Women in Digital (WiD) Platform – EU Coordination

The European Commission DG CNECT has issued a service tender to develop and operate a Women in Digital platform as a subdomain of the Digital Skills and Jobs Platform, build on the WIDCON project, coordinate a pan European expert network and national contact points, and carry out data gathering, policy mapping and outreach. The estimated contract value is €3,500,000 for a 36 month duration and the award criteria weight quality at 70 percent and price at 30 percent. Eligible applicants are professional companies or consortia able to provide platform development, community management, data analysis and coordination services and tenders must be submitted electronically via the Funding and Tenders Portal eSubmission. The submission deadline is 10 August 2026 at 16:00:59 Brussels time.

Opportunity type and reference

Call identifier EC-CNECT/2026/OP/0111 (Tender for services)

What it funds:set up, operate and coordinate an EU Women in Digital online platform (sub-domain of the Digital Skills and Jobs Platform), scale exchange of good practices, data gathering, policy mapping, outreach and awareness, and coordinate/expand the EU Women in Digital network and national contacts.

Estimated contract value:€3 500 000 (estimated overall contract amount) for a 36-month implementation period ¹.

1. 1Who can apply: economic operators able to deliver EU-wide platform, community building and coordination services (tendering rules apply; submit via eSubmission).
2. 2Contracting authority: European Commission, DG CNECT (Communications Networks, Content and Technology).
3. 3Contract nature: direct service contract for services; SME suitability indicator: false; quality weighted higher than price (70/30).

Submission and documents:apply and submit electronically through the EU Funding & Tenders Portal. Tender specifications, draft contract, financial form and annexes published on the portal; consult documents before applying EU Tender Page. ¹

Footnotes

1. 1Primary procurement documents (invitation to tender, tender specifications, draft contract, annexes and financial offer form) are available on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal at the opportunity page linked above.

Opportunity Type and Overview

This is a public procurement tender launched by the European Commission, DG CNECT (Communications Networks, Content and Technology) with the call identifier EC-CNECT/2026/OP/0111. The procurement seeks a contractor to implement EU coordination activities for the Women in Digital (WiD) Platform, building on the WIDCON project (grant 101195389). The action will create and operate an online EU sub-domain of the Digital Skills and Jobs Platform dedicated to Women in Digital resources, scale up exchange of good practices, support data gathering and policy mapping, and coordinate outreach, awareness-raising and a network of national contacts and experts across Member States. The planned contract duration is 36 months. The estimated total procedure value and estimated overall contract amount is €3,500,000.

Key Objectives

The contractor will:develop and host an EU Women in Digital online platform (as a sub-domain of the Digital Skills and Jobs Platform); scale up exchange of good practices and resources; perform systematic data gathering and policy mapping on gender balance in ICT across Member States; coordinate and expand the network and community of experts established by WIDCON; create and maintain a national contact network in each Member State; and design and implement outreach and awareness-raising activities to increase participation of girls and women in the ICT sector and help reach the Digital Decade target of €20 millionICT specialists and improved gender balance by 2030.

Procurement type:Open public procurement tender (services). Submission method: electronic submission via the Funding & Tenders Portal (eSubmission).

Contract duration and value:Planned period 36 months. Estimated overall contract amount: €3,500,000 (estimated total procedure value €3,500,000).

Deadlines and Key Dates

1. 1Deadline / Closing date for submission: 10 August 2026 at 16:00:59 (Europe/Brussels timezone).
2. 2Open tender event (likely evaluation / opening): 11 August 2026 at 10:00 (Europe/Brussels).
3. 3Additional information request period end: 31 July 2026 (end of day).
4. 4Consider changed until date for procurement documents: 13 July 2026 (documents released 29 June 2026).

Eligible Applicant Types

Procurement is open to legal entities capable of delivering the required services and meeting the selection criteria described in the tender specifications. Typical eligible applicant types include private service providers, consultancies, non-profit organisations, consortia combining SMEs and large enterprises, research organisations and universities acting as contractors, and public-sector bodies where legally allowed. The tender documentation contains specific exclusion, eligibility and quantitative/qualitative selection criteria that tenderers must satisfy. The procurement is not marked as SME-suitable (smeSuitableIndicator: false) so both large and small entities may apply.

Funding Type

This is a procurement service contract financed by the EU budget. The primary financial mechanism is a service contract (public procurement). The tender requires submission of a financial offer form and a draft contract is included in the procurement documents.

Consortium Requirement

The tender documentation allows submissions by single legal entities or by consortia/consortiums (as is typical for complex service contracts requiring multidisciplinary teams). The tender specifications and selection criteria will define whether joint bids are permitted and the required power of attorney / mandates needed for lead contractors and partners. The procurement project description references specific tenderer qualification requests and selection criteria in the procurement documents; applicants should consult Annexes and Tender Specifications for precise instructions.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility)

This procurement is issued by the European Commission and is intended to deliver EU-wide coordination across Member States. Eligible tenderers are those legally able to contract with the European Commission; typically this includes entities established in EU Member States and potentially entities established in countries eligible to participate in EU procurement, subject to the rules set out in the procurement documents. The activities must serve the EU Member States (MS) and coordinate national networks and contacts in each Member State.

Target Sector and Thematic Focus

Primary sector:ICT, digital skills and gender balance in technology. The action targets the ICT sector and digital skills ecosystems, focusing on policy, outreach, community building, data collection and awareness-raising to increase participation of girls and women in ICT across the EU. Secondary elements include education, training, policy mapping, stakeholder engagement and communications.

Project Stage and Expected Activities

Expected project maturity:implementation, coordination, scaling and demonstration. The tender covers operational delivery rather than early-stage research: activities include platform development and maintenance, community management, data collection and analytics, policy mapping, stakeholder engagement, events and outreach campaigns, coordination of experts and national contact networks, reporting and monitoring of impact against Digital Decade targets.

Application and Submission

Application type:open tender via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal. Submission method: compulsory electronic submission (eSubmission) using the Funding and Tenders Portal eForms and submission interface. Tenderers must follow the Invitation to Tender, Tender Specifications, Annexes, Declaration on Honour and Financial Offer Form provided with the notice. The procurement documents were published on 29 June 2026 and include Annexes (Annexes_V1.docx), Tender Specifications (EN_TENDER_SPECIFICATIONS...), Draft Contract (EN_Direct_Service_Contract...), financial form (Annex 6 Financial form) and a model Declaration on Honour for tenders.

Nature of Support and Financial Details

This is a paid service contract:beneficiaries (contractor) will receive monetary compensation under the terms of the contract. The estimated contract amount is €3,500,000 allocated over 36 months. Tenderers must submit detailed financial offers using the provided financial offer form (Annex 6). Payment modalities, invoicing schedule, and performance-related clauses are detailed in the draft contract and tender specifications.

Application Stages and Procedure

The procurement follows a single-stage open tender procedure with electronic submission. Key procedural elements: publication and download of procurement documents; submission of tender dossier including technical offer, financial offer and Declaration on Honour by the deadline; opening / evaluation session (open tender event on 11 August 2026); evaluation against award criteria (quality 70%, price 30% as indicated); contract award and signature. The awarding criteria and their weighting are specified in the tender documents. The tender validity period is 6 months.

1. 1Stage 1: Download and review procurement documents, prepare questions during the additional information request period (until 31 July 2026).
2. 2Stage 2: Prepare and submit tender dossier electronically by 10 August 2026, 16:00:59 (Brussels time).
3. 3Stage 3: Tender opening and evaluation (open tender event 11 August 2026 and subsequent evaluation).
4. 4Stage 4: Award decision, contract negotiation (if any), signature and contract start.

Success Rates and Competition

The tender is a competitive open procurement. The exact success rate cannot be predetermined and depends on the number and quality of bids received. Typical EU service tenders of similar scope attract multiple bids from national and international consultancies, NGOs and consortia. Tenderers should ensure full compliance with the tender specifications to maximise chances.

Co-funding Requirement

No co-funding from applicants is specified as a requirement in the procurement notice. The contract is funded by the EU and payment conditions are specified in the draft service contract. Tenderers should consult the Tender Specifications and Draft Contract for any invoicing, advance payment, guarantees or performance security requirements.

Templates and Application Forms

The procurement documents include standard templates and forms which tenderers must use or complete: Invitation to Tender (EN-Invitation_to_tender_EC-CNECTLUX2026OP0111_Women in Digital Platform_V1.pdf), Tender Specifications (EN_TENDER_SPECIFICATIONS...), Draft Direct Service Contract (EN_Direct_Service_Contract...), Annexes (Annexes_V1.docx), Declaration on Honour (declaration-of-honour-tenders_Women in Digital Platform_EC-CNECTLUX2026OP0111_V1.docx) and Financial Offer Form (Annex 6 - Financial form_V1.xlsx). Tenderers must follow the required structure when preparing the technical offer, including: administrative documents, evidence of eligibility and non-exclusion, selection criteria documents proving financial and operational capacity, technical proposal describing methodology, work plan, staffing and deliverables, and the completed financial form. The tender specifications will detail required page limits, CV formats for key experts, evidence for past performance, and evaluation sub-criteria.

Award Criteria and Evaluation

Awarding criteria and weighting are provided in the procurement metadata:quality 70% and price 30% (please consult procurement documents for the detailed subdivision of quality criteria and scoring methodology). Quality criteria typically cover technical approach, project management, experience of key experts, past performance, relevance of methodology, partnership and risk mitigation. Price must be submitted using the provided financial offer form.

Deliverables and Expected Outputs

Expected deliverables include (non-exhaustive list):a fully functional EU Women in Digital online platform sub-domain integrated within the Digital Skills and Jobs Platform; a public repository of good practices and resources; periodic data collection reports and policy mapping per Member State; a coordinated roster of experts and national contact points; outreach and awareness campaign materials and events; monitoring and evaluation reports tracking impact against Digital Decade targets; regular progress and financial reports as defined in the draft contract.

Mentioned Countries and Geographic Scope

The tender explicitly targets EU Member States and pan-EU coordination. The contracting authority is the European Commission (DG CNECT). No specific Member State is singled out as exclusive; the action covers all Member States. The procurement documents and deliverables will require creating and coordinating contacts in each Member State.

Technical and Science/Technology Requirements

Technical requirements focus on digital platform development and maintenance, data collection and analytics, community management and stakeholder engagement. Tenderers should demonstrate capability in: web platform architecture and secure hosting; integration with the existing Digital Skills and Jobs Platform sub-domain standards; data governance and GDPR-compliant data collection and storage; analytics and reporting; knowledge of gender in ICT, policy mapping methods and best practices; communications, outreach and event organisation; stakeholder network coordination across multiple countries; and multi-language content management. Details of required technical specifications will be in the Tender Specifications and Annexes.

Procurement Documents and Where to Apply

All procurement documents must be downloaded from the EU Funding & Tenders Portal opportunity page for EC-CNECT/2026/OP/0111. Relevant documents published on 29 June 2026 include Invitation to Tender, Tender Specifications, Annexes, Declaration on Honour, Financial Offer form and Draft Direct Service Contract. Submission is via the Funding and Tenders Portal eSubmission interface. Official tender notice and documents: ec.europa.eu Tender details.

Contacting the contracting authority for clarifications must follow the procedure and deadlines set out in the tender specifications. The lead contracting authority: European Commission, DG CNECT - Communications Networks, Content and Technology DG CNECT.

Risks and Considerations for Applicants

Key risks and considerations:ensure compliance with all exclusion and selection criteria and provide full supporting documentation in the Declaration on Honour; ensure technical approach aligns with interoperability and security requirements of the Digital Skills and Jobs Platform; prepare a robust pan-EU coordination plan with clear national contact network establishment strategy; allocate sufficient resources for multilingual content, GDPR compliance and cross-border stakeholder engagement; and submit the financial offer using the provided Excel financial form to avoid disqualification.

Summary and Final Explanation

This EU public procurement seeks a contractor to deliver a Women in Digital EU coordination service contract over 36 months with an estimated value of €3.5 million. The contract will build and run an EU sub-domain of the Digital Skills and Jobs Platform dedicated to Women in Digital resources, scale community-building, coordinate a network of national contacts and experts in all Member States, carry out data gathering and policy mapping, and run outreach and awareness activities to increase female participation in the ICT sector. Applicants must submit an electronic tender through the Funding & Tenders Portal by 10 August 2026, comply with the tender specifications and use the provided templates (Invitation to Tender, Tender Specifications, Annexes, Declaration on Honour and Financial Offer Form). Evaluation will be made on quality (70%) and price (30%). The procurement documentation dated 29 June 2026 contains all mandatory templates and the draft contract; tenderers must consult these documents carefully and respect procedural deadlines and requirements.

For full details and downloads consult the official opportunity page and the procurement documents, including Annexes and draft contract, published on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal. Tender details and documents DG CNECT contact page ¹

Footnotes

1. 1Procurement documents published 29 June 2026 include: EN-Invitation_to_tender_EC-CNECTLUX2026OP0111_Women in Digital Platform_V1.pdf; EN_TENDER_SPECIFICATIONS_EC-CNECTLUX2026OP0111_Women in Digital Platform_V1.pdf; Annexes_V1.docx; EN_Direct_Service_Contract_EC-CNECTLUX2026OP0111_V1.pdf; declaration-of-honour-tenders_Women in Digital Platform_EC-CNECTLUX2026OP0111_V1.docx; Annex+6-+Financial+form_V1.xlsx. These must be used when preparing the tender submission.

Opportunity Purpose and Strategic Context

This tender aims to address the severe under-representation of girls and women in the ICT sector, where less than 20% of specialists are female, by supporting activities that actively tackle gender imbalance to meet the Digital Decade target of €20 millionICT specialists by 2030 ¹. The project will build upon and expand the work of the WIDCON project (101195389), creating an online EU platform as a sub-domain of the Digital Skills and Jobs Platform to scale up the exchange of good practices, data gathering, policy mapping, and outreach across Member States ².

Key Objectives:The initiative focuses on community building, cross-fertilisation across the EU, coordinating and expanding the expert network from WIDCON, and creating a network of relevant contacts in each Member State to strengthen the EU Women in Digital network ³.

Who Should Apply (Eligible Entities)

This is a service tender for professional companies or consortia capable of delivering coordination, platform development, data analysis, and community management services, rather than a grant for NGOs or research institutions to conduct their own projects ⁴. Eligible applicants are natural or legal persons (sole tenderer or joint tender) established in EU/EEA countries or third countries with an EU association agreement, as indicated by the procurement terms for service contracts ⁵.

1. 1Professional service providers with expertise in digital platform development and management
2. 2Consortia with capabilities in data collection, policy analysis, and community engagement
3. 3Organizations experienced in coordinating EU-wide networks and stakeholder forums
4. 4Entities with a track record in gender equality initiatives within the digital sector

Financial Details and Contract Terms

The contract is a Direct Service Contract with an estimated total value of €3.5 million, awarded based on a weighted criteria system where quality (70%) is prioritized over price (30%) ⁶. The project duration is set for 36 months, allowing for long-term development of the platform and sustained network coordination ⁷.

Deadlines and Submission Requirements

The final deadline for tender submission is 10 August 2026 at 16:00:59 (Brussels Time), with an earlier deadline of 1 January 2026 noted for specific procedural steps ⁸. Applicants must submit their tenders electronically via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal using the ESUBMISSION method ⁹.

1. 1Tender Specifications (EN_TENDER_SPECIFICATIONS_EC-CNECTLUX2026OP0111_Women in Digital Platform_V1.pdf)
2. 2Draft Contract (EN_Direct_Service_Contract_EC-CNECTLUX2026OP0111_V1.pdf)
3. 3Financial Offer Form (Annex+6-+Financial+form_V1.xlsx)
4. 4Declaration on Honour (declaration-of-honour-tenders_Women in Digital Platform_EC-CNECTLUX2026OP0111_V1.docx)
5. 5Annexes (Annexes_V1.docx)

Key Requirements and Deliverables

Tenderers must demonstrate the ability to develop and maintain an online EU platform as a sub-domain of the Digital Skills and Jobs Platform, ensuring it supports data gathering, policy mapping, and the exchange of best practices ¹⁰. The contract requires the coordination of a pan-European expert network, the establishment of a network of contacts in each Member State, and the execution of outreach and awareness-raising activities ¹¹.

Critical Success Factors:Applicants should highlight their experience in building sustainable digital communities, their capacity for large-scale data collection and analysis, and their ability to engage diverse stakeholders across 27+ Member States to ensure the platform's long-term viability ¹².

Additional Information for Applicants

The tender is led by DG CNECT (Communications Networks, Content and Technology) of the European Commission, which is the primary contracting authority ¹³. Applicants should consult the procurement documents for detailed technical specifications and evaluation criteria, as the award decision heavily favors quality proposals ¹⁴. The project is part of the DIGITAL work programme 2023-2024 and aligns with the broader Digital Decade Policy Programme ¹⁵.

Footnotes

1. 1Official tender description: ec.europa.eu
2. 2WIDCON project background: bdva.eu
3. 3WIDCON objectives and results: evta.eu
4. 4Service tender nature: ec.europa.eu
5. 5Eligibility criteria: bdva.eu
6. 6Award criteria weighting: ec.europa.eu
7. 7Contract duration: ec.europa.eu
8. 8Deadline date: ec.europa.eu
9. 9Submission method: ec.europa.eu
10. 10Platform requirements: ec.europa.eu
11. 11Network coordination: widigital.eu
12. 12Success factors: evta.eu
13. 13Lead authority: ec.europa.eu
14. 14Evaluation criteria: ec.europa.eu
15. 15Programme alignment: widigital.eu