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27.10.2026

I would like some further clarification on the procedure for engaging trainers, coaches/mentors, business consultants and consulting firms. At the event it was mentioned that they are engaged through a procurement procedure, so I would be grateful for information on how exactly this procedure is carried out. Is a call or announcement published, to which interested experts and firms can apply, followed by a selection? If so, who is responsible for conducting the procedure and making the final selection: you as project coordinators, or the beneficiary organisations themselves? Or do the organisations have the option of engaging, on their own, the experts they consider best suited to their needs and planned activities?

All service providers needed for the activities, including trainers, coaches/mentors, experts, business consultants and consulting firms, are engaged through a competitive selection procedure. The procedure is based on  PRAG (Practical Guide to Contract Procedures for EU External Actions) adapted to in-kind support. Your organisation carries out the selection, following the procedure on which you will be trained, and the EU CRM team approves it.Organisations cannot engage experts directly, without this procedure.

At the application stage, you don’t need to name specific experts or firms. It is enough to describe in the Application Form the profile, qualifications and experience required for each expert or service. The costs in the Budget (Annex B) should be realistic and based on market prices. Compensation ofstaff of public administration are not an eligible cost.

No selection or procurement can take place before the In-kind Support Contract is signed. The procedure itself will be set out in the implementation guidelines, including how offers are collected, who carries out the selection and how it is approved. It will also be explained in the mandatory procurement training for all selected organisations.

Guidelines for Applicants: Glossary (“PRAG”, “Service provider / supplier”), section 2.3 (Non-retroactivity of contracting; Non-eligible costs), section 4.2 (criteria 1.1 and 5) and section 7.3 (Capacity building for Beneficiaries).