5Target Sector: Thematic sectors targeted are social policy, employment and social inclusion. Cross-cutting sectors include public policy research, tax-benefit modelling, labour market policy, social protection, and microsimulation (economics/policy research).
6. 6Mentioned Countries: Explicitly mentioned: all EU Member States (EU-27). Specific Member States noted as examples in background: Finland, Bulgaria. Contracting authority located in Belgium (Brussels). Documents and procedures refer to Belgium for security screening. The call is EU-level and open across EEA/GPA as indicated.
7. 7Project Stage: Expected project stage/maturity: research, analysis, validation and demonstration leading to policy recommendations. The contractor must deliver analytical outputs, assessments and good-practice models; this is not an R&D product development but an applied policy study.
8. 8Funding Amount: The tender documents state the maximum contract amount is not indicated in the procurement notice to promote price competition. However selection criteria reference minimum project experience values: past projects with combined minimum value €200 000 for capacity assessment. Applicants should propose realistic budgets for a 14-month EU-level study; typical comparable DG EMPL studies range from €150 000 to €600 000 depending on scope. The call requires bidders to quote total price in euros, VAT excluded. Exact award budget is not published.
9. 9Application Type: Open call for tenders (open procedure). Submission method: electronic via eSubmission on the Funding & Tenders Portal. Deadline: 30/09/2026 16:00 Europe/Brussels.
10. 10Nature of Support: Beneficiaries will receive monetary payment for contracted services (service contract). No grant; payment on invoice tied to deliverables. Non-monetary support: the contracting authority will provide access to existing Commission analytical outputs and may coordinate interviews/stakeholder contacts, but primary remuneration is monetary.
11. 11Application Stages: Single-stage submission with evaluation and award. Process steps include: (1) electronic tender submission; (2) administrative, exclusion and selection checks; (3) technical and financial evaluation; (4) ranking and award. Within contract implementation there are multiple deliverable stages (inception, interim, draft final, final). So application to award is effectively one main submission stage.
12. 12Success Rates: Not stated in documentation. Typical success rates for DG EMPL open tenders are low (single-digit to low double-digit percent) depending on competition; no explicit success rate is provided and cannot be precisely derived from the tender notice.
13. 13Co-funding Requirement: No co-funding required. The contract is financed by the ESF+ EaSI strand and the contracting authority will pay the contracted price. Bidders do not have to provide co-financing but must demonstrate economic and financial capacity and meet selection criteria.
14. 14Templates: Application form templates and structure: mandatory templates provided in annexes on the Portal. Key structure in Annex 1: identification documents, Declaration on Honour (Annex 2), Agreement/Power of Attorney (Annex 3) for joint tenders, List of identified subcontractors (Annex 4), commitment letters by subcontractors or entities (Annex 5.1/5.2), Financial tender form (Annex 6). Technical offer must contain methodology, workplan, staff allocation and CVs, project references, samples of past publications (2 reports), risk assessment and quality control procedures. Financial offer must use Annex 6 financial model and quote a single total price in euros excl. VAT. See Annex 1 for exact upload locations in eSubmission.

How to prepare a compliant tender (practical checklist)

1. 1Register organisation in the Participant Register and obtain a PIC well ahead of submission; ensure LEAR is appointed.
2. 2Subscribe to the call on the Funding & Tenders Portal to receive updates and download all procurement documents (Invitation, Tender specifications, Draft contract and Annexes).
3. 3Assemble a project team that meets minimum selection criteria: project manager (7+ years research, 4+ years project management) and required experts. Prepare CVs and language certificates where available.
4. 4Prepare evidence for selection criteria: at least three relevant project references covering at least 5 Member States and aggregate project value, and two full research publications in English.
5. 5Prepare detailed methodology, task-by-task approach, data sources (EU-SILC, EUROMOD potential use), sampling of experts/stakeholders, analytical methods and quality control measures.
6. 6Complete tender templates: Declaration on Honour (Annex 2), Agreement/Power of Attorney if a consortium (Annex 3), List of subcontractors (Annex 4) and commitment letters (Annex 5.1/5.2) for identified subcontractors or entities relied on.
7. 7Prepare financial tender using Annex 6 financial model; quote total price in euros excluding VAT. Ensure price covers all services over 14 months and includes staff time, data access costs, travel where needed, and deliverable production.
8. 8Ensure technical tender and all supporting evidence are uploaded in the correct eSubmission sections per Annex 1 instructions. Use a QES where possible for signed documents.
9. 9Submit via eSubmission ahead of the 30/09/2026 16:00 (Brussels) deadline and retain submission receipt as timestamp proof.

Notes and references:The tender specifications refer to integration with other EC analytical outputs (European Employment and Social Outlook 2026 Annual Review and JRC work). Contractors should ensure methodological complementarity. Security screening and ethics requirements apply for personnel accessing Commission premises. Payment schedule and VAT handling are stated in the draft contract and Annex III on group VAT shares. For full legal and procedural details, consult the draft contract, tender specifications and annexes on the Funding & Tenders Portal Funding & Tenders Portal ¹.

Final summary: what is this opportunity about and how to explain it

This is an EU-level public procurement for a policy research and analytical services contract commissioned by the European Commission, DG EMPL, to produce a comprehensive study on in-work poverty across EU Member States. The contractor will deliver rigorous quantitative and qualitative analysis using EU-SILC microdata, integrate complementary sources and modelling where appropriate, map national policy measures in tax-benefit and labour/employment domains, evaluate selected measures and identify successful integrated policy models and good practices to reduce in-work poverty. The study supports EU policy processes including the EU Anti-Poverty Strategy and a forthcoming Commission Recommendation. The tender is an open procedure with competitive evaluation on price and quality, strict selection criteria on organisational, technical and team experience, mandatory templates for declarations and subcontracting, and contract terms covering deliverables, IPR, data protection, security screening and payment. Interested applicants must register in the Participant Register, prepare the technical and financial offers using the supplied templates, ensure their team and subcontractors meet selection requirements, and submit electronically via the Funding & Tenders Portal by the deadline. The contracting authority provides detailed tender specifications, a draft contract and annexes on the Portal. The contracting authority expects delivery of high-quality, policy-ready outputs and publishable executive summaries in English (and French for the executive summary), and retains ownership of the study results for broad exploitation and publication.

Footnotes

1. 1Full procurement documentation, invitation letter, tender specifications, draft contract, declaration templates and security annex are published on the Funding & Tenders Portal: ec.europa.eu

This call for tenders seeks a contractor to deliver an analytical study on in-work poverty in the European Union, covering its scale, drivers, Member State responses and good practice models. It fits the Commission's broader anti-poverty strategy, which announced a Commission Recommendation on fighting in-work poverty for end 2027.[7]

The policy context is urgent:recent Commission and Eurostat material shows in-work poverty around 8.2 to 8.3 percent of workers or working-age people, with substantial cross country variation and only gradual improvement over time.[10][12]

The official tender notice and document set are published on the EU Funding and Tenders Portal ¹.

What the study is about

The study is designed to support evidence based policy making on in-work poverty and to inform future Commission action, including the planned 2027 policy recommendation. It focuses on the fact that employment does not always protect against poverty and that the causes of in-work poverty are multi dimensional.

1. 1Analyse the scale, evolution and drivers of in-work poverty across the EU and EU-27, using EU-SILC data and where needed microdata and complementary sources.
2. 2Map and assess Member State policy responses, with particular attention to tax-benefit systems, work intensity, job security and yearly earnings.
3. 3Identify successful integrated policy approaches and models of intervention that can inform future EU and national action.

The scope is broad and data intensive. Task 1 covers trends, population breakdowns, poverty depth, transitions in and out of in-work poverty, disposable income composition and access to benefits. Task 2 covers tax-benefit measures in force, introduced, reformed or discontinued between 2015 and 2025, and labour law and employment support measures from 2019 onwards. Task 3 groups Member States into policy models and compares their strengths and weaknesses.

The tender specifications also require the methodology to consider regional and local differences among Member States, propose a workplan and staffing plan, set out data sources and validation methods, and include a tailored risk assessment. Tenderers are expected to show solid knowledge of social policy, income support schemes and related EU research.

Who can apply

Participation is open on equal terms to natural and legal persons within the scope of the EU Treaties, to international organisations, and to third country entities where a relevant public procurement agreement applies. Joint tenders and subcontracting are allowed, but all involved entities must comply with the access to procurement rules and must not be subject to EU restrictive measures.

• Any eligible economic operator may submit a tender as a sole tenderer or as a consortium.
• A Participant Identification Code is required, and EU Login is needed for electronic submission.
• Subcontractors and entities whose capacity is relied upon must themselves have access to procurement.
• The same entity cannot participate simultaneously as a sole tenderer and as a member of another group in the same procedure.
• Cross subcontracting between competing tenders is forbidden.
• The tender must be prepared independently and autonomously from other tenders.

Deliverables and timetable

The contract foresees a staged research process with inception, interim and final phases. The overall study must be completed no later than 14 months after contract signature by the last signing party.

• Draft and final inception report, maximum 30 pages excluding annexes.
• Draft and final interim report, maximum 75 pages excluding annexes.
• Draft final report plus draft publishable executive summary and support material, maximum 150 pages excluding annexes.
• Final report and publishable executive summary in English and French, with an abstract of up to 200 words.
• The final report must include the Commission disclaimer and specific identifiers on the cover page.
• An interim payment equal to 40 percent of the total amount may be requested after approval of the final interim report.
• The balance is payable after approval of the final report.

Submission and evaluation

Tenders must be submitted exclusively through the electronic submission system. Submissions sent by email, post or any other channel will be disregarded. The award criterion is the best price-quality ratio, with quality weighted at 70 percent and price at 30 percent.

• No variants are allowed.
• Only one tender per tenderer is permitted.
• The contracting authority is not bound to reply to questions submitted after 22 September 2026 23:59 Brussels time.
• The public opening is virtual and scheduled for 1 October 2026 at 10:00 Brussels time.
• The tender validity period is 9 months.
• The contract is a direct contract, not a framework agreement.

What applicants should prepare

• A robust methodological proposal covering data sources, validation, synthesis and analytical approaches.
• A detailed workplan, staffing plan and schedule.
• A risk assessment with probabilities, impacts and mitigation measures.
• Evidence of eligibility and exclusion compliance, including declaration on honour forms.
• For joint tenders, a group leader and agreement or power of attorney.
• For subcontracting or reliance on external capacity, the relevant commitment letters and role descriptions.
• Awareness of security, confidentiality, data protection and electronic submission requirements.

Footnotes

1. 1Official tender page and documents: EU Funding and Tenders Portal.