C-UAS Adversarial Testing Services

The European Border and Coast Guard Agency (FRONTEX) has issued a call for tenders identified as FRONTEX/2025/OP/0021 for C-UAS (Counter-Unmanned Aircraft System) Adversarial Testing Services. The total estimated value of the contract is 480,000 EUR. The objective is to procure services for conducting live operational trials of up to five selected C-UAS solutions aimed at countering unauthorized drone activities, such as illicit surveillance and smuggling, primarily targeting the EU's external borders.

The trials are scheduled to occur in October 2025 near Lisbon, Portugal, or a similarly designated controlled environment, lasting approximately 3 to 4 weeks. The procedure for this tender is classified as an open call, implying that any eligible entity can submit a proposal. Entities interested in applying must register for a Personal Identification Code (PIC), which is mandatory for all participants, whether applying as sole candidates or as part of a consortium.

Submissions must be made electronically by August 4, 2025, with the final time for tender reception set at 23:59 CEST. The evaluation of proposals will be based on a combination of quality (60%) and cost (40%). The contract is structured for a maximum duration of 12 months, with no obligations to reply to questions received after July 25, 2025.

The primary classification code for this tender is 73435000, indicating services related to testing and evaluation of military technologies. Interested parties are encouraged to consult the tender documents for detailed information about requirements, including the invitation letter, technical specifications, and other essential forms necessary for application.

Overall, this opportunity seeks to engage a contractor who can adeptly perform adversarial testing and analysis of counter-UAS solutions to enhance security measures at the EU's borders. The tender encourages participation from diverse entities capable of demonstrating the required technical expertise.

The European Border and Coast Guard Agency (FRONTEX) has published a call for tenders FRONTEX/2025/OP/0021 for C-UAS (Counter-Unmanned Aircraft System) Adversarial Testing Services. The TED reference for this call is 121/2025 417042-2025. The estimated total value of the contract is 480,000 EUR.

The subject of this contract is the procurement of C-UAS Adversarial Testing and Analysis Services, as detailed in the Terms of Reference (Annex II). This contract supports Phase 2 of the Frontex Counter-Unmanned Aircraft System (C-UAS) Solutions Prize Contest, an initiative to develop innovative technologies countering unauthorized UAV activities such as illicit surveillance and smuggling at the European Union’s external borders. The services encompass live operational trials of up to five selected C-UAS solutions, conducted in a controlled environment near Lisbon, Portugal (subject to change), scheduled for October 2025 over approximately 3–4 weeks.

This is an open procedure, and submissions must be sent electronically. The maximum contract duration is 12 months. The award method will be based on the best price-quality ratio. There is no framework agreement associated with this tender.

Key milestones include:

TED publication date: 27/06/2025
Date and time of public opening: 05/08/2025 11:00 Europe/Warsaw
Deadline for receipt of tenders: 04/08/2025 23:59 Europe/Warsaw
Contracting authority is not bound to reply to questions submitted after: 25/07/2025 05:00 Europe/Warsaw

The main classification (CPV) code is 73435000 - Test and evaluation of military aircrafts, missiles and spacecrafts. The nature of the contract is for services.

The following documents are available for download:

ENEN-Invitation to tender FRONTEX2025OP0021 C-UAS Adversarial Testing Services Invitation letter (Published on 27/06/2025, Version 1, No translations available)
ENAnnex I Tender Specifications C-UAS Adversarial Testing Services final Tender specifications (Published on 27/06/2025, Version 1, No translations available)
ENAnnex II ToR C-UAS Adversarial Testing Services final Terms of reference (Published on 27/06/2025, Version 1, No translations available)
ENAnnex III - Draft Contract Draft contract (Published on 27/06/2025, Version 1, No translations available)
ENAnnex IV - Financial offer template Financial offer form (Published on 27/06/2025, Version 1, No translations available)
ENAnnex V - Declaration on Honour Declaration on honour (tender) (Published on 27/06/2025, Version 1, No translations available)
ENAnnex VI - Tender Submission Form Other invitation to tender document (Published on 27/06/2025, Version 1, No translations available)
ENAnnex VII - Power of Attorney/Commitment Letter Other invitation to tender document (Published on 27/06/2025, Version 1, No translations available)
ENAnnex VIII - Declaration of Confidentiality Other invitation to tender document (Published on 27/06/2025, Version 1, No translations available)
ENAnnex IX - Commitment letter on compliance with fundamental rights Other invitation to tender document (Published on 27/06/2025, Version 1, No translations available)

Submissions must be sent exclusively at the address for submission given on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal.

Some frequently asked questions (FAQ) and their answers related to the eSubmission system are:

How to proceed if the system is slow or doesn’t work while uploading/downloading documents? Use the latest versions of Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox. If the issue persists, clear the cache and cookies on the Internet browser. (Published on 13/02/2025 20:52)
Which Internet browsers does eSubmission support? Use the latest versions of Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox. For the most up-to-date technical recommendations, click on the link System Requirements. (Published on 13/02/2025 20:52)
Is it possible to view the details of the submission after the deadline? No, the content of the submission is not accessible after submitting the tender as the system encrypts all attachments upon upload. (Published on 13/02/2025 20:50)
Where can I find my submissions in Manage My Area, in the Funding & Tenders portal? Submissions can be found in ‘My Submission(s)’: tenders in response to open calls for tenders, requests to participate. (Published on 17/10/2024 20:40)
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I sent my submission on time and a few days later, I received an automatic email informing me that the deadline for the reception of submissions had been reached. Does this mean that my submission was not correctly sent? No, this is an auto-generated notification sent when the time limit of receipt defined for the call for tenders has been reached. Until then, you had the possibility of withdrawing. (Published on 03/08/2021 22:05)

In summary, this tender opportunity from FRONTEX seeks a contractor to provide adversarial testing and analysis services for counter-UAS technologies. This involves live operational trials of up to five selected C-UAS solutions in a controlled environment in Portugal. The goal is to support the Frontex Counter-Unmanned Aircraft System (C-UAS) Solutions Prize Contest, which aims to develop innovative technologies to counter unauthorized UAV activities at the EU's external borders. The tender is an open procedure, meaning any eligible organization can apply, and the contract will be awarded based on the best price-quality ratio. Interested parties must submit their tenders electronically by August 4, 2025, and should consult the provided documentation, including the Terms of Reference, Tender Specifications, and Draft Contract, for detailed requirements and submission guidelines. A Participant Identification Code (PIC) is mandatory for participation. The eSubmission system supports various file types and has specific requirements for file sizes and naming conventions.

Eligible Applicant Types: The eligible applicant types are not explicitly stated, but based on the nature of the tender, it is likely open to companies, research institutions, and other organizations with expertise in counter-UAS technology, testing, and analysis. The requirement for a PIC (Personal Identification Code) suggests that any legal entity can apply.

Funding Type: Procurement. This is an invitation to tender, indicating a procurement process where the contracting authority (FRONTEX) is purchasing services.

Consortium Requirement: The text mentions that a PIC is mandatory to participate as a sole candidate/tenderer or as a member of a group (consortium). Therefore, both single applicants and consortia are eligible.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): The opportunity is related to the European Union's external borders and FRONTEX, suggesting that it is primarily targeted at entities within the EU or those that can provide services within the EU framework. The specific geographic eligibility is not explicitly defined, but it is implied that entities from EU member states or those closely associated with the EU are preferred.

Target Sector: Security/Cybersecurity, Advanced Machines/Processes, Defense. The tender focuses on Counter-Unmanned Aircraft Systems (C-UAS), which falls under the security and defense sectors. It involves advanced technologies and processes for detecting, identifying, and neutralizing unauthorized UAV activities.

Mentioned Countries: Portugal is mentioned as the location for live operational trials (near Lisbon), but this does not necessarily restrict applicants to Portuguese entities. The European Union is also mentioned in the context of its external borders.

Project Stage: Demonstration, Validation. The services required involve live operational trials of C-UAS solutions, indicating that the projects are in the demonstration and validation stages. The solutions have already been developed and are now being tested in a real-world environment.

Funding Amount: Estimated total value is 480000 EUR.

Application Type: Open call. The procedure type is explicitly stated as an "Open procedure."

Nature of Support: Money. The beneficiaries will receive money in exchange for providing C-UAS Adversarial Testing and Analysis Services.

Application Stages: The number of application stages is not explicitly stated, but it involves at least one stage of submitting a tender, which will then be evaluated based on the best price-quality ratio.

Success Rates: The success rates are not mentioned in the provided text.

Co-funding Requirement: The co-funding requirement is not mentioned in the provided text.

Summary:

This is an invitation to tender by the European Border and Coast Guard Agency (FRONTEX) for the procurement of C-UAS (Counter-Unmanned Aircraft System) Adversarial Testing and Analysis Services. The tender, identified as FRONTEX/2025/OP/0021, supports Phase 2 of the Frontex Counter-Unmanned Aircraft System (C-UAS) Solutions Prize Contest. The goal is to develop innovative technologies that can counter unauthorized UAV activities, such as illicit surveillance and smuggling, at the European Union’s external borders.

The selected contractor will conduct live operational trials of up to five C-UAS solutions in a controlled environment near Lisbon, Portugal (location subject to change). These trials are scheduled for October 2025 and will last approximately 3–4 weeks. The estimated total value of the contract is 480000 EUR, and the maximum contract duration is 12 months.

The procedure type is an open procedure, meaning any eligible entity can submit a tender. The award method will be based on the best price-quality ratio. Submissions must be sent electronically, and the deadline for receipt of tenders is 04/08/2025 at 23:59 Europe/Warsaw. The contracting authority will not reply to questions submitted after 25/07/2025 at 05:00 Europe/Warsaw.

To participate, tenderers must register for a Personal Identification Code (PIC), which is mandatory for both sole candidates and members of a consortium. The eSubmission system supports various file types and has specific requirements for attachment names and sizes (files should be less than 50 MB, and a maximum of 200 files can be uploaded per tender). The system is multilingual and supports all 24 official EU languages, using UTF-8 character set encoding. The system encrypts all uploaded documents to ensure integrity and confidentiality.

The tender documents include an invitation letter, tender specifications, terms of reference, a draft contract, a financial offer template, a declaration on honor, a tender submission form, a power of attorney/commitment letter, a declaration of confidentiality, and a commitment letter on compliance with fundamental rights. These documents provide detailed information about the requirements, scope, and conditions of the tender.

In essence, FRONTEX seeks to contract a service provider to rigorously test and analyze counter-UAS technologies in a live, operational setting to enhance the security of the EU's external borders against unauthorized drone activities.