Negotiated procedure for a middle value contract: Fundamental rights implications of the Entry/Exit System (EES)

The European Union (EU) is in the process of rolling out an Entry/Exit System (EES) based on Regulation (EU) 2017/2226. The EES is a large-scale database that will record and store information on the entry and exit of visa-bound and of visa-free travellers coming for a short stay to the EU (90 days within any 180-day period, in accordance with the Schengen Borders Code). The system will replace the manual stamping of passports and calculate the duration of the authorised stay of third-country nationals, taking into account possible earlier stays within the 180-day period.

Candidates will be requested to carry out field research at ten border crossing points in total which should be divided between the following six Member States: Bulgaria, Estonia, France, Germany, Italy and Poland. At each border crossing point, the research will have different components, such as interviews with relevant authorities and other stakeholders and non-participants observations. The field research will focus on issues which may arise when processing biometric data at border crossing points.

Selection criteria - Professional capacity

Candidates need to meet the selection criteria requirements, by presenting with their offers, at least the following two key experts who meet the below educational and professional qualifications:

Project manager

• A minimum of two (2) years of proven experience of managing social science and/or socio-legal research on topics linked to law enforcement or processing of biometric data or in other related topic, and at least one (1) publication/report or one (1) completed project in the area.
• A minimum of two (2) years of proven experience in working with border agencies (police, asylum, immigration, borders) in some research and/or other professional capacity.
• Good knowledge of border control procedures, the processing of biometric data and on the use of information technology systems, proven by at least two (2) years of relevant work and/or academic experience
• Excellent knowledge of English (Common European Framework of Reference (CEF) level C1).

Legal/social researcher

• University degree.
• Good knowledge of border control procedures, the processing of biometric data and on the use of information technology systems or other related topic proven by at least two (2) years of relevant work and/or academic experience.
• At least three (3) publications and/or projects in the field of migration and/or biometrics and technology of science or other related topic; this can include articles in peer reviewed journals or authorship of reports for research projects.
• Excellent knowledge of English (Common European Framework of Reference (CEF) level C1).

Note: Either the project manager or the legal/social researcher must have a degree in law.

Additional information about the contract

The successful candidate will have to select and contract, after the signature of the contract, a team of country level researchers covering each of the 6 EU Member States (Bulgaria, Estonia, France, Germany, Italy and Poland) subject of the research project meeting the following minimum educational and professional qualifications (which are not a selection criterion):

Country-level researcher

• University degree.
• Experience in qualitative and/or quantitative fieldwork research and analysis, proven by taking part in at least one research project, with an overall total duration of at least 1 year
• Knowledge of border control procedures, the processing of biometric data and on the use of information technology systems or other related topic proven by at least one (1) year of professional and/or academic experience.
• Fluency in the official language of the Member State (Common European Framework of Reference (CEF) level C1).
• Excellent knowledge of English (Common European Framework of Reference (CEF) level C1).

The same person can be proposed as country level expert for two different Member States if the expert meets the qualifications and language requirements of both countries. Moreover, if the Project Manager and/or the Legal/social researcher meet the required qualifications and language requirements, they can also cover the role of the respective country level researcher. For each of the 6 EU Member States listed above, the contractor needs to ensure that there are at least two persons with the knowledge of the official language of that Member State who can carry out the field research. For this purpose, the contractor may also need to recruit interviewers.

No documents proving the fulfilment of these criteria are requested at this stage.

Participation in this negotiated procedure for a low value contract is open to natural and legal persons falling within the scope of the EU Treaties (this includes all economic operators established in the European Union) and to all natural and legal persons established in a third country which has a special agreement with the Union in the field of public procurement on the conditions laid down in that agreement. FRA is not part of the Agreement on Government Procurement (GPA) concluded within the World Trade Organisation. Therefore, the procurement procedure is not open to candidates from GPA countries.

If you would like to participate in this negotiated procedure, please register your interest by e-mail to procurement@fra.europa.eu, including your contact details (name, organisation, address, country and e-mail) before 18 October 2023 (17:00 Vienna local time).

Please note that registration of interest to participate in the above-mentioned procedure does not give rise to any legitimate expectations to be invited.