State Secretariat for Migration Awards New Contracts for Asylum Centre Care Services in Switzerland
Current rules
From 1 January 2027, ORS Service AG will provide care services in the Western Switzerland, Bern, Eastern Switzerland and Ticino-Central Switzerland asylum regions, while Convalere AG will provide the services in Northwestern Switzerland and Zurich. The contracts cover care, medical services and basic services such as food, clothing and hygiene articles. The new contracts introduce a regional management function for each asylum region and a dedicated childcare function intended to improve childcare and support children's early language development. The requirements for the education and continuing training of staff providing services in the centres will also be increased. The contracts run from 1 January 2027 to 31 December 2029 and may be extended twice for two years. Federal Asylum Centres at Duttweilerstrasse 11 and Landhus in Zurich were excluded from this procurement because an existing agreement between SEM and the City of Zurich remains in place. Those centres will continue to receive care services from the Zurich Organisation for Asylum (AOZ).
Overview
The State Secretariat for Migration (SEM) has awarded new mandates for the provision of care, medical services, and basic provisions in its federal asylum centres across Switzerland. Effective from 1 January 2027, the contracts have been secured by ORS Service AG and Convalere AG, following a tender process launched on 5 May 2026. The new contracts aim to enhance service quality by introducing regional management, dedicated childcare, and higher training standards for staff.
Who is affected by the latest change
- Asylum seekers accommodated in Federal Asylum Centres covered by the new contracts
- Children accommodated in the affected centres, particularly through the new childcare function
- Staff employed by the contracted care providers
- ORS Service AG and Convalere AG as the newly awarded service providers
- SEM, which oversees the Federal Asylum Centres and their contracted services
What changed in the latest version
Before
Before 1 January 2027, different contractors provided care services in federal asylum centres. These older arrangements did not specifically include the new roles for regional management or better childcare.
After
From 1 January 2027, ORS Service AG will provide care services in four asylum regions. These are Western Switzerland, Bern, Eastern Switzerland, and Ticino-Central Switzerland. Convalere AG will provide services in two regions. These are North-Western Switzerland and Zurich. The contracts cover care, medical services, and basic services. Basic services include food, clothing, and hygiene items. The new contracts add a regional management role for each asylum region. They also add a specific childcare role. This childcare role aims to improve childcare and help children learn languages early. Requirements for staff education and ongoing training will also increase for people providing services in the centres. The contracts run from 1 January 2027 to 31 December 2029. They may be extended twice, each time for two years. Federal Asylum Centres at Duttweilerstrasse 11 and Landhus in Zurich were not included in this bidding process. This is because an existing agreement between the State Secretariat for Migration (SEM) and the City of Zurich is still in place. The Zurich Organisation for Asylum (AOZ) will continue to provide care services at those centres.
This change greatly affects how Swiss federal asylum centres operate and provide services. New main providers will take over care, medical provision, and basic services. The 'Regional Management' role aims to improve how centres are run. The 'Childcare' role will directly help children. It will support their care and early language development. Also, staff must meet higher training requirements. This means people providing these important services will need to meet better professional standards. This could affect staffing and human resources for the companies with contracts. Asylum seekers will see a change in which organisations are responsible for their daily care and support. However, the main services will stay the same.
Explained simply
Imagine you have a place where new people arriving in Switzerland stay while they wait for their asylum applications to be processed. The government has just hired two new companies, ORS Service AG and Convalere AG, to run these centres starting next year. They'll make sure everyone gets food, clothes, medical help, and support. They're also adding special managers for each area and making sure there's good childcare for kids, helping them learn and grow. The staff who work there will also get better training. This means the people staying in these centres should get even better care and support.
Frequently asked
Version history
- v1Effective 1 Jan 2027PublishedMedium impactState Secretariat for Migration Awards New Contracts for Asylum Centre Care Services in Switzerland
Switzerland's State Secretariat for Migration (SEM) has awarded new contracts for care services in its federal asylum centres. These contracts start on 1 January 2027. ORS Service AG won four contracts. These cover Western Switzerland, Bern, Eastern Switzerland, and Ticino-Central Switzerland. Convalere AG won two contracts. These cover North-Western Switzerland and Zurich. The contracts will last until 31 December 2029. They may be extended. New roles will be created. These are 'Regional Management' and 'Childcare'. Staff training and further education will increase. Federal asylum centres in Zurich (Duttweilerstrasse 11) and Landhus (Katzenbachstrasse 10) are not part of this tender. The Asylum Organisation Zurich (AOZ) will continue to provide services there.
Timeline
Takes effect
1 Jan 2027
The State Secretariat for Migration (SEM) has awarded new contracts for care services in its federal asylum centres to ORS Service AG and Convalere AG. ORS Service AG received mandates for the asylum regions of Western Switzerland, Bern, Eastern Switzerland, and Ticino-Central Switzerland (four lots). Convalere AG was awarded mandates for the asylum regions of North-Western Switzerland and Zurich
Announced
10 Sept 2026
The State Secretariat for Migration (SEM) has awarded new mandates for the provision of care, medical services, and basic provisions in its federal asylum centres across Switzerland. Effective from 1 January 2027, the contracts have been secured by ORS Service AG and Convalere AG, following a tender process launched on 5 May 2026. The new contracts aim to enhance service quality by introducing reg
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