In general, tendering is a process in which an organization that needs goods or services invites others to submit an offer or a proposal in order to provide those goods or services.  The European Union provides such opportunities for funding. The Funding and Tenders Portal, the Single Electronic Data Interchange Area, is where an organization can find and apply for EU funding and tender opportunities.

In essence, the EU purchases goods, services or work in exchange for payment of an agreed sum.  These public contracts are standardly awarded through competitive tendering, which consists of different types: open procedure, restricted procedure, competitive negotiated procedure, competitive dialogue, innovation partnership, and design contest.  Public procurement contracts are different than grants since the contracting authority obtains a good or service in return for payment, but in the case of a grant, the EU makes a contribution to a project or organization that furthers their policy objectives.

With the Funding and Tenders Portal, you can search and apply for funding and tender opportunities and manage your grants.  The portal gives you access to see the different tendering opportunities that the European Commission publishes.  There are over 30 funding programs that are available, such as the Justice Program (JUST), European Parliament (EP), and Horizon Europe (HORIZON).  The portal allows you to start your search based on what fits best within your field of interest.  Some calls are open to the public, whereas other applications are only open upon invitation.  You can also find partners when responding to a call, and depending on the project that interests you, it may be necessary to form a consortium.

The procedure for participating in a call for tenders or funding is not difficult and can be simplified in the following steps:

1. Registration and user creation in Funding and Tenders. In this step, you must provide information such as your name and surname, a username, email address. Once registered, you will receive an email with a security code that will allow you to create your account.
2. Registration of your entity. Once you are registered, you must provide all the administrative data and some legal and contact information. This step is very important. When we register our entity, we will receive the Participant Identification Code, hereinafter PIC. This 9-digit number will identify each entity participating in EU funding.
3. Self-assessment as an SME. This step is necessary only in some cases. If the program in which you will participate requires SME status, you must complete the “SME Self-Assessment”. The main objective is to ensure that your entity meets the requirements. To do this, you will need to enter the financial figures for the last approved accounting period for your entity.
4. Search for programs or tenders. To find the program or tender that best suits your interests and characteristics, you will have to make an exhaustive search, taking into account certain criteria:
   • Opening date and application deadline date and time.
   • Type of action that you can
   • Eligibility. It is important to study what kind of organizations can apply, which countries are eligible for funding, etc.
   • What kind of documents, when and how do you have to submit them. In addition, it is important to know how to submit the proposal, the consortium and budget.
5. Participation in the proposal. If you have already selected your best option in Search Funding and Tenders, you must press “Start SUBMISSION” and enter the PIC number of your entity. Then it will be necessary to indicate the acronym and a brief summary of our entity and project. In addition, it will be necessary to provide all the documents and administrative forms required for the project. EU services will treat your proposal confidentially, as well as any related information, data and documents received.

At Boleo Global we have professionals specialized in the search for funding and tenders. We will be happy to help you find the best options for your organization.

Marta Villar Pérez

Catherine Forbes

Juana María Leal Del Ojo Chamorro