Scientific socio-economic analysis and advice on discrimination based on racial or ethnic origin, age, and being LGBTIQ+

Tenderers must prove that they have legal capacity to perform the contract and the regulatory capacity to pursue the professional activity necessary to carry out the work subject to this call for tenders. Tenderers can be natural or legal persons. Tenderers are not obliged to take a specific legal form in order to submit their tenders. Where tenderers submit a tender through an entity which lacks legal personality (e.g., a branch), the compliance with the exclusion criteria, selection criteria, the rules on access to procurement as well as the absence of restrictive measures shall be assessed at the level of the tenderers.

Tenderers must comply with the following selection criteria in order to prove that they have the necessary economic and financial capacity to perform the contract.

The tenderer must prove capacity to set up and run the appropriate organisational structure in order to fulfil the tasks set out in the technical specifications. It includes a proven capacity to perform all coordination, administrative, communication, logistical and financial tasks involved in organising and managing an EU-wide pool of experts and in ensuring smooth cooperation with the European Commission. The tenderer must prove capacity to mobilize a sufficient number of experts in the proposed structure and have a capacity to rely on sufficient thematic competences and expertise (see T2) as well as language skills (including excellent command of English) to cover all EU Member States and the enlargement countries. In particular, the general co-ordinator and his team must have proven ability to perform all of the coordination, administrative, communication, logistical and financial tasks involved in organising and managing an EU-wide group of experts and an executive committee.

The tenderer (team members and experts) must jointly demonstrate strong expertise, scientific knowledge and academic experience in all equality and non-discrimination issues, with a focus on racial or ethnic origin (including the situation of Roma), age, and LGBTIQ+ equality, as well as intersectional dimensions between these and other discrimination grounds. The team must demonstrate comprehensive understanding of EU and national policy frameworks, relevant socio-economic and legal developments, and the ability to translate research findings into policy-relevant analysis. The team should also demonstrate experience in the analysis of relevant socio-economic developments and equality data. The tenderer must show in-depth knowledge in the following thematic areas: Discrimination and equal treatment in employment, education, health, housing, and access to goods and services; Social inclusion and participation in public, political, and cultural life; Socio-economic inequalities and barriers faced by ethnic and racial minorities (including Roma), older persons, and LGBTIQ+ individuals; Age discrimination and intergenerational equity, including in employment, pensions, and access to services; LGBTIQ+ rights and equality, including legal recognition, protection from hate speech and hate crime, and non-discrimination in family, work, and education contexts; Ethnic and racial equality, including structural discrimination, segregation, and equal access to justice; Intersectionality and multiple discrimination, particularly across grounds such as ethnicity, age, disability, gender, migration background, and sexual orientation; Institutional mechanisms promoting equality and implementing national equality strategies, including the work of equality bodies; Public attitudes, awareness, and stereotypes, including those related to age, ethnicity, and sexual orientation or gender identity; Analysis and use of equality data and statistics, including cooperation with national statistical offices, Eurostat, and other relevant bodies.

The tenderer must prove capacity to organise events, expert meetings and seminars involving participants and experts from different EU Member States and EU enlargement countries. The tenderer must demonstrate strong planning, organisational and facilitation skills, as well as the ability to ensure effective and inclusive participation of diverse stakeholders.