EMODnet Lot 1 - Biology and Lot 2 - Seabed Habitats

The European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency (CINEA) has launched an open tender (CINEA/2026/OP/0036) for two independent service lots to maintain and further develop EMODnet thematic services: Lot 1 Biology (€2,250,000) and Lot 2 Seabed Habitats (€1,670,000), total estimated value €3,920,000. Electronic tenders must be submitted via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal by 23 October 2026 at 17:00 Brussels time and awards will be made on the best price-quality ratio (quality 70%, price 30%), with contracts running to 30 June 2029. Bidders must demonstrate substantial technical and financial capacity including prior large projects, machine-to-machine interoperability experience, user support operation, and provide signed data authorisations to enable open FAIR data delivery. The contracts require compliance with EMODnet/INSPIRE/OGC interoperability standards, security appendices and detailed administrative and financial submission templates specified in the tender documents.

What it funds

Scope in one line

Service contracts to maintain and further develop two EMODnet thematic services:Lot 1 Biology (species, biodiversity and marine omics data) and Lot 2 Seabed Habitats (benthic habitat maps and related data products). Work includes data access, curation, product construction, machine-to-machine services and contributions to the EMODnet Central Portal.

Estimated value:Total €3 920 000: Lot €1 2 250 000; Lot €2 1 670 000 ¹.

1. 1Tender type: Open procedure (calls for tenders) managed by CINEA (European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency).
2. 2Who can apply: legal persons or groups of legal persons established and registered in the EU or eligible third countries, meeting selection criteria and not in exclusion situations.
3. 3Award method: best price-quality ratio (quality 70%, price 30%).
4. 4Contract nature: direct service contracts (one per lot); framework-style implementation with specified deliverables and KPIs.
5. 5Key dates: Deadline for submission 23 October 2026 17:00 Europe/Brussels; public opening 26 October 2026; contract period runs to 30 June 2029 (start dates differ per lot).

How to apply:prepare a technical and financial tender in the Funding & Tenders Portal eSubmission system. Read the tender specifications and annexes and register your organisation (PIC) before submitting. All submission and Q&A are handled through the Portal: Funding & Tenders Portal.

Footnotes

1. 1Official procurement documents, tender specifications, invitation letter and draft contract are published on the Funding & Tenders Portal (see Invitation to Tender CINEA2026OP0036).

Summary description

The European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency (CINEA) has launched an open call for tenders to maintain and further develop two EMODnet thematic services: Lot 1 Biology and Lot 2 Seabed Habitats. This is a services procurement under an open procedure. The contracts will underpin the European Marine Observation and Data Network (EMODnet) operational service: enabling findability, viewing, machine-to-machine access and direct download of marine data and harmonised data products via the EMODnet Central Portal, ensuring FAIR data practices, interoperability, and contribution to EU reporting and policy needs.

Contracting authority:European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency (CINEA), Unit D.3 Sustainable Blue Economy, Brussels CINEA website ¹

Key facts and administration

• Procurement type: Open procedure (call for tenders)
• Tender reference / procedure identifier: CINEA/2026/OP/0036 (TED ref: 159/2026 574296-2026)
• Two independent lots: Lot 1 EMODnet Biology; Lot 2 EMODnet Seabed Habitats (each procured and awarded separately)
• Submission method: Electronic via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal eSubmission (EU Login required)
• Deadlines (single submission deadline for both lots): 23 October 2026, 17:00 Brussels time
• Public tender documentation published: 19 August 2026 (Tender specifications, Invitation to tender, Annexes, Draft direct contract and appendices)
• Public opening (virtual): 26 October 2026, 12:00 Europe/Brussels
• Contract period: services to be delivered until 30 June 2029 (indicative start dates differ by lot)
• Estimated total procurement budget: €3 920 000 (excl. VAT) split by lot: Lot €1 2 250 000; Lot €2 1 670 000

What the contracts buy (scope and major tasks)

Both lots procure services to maintain and further develop EMODnet thematic group services. Main objectives and workstreams (applicable to both lots unless explicitly split): deliver unrestricted, direct access to data and harmonised data products via the EMODnet Central Portal; build and update thematic data products and maps; ensure machine-to-machine (API/web services) access and interoperability; liaise and coordinate with EMODnet Central Portal Team, EMODnet Secretariat, Regional Sea Conventions, EU research infrastructures and EU policy needs (e.g. MSFD, Habitat Directive, Maritime Spatial Planning); monitor and automate performance indicators; operate or contribute to helpdesk and user support; ensure INSPIRE and OGC based interoperability, provide content for the thematic portal spaces, and deliver handover/legacy strategy at contract end.

Principal tasks (detailed)

1. 1Task 1: Maintain & improve a common method to access data held in distributed repositories (harmonisation, cloud/streamlining, metadata completeness and acknowledgements).
2. 2Task 2: Construct and publish harmonised data products (maps, time/space distribution layers, species abundance and omics coverage for Biology; at least 1:100 000 modelled seabed habitat base layers and harmonised habitat map library for Seabed Habitats).
3. 3Task 3: Develop and improve machine-to-machine procedures (APIs, web services, abolish artificial barriers such as logins or throttling for EMODnet access when feasible).
4. 4Task 4: Ensure full compliance with EMODnet Central Portal requirements so data/products are findable, viewable and downloadable without redirect outside the Central Portal.
5. 5Task 5: Provide and maintain portal content for the thematic pages (news, use cases, partners, methods, products).
6. 6Task 6: Ensure coherence & data flows with Regional Sea Conventions, ICES and relevant actors; plan and KPI reporting for interactions.
7. 7Task 7: Support EU legislation implementation (INSPIRE, MSFD, MSP) and interoperability with EU initiatives (European Open Data Portal, EOSC, European Digital Twin Ocean – EDITO).
8. 8Task 8: Monitor quality and performance; operate/participate in centralised helpdesk with guaranteed answer times; maintain the central catalogue of products.
9. 9Task 9: Dedicate staff resources to the EMODnet Central Portal Task Force and provide coordination work with Central Portal team.

Eligibility and applicant requirements

This is a public procurement (tender). Eligible tenderers are economic operators established and registered in jurisdictions allowed to participate under the Tender rules. Participants must be registered in the Participant Register (obtain a PIC) and submit electronically via eSubmission.

• Eligible applicant types (typical / permitted): research institutes, universities, SMEs, large enterprises, non‑profits, consortia (groups of economic operators). Individuals cannot be sole tenderers for these lots unless legally organised as an entity.
• Consortiums/joint tenders are permitted; if a group submits a joint tender they must sign an Agreement/Power of Attorney (Annex 3) and appoint a group leader who is the contracting contact and jointly and severally liable.
• Subcontracting is allowed; identified subcontractors over 10% or relied-on entities must be declared (Annex 4) and provide commitment letters (Annex 5.1 for identified subcontractors; Annex 5.2 for entities on whose capacity the tenderer relies).
• Participant Register / PIC: mandatory for all entities participating in the tender (including group members and identified subcontractors).
• Selection criteria: detailed technical & financial capacity thresholds (annual turnover minima, demonstrable project experience — see Technical Annex 2.1).

Technical selection thresholds (summary)

Tenders are assessed against selection criteria where capacities can be consolidated across the tenderer (group members + identified subcontractors + entities relied upon). Key minimum technical capacity criteria include multiple large projects in recent 5-year period, machine-to-machine integration experience, international interoperability projects and signed authorisations from in‑situ data owners to make data openly available.

1. 1Minimum turnover (consolidated) thresholds: Lot 1 – average yearly turnover last 2 years >= €2,000,000; Lot 2 – >= €1,370,000.
2. 2Criterion T1: At least 2 similar projects in last 5 years, each covering data access services across at least 5 EU Member States, with minimum project value €1,000,000 each.
3. 3Criterion T2: At least 2 similar projects building data products from multiple sources (>= €1,000,000 each) in the past 5 years.
4. 4Criterion T3: At least 1 similar project delivering machine‑to‑machine marine data access (>= €1,000,000) in last 5 years.
5. 5Criterion T4: At least 2 projects showing international interoperability (data exchange across >= 3 countries) in last 5 years.
6. 6Criterion T5: Tenderer must provide at least 3 signed authorisations from marine in‑situ data owners agreeing to share data for the project.
7. 7Criterion T6: Proven user support experience (proof of operation of helpdesk and min. 10 resolved user queries) in last 5 years.

Funding model, award & evaluation

This procurement is for services (direct contracts for each lot). Award method is Best Price-Quality Ratio (BPQR). Tenders evaluated by price (30%) and quality (70%).

1. 1Estimated total procedure value: €3,920,000 (Lot €1 2,250,000; Lot €2 1,670,000) ¹
2. 2Award criteria: Price (30%) + Quality (70%). Quality sub‑criteria include: data contributions and quality (weighting top in quality), product preparation method, approach to unrestricted access, machine-to-machine facilitation, interoperability, project management, legacy/hand‑over strategy and portal coordination.
3. 3Quality thresholds: bidder must score at least 50% on each quality sub-criterion and at least 60% overall for quality to be considered.
4. 4No co-funding required from tenderer: this is a fee‑for‑service procurement; bids must not exceed the lot maximum budgets.
5. 5Payment arrangement: interim payment (50%) tied to interim report deliverable (at months specified per lot) and balance on final report and deliverables; payments follow contract terms and invoicing rules (see Annex 6 Financial Tender template).

Consortium and contract format

Each lot results in a separate direct service contract (draft contract and annexes published). Contracts are not renewable and end date for both lots is 30 June 2029 irrespective of start date. Joint tenders are allowed; group members are jointly and severally liable. The group leader acts as single contact and receives payments (if group).

Beneficiary geographic scope

Applicants:entities established in the Union (EU) and in countries eligible under EU procurement rules. The tender text refers to EU-wide activities and data coverage of European seas, Member States, UK and Norway for specific areas. The work supports EU legislation and is financed under EMFAF (EU funds).

Target sectors, technologies and project stage

• Target sectors / thematic areas: marine data infrastructure, biodiversity / biology, seabed habitats, marine observation, data management, environmental monitoring, oceanography, geospatial data services.
• Relevant technical domains: data ingestion and harmonisation, OGC/INSPIRE/CF conventions, web services (machine-to-machine APIs), cloud storage and distribution, data product construction and mapping, QA/QC, FAIR data principles, metadata catalogues, interoperability, automated KPIs and analytics.
• Expected project maturity: operational maintenance and incremental development (development, validation, demonstration and operational delivery rather than early idea/research only).

Application and submission details

1. 1Application type: open call for tenders with single fixed deadline (23 Oct 2026 17:00 Europe/Brussels) submitted electronically via eSubmission on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal.
2. 2Documents required: Invitation to tender, tender specifications, administrative annexes, Annex 2.1 (Technical & Professional capacity), Annex 6 (Financial offer template), signed Declaration on honour (Annex 2), Annex 3 Agreement / Power of Attorney for consortia, Annex 4 list of subcontractors, Annex 5.1/5.2 commitment letters, Draft Direct Contract and Appendices (security, contract annexes).
3. 3Templates: Financial offer (Annex 6 spreadsheet), Technical capacity declaration (Annex 2.1), Declaration on honour (Annex 2), Agreement power of attorney (Annex 3), List of subcontractors (Annex 4), Commitment letter templates (Annex 5.1 and 5.2). Bidders must include the primary technical Annex 2.1 table and a digital inventory of primary datasets (Lot-specific templates described in the tender specs).
4. 4Language: documentation is published in English. Tenders may be submitted in any official EU language but all official procurement documents are English.

Evaluation stages and success rates

Application and evaluation stages:1) Administrative compliance and eligibility checks; 2) Exclusion & Selection criteria assessment (declarations and supporting evidence) including financial and technical capacity checks; 3) Award evaluation: quality scoring (70%) and price (30%); 4) Clarifications and contract award; 5) Contract signature and handover. The tender documents include procedures for requests for clarifications and evidence. Success rates are not published for this procurement and depend on the number and quality of bids; contracting authority does not publish historical success rates in the call.

Finance, support and nature of benefits

• Funding type: procurement - service contracts (the tender results in a fee‑for‑service contract).
• Nature of support to beneficiaries: monetary payments to successful contractor(s) under service contract (not grants/loans/equity).
• Co-funding requirement: none indicated. Tenderers must respect the budget caps per lot; no additional co-funding is required by the contracting authority.

Templates, appendices and application structure guidance

The procurement package contains a full set of templates and contract annexes. Tenderers must use the published Annex 6 financial template and Annex 2.1 technical capacity table. Key administrative templates (Annex 2 Declaration on honour; Annex 3 Agreement / Power of attorney for groups; Annex 4 List of subcontractors; Annex 5.1 and 5.2 Commitment letters) must be completed and uploaded in eSubmission. The tender specifications provide detailed structure and required contents of the technical offer (work plan, staffing, methodology mapped to Tasks 1–9, dataset inventory table, legacy/handover plan, KPIs, risk register) and of the financial offer (breakdown by task/work package and total all-inclusive price).

Recommended structure for technical offer (based on tender specs):1. Executive summary and scope mapping; 2. Methodology mapped to Tasks 1–9; 3. Data inventory and authorisations (table per tender specs); 4. Data product catalogue and development plan; 5. Machine-to-machine / API & interoperability approach; 6. Portal integration & content management plan; 7. Cooperation & RSC/EOSC/EDITO / Member State interaction plan; 8. Quality assurance, user support and KPIs; 9. Work plan, Gantt and deliverables; 10. Consortium, roles, CVs & resource table; 11. Risk management and legacy strategy; 12. Annexes: technical evidence (Annex 2.1), signed commitment letters, proof of prior projects.

Practical submission advice (operational)

1. 1Create or reuse your organisation’s PIC in the Participant Register early (mandatory).
2. 2Register in the EU Login and ensure eSubmission compatibility (Chrome/Firefox and system requirements).
3. 3Prepare Annex 2.1 evidence and all required annexes (power of attorney for consortia, commitment letters for subcontractors/third-party resources) and ensure PDFs and native format documents follow eSubmission attachment naming rules and file-size limits.
4. 4Assemble the dataset inventory (Lot specific) showing data owner, scope, availability and signed authorisations (T5 requirement) — this is a critical award criterion element (Criterion 8).
5. 5Use the Annex 6 financial template; double-check calculations and all-inclusive totals (no changes allowed after submission).
6. 6Allow time to resolve technical issues with the eSubmission Helpdesk well before the deadline.
7. 7Monitor the Funding & Tenders Portal for updates and the Q&A area (contracting authority is not obliged to answer questions submitted after 15 October 2026).

Risks, compliance and special requirements

Key compliance and risk areas highlighted in the tender:1) obligations to deliver data freely and without restrictive access where possible and to seek authorisations from data owners (T5); 2) strict technical and interoperability requirements aligned with INSPIRE/OGC and EMODnet Central Portal guidance; 3) security requirements: Appendix 2 and Appendix 3 define security baseline, personnel screening, and acceptable-use rules for remote access and hosting; 4) contractual intellectual property approach: Commission acquires ownership of the delivered results (with licensing rules for pre-existing rights) and requires a list of any pre-existing rights at final delivery; 5) audits, checks and potential recovery (financial/regulatory) – contract includes standard EU audit rights and EDES/EDP/EPPO/OLAF access provisions.

Security & hosting:Tenderers must comply with Appendix 2 (security requirements for contractors) and Appendix 3 (Security Baseline for External Connections). Remote service delivery and any access to Commission systems require adherence to acceptable use, staff screening, and rules for hosting and handling Commission information.

Which countries or regions are explicitly mentioned?

Explicit references in the tender documents (geographic scope):the call targets European seas including Baltic, Barents, Black, Mediterranean and North Seas and coverage of jurisdictional waters and continental shelf areas of EU Member States, United Kingdom and Norway for specified sea basins. The procurement is financed under EMFAF and is managed by CINEA in the EU (Brussels).

Target applicants by organizational type (eligibility summary)

• Universities and research institutes (marine research, biodiversity, mapping, data services)
• SMEs and large enterprises with marine data platforms, cloud and API development capability
• Non-profit organisations and NGOs with demonstrated marine data stewardship and community datasets
• Public sector bodies that can participate as group members (national data centres, sea institutes), provided legal registration and PIC requirements are satisfied
• Consortia / public-private groups combining data providers, technical integrators, mapping experts and machine‑to‑machine specialists

Technology and science requirements (excerpted)

Tenderers must demonstrate technical capability across:building harmonised data products from multi-source in-situ and survey data; automated services and APIs for machine-to-machine delivery; adherence to OGC and INSPIRE standards, CF/NetCDF and modern cloud optimized formats where relevant (STAC, Zarr, Parquet, GeoParquet referenced for DTO/EDITO compatibility); capability to negotiate data authorisations and to operate user support and helpdesk processes. Demonstrable prior project references at the required monetary thresholds are mandatory for selection.

How to apply (quick checklist)

1. 11) Register organisation and obtain PIC in Participant Register.
2. 22) Prepare and upload the Technical Offer: follow tender specs sections 4.1–4.2 and include Annex 2.1, dataset inventory and proof of data authorisations (T5).
3. 33) Complete and upload the Financial Offer using Annex 6 financial template (all-inclusive price; ensure totals match and do not exceed lot budget).
4. 44) Upload administrative templates: Declaration on honour (Annex 2), Agreement/Power of Attorney for groups (Annex 3) if joint tender, Annex 4 subcontractor list, Annex 5.1/5.2 commitment letters for subcontractors / entities relied upon.
5. 55) Submit via eSubmission on the Funding & Tenders Portal before the 23 Oct 2026 17:00 deadline.

What is this opportunity and final summary

This is a high-profile CINEA procurement to award two direct service contracts to sustain and develop EMODnet Biology and EMODnet Seabed Habitats services until mid-2029. The contracts finance operational data services that make marine in-situ observations and harmonised data products freely and directly available via the EMODnet Central Portal, with an emphasis on FAIR data, machine-to-machine access, interoperability with EU policy needs and international partners, improved habitat mapping, and enhanced biological and omics data coverage. Bidders must demonstrate substantial technical experience, provide dataset authorisations, comply with security and data protection rules, and deliver detailed technical and financial offers through the Funding & Tenders Portal eSubmission system. The procurement is split into two independently evaluated lots with maximum budgets and exact award rules specified in the tender documents.

Where to find the official call documents

All official procurement documents, the invitation to tender, tender specifications, the draft direct contract and annexes (including Annex 2.1 Technical & Professional capacity and Annex 6 Financial tender) are published on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal opportunity page. Subscribe to the call to receive updates and new Q&A. See the call page on the Portal EMODnet Lot 1 & 2 tender details ¹.

Footnotes

1. 1Primary procurement documents and the e‑submission portal are available at the EU Funding & Tenders Portal opportunity page: ec.europa.eu

This is an open EU procurement launched by CINEA under reference CINEA/2026/OP/0036 for two independent service lots, with an estimated total value of €3,920,000. Lot 1 Biology is valued at €2,250,000 and Lot 2 Seabed Habitats at €1,670,000, with electronic submission required and award on the basis of the best price-quality ratio[2].

Contract structure and scope

The contract aims to maintain and further develop the European Marine Observation and Data Network themes for Biology and Seabed Habitats. The service is intended to keep EMODnet data and metadata freely accessible, strengthen portal integration, improve machine to machine access, build and curate data products, and support interoperability with other EMODnet themes and relevant EU marine policy objectives[2].

Who can apply

Economic operators may apply as a sole tenderer or as a group of tenderers. The documentation also allows reliance on subcontractors and other entities for capacity, but the group members remain jointly and severally liable if the contract is awarded. Each participating organisation needs a Participant Identification Code, and submission is only possible through the Funding and Tenders Portal electronic submission system[2].

• Single tenderers and consortia may submit tenders for one lot or both lots, and each lot is assessed independently[2].
• No more than one tender per lot can be considered from the same tenderer unless the earlier tender is withdrawn[2].
• Variants are not permitted, so the tender must follow the tender specifications and draft contract model[2].
• Tenderers, group members, subcontractors, and relied-on entities must not be in exclusion situations and must not be subject to EU restrictive measures[2].

Deadlines and submission requirements

Award method and lot values

Main selection and evidence requirements

1. 1T1: At least 2 similar projects completed in the last 5 years, each worth at least €1,000,000, with experience in access to repository data and data products, and covering at least 5 EU Member States[2].
2. 2T2: At least 2 similar projects completed in the last 5 years, each worth at least €1,000,000, involving construction of data products from one or more data sources and presentation of parameter distributions in time and space[2].
3. 3T3: At least 1 similar project completed in the last 5 years, worth at least €1,000,000, involving machine to machine communication for marine data sharing[2].
4. 4T4: At least 2 relevant projects performed in the last 5 years, each involving interoperability of marine data among at least 3 countries[2].
5. 5T5: At least 3 signed authorisations from marine in situ data owners permitting use of their data for the project and open publication under FAIR principles[2].
6. 6T6: Evidence of marine data user support from at least one relevant data service platform, including documentation of at least 10 resolved user questions[2].

Practical implications for applicants

Applicants should be able to show strong capability in marine data platforms, interoperability, database and data product development, user support, and open data operations. The tender documents also indicate the need for administrative declarations, financial offer forms, subcontractor lists, power of attorney documentation for groups, and capacity letters where subcontracted or third party capacity is used[2].

The opportunity is particularly suited to organisations with a proven record in European marine observation services and international data interoperability. The most important success factors are demonstrable comparable projects, valid data owner permissions, strong user support evidence, and the ability to deliver fully open, standards based EMODnet services under Central Portal coordination[2].