1. Buyer
1.1.
Buyer
Official name: European Commission, DG JRC - Joint Research Centre
Legal type of the buyer: EU institution, body or agency
Activity of the contracting authority: General public services
2. Procedure
2.1.
Procedure
Title: Assessment of the Performance and Effectiveness of Farmer Cooperatives and Farmer Groups in the Cocoa Sectors of Ghana and Ivory Coast
Description: The primary objective of this contract is to conduct a comprehensive, large-scale study on the current state and effectiveness of cocoa farmer cooperatives and farmer groups in Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire (incorporating but not limited to cooperative societies in Ghana and COOP CA and COOP simplifié in Côte d’Ivoire). This study will represent the first nationally representative analysis of cocoa cooperatives and farmer groups across the two countries. It will uniquely combine data collection at two levels: (1) the organizational governance and operational management of cooperatives and farmer groups, and (2) the individual farmer members, including their engagement, benefits, and challenges. By integrating insights from behavioural economics, collective action theory, organizational studies, and development economics, the study will adopt an interdisciplinary approach to evaluate how structural, managerial, and behavioural factors influence cooperative performance and farmer outcomes. The reason for purchasing this service is to generate actionable insights that enable stakeholders, including farmers, cooperatives, policymakers, and certification bodies, to enhance the effectiveness and sustainability of cocoa production systems in Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire. Specifically, the study aims to assess the readiness of cocoa cooperatives for ARS1000 certification, evaluate cooperative governance and member engagement, and investigate household-level investment strategies, including investments in sustainable agricultural practices or household assets. The ultimate goal is to identify critical barriers and opportunities to strengthen cooperative capacity, improve resource allocation, and reduce the financial and operational burdens of compliance with sustainability standards, thereby contributing to a more sustainable cocoa production system in the region.
Procedure identifier: 0ff6b562-08a9-4d47-abd7-7ad082315126
Internal identifier: EC-JRC/SVQ/2026/OP/2892
Type of procedure: Open
The procedure is accelerated: no
2.1.1.
Purpose
Main nature of the contract: Services
Main classification (cpv): 73000000 Research and development services and related consultancy services
2.1.2.
Place of performance
Anywhere
Additional information: Please consult the procurement documents.
2.1.3.
Value
Estimated value excluding VAT: 200 000,00 EUR
2.1.4.
General information
Additional information: In case of unavailability or disruptions in the functioning of the electronic means of communication provided in Section 5.1.11 in the last 5 calendar days before the time limit for receipt indicated in Section 5.1.12, the contracting authority reserves the right to extend this time limit and publish the extension at the Internet address provided in Section 5.1.11, without a preceding publication of a corrigendum to this notice. Economic operators interested in this procurement are invited to subscribe to the call for tenders at the address in Section 5.1.11 in order to get notified when new information or documents are published.
Legal basis:
Regulation (EU, Euratom) 2024/2509
2.1.6.
Grounds for exclusion
Sources of grounds for exclusion: Procurement Document
5. Lot
5.1.
Lot: LOT-0001
Title: Assessment of the Performance and Effectiveness of Farmer Cooperatives and Farmer Groups in the Cocoa Sectors of Ghana and Ivory Coast
Description: The primary objective of this contract is to conduct a comprehensive, large-scale study on the current state and effectiveness of cocoa farmer cooperatives and farmer groups in Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire (incorporating but not limited to cooperative societies in Ghana and COOP CA and COOP simplifié in Côte d’Ivoire). This study will represent the first nationally representative analysis of cocoa cooperatives and farmer groups across the two countries. It will uniquely combine data collection at two levels: (1) the organizational governance and operational management of cooperatives and farmer groups, and (2) the individual farmer members, including their engagement, benefits, and challenges. By integrating insights from behavioural economics, collective action theory, organizational studies, and development economics, the study will adopt an interdisciplinary approach to evaluate how structural, managerial, and behavioural factors influence cooperative performance and farmer outcomes. The reason for purchasing this service is to generate actionable insights that enable stakeholders, including farmers, cooperatives, policymakers, and certification bodies, to enhance the effectiveness and sustainability of cocoa production systems in Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire. Specifically, the study aims to assess the readiness of cocoa cooperatives for ARS1000 certification, evaluate cooperative governance and member engagement, and investigate household-level investment strategies, including investments in sustainable agricultural practices or household assets. The ultimate goal is to identify critical barriers and opportunities to strengthen cooperative capacity, improve resource allocation, and reduce the financial and operational burdens of compliance with sustainability standards, thereby contributing to a more sustainable cocoa production system in the region.
Internal identifier: EC-JRC/SVQ/2026/OP/2892
5.1.1.
Purpose
Main nature of the contract: Services
Main classification (cpv): 73000000 Research and development services and related consultancy services
Additional classification (cpv): 72314000 Data collection and collation services, 73110000 Research services, 73210000 Research consultancy services
5.1.2.
Place of performance
Anywhere
Additional information: Please consult the procurement documents.
5.1.3.
Estimated duration
Duration: 12 Months
5.1.5.
Value
Estimated value excluding VAT: 200 000,00 EUR
5.1.6.
General information
Reserved participation:
Participation is not reserved.
Procurement Project fully or partially financed with EU Funds.
Information about European Union funds:
EU funds programme: Horizon Europe – the Framework Programme for Research and Innovation (2021/2027)
The procurement is covered by the Government Procurement Agreement (GPA): yes
Information about previous notices:
Identifier of the previous notice: 342118-2026
5.1.9.
Selection criteria
Sources of selection criteria: Procurement Document
5.1.10.
Award criteria
Criterion:
Type: Quality
Description: Please consult the procurement documents.
Category of award weight criterion: Weight (percentage, exact)
Award criterion number: 60
Criterion:
Type: Price
Description: Please consult the procurement documents.
Category of award weight criterion: Weight (percentage, exact)
Award criterion number: 40
5.1.11.
Procurement documents
Deadline for requesting additional information: 28/09/2026 23:59:59 (UTC+02:00) Eastern European Time, Central European Summer Time
Ad hoc communication channel:
Name: Funding and Tenders Portal
5.1.12.
Terms of procurement
Terms of submission:
Electronic submission: Required
Languages in which tenders or requests to participate may be submitted: Bulgarian, Czech, Danish, German, Greek, English, Spanish, Estonian, Finnish, French, Irish, Croatian, Hungarian, Italian, Lithuanian, Latvian, Maltese, Dutch, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Slovak, Slovenian, Swedish
Electronic catalogue: Not allowed
Deadline for receipt of tenders: 06/10/2026 11:30:59 (UTC+02:00) Eastern European Time, Central European Summer Time
Duration during which the tender must remain valid: 6 Months
Information about public opening:
Opening date: 06/10/2026 13:00:00 (UTC+02:00) Eastern European Time, Central European Summer Time
Terms of contract:
The execution of the contract must be performed within the framework of sheltered employment programmes: No
Electronic invoicing: Allowed
Electronic ordering will be used: yes
Electronic payment will be used: yes
5.1.15.
Techniques
Framework agreement:
No framework agreement
Information about the dynamic purchasing system:
No dynamic purchase system
5.1.16.
Further information, mediation and review
Review organisation: Court of Justice of the European Union
Organisation providing more information on the review procedures: European Commission, DG JRC - Joint Research Centre
8. Organisations
8.1.
ORG-0001
Official name: European Commission, DG JRC - Joint Research Centre
Registration number: COM
Department: JRC.D - Sustainable Resources,JRC.D.4 - Economics of Food Systems
Postal address: Expo Building, Calle Inca Garcilaso, 3
Town: Sevilla
Postcode: E-41092
Country subdivision (NUTS): Sevilla (ES618)
Country: Spain
Telephone: +32 2 299 11 11
Roles of this organisation:
Buyer
Organisation providing more information on the review procedures
8.1.
ORG-0002
Official name: Court of Justice of the European Union
Registration number: CURIA
Postal address: Rue du Fort Niedergrünewald
Town: Luxembourg
Postcode: L-2925
Country subdivision (NUTS): Luxembourg (LU000)
Country: Luxembourg
Telephone: +352 4303-1
Roles of this organisation:
Review organisation
8.1.
ORG-0003
Official name: European Commission
Registration number: EUCOM
Postal address: Mondrian (CDMA), Rue du Champ de Mars 21
Town: Brussels
Postcode: B-1050
Country subdivision (NUTS): Arr. de Bruxelles-Capitale/Arr. Brussel-Hoofdstad (BE100)
Country: Belgium
Telephone: +32 2 299 11 11
Roles of this organisation:
TED eSender
Notice identifier/version: 26999ff8-a43b-4fcc-af1d-0aa4ff9375e2 - 02
Form type: Competition
Notice type: Contract or concession notice – standard regime
Notice subtype: 16
Notice dispatch date: 02/09/2026 12:34:38 (UTC+02:00) Eastern European Time, Central European Summer Time
Languages in which this notice is officially available: English
Notice publication number: 607275-2026
OJ S issue number: 170/2026
Publication date: 03/09/2026