Calls for expressions of interest
AO 251392
Support outreach by the AGRINFO Team in Latin America to increase engagement with key stakeholders and facilitate information dissemination to end users
Post date: 20/10/2025
Please complete the application form below:
Support outreach by the AGRINFO Team in Latin America to increase engagement with key stakeholders and facilitate information dissemination to end users
Ref: COLEAD/AO/251392
The consultant would ideally be located in a Latin American country, to facilitate communication with the stakeholders in the region. However, the work will be done remotely. The mission may or may not require physical travel depending on the approach proposed by the service provider. However, meetings with the COLEAD Regulations & Standards Service will be online.
Agri-food sectors
COLEAD
3, Avenue du Viaduc – Bât B3A
CP 90761
94550 Chevilly Larue
France
Internet address of the contracting authority:
The publication of this Contract Notice launches the first phase of the procedure and is intended to allow candidates to express their interest in bidding. An initial evaluation based on an analysis of the expressions of interest will result in the establishment of a shortlist of candidates deemed suitable to submit tenders.
Stages of the procedure:
Phase 1
Phase 2
The service providers selected following the consultation will be offered a simple framework contract, specifying a maximum daily remuneration rate per proposed expert. This rate of remuneration may differ from the financial proposal made by the tenderer.
In general, the services of the successful tenderer may start from the day of the signature of the framework contract. The interventions of the successful tenderers may extend until the full consumption of the budget allocated.
COLEAD
COLEAD is a non-profit interprofessional association created in 1973. Its purpose is to facilitate and implement all actions allowing, directly and/or indirectly, to increase the contribution of the agricultural sector, and horticulture in particular, to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG).
From an operational perspective, COLEAD is organised into several departments corresponding to COLEAD’s internal areas of expertise: Technical Assistance, Training, Research and Innovation Brokerage, Market Insights, Information and Communication, Regulation and Standards, Access to Finance, and Networking and Alliances.
The AGRINFO programme
The European Commission has entrusted COLEAD with the programme “AGRINFO – Towards a fair, healthy and environmentally friendly food system: addressing compliance with EU regulatory and non-regulatory measures” (FOOD 2021/427-777), to provide sophisticated data and knowledge to developing and emerging countries on European Union (EU) policies, regulatory and non-regulatory measures, standards and market trends that have a potential impact on the competitiveness, market access and trade dynamics of agricultural value chains linked to the EU market.
The programme’s action plan is structured around 3 pillars and deliverables:
EU Green Deal
The Green Deal aims to make Europe the first climate-neutral continent by 2050 and proposes an action plan to boost resource efficiency, shift to a clean and circular economy, restore biodiversity and reduce pollution. It will be implemented through a wide range of policies and instruments, and legislative and non-legislative measures.
The Farm to Fork strategy promotes a fair, healthy and environmentally friendly food system and recognises that food and agriculture are important drivers of climate change and environmental degradation. The strategy aims to reduce the environmental and climate footprint of the EU food system, reverse the loss of biodiversity, ensure food security, reduce reliance on pesticides and over-fertilisation, and develop organic farming. It aims to lead a global transition to competitive sustainability from farm to table.
The support provided to EU farmers by the CAP will contribute to this transition, notably through the following measures
The EU aims to foster a global transition towards sustainable agri-food systems, in line with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It will do this by including a chapter on sustainability in all EU bilateral trade agreements. This will be accompanied by enhanced cooperation with third countries on pesticide use, animal welfare and antimicrobial resistance. The EU also intends to play a leading role in the development of international standards on sustainability and methods for calculating the ecological footprint. Hence the pressure on importers to also comply with relevant EU environmental standards in order to be allowed on the European market.
Other projects implemented by COLEAD (at the time of launching this call for tenders)
As part of the diversification of its funding sources, COLEAD is involved in implementing other national or multinational programmes funded by various donors. In addition to the AGRINFO programme, COLEAD is currently involved in the implementation of several technical assistance programmes/projects in line with the association’s mission:
The list of other programmes/projects is not exhaustive. Indeed, COLEAD is involved in the implementation of several national and regional technical assistance programmes/projects, in partnership with donors working towards inclusive and sustainable agri-food production and trade. Please refer to the COLEAD website to find out more about its interventions
Gender equality
As part of COLEAD’s mission and commitment to sustainability, interventions in the countries we engage with are expected to raise awareness on the importance of gender equality in achieving sustainable development. The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) places women’s empowerment at its core and recognises their contribution as a key driver for the progress on all goals and targets.
Women make significant contributions to agriculture and the rural economy in all regions of the world. However, despite progress, women continue to face challenges that limit their access to economic opportunities. COLEAD’s commitment to promoting women’s economic empowermnt in the agricultural sector, and horticulture in particular, will hopefully help foster inclusive growth and improve the effectiveness of the assistance it provides.
Problems to be solved – contract justification
In low- and middle-income countries exporting to the EU market, there is a need for timely and reliable information about changes to policies, regulations and standards. Operators and public authorities need to know what is happening, when, and what they need to do to prepare for it. The overall ambition of AGRINFO is to ensure that information on these changes gets through to the people who need it, in an accessible format and language, and highlighting any action that needs to be taken. The aim is also to facilitate feedback to regulators and standard setters to raise awareness of the potential implications of changes. This can help to identify specific needs for additional information or technical assistance and avoid the creation of unnecessary market access barriers.
The main tool used to document information is the open access AGRINFO Platform, which is constantly updated as new EU policies and regulations emerge. Information is disseminated through a variety of routes, including a regular AGRINFO Newsletter. The content covers food and feed safety; plant health; fisheries; animal health and welfare; social and environmental legislation and due diligence; organic agriculture; and marketing standards; among others. AGRINFO is being implemented at a time when the EU is rolling out an ambitious regulatory overhaul under its Green Deal and Farm to Fork Strategy.
The eventual success of AGRINFO will depend on the extent to which it is known and used by key partners, partner beneficiaries, and end users in target countries. Reaching all potential users in 142 countries is impossible, so the AGRINFO approach is to work through relay organisations. There are two levels of relay:
AGRINFO has initiated contact with many EU Delegations and national relays. However, in each country, the degree of engagement is often linked to the interests of individual people. Also, the experience of AGRINFO has demonstrated that having a personal introduction (for example, by Delegation staff to individuals within national competent authorities) is more successful than sending impersonal mails.
Type of contract
The successful tenderer will be offered a simple framework contract.
Overall objective of the contract:
COLEAD is working under AGRINFO Result 3 to ensure: “Information on new, upcoming and amended EU regulatory and non-regulatory measures and their potential social, economic, and environmental implications for agricultural value chains in partner countries is available and disseminated for all relevant stakeholders.”
The aim of this assignment is to secure engagement with key relay entities in Latin America and enhance the dissemination of information to end users.
Description of the interventions
The services to be provided under this call for tenders will cover the following activities:
Deliverables
At the end of each assignment, the consultant will send to COLEAD a final report in electronic format. The report will include:
Please note that all documents produced as part of this assignment must be provided to COLEAD and sent together with the original final invoice and timesheets (one signed sheet per expert per month).
Resources Required
To be considered eligible for this assignment, the tenderer must have an existing network of relevant contacts and direct experience of working in technical cooperation in the agrifood trade in Latin America. An understanding of the context and challenges facing export sectors in low- and middle-income countries would be an advantage.
Special Requirements
Intellectual property rights
The term “results” means any product of the performance of the contract and supplied as such by the contractor.
Ownership of any results or related rights listed in the terms of reference and in the tender attached to the contract, including copyright and other intellectual or industrial property rights, and of any technological solutions and information contained therein, obtained by the performance of the contract, shall vest irrevocably and in full in the contracting authority from the time such results or rights are delivered to and accepted by it. The contracting authority may use them as it sees fit and, in particular, may store, modify, translate, disseminate, reproduce, publish or communicate them by any means, and may assign or transfer them as it sees fit.
For the avoidance of doubt, where appropriate, such acquisition of rights shall also be deemed to constitute an effective transfer of the Contractor’s rights to the Contracting Authority.
The aforementioned acquisition of rights from the contracting authority under this contract is valid worldwide and for the duration of the protection conferred by the intellectual or industrial property rights, unless otherwise agreed between the contractor and the contracting authority.
The Contractor must ensure that the results provided are free from any third party rights or claims, including pre-existing rights, for any use envisaged by the Contracting Authority. If required by the Contracting Authority, the Contractor must provide full proof of ownership or rights of use of all necessary rights, together with all necessary permissions from the creator(s).
All written documents or data, such as maps, diagrams, drawings, specifications, plans, statistics, calculations, formats and data from databases, software and files or supporting documents acquired, made up or established by the contractor in the course of the performance of the contract, as well as any results of the performance of the contract, shall be the sole property of the contracting authority, unless otherwise specified. At the end of the contract, the contractor shall return all such documents and data to the contracting authority. The contractor may not retain copies of such documents and data or use them for any purpose other than the contract without the prior agreement of the contracting authority.
The contractor may not publish or refer to articles relating to the services when providing services on behalf of third parties, nor may he disclose information obtained by him in the course of the performance of the contract for purposes other than its execution, without the prior consent of the contracting authority.
In providing the results, the contractor warrants that the above transfer of rights does not violate any law or infringe any rights of others and that it has the necessary rights or powers to make the transfer. The Contractor also warrants that it has paid or verified the payment of all fees, including the management company’s fees, related to the final results.
The Contractor shall indemnify the Contracting Authority against all damages and/or costs of proceedings in the event of legal action by a third party, including designers and intermediaries, on account of alleged or actual infringement of any intellectual and industrial property rights or other property resulting from the use, under the Contract, of patents, licences, plans, designs, models, trademarks or trade names, unless such infringement arises from the strict application of the project or the specifications provided by the Contracting Authority.
Confidentiality Clause
The contractor undertakes not to divulge, whether free of charge or against payment, any information contained in the study of which it becomes aware during the performance of the contract. A non-disclosure agreement, annexed to these terms of reference, must also be signed.
The maximum value of this Contract Notice is € 70,000.
Date of publication of this Contract Notice: 20/10/2025
Deadline for receipt of applications (expressions of interest): 19/11/2025
Deadline for publication of the shortlist: 17/12/2025
Expected date for sending invitations to tenders: 17/12/2025
Deadline for submission of tenders: 19/01/2026
Date of notification to the successful bidders: 09/03/2026
Expected start date of the contract: from the date of signature by the 2 contracting parties.
The final schedule will be included in the tender documents during the next phase.
Participation is open, under equal conditions, to all natural persons and legal entities (participating individually or in a consortium of bidders) who are nationals of the ACP and EU States and/or listed in Annex 1. A consortium may be a permanent group with legal status, or an informal group created for the purpose of a specific call for tenders. All the members of a consortium (i.e. the lead partner and all other partners) are jointly and severally liable to the contracting authority.
A check will be carried out to ensure that none of the candidate bidders appears on any of the Financial Sanctions Lists (lists designating persons, groups or entities subject to financial sanctions by the United Nations, the EU and France).
The participation of an ineligible natural person or legal entity will result in the automatic exclusion of the application concerned. Consortiums[1] are not permitted in this call for tenders.
Any tenders received from tenderers allied with firms other than those mentioned in the shortlisted application forms will be excluded from the tender procedure. Shortlisted candidates may neither associate nor conclude mutual subcontracting agreements in the context of the contract in question. No more associations will be allowed after the shortlist has been established.
Selection criteria relating to the technical and professional capacity of the bidder will be applied to candidates.
These criteria ensure that the candidate (or the consortium as a whole) has sufficient skills and experience to perform the contract.
The correct observance of the instructions for sending the application file will also be considered in the evaluation.
The bidder should indicate an interest in participating in the call for tenders by applying. If the candidate is pre-selected, the name of the structure indicated on the application file will be used in the shortlist. No further changes (legal entity, consortium or other) will be allowed.
The form is available in English and should therefore be completed in that language.
It includes the following data:
The application must be received by COLEAD no later than Wednesday, November 19th, 2025.
If you have any questions regarding this Contract Notice or your application, please email expert@colead.link
Be sure to include Contract Notice reference COLEAD/AO/251392 in the title of your email when communicating with COLEAD.
[1] an agreement, combination, or group (as of companies or independent consultants) formed to undertake an enterprise beyond the resources of any one member
Disponible pronto.
Disponível em breve.
Available soon.
Bientôt disponible.
