What are Framework Contracts?

To increase flexibility in the provision of technical assistance (TA) provided to both partner countries and its own operations, the European Commission (EC) has streamlined procurement procedures through the use of Framework Contracts (FWCs). The objective of the EC's Framework Contract Beneficiaries is to provide short-term, mainly on-site, services for the benefit of partner countries.

FWCs can cover all the main EC programmes and regions including PHARE, ISPA, SAPARD, TACIS, CARDS, OBNOVA, ALA, MEDA, FED, EAR and OTHER. Regions covered include Central and Eastern Europe, New Independent States, Africa, Caribbean, Pacific, Latin America, Asia and Mediterranean countries.

FWCs are mostly multi-year contracts in which groups of companies (consortia) become 'preferred suppliers' for TA services to the EC for a specific area of expertise, the so-called 'Lots'.

Typically, each Lot is serviced by several consortia that are invited - though so-called Requests for Services (RfS) - to submit proposals (CVs of experts and brief methodologies) for a specific assignment. The time between the receipt of an RfS and the deadline for the corresponding proposal's submission is usually two weeks at the most.

Individual projects under the FWCs are limited in duration (under 1 year) and budget (under EUR 200,000). Services requested relate to the full project cycle:

  • identification, feasibility, operational and technical follow-up assignments
  • financial and/or contractual monitoring
  • project evaluation
  • technical, financial or contractual audit of the project
  • technical advice
  • training and support
  • information and communication, or closure of a project

Expertise common to all Lots

As a minimum, the expertise is required to cover the entire project cycle:

  1. programme / project identification and preparation / formulation,
  2. programme / project implementation,
  3. preparation of Terms of Reference (services) and technical annexes (works, supplies) and evaluation of offers (Procurement),
  4. evaluation of grant proposals (only for lots 1, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
  5. evaluations (ex-ante, interim, ex-post etc.), monitoring as well as a number of horizontal aspects:
  6. (Cross-) sectoral policies and reforms,
  7. Macroeconomics,
  8. Public financial management,
  9. Legislation, regulations and law enforcement,
  10. Approximation of legislation,
  11. Institutional building,
  12. Training and research,
  13. Awareness-raising, (incl. information and communication).