Call for proposals on a survey regarding the new market design of the electricity forward market in the European Union (EU)
Individual experts are kindly invited to submit proposals for a survey report examining the current debate regarding potential changes to the electricity forward market design in Europe.
1. Background
The Balkan Energy School (BES) is an Association of energy regulators. The participation in the Association is reserved for the Energy Regulatory bodies operating within the Euro-Balkan Region. Current members include representatives of the energy regulatory authorities from Albania (ERE), Bosnia and Herzegovina (SERC), Greece (RAAEY), Italy (ARERA), Montenegro (REGAGEN), and North Macedonia (ERC). The energy regulatory authority of Serbia (AERS) participates as an observer BES aims to promote debate and knowledge exchange in the energy field. The association is dedicated to training, capacity building, knowledge transfer and effective communication among regulatory professionals. Furthermore, it focuses on the development, regulation, and integration of energy markets in the Euro-Balkan Region, with particular attention to the implications of the energy transition. To achieve its mission BES organizes a wide range of activities including courses, seminars, conferences, study visits, and other educational or informational events. The association publishes analyses, studies and research, publications and public presentations of customised policy papers on energy and related topics. It also elaborates regulatory policy recommendations to foster the development and integration of energy markets in the Euro-Balkan Region.
Commission Regulation (EU) 2016/1719 on Forward Capacity Allocation (FCA) establishes the rules governing the design of the electricity forward market. In the near future, the FCA Regulation is expected to be revised. Interested parties are involved in a process aiming at identifying potential improvements to the current market design. The Balkan Energy School (BES) considers it highly valuable to encourage the active participation of its members in this important debate. To support this goal , BES organized a seminar titled “Electricity forward markets: criticalities, best practices and ways of improvement”, held on 13 March 2025.Based on the insights and outcomes of the seminar, , BES now intends to promote the development of a Report summarizing the main aspects of the current debate on the reform of the electricity forward market.
2. Content and objectives of the Report
The report shall:
- Set the scene with the current framework, challenges to be tackled, and legislative initiatives in place.
- Describe the list of key elements that contribute to the market design the public debate focuses on (e.g., nature of contracts, duration of contracts, reference market prices, allocation process, timeframe, etc).
- For each key element or combination of key elements, report the views of the main stakeholders.
3. Content of the Proposal
Proposals for the study shall specify:
- The list of relevant criticalities affecting the current market design that will be investigated.
- The list of key elements of market design considered.
- The list of relevant stakeholders whose opinions will be reported (e.g., ACER/NRAs, ENTSOE/TSOs, NEMOs, and associations of market participants…).
- The high-level outline of the report with a description of the content of each section.
- The expert’s CV, including a reference to similar studies (if any) conducted by the expert and the corresponding delivery date.
4. Submission of proposals
Proposals need to be submitted to the BES Secretariat at the following email address info@balkanenergyschool.org by the 22nd June 2025.
2. Content and objectives of the Report
The report shall:
- Set the scene with the current framework, challenges to be tackled, and legislative initiatives in place.
- Describe the list of key elements that contribute to the market design the public debate focuses on (e.g., nature of contracts, duration of contracts, reference market prices, allocation process, timeframe, etc).
- For each key element or combination of key elements, report the views of the main stakeholders.
3. Content of the Proposal
Proposals for the study shall specify:
- The list of relevant criticalities affecting the current market design that will be investigated.
- The list of key elements of market design considered.
- The list of relevant stakeholders whose opinions will be reported (e.g., ACER/NRAs, ENTSOE/TSOs, NEMOs, and associations of market participants…).
- The high-level outline of the report with a description of the content of each section.
- The expert’s CV , including a reference to similar studies (if any) conducted by the expert and the corresponding delivery date.
4. Submission of proposals
Proposals need to be submitted to the BES Secretariat at the following email address info@balkanenergyschool.org by the 22nd June 2025.
5. Budget
The budget available for the study is € 4,000, VAT included, non-negotiable.
6. Scoring system
Proposals will be evaluated based on the following scoring metrics.
- Previous experience (30 points)
- Number of studies previously carried out on the same or similar subject (20 points)
- Date of completion of the studies on the same or similar subject (10 points)
- Study methodology (70 points)
- Number of critical issues of the current relevant market design taken into consideration (20)
- Number of market design parameters taken into consideration (20)
- Number of subjects whose point of view is reported and degree of correspondence with the list provided in the ToR (ACER, NRA, TSO, NEMO, associations of market operators) (30)
7. Deliverables and deadline
The Report on the Reform of the Electricity Forward Market shall be delivered to the BES Secretariat in English by the 20th October 2025.