The ECB has about 5 500 employees and trainees from all over Europe, with only 28 % of German nationality. Most new joiners move to Frankfurt from other European Member States, when taking up the appointment at the ECB. The ECB’s working language is English and thus, many ECB staff members do not speak German at all or at a beginner or intermediate level only. Many new ECB personnel are not familiar with Germany, German infrastructure/authorities, legal requirements when settling into Germany, or the German culture and have a special need for information and support to be able to successfully integrate into their new lives in Frankfurt and at the ECB.

Therefore, the ECB awarded a contractor to provide staff info point services for ECB personnel over the lifecycle of their ECB employment or their temporary assignment to the ECB to facilitate, in particular, the initial months in Frankfurt after arrival.

Provision of staff info point and other staff information and integration services shall encompass hands-on support for ECB personnel as well as their families in dealing with local authorities and companies (e.g., registration with local authorities, utility companies, provision of English-speaking contacts), information on local service offers (e.g. expat community in Frankfurt) and on ECB internal service offers. Furthermore, services shall cover supporting the ECB in its dealings with its integration related service providers (e.g. temporary accommodation or childcare) and the provision of other integration related services (e.g. the organisation or coordination of newcomer events).

The ECB awarded a service contract to the tenderer offering the best value for money for a period of 4 years, from 1 April 2024 to 31 March 2026 with the option to extend the contract for up to two additional years. The ECB expects that the contractor will make itself available for a hand-over period as of March 2024.