COLLECTION OF DATA AND SERVICES FOR THE MARKET OBSERVATORY FOR ENERGY

Tender COLLECTION OF DATA AND SERVICES FOR THE MARKET OBSERVATORY FOR ENERGY EC-ENER/2026/OP/0042 seeks service contracts to provide validated energy market data and retail price data to support the EU Market Observatory for Energy. The estimated total value is €2,000,000 split into Lot 1 for general world energy market data and Lot 2 for retail gas and electricity prices including industrial prices, with a planned duration up to 48 months (initial 12 months renewable). The procedure is an open eSubmission tender on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal with a principal submission deadline of 2026-09-03T16:00:59+00:00 and a clarification deadline in late August 2026. Awarding is on quality (70) and price (30) and bidders must meet the technical, legal and security requirements set out in the tender documents.

Brief summary

What is funded

Direct service contracts to supply energy market data and related reporting for the European Commission (DG ENER). Two lots: Lot 1 general world energy market data (oil, gas, power, price assessments, research and market reports); Lot 2 retail energy price data (gas and electricity), including industrial retail prices and international comparators.

Who can apply:Eligible bidders are companies or consortia capable of delivering commercial and statistical energy data services; tender is open to economic operators meeting the procurement selection criteria in the tender documents. Submission is electronic via the Funding & Tenders Portal Tender page. ¹

1. 1Lot 1: general world energy market data (estimated value €1,200,000; duration up to 48 months; initial 12-month contract renewable up to 3 times).
2. 2Lot 2: retail price energy data (estimated value €800,000; duration up to 48 months; initial 12-month contract renewable up to 3 times).

Total estimated procedure value:€2,000,000. Tender type: services. Open procurement with award criteria based on quality (70) and price (30).

Lead contracting authority:European Commission, DG ENER. All procurement documents including tender specifications, draft contract and financial offer templates were published on 2026-07-13 on the portal. See the official tender page for full requirements and how to submit.

Footnotes

1. 1Tender dossier and submission instructions are available on the Funding & Tenders Portal tender details page Tender page.

Opportunity summary

What is procured

The European Commission, DG ENER - Energy, has published a procurement to acquire energy data and related services for the Market Observatory for Energy (EMOS2026). The tender is split in two lots: Lot 1 for general world energy market data (price assessments, research and market reports for oil, gas and power with geographic coverage including the USA, European markets, Japan, China, Australia, India and others) and Lot 2 for retail price energy data (retail gas and electricity prices across European countries and international comparators including the USA, China and Japan, and industrial retail prices focusing on energy intensive industries).

Lead contracting authority:European Commission, DG ENER - Energy (link: ec.europa.eu).

Call identifier and portal link:Call ID EC-ENER/2026/OP/0042. Full notice and procurement documents are published on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal Funding & Tenders Portal. ¹

Key administrative and contractual data

1. 1Procedure type: Open tender on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal (procedure and documentation list available on the portal).
2. 2Submission method: eSubmission via the Funding & Tenders Portal (submissionMethodCode ESUBMISSION; submissionMethod required).
3. 3Deadlines: two deadline timestamps were recorded; primary closing date 3 September 2026 at 16:00:59 (Europe/Brussels time). An earlier date 1 January 2026 (14:00:59 UTC) appears in metadata but the published closing date is 2026-09-03T16:00:59+00:00; consult the portal for final official deadline.
4. 4Open tender event (clarification or opening): occurrence recorded 8 September 2026 at 15:00:00 (CEST) — see procurement documents for details.
5. 5Estimated overall contract value: €2,000,000 (total estimated overall contract amount).
6. 6Estimated value by lot: Lot 1 estimated €1,200,000; Lot 2 estimated €800,000.
7. 7Contract duration and renewal: planned period 48 months. Draft contract states initial contract concluded for 12 months, renewable up to 3 times (see draft contract).
8. 8Main CPV code: 72320000 (Information services).
9. 9Award criteria: Quality weighted 70 and Price weighted 30 (detailed sub-criteria in tender specifications).
10. 10Tender validity period: 6 months.
11. 11SME suitability indicator: both lots flagged SME suitable indicator = false (procurement not targeted to SMEs).
12. 12Security requirements: Appendix 2 Security requirements provided for each lot in procurement documents.
13. 13Submission of additional information: additional information request period ends 26 August 2026 (last date for clarification requests).

Eligible Applicant Types

Eligible applicants are economic operators capable of performing public procurement contracts for services. Based on the procurement nature and documents, eligible applicant types include: private companies (SMEs and large enterprises), consultancies and data service providers, market research firms, information service providers, statistical/data aggregation companies, energy market analysts, energy consultancies, academic or research institutions (if legally established as contracting economic operators), consortia of suppliers, and other legal entities. Natural persons (individuals) are not explicitly promoted; applicants must meet the legal and selection criteria in the tender specifications and provide the required declarations (Declaration on honour).

Funding Type

This is a procurement (tender) for service contracts by the European Commission. The financial mechanism is a direct service contract (public procurement). This is not a grant, loan or equity instrument but a contract for services where successful tenderers will be paid under the terms of the contract.

Consortium Requirement

The procurement allows participation by single economic operators or consortia (joint bids). The tendering documents include selection criteria and require tenderers to demonstrate capacity and provide supporting documentation. Where the bidder is a consortium, standard rules for joint tendering in EU procurement apply (consortium agreements, lead partner representation, capacity of members). The tender specifications and selection criteria in the procurement documents define whether mandatory subcontracting or consortium composition is needed for specific lots; consult those documents for precise rules.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility)

The contracting authority is the European Commission. Eligible tenderers are those legally able to enter public contracts under EU procurement rules. Typically this includes economic operators established in the EU Member States and potentially in other countries covered by the applicable procurement rules (EU public procurement regimes). The procurement documentation should be consulted for exact nationality and establishment requirements; the tender is published on the EU portal and intended for entities able to perform services covering EU and international markets (data coverage requires suppliers with global data access).

Target Sector and Required Expertise

Target sector:energy markets and energy data services. Required technical domains and expertise expected from bidders include energy market data collection, price assessment methodologies, retail price monitoring for gas and electricity, industrial retail pricing (energy intensive industries), international market coverage (USA, China, Japan, Australia, India and European markets), market research and reporting, data quality assurance, data delivery platforms and timely data feeds, metadata and methodology documentation, and security/compliance with data protection where applicable.

Mentioned Countries and Geographic Focus in Specifications

Explicitly mentioned countries and regions in tender description and lot specifications:United States of America, Japan, China, Australia, India, European countries (EU Member States and European markets). The coverage also includes international comparator countries beyond those specifically named. The procurement requires both EU and international data coverage.

Project Stage and Expected Deliverables

Expected project maturity:operational data collection, validation, ongoing data supply and reporting (demonstration/implementation and ongoing operations). The contract requests regular delivery of market data, periodic reports, price assessments, methodological documentation and data feeds. The planned duration and renewals indicate an operational service contract covering production and delivery rather than R&D or early-stage research.

Funding Amount and Financials

Estimated total and lot values:Total estimated overall contract amount €2,000,000. Lot 1 estimated €1,200,000. Lot 2 estimated €800,000. These are estimates for the procurement procedure and not guaranteed award values; actual contract(s) value will be set in the signed service contract(s).

Application Type and Submission

This is an open call for tenders published on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal. Submission method is electronic via the portal (eSubmission). Tenderers must upload required documents (technical offer, financial offer using provided financial offer templates for Lot 1 and Lot 2, declaration on honour, and other requested annexes). Templates provided include Lot-specific financial offer Excel templates, draft contract(s), draft contract annexes (security requirements), invitation letter and tender specifications.

Nature of Support

Contractual monetary payments under a public procurement service contract (money). The authority will award paid service contracts for the supply of data and services. The contract includes deliverables and payment terms; non-monetary support is not the primary modality.

Application Stages and Selection Process

The procedure follows a single-stage open tender submission process (one formal submission of technical and financial offers). There is a formal clarification period (questions and answers) prior to the submission deadline. The award evaluation will consider selection and exclusion criteria (legal and financial/technical capacity), followed by the award of contract based on the published award criteria (quality 70 / price 30). The open tender event on 8 September 2026 is recorded for opening/clarification. Number of application stages: 1 main submission plus any clarifications/requests for additional documents during evaluation.

Success Rates

No explicit success rate is published. Typical public procurement success rates depend on the number of valid bids; competitive tenders for EU-level contracts often receive multiple bids. Given two lots and estimated contract values, only one contract (per lot) is expected to be awarded, so success probability equals 1 divided by the number of competing compliant bids. No historical success statistics are provided in the procurement notice.

Co-funding Requirement

No co-funding by the tenderer is required in the form of matching funds. The procurement is a paid contract: the contracting authority will pay the contractor for delivery of services as specified in the contract. Tenderers must price their offers using the provided financial offer templates; costs and pricing should be complete and compliant with the tender specifications.

Templates and Application Documents

Procurement documents provided on the portal include:Invitation to tender, Tender specifications (02 TENDER_SPECIFICATIONS_EC-ENER-2026-OP-0042_EMOS2026_final_V1.pdf), Draft service contracts for Lot 1 and Lot 2 (03 Direct_Service_Contract_..._Lot1/LOT2), Lot-specific Financial Offer templates (Excel), Declaration on honour (tenders) template (DOCX), and Appendix 2 Security requirements for each lot. Tenderers must use the Lot-specific financial offer templates when submitting price proposals.

1. 1Application form structure: Technical offer (methodology, data sources, data quality assurance, sample deliverables, service-level commitments, team and CVs, previous experience and references), Financial offer (use the provided Excel template for the relevant lot), Administrative documents (Declaration on honour, company registration, legal and financial certificates as required by selection criteria), Security declaration and compliance (appendix details), and any requested annexes (consortium agreement if applicable).
2. 2Technical offer expected sections (as per tender specifications): Understanding of requirements and proposed approach, Detailed list of datasets and geographic coverage, Data acquisition and validation procedures, Data delivery formats and frequency, IT/data security measures, Staffing and organisation, Project management and timeline, Quality assurance and reporting, Price and pricing model (in financial template).
3. 3Financial offer format: use Lot 1 or Lot 2 Financial Offer template provided; prices must be stated in EUR and include all costs related to delivering the contract for the specified contract duration and renewal conditions.

Selection and Award Criteria (high level)

Awarding criteria comprise quality (70) and price (30). Quality sub-criteria and scoring methodology are described in the tender specifications. Selection/exclusion criteria follow EU procurement rules and require provision of declarations and supporting documents; tenderers must meet capability thresholds for staff, experience and technical capacity specified in the tender documents.

Important procedural dates and actions for applicants

1. 1Publication date of the tender: 13 July 2026 (procurement documents published on portal).
2. 2Clarification/Additional information period closes: 26 August 2026 (last date to request additional information).
3. 3Submission deadline (final): 3 September 2026 at 16:00:59 (Europe/Brussels).
4. 4Open tender event / tender opening: 8 September 2026 at 15:00 (CEST) — applicants should consult the portal for participation/attendance rules.
5. 5Consider changed until date for certain documents: 27 July 2026 for the newly published document versions (check portal for updates).

How to prepare a compliant tender (practical checklist)

1. 1Register and sign in on the Funding & Tenders Portal; ensure eSubmission access and obtain any required credentials well ahead of the deadline.
2. 2Download and read all procurement documents: Invitation to tender, Tender specifications, Draft contract and annexes, Lot-specific Financial Offer template, Declaration on honour template, Security requirements appendices.
3. 3Decide whether to bid for Lot 1, Lot 2, or both (note specific requirements and ensure no conflict of interest; submit separate offers per lot if bidding both).
4. 4Prepare the technical offer according to the tender specifications: include methodology, full dataset catalogue and coverage, data source provenance, sample deliverables, IT and security measures, quality assurance procedures, SLA commitments, team CVs, and relevant past performance/references.
5. 5Complete the Lot-specific financial offer template provided by the contracting authority; ensure all prices are in EUR and include all costs for the stated contract period and any optional renewals as requested by the tender documents.
6. 6Assemble administrative documents: Declaration on honour, proof of legal status/registration, required financial and technical capacity evidence, consortium agreements if applicable, signed draft contract or acceptance statements as required.
7. 7Check compliance with Appendix 2 Security requirements and include any requested security declarations or proof of compliance.
8. 8Submit the full tender package via eSubmission before the deadline and keep evidence of submission. Monitor the portal for clarifications or addenda during the clarification period.

Risks, considerations and recommended actions

Key considerations:ensure data licensing and rights for redistribution to the Commission are acceptable; demonstrate robust global data coverage for the countries named; meet the high quality-weighted evaluation by providing detailed methodology, examples of past delivery, and committed staff; confirm capacity to deliver ongoing periodic updates and ad-hoc reports; ensure compliance with security requirements in Appendix 2; carefully use the provided financial template and align price with service commitments.

Conclusion — What this opportunity is about

This procurement seeks experienced data service providers to supply high-quality, validated energy market datasets and reporting to support the European Commission's Market Observatory for Energy. Lot 1 covers general world energy market data across oil, gas and power (price assessments, market reports and analysis) with a broad international focus. Lot 2 covers retail price data for gas and electricity, including industrial retail prices for energy-intensive industries, across European countries and international comparator countries such as the USA, China and Japan. The procedure is an open eSubmission tender on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal, with an estimated total value of €2,000,000 and distinct Lot budgets. Award will be based on quality (70) and price (30). Interested bidders should consult and strictly follow the tender specifications, draft contract and Lot-specific financial templates published on the portal, submit electronically before the stated deadline, and ensure all legal, technical and security requirements are met.

Footnotes

1. 1Full procurement notice and all downloadable documents are available on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal at the call page: ec.europa.eu.

Opportunity Summary

This tender, titled COLLECTION OF DATA AND SERVICES FOR THE MARKET OBSERVATORY FOR ENERGY (Procedure identifier: EC-ENER/2026/OP/0042), aims to acquire energy market data and retail price services to support the EU Market Observatory for Energy [[1]]. The estimated total contract value is €2,000,000, classified as a services contract under an open procedure [[1]].

Contract Lots and Scope

Lot 1: General Energy Market Data

Lot 1 focuses on acquiring general energy market data, including price assessments, research, and market reports for oil, gas, and power markets [[1]]. The scope covers European markets as well as several international markets to ensure comprehensive comparative analysis [[1]].

Lot 2: Retail Price Energy Data

Lot 2 targets retail price energy data for both gas and electricity, covering European countries and international comparator countries [[1]]. This lot specifically includes industrial retail energy prices to support detailed market monitoring [[1]].

Eligibility and Application Details

Procedure Type:Open procedure, meaning any qualified entity can submit a proposal [[1]].

Nature of Contract:Services, requiring expertise in data collection, market analysis, and energy sector reporting [[1]].

1. 1Ability to source and validate price assessments for oil, gas, and power
2. 2Capacity to collect retail energy price data across multiple jurisdictions
3. 3Experience in producing market reports and research for energy observatories

Deadlines and Timeline

The opportunity is currently open for submission, with two distinct deadlines indicating potential phased lot submissions or clarification windows [[1]]. Applicants must ensure compliance with the first deadline if submitting for Lot 1 or both lots simultaneously [[1]].

Key Requirements and Considerations

Data Coverage:Must include European countries plus international comparator countries for robust benchmarking [[1]].

Data Types:Includes wholesale price assessments, retail prices (gas and electricity), and industrial retail energy prices [[1]].

Applicants should demonstrate capability in data collection methodologies such as administrative sources, surveys, metering, and modelling, which are standard for end-use energy data [[5]].

Official Resources

The authoritative source for full tender documentation, submission guidelines, and evaluation criteria is the EU Funding & Tenders Portal EU Funding Portal. Additional market context can be found via Development Aid's tender listing Development Aid.

Footnotes

1. 1Procedure identifier EC-ENER/2026/OP/0042, estimated value €2,000,000, open procedure status confirmed via Development Aid [[1]].