EO data products and Near-Real-Time services for HAB-Hub project

The European Commission Joint Research Centre (call EC-JRC/IPR/2026/OP/2415) invites tenders to provide Earth Observation data products for retrospective assessment, develop and operate a web-based dashboard, and run a six-month near-real-time (NRT) experiment to evaluate HAB detection methods across European waters. The estimated contract value is €1,000,000 with a planned duration of 24 months and electronic submission via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal, deadline 20 August 2026 at 16:00:59 CET. Eligible legal entities with technical capacity in EO data processing, NRT service delivery and web-platform development may apply, and award will be based on 50% quality and 50% price.

High-level summary

What the contract will deliver

Contract to supply Earth Observation (EO) data for retrospective evaluation of harmful algal bloom detection methods, develop and host a web-based dashboard for a near-real-time (NRT) 6-month experiment, and operate the NRT experiment with appropriate EO data and services across European waters.

Who can apply:Providers of EO data and operational services, software/platform developers and consortia capable of delivering pan-European EO products, NRT processing, dashboard/web platforms and experiment operations (procurement via EU open tender; check tender documents for formal qualification and selection criteria).

1. 1Scope: retrospective data provision and evaluation, web-based dashboard development, run 6-month NRT experiment
2. 2Contracting authority: European Commission, DG JRC - Joint Research Centre
3. 3Procurement type: service contract (open e-submission tender, call ID EC-JRC/IPR/2026/OP/2415)

Key selection criteria:quality and price weighting (50/50 as per tender), demonstrable operational EO/NRT experience, platform development and security/compliance per tender annexes. Follow procurement documents for submission rules and required forms.

Opportunity summary

Type:Tender (procurement) issued by the European Commission, DG JRC Joint Research Centre. Reference EC-JRC/IPR/2026/OP/2415. Objective: provide historical Earth Observation data products for retrospective evaluation, develop and operate a web-based platform (dashboard) to host and display a near-real-time six-month experiment, and run the NRT experiment to test detection of harmful algal blooms (HAB) at pan-European scale. Planned contract duration: 24 months. Estimated total procedure value: €1 000 000. Submission method: mandatory electronic submission via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal (eSubmission).

Key deliverables:1) Provision of EO data products and related data services for retrospective assessment of HAB detection systems; 2) Development of a web-based platform or dashboard to host the NRT experiment, display results and disseminate outputs; 3) Execution and management of a 6-month near-real-time experiment using the selected EO data and services; 4) Documentation and reporting, including technical, operational and security deliverables; 5) Compliance with contract, IPR, security and VAT provisions described in tender documents ¹.

Eligibility and applicant requirements

Eligible applicants:legal entities capable of entering into a public service contract with the European Commission. The procurement is identified as services related to Earth Observation, ICT and operational oceanography. Based on the tender nature and documents, eligible applicant types include companies (SME and large enterprises), research organisations and universities, consultancies and system integrators, non-governmental organisations and consortia of such entities. The tender documents include specific tenderer qualification and selection criteria to be consulted in the procurement documentation.

Eligible Applicant Types:Startup, SME, large enterprise, university, research institute, nonprofit, public-private partnership, consortium (joint tender allowed or subcontracting subject to tender rules). Individual natural persons are generally not appropriate for this service contract. Exact selection and exclusion criteria, capacity and financial thresholds are specified in the tender specifications and qualification requirements.

Funding Type:Procurement: Direct service contract (purchase of services). The financial mechanism is a public contract with payment against contractual deliverables and invoicing under EU procurement rules.

Consortium Requirement:The procurement allows single legal entities or consortia to submit tenders. The tender documentation includes specific tenderer qualification requirements; consortia must meet the rules for joint tenders and provide required declarations, power of attorney and responsibility allocation. Consult the Invitation to Tender and Technical Specifications for exact consortium submission rules.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility):Primarily EU member states and legal entities able to contract with the European Commission. The work covers European waters (pan-European scale). The tender does not explicitly list non-EU eligibility in the provided summary; bidders should consult the procurement documents and the Funding & Tenders Portal for full nationality and place-of-establishment requirements.

Target Sector:Environment and marine monitoring, Earth Observation (space/remote sensing), ICT and web-platform development, operational near-real-time services, oceanography, data analytics, and possibly health/public safety where HAB impacts are a concern.

Mentioned Countries:No individual countries are explicitly listed in the tender summary. The activity targets European waters and is managed by the European Commission Joint Research Centre; intended geographic scope is pan-European (EU).

Project Stage:Maturity expected: validated operational services and methods being assessed in retrospective mode (validation/demonstration). The best-performing system will be evaluated in a near-real-time operational experiment (demonstration/operational pilot).

Funding Amount:Estimated overall contract amount: €1 000 000 (contract value indicated by the contracting authority).

Application Type and Submission:Open tender via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal. Submission method code: eSubmission. Tenderers must submit electronically before the closing date and time stated in the tender: deadline 20 August 2026, 16:00:59 (CEST/Europe/Rome timezone). An open tender event (likely opening) is scheduled for 21 August 2026 at 10:00 (local time).

Nature of Support:Monetary contract payment for services provided under the procurement, combined with non-monetary deliverables such as access to Commission platforms, specifications, and operational collaboration. The contractor will deliver services, data products and an operational experiment rather than a grant or subsidy.

Application Stages:Procurement process stages implied in the documentation: 1) Preparation and electronic submission of tender package (administrative, technical and financial offers); 2) Administrative and technical evaluation by the contracting authority (including selection/exclusion checks and award criteria evaluation based on quality and price with 50/50 weighting); 3) Award and signature of contract; 4) Contract execution with deliverables, reporting and final acceptance. In practical terms applicants pass through at least two selection phases (submission and evaluation) before award, then a contract implementation phase.

Success Rates:Not specified in the tender documentation. As with competitive public procurement, success depends on meeting mandatory selection criteria and scoring highly on the published award criteria (quality and price). Historical procurement success rates vary by lot and competition; bidders should assume a competitive process and prepare compliant, high-quality submissions.

Co-funding Requirement:No co-funding from the bidder is required beyond the bidder covering its own costs to prepare and deliver the contract. The tender is a paid service contract; the Commission will remunerate the contractor under contract terms. Any requirements for VAT treatment and shares are specified in Annex III and related procurement documents.

Tender documentation, templates and application structure

The contracting authority has published a set of procurement documents which bidders must consult and use to prepare their tenders. These documents include the Invitation to Tender, Technical Specifications (including version 3.2), Draft Contract and its annexes, security requirements and security baseline, declaration-of-honour (tenders), Financial Offer form (spreadsheet), Annexes on IPR and VAT. Bidders must follow the formats, fill the financial offer template and provide required declarations.

1. 1Invitation to tender - 1. EN-Invitation_to_tender_EC-JRCIPR2026OP2415_EO data and NRT services for HAB-Hub_V1.pdf
2. 2Technical specifications - 2a. EN_TENDER_SPECIFICATIONS_EC-JRCIPR2026OP2415_EO data and NRT services for HAB-Hub23.06_V1.pdf
3. 3Technical specifications - €2B. EC-JRC-PN-2026-TEC_SPECIFICATIONS.v3.2_V1.pdf
4. 4Declaration on honour (tender) - 3. declaration-of-honour-tenders_EO data and NRT services for HAB-Hub_EC-JRCIPR2026OP2415_V1.docx
5. 5Draft contract - 4. EN_Direct_Service_Contract_EC-JRCIPR2026OP2415_1_V1.pdf and Part III general conditions - 4a. Draft Contract - Part III_V1.pdf
6. 6Draft contract annexes - 4.1 Appendix 2 Security requirements en 2025_V1.pdf and 4.2 Appendix 3 Security baseline en_V1.pdf
7. 7Annex IV statements on IPR - 5. Annex IV statements-ipr-en_V1.pdf
8. 8Annex III VAT shares - 6. Annex III VAT shares_V1.pdf
9. 9Financial Offer template - 7. Financial Offer_V1.xlsx

Required tender package structure (typical, consult Invitation):administrative documents and declarations (including declaration on honour), proof of legal and financial capacity where requested, technical offer describing methodology, data sources and platform design, workplan and timeline, staff CVs and key personnel, security compliance statements, implementation and data management plan, and completed Financial Offer form. Tenderers must comply with security and IPR annexes and the draft contract terms.

Award criteria and evaluation

Awarding criteria are split between quality and price with equal weighting indicated in the tender metadata: quality 50 and price 50. Tenderers must therefore present a high-quality technical approach, clear methodology for retrospective evaluation and NRT experiment design, robust data acquisition and processing pipelines, a secure and user-friendly dashboard, and a competitive, transparent pricing in the Financial Offer template. Specific evaluation sub-criteria are detailed in the technical specifications; bidders must consult that document for scoring breakdowns and minimum thresholds.

Technical scope and expected technical capabilities

The contractor is expected to supply Earth Observation data products and near-real-time data streams suitable for HAB detection and monitoring across European seas, including but not limited to: satellite-derived ocean colour products (chlorophyll-a, fluorescence line height, particulate backscatter), spectral reflectance and derived indices, high-resolution imagery where applicable, atmospheric correction and cloud-masking, time series data for retrospective event reconstruction, and ingestion-ready NRT products for operational delivery. The supplier must implement data processing chains, quality control, metadata, and provide interoperable data services (APIs/OGC services) to feed the dashboard and experiment platform.

Platform requirements include secure web-based dashboard development, visualisation tools for time series and spatial products, user access management, dissemination features, and capability to host and display results of the six-month NRT experiment. The contractor must also provide reporting, documentation, data archiving and handover procedures as specified in the technical specifications.

Security, IPR and contractual provisions

The tender includes specific security requirements and a security baseline (appendices in the draft contract). Intellectual property rights and statements are addressed in Annex IV. Financial conditions and VAT handling are covered in Annex III. The draft contract and general conditions govern deliverables, liability, confidentiality, data protection and contract management. Bidders must read the draft contract and annexes carefully and include required statements and compliance confirmations in their submission ¹.

How to prepare a compliant bid

1. 1Download and read all procurement documents from the Funding & Tenders Portal, including Invitation to Tender, Technical Specifications, Draft Contract and Annexes, Financial Offer template and Declaration on Honour ¹.
2. 2Check eligibility, selection and exclusion criteria and ensure all requested supporting documentation is available and valid at submission time.
3. 3Prepare a technical offer that addresses the retrospective evaluation methodology, EO data sources and product specifications, NRT data flows, platform architecture, security measures, staffing and project management, quality assurance and testing, and a detailed workplan including the 6-month NRT experiment.
4. 4Complete the Financial Offer spreadsheet exactly per template, ensuring clear unit prices, totals and compliance with VAT instructions in Annex III.
5. 5Prepare administrative forms: Declaration on Honour, proof of registration, power of attorney for consortia (if applicable), CVs of key personnel, examples of previous similar projects and references.
6. 6Ensure electronic submission is completed before the portal deadline (20 August 2026, 16:00:59 Europe/Rome).
7. 7Be prepared for post-submission evaluation and potential clarification requests within the timelines stated in the tender documents.

Bidders should consult the technical specifications for exact EO product definitions, acceptable data sources (satellites, processing levels), processing chains, product formats, service-level requirements for NRT delivery (latency, availability), and any mandatory validation metrics to be used in the retrospective assessment and the NRT experiment.

Contacts and references

Lead contracting authority:European Commission, DG JRC - Joint Research Centre. Official tender page and documentation are available on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal under call identifier EC-JRC/IPR/2026/OP/2415. Use the portal's contact and helpdesk facilities for procedural questions and the additional information request period before the indicated deadline.

This tender supports the HAB-Hub Pilot project (PP33) which aims to assess, improve and scale-up existing EO data, services and methodologies to detect harmful algal bloom events in near-real-time across European waters, performing retrospective evaluations and a subsequent operational six-month experiment to identify best-performing approaches.

For full compliance and accurate bid preparation consult all published tender documents and templates listed below in the procurement package before submission ¹.

Footnotes

1. 1Published procurement documents include the Invitation to Tender, technical specifications (versions and v3.2), declaration of honour, draft contract and annexes (security requirements and baseline), draft contract part III general conditions, Annex IV on IPR statements, Annex III on VAT shares, and the Financial Offer template (7. Financial Offer_V1.xlsx). All documents are available on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal under EC-JRC/IPR/2026/OP/2415.

Project Purpose and Scope

The HAB-Hub Pilot project (PP33) is a European Commission initiative led by the Joint Research Centre (JRC) to assess, improve, and scale Earth Observation (EO) data and methodologies for detecting Harmful Algal Bloom (HAB) events in European waters in near-real-time (NRT) [[22]]. The project evaluates pan-European performance of existing operational EU services and global phytoplankton monitoring systems, first in retrospective mode to document past events, followed by a 6-month NRT experiment with the best-performing system [[22]].

Core Contract Objectives:The specific contract aims to provide EO data for retrospective assessment, develop a web-based dashboard/platform to host and display NRT experiment results, and execute the 6-month NRT experiment using appropriate data [[22]].

Who Should Apply (Eligible Tenderers)

This is a public procurement tender for services, targeting entities with expertise in Earth Observation data processing, near-real-time service delivery, and web-based platform development [[22]]. While the tender is not explicitly marked as SME-suited, applicants must demonstrate technical capacity in EO data handling (optical/RADAR), dashboard creation, and operational NRT monitoring [[22]].

1. 1Technical expertise in Earth Observation data (Sentinel, commercial SAR/optical)
2. 2Capability to deliver Near-Real-Time (NRT) data services
3. 3Experience in developing web-based dashboards or data visualization platforms
4. 4Ability to conduct retrospective analysis and operational 6-month experiments

Key Tender Details and Requirements

Deadlines and Submission Timeline

The final deadline for tender submission is **20 August 2026 at 16:00:59 CET** [[22]]. An earlier deadline of 1 January 2026 was also listed, but the primary closing date is August 2026 [[22]]. Requests for additional information must be submitted by **12 August 2026 at 20:00 CET** [[22]].

Award Criteria

The contract will be awarded based on two equally weighted criteria:**50% Quality** and **50% Price** [[22]]. Tenderers must consult the full procurement documents for detailed quality specifications, as the description notes that quality parameters are defined in the technical specifications [[22]].

Required Documentation and Procurement Files

Tenderers must submit a complete offer including the Financial Offer form, Declaration on Honour, and all required technical specifications. Key documents include the Invitation to Tender, Technical Specifications (v3.2), Draft Direct Service Contract, and Security Requirements annexes [[22]].

1. 11. EN-Invitation to tender EC-JRCIPR2026OP2415
2. 22a. EN TENDER SPECIFICATIONS (v23.06)
3. 3€2B. EC-JRC-PN-2026-TEC SPECIFICATIONS (v3.2)
4. 43. Declaration on Honour (tender)
5. 54. EN Direct Service Contract
6. 64.1 Appendix 2 Security requirements
7. 74.2 Appendix 3 Security baseline
8. 87. Financial Offer (Excel)

Official Resources and Contact

All official documents and submission portals are available via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal [[22]]. The lead authority is the European Commission's Joint Research Centre (JRC), which can be contacted via their official website [[22]].

Official Portal Link:Access the full tender details and documents at HAB-Hub Tender Portal [[22]].

Footnotes

1. 1The estimated overall contract amount is €1,000,000, covering data provision, platform development, and the 6-month NRT experiment execution [[22]].
2. 2Security requirements are mandatory, with specific annexes (Appendix 2 and 3) defining baseline security protocols for the contractor [[22]].