Enhancement of the Public Procurement Data Space (PPDS)

The European Commission, specifically DG GROW, has issued a call for tenders, identified as EC-GROW/2025/OP/0002, aimed at enhancing the Public Procurement Data Space (PPDS). The objective of this tender is to improve interoperability, scalability, and sustainability across EU procurement systems, with an emphasis on utilizing open-source components and common building blocks.

Eligible applicants include any economic operators capable of providing ICT services, particularly those with expertise in data space infrastructure and open-source solutions. While small and medium enterprises (SMEs) are not prioritized, larger firms and relevant consortia are also eligible to apply.

This opportunity is classified as a procurement contract rather than a traditional grant, with an estimated total value of €4.8 million over a maximum contract duration of 48 months. The submission process is an open call, requiring electronic submissions by 23 June 2025 at 16:00 CEST. Proposals will be assessed based on quality (70%) and price (30%).

Geographically, the tender is open to entities within EU member states, with no specific countries mentioned other than the contracting authority's base in Belgium. The project is at the enhancement stage, building on existing capabilities within the public procurement digital infrastructure.

No consortium is explicitly required, allowing for both single applicants and consortia to submit tenders. There is no co-funding requirement noted. The application must adhere to specific submission protocols, detailed in the procurement documents, which include a technical tender submission template and a financial offer form.

The evaluation criteria will focus on the suitability to pursue professional activity, economic and financial standing, and technical capabilities. The eSubmission system is required for tender submissions, supporting various file formats with specific guidelines for document sizes and conventions.

In summary, this tender calls for proposals to enhance the European Public Procurement Data Space, with a focus on ensuring interoperability and scalability through innovative ICT solutions. Interested parties should carefully review all tender documents and criteria to ensure compliance and develop competitive proposals.

The European Commission, DG GROW - Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs, has published a call for tenders, EC-GROW/2025/OP/0002, for the Enhancement of the Public Procurement Data Space (PPDS). The TED reference for this call is 91/2025 303036-2025.

The overall objective of this tender is to enhance the Public Procurement Data Space (PPDS) to further improve and extend its capabilities. This includes ensuring interoperability, scalability (EU-wide coverage), and sustainability, primarily through the use of open-source components and the reusability of common building blocks.

The procedure type is an open procedure, and submissions must be sent electronically. The estimated total value of the tender is 4,800,000 EUR. The TED publication date was 13/05/2025. The maximum contract duration is 48 months. The award method will be based on the best price-quality ratio. There is no framework agreement associated with this tender.

The deadline for receipt of tenders is 23/06/2025 at 16:00 Europe/Brussels time. The date and time of the public opening is 24/06/2025 at 10:00 Europe/Brussels time. The contracting authority is not bound to reply to questions submitted after 13/06/2025 at 05:00 Europe/Brussels time.

The main classification (CPV) code for this tender is 72261000 - Software support services. The nature of the contract is for services.

Selection criteria include:
1. Suitability to pursue the professional activity (consult the procurement documents).
2. Economic and financial standing (consult the procurement documents).
3. Technical and professional ability (consult the procurement documents).

The following documents are available for download:
1. ENEN-Invitation to tender EC-GROW2025OP0002 Enhancement of PPDS (Invitation to tender (request for offer)), published on 13/05/2025, Version 1.
2. ENANNEX I - Tender specifications EC-GROW2025OP0002 Part 1 (Tender specifications - adm. part), published on 13/05/2025, Version 1.
3. ENANNEX I - Annex I.a Tender specifications EC-GROW2025OP0002 Part 2 (Tender specifications), published on 13/05/2025, Version 1.
4. ENANNEX I - Annex I.b Technical Tender Submission Template (Tender specifications), published on 23/05/2025, Version 2.
5. ENANNEX I - Annex 2 to TS declaration-of-honour OP0002 Enhancement of PPDS (Declaration on honour (tender)), published on 13/05/2025, Version 1.
6. ENANNEX I - Annex 6 to TS Financial offer form (Financial offer form), published on 13/05/2025, Version 1.
7. ENANNEX I - Incorporated Annexes from TS (Tender specifications - adm. part), published on 23/05/2025, Version 1.
8. ENAnnex 8a. ownership-control-declaration en (Other invitation to tender document), published on 13/05/2025, Version 1.
9. ENAnnex 8b. Guidance on Participation in Digital Europe Programme (DEP) restricted calls (Other invitation to tender document), published on 13/05/2025, Version 1.
10. ENANNEX II - contrat-direct-service-2024 FR Recast-en (Draft contract), published on 13/05/2025, Version 1.

Additional documents may be available, as the listing indicates "16 items found" but only 10 are initially displayed.

Regarding the eSubmission system, the following points are relevant:
* Submissions must be sent exclusively via the electronic submission system.
* The system supports the latest versions of Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox.
* Attachments should be less than 50 MB in size.
* The maximum number of documents that can be uploaded per tender is 200.
* A Personal Identification Code (PIC) is mandatory for participation.
* The system supports all 24 official EU languages and uses UTF-8 character set encoding.
* The system encrypts all uploaded documents.
* Draft submissions can be viewed, edited, and deleted until the deadline.

Several questions and answers (Q&A) have been published regarding the tender:
* Clarification on the timeline for the award decision and contract start date is difficult to foresee exact dates.
* The guidance in Section 2.3 of the Tender Specifications Part 1 takes priority over the guidance in Annex 8a regarding the Ownership Control Declaration.
* Documents D04.03 (Architecture Specifications and Test Cases – refined for scale-up) and D06.06 (Data Quality Action Plan – refined for scale-up) are relevant to the scope of enhancing the existing PPDS system.
* Reference procedures include projects completed in the last 3 years and any ongoing projects where only the portion completed in the last 3 years is considered.
* There is no upper limit on the number of project references provided as evidence for Criterion T1.
* The scoring for the technical award criterion "1. Public procurement and PPDS" in Annex 1.b has a typo; both sub-criteria are worth 10 points each.
* Annexes 3, 4, 5.1, and 5.2 were to be published in Word format.
* Tenderers can add lower-level headings and numbering inside the answer text boxes in Annex I.b.
* Answers in Annex I.b must be provided immediately after each question, and questions with a maximum page count should be placed on their own page.
* The mention of Criterion F2 for economic and financial capacity in Annex 1 was a clerical error.

In summary, this tender is an invitation for economic operators to submit proposals for enhancing the Public Procurement Data Space (PPDS). The goal is to improve the PPDS's capabilities, interoperability, scalability, and sustainability using open-source components. The European Commission, specifically DG GROW, is seeking a contractor to provide software support services for a maximum of 48 months, with an estimated total contract value of 4.8 million EUR. The selection will be based on a combination of price and quality, and interested parties must submit their tenders electronically by the specified deadline. The tender documents provide detailed specifications, submission guidelines, and evaluation criteria. Potential tenderers should carefully review all documents and Q&A to ensure their proposals meet the requirements. A key aspect of the submission process is the use of the eSubmission system, which has specific technical requirements for file sizes, formats, and naming conventions. A PIC code is mandatory for participation.

Eligible Applicant Types: The opportunity is open to economic operators. The specific types of eligible applicants (startup, SME, large enterprise, university, research institute, nonprofit, government, individual, public-private partnership, investor, NGO, or other) are not explicitly stated in the provided text, but it is implied that any entity capable of providing the required services can apply. The selection criteria mention "Suitability to pursue the professional activity," which suggests that the applicant must be a legally recognized entity with the capacity to perform the contract.

Funding Type: The primary financial mechanism is a procurement, specifically an invitation to tender (request for offer). The nature of the contract is for services.

Consortium Requirement: The text mentions that a Personal Identification Code (PIC) is mandatory to participate in a call for tenders as a sole candidate/tenderer or as a member of a group (consortium). This indicates that both single applicants and consortia are eligible.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): The opportunity aims for EU-wide coverage, suggesting that applicants from the EU are eligible. Annex 8b provides guidance on participation in Digital Europe Programme (DEP) restricted calls, which may imply some restrictions or specific eligibility criteria related to the DEP.

Target Sector: The program targets the ICT sector, specifically focusing on software support services. The main classification (CPV) code is 72261000 - Software support services. The project aims to enhance the Public Procurement Data Space (PPDS), indicating a focus on public procurement and data management.

Mentioned Countries: No specific countries are mentioned, but the project aims for EU-wide coverage.

Project Stage: The project is at the enhancement stage, focusing on improving and extending the capabilities of an existing system (Public Procurement Data Space). This suggests a development or validation stage, rather than idea or research. The aim is to improve interoperability, scalability, and sustainability.

Funding Amount: The estimated total value of the contract is 4,800,000 EUR.

Application Type: The application type is an open call for tenders, with electronic submission.

Nature of Support: Beneficiaries will receive money in exchange for services rendered, as this is a service contract.

Application Stages: The number of application stages is not explicitly mentioned, but the process involves submitting a tender, which will then be evaluated based on the selection criteria (Suitability to pursue the professional activity, Economic and financial standing, Technical and professional ability) and the award method (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 explicitly mentioned in the provided text.

Summary:

This is an invitation to tender (EC-GROW2025OP0002) by the European Commission, DG GROW, for the enhancement of the Public Procurement Data Space (PPDS). The goal is to improve and extend the PPDS capabilities to ensure interoperability, scalability across the EU, and sustainability, primarily using open-source components and reusable building blocks. The procedure type is an open procedure, and submissions must be electronic. The estimated total value of the contract is 4,800,000 EUR, with a maximum contract duration of 48 months. The award method is based on the best price-quality ratio.

The tender is open to economic operators who can demonstrate suitability to pursue the professional activity, economic and financial standing, and technical and professional ability. Both single applicants and consortia are eligible to apply, and a Personal Identification Code (PIC) is mandatory for participation. The deadline for receipt of tenders is 23/06/2025 at 16:00 Europe/Brussels. The contracting authority is not bound to reply to questions submitted after 13/06/2025 at 05:00 Europe/Brussels.

The tender documents include the invitation to tender, tender specifications (administrative and technical parts), a technical tender submission template, a declaration of honor, a financial offer form, incorporated annexes, an ownership control declaration, guidance on participation in Digital Europe Programme (DEP) restricted calls, and a draft contract. The eSubmission system supports various file types and has specific requirements for attachment sizes and naming conventions. The system is multilingual, supporting all 24 official EU languages, and uses encryption to ensure the integrity and confidentiality of the information.