Consolidation, extension and field testing on longitudinal data of the Multi-MNO reference pipeline to process Mobile Network Operator data for offici...

Open procurement by Eurostat for services to consolidate, extend and field-test the open-source Multi-MNO reference pipeline for processing Mobile Network Operator data into official statistics. Contract value is estimated at €385,000, maximum duration 18 months, and award on best price-quality ratio (50% price / 50% quality). Work requires code consolidation and releases under EUPL 1.2, deployment and testing in at least two MNO environments covering at least €30 millionhuman SIM subscribers and a longitudinal pilot of at least six months. Tenders must be submitted electronically via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal by 20 January 2027 at 16:00 Europe/Luxembourg.

What it funds

Short summary

Service contract to consolidate, extend and field-test the open-source Multi-MNO reference pipeline for processing Mobile Network Operator (MNO) data into official statistics. Work covers code updates, optimisation, additional modules, installation at MNO sites, repeated test cycles and a longitudinal pilot (minimum 6 months) with analysis of resulting aggregate indicators.

Estimated budget:€385,000 (total estimated value for the 18-month contract) ¹.

1. 1Type: Open procurement (call for tenders) for services (Eurostat, DG ESTAT).
2. 2Duration: up to 18 months.
3. 3Core tasks: code consolidation and extension (open-source), in-field testing at MNO premises, pilot longitudinal execution and statistical analysis.
4. 4Deliverables: three code releases with documentation and technical reports (interim and final).

Who can apply

Any economic operator eligible under EU procurement rules may submit a tender as single tenderer or a joint tender (consortium). Subcontracting and reliance on other entities are allowed subject to declaration and evidence. Tenderers must meet selection criteria on turnover, technical experience with MNO location data and an expert team (statisticians and big-data software developers).

Key eligibility and minimum requirements

1. 1At least two participating MNOs (direct or indirect) must be available for field testing and pilot.
2. 2Participating MNOs must together cover at least €30 millionhuman subscribers (exclude M2M SIMs).
3. 3Pilot data must span a minimum longitudinal period of 6 months.
4. 4Minimum financial capacity: average turnover > €260,000 (last 2 years).
5. 5Technical experience: projects processing signalling/location data from 4G/5G MNOs and operation of end-to-end pipelines; required team expertise (see tender specs).

Deadlines and logistics

Electronic submission only via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal eSubmission. Deadline for receipt of tenders: 20 January 2027, 16:00 (Europe/Luxembourg). Public opening: 22 January 2027, 10:30 (Europe/Luxembourg).

Selection and award

Award method:best price-quality ratio (50% price, 50% quality). Quality evaluation covers technical approach, workplan and timetable, management arrangements and quality control. Minimum technical score thresholds apply; tenders below thresholds will be rejected.

Where to find the full procurement documents:Funding & Tenders Portal tender page (procurement documents, draft contract, annexes and financial form) Multi-MNO+ tender details ¹.

Practical notes

Tenders must include evidence (or commitment letters) of access to the MNO data and to computation environments covering the subscriber threshold. All software developments produced under the contract are expected to be published under EUPL 1.2 (or compatible open-source licence) on a Commission or Eurostat public repository. Compliance with GDPR, national data protection law and Eurostat confidentiality commitments is mandatory.

Footnotes

1. 1Tender reference EC-ESTAT/2026/OP/0021 and full procurement documents are available on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal: ec.europa.eu

Opportunity identification and procurement summary

Contracting authority:European Commission, DG ESTAT - Eurostat. Call identifier: EC-ESTAT/2026/OP/0021. Procedure type: open procedure. Procurement type: services (statistical services CPV 79330000). Estimated total value: €385 000. Maximum contract duration: 18 months. Submission method: electronic via EU Funding & Tenders Portal (eSubmission). Deadline for receipt of tenders: 20 January 2027, 16:00 Europe/Luxembourg. Public opening: 22 January 2027 10:30 Europe/Luxembourg.

Primary objective:Consolidate, extend and field-test on longitudinal data the Multi-MNO open-source reference pipeline (released June 2025, v1.0.0) to transform Mobile Network Operator (MNO) data into aggregate statistics fit for official statistical use; install, optimise and run the pipeline in at least two MNO operational environments and conduct a pilot longitudinal execution of 6 months or more, covering at least €30 millionactive human subscribers.

Key facts and requirements

1. 1Estimated total contract value: €385 000 for entire duration (no additional separate budgets published).
2. 2Maximum contract duration: 18 months. Interim and final reporting tied to payments: interim linked to D1.1 and D2.1; final linked to D1.2, D1.3 and D2.2.
3. 3Two interlinked tasks: Task 1 (consolidation, extension and optimisation of reference pipeline code; three code releases D1.1, D1.2, D1.3) and Task 2 (in-field installation, iterative short test cycles and at least one pilot longitudinal execution D2.1 and D2.2).
4. 4Minimum technical requirements: access to real data and compute resources of at least 2 MNOs (same or different EU/EFTA countries) with cumulative minimum of €30 millionhuman SIM subscribers; pilot datasets must cover at least 6 months.
5. 5Deliverables: D1.1 (Month 6), D2.1 (Month 8), D1.2 (Month 12), D2.2 (Month 16), D1.3 (Month 18).
6. 6Software outputs: new code releases to be published under EUPL 1.2 (European Commission open-source repository or Eurostat GitHub); each release must include a complete Software Bill of Materials (SBOM) and technical reports describing changes, motivations and effects.
7. 7Security and confidentiality: contractor personnel must sign Annex IV Commitment on statistical confidentiality; code and infrastructure must comply with European Commission open-source repository security policy and Commission security requirements documented in the draft contract Appendix 2.
8. 8Data protection: execution at MNO premises is processing of personal data under GDPR and EUDPR; contractor full responsibility to comply with applicable European and national data protection law; aggregate non-personal data exported outside MNO domain is the envisioned output.
9. 9Open-source requirement: results that are not background IPR must be publishable under open licences (EUPL 1.2 compatible) per Commission Decision of 8 December 2021.

Eligibility and applicant fit

Eligible economic operators:any natural or legal person within the scope of the EU Treaties, international organisations and economic operators established in third countries covered by relevant procurement agreements. Joint tenders (consortia) and sole tenderers are both allowed; subcontracting is permitted subject to rules in the tender specifications. Registration in the Participant Register and a Participant Identification Code (PIC) are mandatory for submission.

Eligible applicant types (detailed):startups; SMEs; large enterprises; universities; research institutes; nonprofits; government bodies (where permitted under procurement rules); public-private consortia; joint ventures; specialised data engineering and telecom consultancies. Individual natural persons may participate only under the legal forms allowed by procurement rules. Subcontractors and entities whose capacities are relied upon must be declared and provide commitment letters as required.

Structured classification answers

Eligible Applicant Types:SME; large enterprise; university; research institute; non-profit; government body (consistent with procurement access rules); public-private partnership or consortium; telecom operators (as partners / subcontractors) and specialist contractors in big data, mobile/telecom analytics and official statistics.

Funding Type:Tender / service contract (procurement). Financial mechanism: direct service contract paid by Eurostat as per contract terms (no grant/loan).

Consortium Requirement:Consortium allowed but not mandatory. Single tenderer permitted; joint tenders (groups) possible and allowed to assume joint and several liability. Evidence of binding agreements with participating MNOs must be included when MNOs provide data or execution environments.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility):Open to entities within EU Member States and other entities covered by the EU Treaties and relevant procurement agreements; participation is explicitly open to entities established in third countries that have procurement agreements with the EU (GPA countries) and to international organisations as specified in the procurement documents.

Target Sector:Statistical services, ICT, telecom/ mobile network analytics, big data processing, data engineering, privacy-preserving analytics, official statistics production. Cross-cutting: data protection / GDPR compliance, open-source software engineering, quality metrics for statistical outputs.

Mentioned Countries:Contracting authority location: Luxembourg (Eurostat). MNO participating countries: any EU/EFTA countries (MNOs may be located in same or different EU/EFTA countries) — no specific Member States named in the tender; therefore region = EU / EEA / EFTA and countries party to GPA where applicable.

Project Stage:Development, optimisation, validation and demonstration on real-world production data. Pilot / field testing (demonstration/validation), moving towards production-readiness and open-source release.

Funding Amount:Estimated total contract value: €385 000 (for the entire 18-month contract).

Application Type:Open call tender via eSubmission (Funding & Tenders Portal). Electronic-only submission required. EU Login account (EU Login) and Participant Register PIC mandatory.

Nature of Support:Monetary: payment for services under a service contract. The contract funds contractors to deliver services, software and technical reports; beneficiaries receive monetary compensation and are required to deliver open-source software and public documentation as specified.

Application Stages:Single-stage tender submission (one formal submission). Evaluation includes administrative checks, exclusion and selection criteria checks, technical quality evaluation and price evaluation. No multi-stage proposal submission process specified.

Success Rates:Not published. As an open EU procurement awarded on best price-quality ratio with technical thresholding (minimum technical score 65/100 and sub-criterion thresholds), success is competitive and depends on fulfilment of minimum selection criteria, technical scoring and price. Historical success rates are not provided in the procurement documents.

Co-funding Requirement:No co-funding required or mentioned. The contract price must be quoted free of all duties, taxes and charges (prices in euros, VAT shown separately if applicable).

Selection, minimum capacities and essential evidence required

Minimum economic and technical selection criteria are rigorously defined in the tender specifications. These must be satisfied at submission time or via consolidated evidence from entities whose capacities are relied upon. All required technical/professional evidence must be included with the tender; some financial evidence may be requested later by EU Validation Services.

1. 1Economic/Financial: average yearly turnover of the last two financial years above €260 000 (consolidated assessment permitted).
2. 2Technical: at least one completed project in the last five years processing and analysing real-world location data from operational MNOs involving 4G and/or 5G and signalling data (e.g., Location Area Updates).
3. 3Technical: at least one software pipeline for end-to-end processing of MNO location data developed, deployed and operational in at least one EU Member State or EFTA country at tender submission date.
4. 4Team composition: at least two statisticians with minimum 5 years' experience in official statistics within ESS institutions and contribution to MNO data methodology projects; at least two software engineers with 5+ years experience in architecting and implementing large-scale data processing systems; at least one team member with demonstrated experience drafting technical documents in English; all team members must have good written and oral English (B2 or equivalent).

Application templates, forms and required filings (how the application looks)

Tenderers must follow the eSubmission structure and include the specific annex templates provided in the call documents. The procurement provides model templates and mandatory forms. The key templates and required items referenced in Annex 1 are listed below and must be included exactly as instructed in eSubmission.

1. 1Declaration on Honour on Exclusion and Selection Criteria (Annex 2) — mandatory for sole tenderer and all group members where applicable.
2. 2Agreement / Power of Attorney for joint tenders (Annex 3) — mandatory where group tender is submitted; appoint group leader and define joint & several liability.
3. 3List of identified subcontractors and proportion of subcontracting (Annex 4) — mandatory where subcontractors known and/or above 15% share or relied upon for selection criteria.
4. 4Commitment letters: Annex 5.1 for identified subcontractors; Annex 5.2 for entities whose capacities are relied upon (not subcontractors).
5. 5Financial tender form (Annex 6) — compulsory Excel model; total price in euros, breaking down Task 1 and Task 2 costs; quote net of VAT.
6. 6Administrative information form (Annex 7) — contact persons, bank details, QES capability information.
7. 7Annex IV Commitment on statistical confidentiality — every person working on the project must sign; originals to be sent to Eurostat postal address indicated in Annex IV when contract is returned to the contracting authority.
8. 8Annex V group members’ shares for VAT purposes — where joint tender and VAT exemption concerns exist the group leader must provide per-member shares for VAT paperwork at contracting stage.
9. 9Annex VI Declaration on the list of pre-existing rights — required at latest with final invoice (list or declaration of pre-existing rights included in results).

Additional required technical content inside the technical tender (non-exhaustive depiction): full CVs and role descriptions of proposed team; technical description of prior projects (start/end date, scope, role played); detailed technical and methodological approach for Tasks 1 and 2; initial code-change proposals and optional module proposals (if any) and their added value; detailed work plan, Gantt/timetable aligned to deliverable months; quality assurance and software development workflow (testing, CI/CD, SBOM generation, security handling); clear description of the MNO access agreements and data governance modalities (binding agreements required).

Evaluation and award mechanics

Award method:best price-quality ratio with Price 50% and Quality 50%. Technical evaluation must reach at least 65/100 overall and meet sub-criterion thresholds. The quality sub-criteria are broken down into Technical approach (max 58 points), Work plan (max 10), Management arrangements (max 20), Quality arrangements (max 12). Price is evaluated as the total price covering all requirements. Ranking formula uses quality score and price relative to lowest price.

Practical submission and administrative notes

1. 1All submissions MUST be made electronically via the eSubmission link on the Funding & Tenders Portal. EU Login and PIC required.
2. 2Maximum number of attachments: system supports up to 200 files and single attachment size < 50 MB; follow eSubmission naming rules.
3. 3Language: procurement documents published in English — tenders may be submitted in any official EU language but supporting evidence and key technical documents in English are strongly recommended.
4. 4Questions: must be submitted in the Portal Questions & Answers section by the deadline specified (contracting authority not bound to reply after 12 January 2027 23:59 Europe/Luxembourg).
5. 5Contract: tenderers must carefully review the draft service contract (published Annex II) including Special and General Conditions and Appendix 2 (security requirements).

Where to download procurement documents:All procurement documents (Invitation to tender, Tender specifications, Draft contract, Annexes including Financial Tender Form and model declarations) are available on the Funding & Tenders Portal opportunity page Funding & Tenders Portal - Multi-MNO+ call ¹.

Recommended preparation checklist for applicants

1. 1Register organisation in Participant Register and obtain PIC; verify SME status (if applicable).
2. 2Assemble multidisciplinary team CVs that meet selection criteria (statisticians with ESS experience, experienced big-data software architects, technical writers).
3. 3Gather documentary evidence for selection criteria: project references for MNO data processing (4G/5G signalling/CDR), deployed pipelines, client statements where available.
4. 4Secure binding agreements with at least two MNOs covering direct or indirect access and compute resources; ensure cumulative €30Mhuman subscribers and at least 6 months longitudinal data availability for pilot.
5. 5Prepare technical tender with methodology, proposed code updates and optional extensions, quality assurance and security approach, deliverable schedule and risk mitigation measures.
6. 6Complete Financial Tender Form (Annex 6) in euros, net of VAT, showing Task 1 and Task 2 cost breakdown; include travel/missions and overheads per instructions.
7. 7Prepare Annex 3 (Agreement/Power of attorney) for consortia; Annex 4 list of identified subcontractors and Annex 5 commitment letters where applicable.
8. 8Ensure all team members sign Annex IV Commitment on statistical confidentiality and prepare to send originals when requested.
9. 9Check eSubmission technical system requirements (browser, file formats) and upload all documents well in advance of the deadline.

What this opportunity is about — general summary

This Eurostat open tender seeks a specialised contractor or consortium to take the open-source Multi-MNO reference pipeline from its June 2025 v1.0.0 baseline, update and optimise its code base, add targeted features where useful, and perform rigorous in-field testing on real operational MNO datasets. The project is explicitly focused on: (i) updating dependencies and securing the code for publication on Commission open-source repositories; (ii) significantly improving computational efficiency and monitoring/quality features; (iii) iteratively testing the pipeline in the operational environments of at least two MNOs that collectively cover €30 millionhuman SIM subscribers, and (iv) conducting a minimum 6-month longitudinal pilot run and producing an evidence-based statistical assessment of the plausibility and quality of the aggregated outputs. The work requires an integrated team of statisticians with ESS experience, telecom experts and experienced big-data software engineers. Deliverables are code releases, SBOMs, technical reports and public documentation. The contract is a direct service contract worth €385 000 over up to 18 months and will be awarded on best price-quality ratio. Applicants must submit a single-stage electronic tender via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal and must include mandatory templates and declarations specified in the tender documentation.

Footnotes

1. 1Full procurement documentation, invitation letter, draft contract and annexes are hosted on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal opportunity page: ec.europa.eu

This is an open procurement by Eurostat for statistical services, not a grant call, and it seeks a contractor to consolidate and extend the Multi-MNO reference pipeline, then field test it on real mobile network operator data. The estimated contract value is €385000, the maximum duration is 18 months, and the award is based on the best price-quality ratio. [2][8]

What the contract is about

The work covers two tightly linked tasks. First, the selected contractor must consolidate the existing open-source reference pipeline, update dependencies, resolve security and software issues, optimize performance, and add new monitoring and quality features where appropriate. Second, the contractor must run the pipeline in real MNO environments and carry out a longitudinal pilot using data covering at least six months from at least two MNOs in order to assess the quality and plausibility of the resulting statistical outputs. [2]

Eurostat expects the work to remain aligned with the original methodological framework, with any functional changes discussed and approved by Eurostat. The outputs must be publishable as open-source software under EUPL 1.2, together with documentation and a complete software bill of materials. [2]

Who can apply

Any natural or legal person within the scope of the EU Treaties may participate, and the opportunity is also open to eligible operators from third countries under the relevant procurement agreements. Bidders may apply alone or as a joint tender, and subcontracting is allowed, provided that all access-to-procurement, exclusion, and restrictive-measures rules are respected. A Participant Register PIC is required for submission. [2]

• Tenderers may bid as a sole operator or as a consortium. [2]
• Subcontractors may be used, but the tender must remain independent and cross-subcontracting is not allowed. [2]
• All involved entities must not be subject to EU restrictive measures that would prevent performance of the contract. [2]
• Registration in the Participant Register and possession of a PIC are mandatory for submission. [2]

Minimum eligibility and capacity requirements

• Average yearly turnover over the last two closed financial years must be above €260000. [2]
• The tenderer must show at least one similar project completed in the last five years involving real-world MNO location data, automated processing, and 4G or 5G signalling data. [2]
• The tenderer must show at least one end-to-end MNO location-data software pipeline developed, deployed, and operating in at least one EU Member State or EFTA country. [2]
• The delivery team must include at least two statisticians with at least five years of experience in ESS institutions and experience in MNO methodological research. [2]
• The delivery team must include at least two experts in scientific programming or software development for big data systems, each with at least five years of relevant experience. [2]
• The team must include at least one member with strong experience in drafting technical documents in English. [2]
• All team members should have good English skills, ideally at least B2 level or equivalent relevant experience. [2]

Mandatory project conditions

• At least two MNOs must participate directly or indirectly in the pilot and field-testing activities. [2]
• The participating MNOs must not share the same mobile network infrastructure. [2]
• Binding agreements with all participating MNOs must be provided with the tender. [2]
• The participating MNOs must together cover at least €30 millionactive human SIM subscribers, excluding M2M SIMs. [2]
• The data used for the pilot study must cover at least six months. [2]
• If pseudonymised data are used, the pseudonym retention period between reassignment events must be at least three months. [2]
• Variants are not allowed, and any functional methodological change must be approved by Eurostat. [2]
• The services are to be delivered at the contractor's premises, with the possibility of periodic meetings in Luxembourg and online. [2]

Commercial terms and timeline

The contract notice also indicates that, within two years after signature, the contracting authority may use a negotiated procedure to procure additional similar services up to a maximum of 50 percent of the initial contract value. The estimated workload is described as three person-years of highly specialized experts. [2]

Evaluation and award

The tender must first satisfy the minimum requirements and selection criteria, then it is scored on award criteria. Quality and price each account for 50 percent of the final ranking, and the quality evaluation is split across technical approach and methodology, work plan and timetable, management arrangements, and quality control. Tenders that do not reach the minimum technical thresholds or the overall technical minimum of 65 points out of 100 are rejected. [2]

For this opportunity, the strongest bids will normally demonstrate credible access to multiple MNO environments, concrete evidence of MNO cooperation, a realistic iterative development plan, strong statistical expertise, and a clear approach to code quality, security, SBOM production, and public open-source release. [2][8]