One of the world’s major aid donors, the European Union is no exception to intricate rules and lengthy tendering for the award of procurement contracts. Not only do EU-funded contracts differ according to the activities they cover — services, supplies or works — they also vary depending on the cost and duration of projects.
With services making up the majority of EuropeAid contracts, the European Commission decided to simplify the way it does procurement for those assignments, which encompass technical assistance and studies. This led it to create the Framework Contract instrument, or FWC.
Framework Contracts come in two different forms. The Framework Contract Commission covers operations in the exclusive interest of the European Commission and EU delegations, or in the mixed interest of the European Commission together with countries receiving EU development assistance. Framework Contract Beneficiaries, on the other hand, concerns services solely for the benefit of EU aid recipients.