One Recruitment Firm Just Won a Seat at the Table for All Three Lots of the Dutch Parliament's €127 Million Staffing Deal

Standfirst: The Tweede Kamer, the lower house of the Dutch parliament, has finalised a framework worth up to €127 million to supply temporary staff across seven national institutions, from parliament itself to the Council of State and the national ombudsman. Five recruitment firms secured places on the panel, but one, Hero Interim Professionals, is the only company to win a spot on all three lots.

Governments everywhere rely on temporary staff to fill gaps: an IT specialist to cover a system migration, a finance professional to bridge a vacancy, a policy adviser brought in for a specific project. The Dutch parliament and six other central institutions have just locked in exactly that kind of flexible workforce for the next several years, through a framework big enough to rank among the larger public staffing deals in the Netherlands this year.

Why This Contract Matters

This is not simply a Tweede Kamer procurement. The framework covers temporary staffing needs across seven separate Dutch state bodies: the Tweede Kamer (House of Representatives) and Eerste Kamer (Senate), the Algemene Rekenkamer (Netherlands Court of Audit), the Raad van State (Council of State), the Nationale Ombudsman, the Kanselarij der Nederlandse Orden (the office that administers Dutch royal honours), and the Sociaal-Economische Raad (the Social and Economic Council, an advisory body on economic policy).

Consolidating staffing procurement across this many institutions under one framework, run by the Tweede Kamer as lead buyer, reflects a broader Dutch government trend: rather than each body running its own recruitment tenders, closely related state institutions increasingly pool this kind of recurring administrative need into shared, larger-scale frameworks, giving both the buyers and the winning suppliers more predictable, longer-term relationships.

Contract Timeline

• 1 July 2026 – All seven underlying contracts across the three lots were concluded.
• 13 July 2026 – Result notice dispatched to the EU Publications Office.
• 14 July 2026 – Notice published in OJ S issue 133/2026.

Contract Overview

The Tweede Kamer ran an open procedure under the EU's general public procurement directive, structuring the requirement into three lots: ICT personnel, financial personnel, and other personnel (a catch-all covering staffing needs outside IT and finance). The combined estimated value across all three lots was €95 million at the outset, though the maximum value of the framework agreements actually confirmed in this result notice, once renewal options are included, comes to €126.83 million.

Rather than naming a single winner per lot, the Tweede Kamer built each lot as a multi-supplier framework with reopening of competition, meaning several recruitment firms were appointed to each lot, and specific staffing assignments will subsequently be awarded through further mini-competitions among the appointed suppliers as needs arise.

Key Contract Details

• Contracting authority: Tweede Kamer der Staten-Generaal (Dutch House of Representatives), acting on behalf of itself and six other state institutions
• Contract title: Inhuur van Personeel (Brokerdiensten), Hiring of Personnel (Broker Services)
• CPV classification: 79600000 – Recruitment services; additional classification 79621000 – Supply services of office personnel
• Procedure type: Open procedure, non-accelerated
• Legal basis: Directive 2014/24/EU
• Framework type: Framework agreement with reopening of competition, across all three lots
• Estimated combined value at tender stage: EUR 95,000,000
• Maximum value of framework agreements confirmed in this notice: EUR 126,830,000
• Contract duration per lot: 2 years, with up to 2 renewals of 12 months each
• Award criteria (identical across all three lots): Service delivery and relationship management (30 points); scarce profiles and availability (30 points); contract management of freelance staff (30 points); social return on investment/SROI (10 points); price, assessed at the point of individual call-offs rather than at framework stage (0 points at this stage)
• GPA coverage: Yes, across all three lots
• EU funding: Not financed with EU funds
• Place of performance: Anywhere in the Netherlands

Project Scope

Lot 1 covers the hiring of ICT personnel, with an expected scope of €62 million, by far the largest of the three lots and the one that drew the most competitive interest, with 16 tenders received. Lot 2 covers financial personnel, expected at €12 million, drawing eight tenders. Lot 3 covers "other personnel", staffing needs outside IT and finance, expected at €21 million, drawing 11 tenders.

Notably, price was not scored as part of the initial framework-entry evaluation in any lot; all 100 points on offer were allocated to quality criteria, including a specific criterion on managing freelance contractors (zzp'ers, the Dutch term for self-employed independent contractors) and a social-return-on-investment measure. The notice states that the price component, covering both the hourly rate and the broker's fee, will instead be assessed each time a specific staffing assignment is put out to the appointed suppliers under the framework's reopened competition mechanism.

About the Contracting Authority

The Tweede Kamer der Staten-Generaal is the directly elected lower house of the Dutch parliament, based in The Hague. Classified in the notice as a central government authority operating in general public services, it ran this tender and signs all resulting contracts on behalf of itself and the other participating institutions, working through the Dutch national tendering platform TenderNed.

About the Organisations Involved

Tweede Kamer der Staten-Generaal, Lead Buyer and Contract Signatory

The Tweede Kamer designed and ran the procurement on behalf of itself and six other Dutch state bodies, evaluated all tenders received across the three lots, and signs every resulting contract. It is also named as the organisation providing further information on both the procurement procedure and the review process.

Randstad Professional B.V. (trading as Randstad Digital Services), Winner of Lot 1

Randstad Professional, based in Diemen and classified as a large economic operator, is part of the well-known Randstad staffing group. It was appointed to Lot 1, covering ICT personnel, alongside two other winning firms. No subcontracting was disclosed in its winning bid.

Pro-Act IT B.V., Winner of Lot 1

Pro-Act IT, based in Haarlem and classified as a medium-sized enterprise, specialises in IT staffing and recruitment. It was appointed to Lot 1 alongside Randstad Professional and Hero Interim Professionals. No subcontracting was disclosed.

Hero Interim Professionals B.V., Winner of Lots 1, 2 and 3

Hero Interim Professionals, based in Wognum in North Holland and classified as a medium-sized enterprise, is the only company named as a winner across all three lots of this framework: ICT personnel, financial personnel, and other personnel. That breadth is unusual for a recruitment firm of its size, and it means Hero Interim Professionals now holds a place on every part of this framework, giving it exposure to staffing assignments across the full range of roles the seven participating institutions may need to fill. No subcontracting was disclosed in any of its three winning bids.

RA'Quel B.V., Winner of Lot 2

RA'Quel, based in Nootdorp near The Hague and classified as a small enterprise, was appointed to Lot 2 alongside Hero Interim Professionals, covering the hiring of financial personnel. No subcontracting was disclosed.

Flinter, Winner of Lot 3

Flinter, based in Heerenveen in Friesland and classified as a small enterprise, was appointed to Lot 3 alongside Hero Interim Professionals, covering the hiring of personnel outside IT and finance. No subcontracting was disclosed.

Procurement Analysis

The Tweede Kamer used an open procedure, allowing any qualified recruitment or staffing firm to bid without a pre-qualification stage, and the results show genuine competitive interest: 16 tenders for the ICT lot, 8 for the financial personnel lot, and 11 for the other-personnel lot, for a combined 35 tenders across the three lots.

Rather than selecting a single winner per lot, the buyer opted for a multi-supplier framework with reopening of competition in every lot, appointing between two and three firms per lot. That structure gives the seven participating institutions choice and flexibility when specific staffing needs arise, and it also means individual mini-competitions among the appointed firms, rather than this framework-entry result, will ultimately determine which supplier fills any particular assignment.

The evaluation approach is also notable: every point available at framework-entry stage was allocated to quality criteria, with price deliberately excluded from this stage and reserved instead for assessment at the point of individual call-offs. That structure means firms had to compete purely on service quality, their approach to managing freelance contractors, their availability for scarce specialist profiles, and their social-return commitments, to secure a place on the panel at all, with price competition still to come once specific assignments are tendered.

Additional Procurement Facts

• Any legal challenge relating to this procurement would be heard by Rechtbank Den Haag, the District Court of The Hague.
• The procurement is confirmed as GPA-covered across all three lots.
• No EU funds were used to finance this procurement.
• All tenders across all three lots were submitted electronically through TenderNed.
• Each lot carries options for up to two 12-month renewals beyond the initial two-year term.

Market & Industry Perspective

The Dutch temporary staffing and recruitment market is well developed, and this framework brought together a mix of large, established names, such as Randstad, alongside smaller, more specialised firms like Flinter and RA'Quel. That mix reflects how Dutch public buyers increasingly look beyond the biggest staffing brands alone when building multi-supplier frameworks, giving smaller regional or niche specialists a route into large-scale government staffing work.

Hero Interim Professionals' presence across all three lots is the standout result here, suggesting the firm's proposition, whatever specific strengths carried it through the quality-based evaluation, translated consistently across very different staffing categories: IT, finance and general administrative roles alike.

Economic Significance

At a combined maximum framework value of €126.83 million across three lots and up to four years including renewals, this is one of the larger public staffing frameworks awarded in the Netherlands this year. For the five winning firms, a place on this panel represents a substantial, multi-year revenue opportunity, spread across seven separate state institutions with ongoing and evolving staffing needs.

For the participating institutions, consolidating this need into a single, centrally run framework likely reduces administrative overhead compared with each body running its own separate staffing tenders, while still preserving competitive tension through the reopened-competition call-off mechanism for individual assignments.

Future Procurement Opportunities

Because this framework uses reopening of competition, the appointed suppliers in each lot will continue to compete against one another for specific staffing assignments throughout the framework's life, rather than the initial appointment being the end of the competitive process. Recruitment firms not selected in this round should watch for the framework's eventual expiry, expected after the initial two-year term plus any renewals, for a future re-tender opportunity.

Other Dutch central government bodies with similar recurring staffing needs may look to this framework's structure, pooling multiple institutions under one lead buyer, evaluating purely on quality at framework-entry stage, and deferring price competition to the call-off stage, as a template for their own future staffing procurements.

Opportunities for Suppliers

• Recruitment firms specialising in IT, finance or general administrative staffing should track this framework's reopened mini-competitions, since actual assignment awards will follow this initial appointment stage.
• Smaller, regionally based staffing firms should note that this framework included firms of varying size, from large national brands to small specialists, suggesting scale alone is not a prerequisite for winning a place on this kind of panel.
• Firms with a strong freelance and independent-contractor management proposition should note the explicit weighting given to this criterion, since it may be replicated in future comparable Dutch public-sector staffing tenders.
• Suppliers should monitor other Dutch state institutions for comparable staffing frameworks, particularly where several related bodies may pool procurement under a single lead buyer.

What Businesses Should Watch

Watch how the reopened-competition mechanism plays out across the framework's life, since that will determine how staffing assignments are actually distributed among the appointed suppliers in each lot. Watch also whether other Dutch government bodies adopt a similar quality-first, price-deferred evaluation model for staffing procurement, given how deliberately this framework separated quality assessment from price competition.

NetherlandsTenders.com Procurement Intelligence

This award illustrates a deliberate design choice increasingly common in Dutch public-sector staffing procurement: evaluate suppliers purely on service quality and delivery capability to earn a place on the framework, then let price competition play out separately, assignment by assignment, once real staffing needs materialise. That structure protects the buyer from overpaying while still ensuring only quality-vetted suppliers are in the mix to compete on price later.

Hero Interim Professionals' clean sweep across all three lots is the most striking single data point in this notice, and it is worth suppliers' attention: a medium-sized firm competing successfully across ICT, financial and general staffing categories against both larger and smaller specialised rivals suggests a genuinely adaptable service proposition, rather than a narrow, single-discipline strength.

Expect more Dutch central government bodies to pool staffing procurement across related institutions under a single lead buyer, and expect quality-first, price-deferred evaluation models to become a more common feature of public-sector staffing frameworks as buyers seek to balance service quality with ongoing cost control.

Supplier Takeaways

• Track this framework's reopened mini-competitions closely, since the real staffing assignments, and the revenue that comes with them, will be awarded through that ongoing process rather than this initial appointment stage.
• Build a strong, demonstrable proposition on managing freelance and independent-contractor staff, given the explicit weighting this criterion carried in the evaluation.
• Consider bidding across multiple staffing categories rather than a single specialism, following Hero Interim Professionals' example of winning a place across all three lots.
• Monitor other Dutch state institutions for similar pooled staffing frameworks, particularly where several related bodies may combine procurement under one lead buyer.

Key Takeaways

• The Tweede Kamer finalised a three-lot staffing broker framework worth up to €126.83 million, covering seven Dutch state institutions.
• Five recruitment firms were appointed across the three lots: Randstad Professional, Pro-Act IT, Hero Interim Professionals, RA'Quel, and Flinter.
• Hero Interim Professionals is the only firm appointed to all three lots.
• All 100 evaluation points at framework-entry stage were allocated to quality criteria; price will be assessed separately at the point of individual assignment call-offs.
• Any legal challenge would be heard by Rechtbank Den Haag.

Conclusion

Behind a routine-sounding staffing procurement sits a genuinely large and carefully structured framework, spanning seven Dutch state institutions and running to nearly €127 million at its ceiling. Five firms now have a foothold in supplying the Netherlands' central government with temporary staff, but one of them, Hero Interim Professionals, has positioned itself across every category on offer, a result worth watching as the framework's reopened competitions begin to allocate real assignments in the months ahead.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who ran this tender?
The Tweede Kamer der Staten-Generaal, the Dutch House of Representatives, on behalf of itself and six other state institutions.

Which institutions does this framework cover?
The Tweede Kamer, Eerste Kamer, Algemene Rekenkamer, Raad van State, Nationale Ombudsman, Kanselarij der Nederlandse Orden, and Sociaal-Economische Raad.

Who won the contract?
Five firms were appointed across three lots: Randstad Professional and Pro-Act IT (Lot 1, alongside Hero Interim Professionals); Hero Interim Professionals and RA'Quel (Lot 2); and Hero Interim Professionals and Flinter (Lot 3). Hero Interim Professionals is the only firm appointed to all three lots.

What is the framework worth?
The maximum combined value of the three lots, including renewal options, is EUR 126,830,000.

How were bids evaluated?
Entirely on quality criteria at framework-entry stage, covering service delivery, availability for scarce profiles, freelance-contractor management, and social return on investment. Price is assessed separately when specific assignments are later put out to the appointed suppliers.

How long does the framework run?
Two years per lot, with options for up to two 12-month renewals.

Is this procurement funded by the European Union?
No. The notice confirms it is not financed with EU funds.

Where can a legal challenge to this award be filed?
Any challenge would go to Rechtbank Den Haag, the District Court of The Hague.

Source: EU Official Journal, Contract Award Notice 485835-2026, OJ S 133/2026, published 14 July 2026. Contracting authority: Tweede Kamer der Staten-Generaal.