New plans for environmental management, emission reduction studies and carbon offset support highlight rising demand for specialist green advice in the public sector.
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The European Banking Authority is preparing to bring in external expertise to tighten its own environmental performance. Through a new Environmental Consultancy Services prior information notice published on 11th February 2026, the authority signals plans to procure support on environmental management systems, greenhouse gas emission reduction studies and the offsetting of remaining emissions. The work could be delivered in Paris, Frankfurt or Brussels, underlining how climate and sustainability requirements are now embedded across the day-to-day operations of European public bodies.
The notice is short but clear about its direction of travel. The European Banking Authority expects consultants to help it design, refine or operate environmental management systems, carry out studies to cut greenhouse gas emissions, and provide technical support for offsetting the emissions it cannot yet remove.
Taken together, these strands suggest a structured approach: first building the management framework, then identifying reduction options, and finally using offsetting for the residual footprint. The reference to multiple locations suggests the services may need to cover several offices and different national regulatory environments.
The text does not spell out detailed tasks, but for similar programmes in other public bodies, consultancy support tends to include:
As a prior information notice, this is an early flag to the market rather than a full tender. The authority is indicating an intention to buy, giving consultancy firms time to consider how their skills in environmental management, carbon accounting and offsetting could match the upcoming requirement.
In recent years, a growing number of European public bodies have invested in formal environmental management systems, often linked to the EMAS Regulation or to international standards. Several recent contract notices underline this trend.
In September 2025, Technische Hochschule Wildau in Germany launched an Environmental Management System Consulting tender to secure expert support for assessing and validating its system in line with the EMAS Regulation.
The Bavarian Parliament followed a similar path. In January 2026, the Landtag's administration published an Environmental Audits contract notice for annual internal environmental audits under EMAS guidelines, showing how environmental governance is now treated much like financial control inside parliamentary operations.
Outside the institutional core, utilities are moving the same way. In February 2026, WIEN ENERGIE GmbH sought up to two partners to carry out external monitoring and recertification audits for its ISO, EMAS and NIS certifications.
The pattern is visible in municipal real estate too. In December 2025, Uppsala Kommun Skolfastigheter AB issued an Environmental Management Consultants framework covering environmental management, reuse and climate calculations across school properties.
Taken together, these procurements show that environmental management systems are no longer an optional add-on but a core part of how European public organisations run their estates and services. The European Banking Authority's planned engagement sits within this wider move to systematise environmental performance in the public sector.
The notice also points explicitly to greenhouse gas emission reduction studies and support for offsetting emissions. That aligns with a parallel line of demand across Europe for specialist carbon expertise, from baseline calculations through to the design of offset portfolios.
In December 2025, the European Union Intellectual Property Office published a call for Consulting for Emission Offset Projects, seeking candidates to provide services related to voluntary greenhouse gas emission offset projects. This mirrors the European Banking Authority's need for technical guidance on how best to compensate for unavoidable emissions.
In Scandinavia, environmental administrations are combining climate and regulatory work under broad consultancy frameworks. In January 2026, Sweden's Miljöförvaltningen advertised a framework for technical consultants to provide project and process support on energy, climate and environmental tasks, including sustainable transport. Just days later, in February 2026, VA SYD sought a framework agreement covering consulting assignments across various areas of the Environmental Code.
Further south, environmental risk and compliance are also driving procurements. In November 2025, Finland's Senaatti-kiinteistöt invited bids for environmental research and planning services related to properties managed by Senate Properties and Defence Properties, with a focus on technical planning, monitoring, risk management of contaminated land, remediation projects and environmental protection structures across various sites in Finland. And in January 2026, the Département de la Dordogne moved to establish a framework for studies and regulatory files related to the Environmental Code.
The European Banking Authority's upcoming tender appears narrower in scope than some of these frameworks, but it sits on the same trajectory: institutions are looking for consultants who can navigate technical greenhouse gas accounting, align reduction options with regulatory expectations, and scrutinise the integrity of offset schemes.
Regional and local authorities are also turning to external specialists as they integrate environmental aims into day-to-day planning, infrastructure and business support.
In August 2025, the Département du Doubs in France went to market for services ranging from environmental diagnosis and ecological studies to project support on biodiversity and wetlands, as well as monitoring related to the department's engineering structures and natural risks.
In December 2025, Norway's Sandnes kommune launched a framework agreement for environmental adviser services focused on engineering design for restoration measures, environmental surveys and habitat mapping, with particular emphasis on waterways and local ecosystems.
On the economic development side, in February 2026 Carlow County Council in Ireland began assembling a Green for Business Consultancy Panel. The framework aims to improve both the environmental performance and market competitiveness of micro and small enterprises, signalling that sustainability advice is increasingly seen as part of mainstream business support.
Against this backdrop, the European Banking Authority's planned contract adds a financial-sector dimension to what is already a diverse consultancy market, where environmental experts support everything from river restoration to SME competitiveness.
The reference to Paris, Frankfurt or Brussels as potential delivery locations means the consultancy team will need to operate across borders. That points towards providers comfortable working in several languages and able to interpret environmental requirements across different national settings, as well as within the internal rules of European bodies.
Other recent notices suggest that buyers are favouring longer-term frameworks and panels rather than one-off commissions. Examples include the multi-supplier arrangements planned by Miljöförvaltningen, VA SYD, Senaatti-kiinteistöt, the Département de la Dordogne, Sandnes kommune and Carlow County Council. While the European Banking Authority's prior information notice does not specify its eventual contracting model, potential bidders will be alert to the possibility of multi-year engagements as institutions embed environmental management into their core operations.
Even outside the environmental field, public buyers are structuring consultancy access in similar ways. In February 2026, The Crescent Academy in the United Kingdom issued a GEM Framework for Consultancy Services prior information notice, signalling its intent to set up a multi-supplier framework for professional services to support public sector projects. Environmental advisers often slot into such wider frameworks alongside project management, technical and financial specialists.
For now, the European Banking Authority has not disclosed key details such as contract value, duration or the balance between on-site and remote work. Nor does the current notice spell out specific emission-reduction targets or preferred offset standards.
The full tender, when published, will show how ambitious the authority intends to be on cutting its own emissions, how it will define robust offsetting, and how it expects consultants to support compliance, reporting and internal engagement. For environmental consultancies with experience of management systems, greenhouse gas studies and offset projects, this prior information notice is an early signal that demand from European institutions for such expertise is unlikely to fade.
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