ERM-AD623k characterisation stuyd 1

Planned procurement (EC-JRC/GEE/2026/LVP/4811-EXA) to obtain external laboratory measurements for the characterisation of the candidate Certified Reference Material ERM-AD623k. This is an ex-ante notice, not a live tender, published by the European Commission DG JRC with expression of interest opening 17/09/2026 and closing 01/10/2026, and electronic submission via EU Login is required. The procedure is planned as a negotiated low/middle value contract, maximum contract duration 3 months and estimated total value not disclosed. Procurement documents and formal tender launch will be published on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal.

Summary

What is funded

External laboratory measurements to support the characterisation of a candidate Certified Reference Material (ERM-AD623k).

Who is the contracting authority:European Commission, DG JRC - Joint Research Centre.

Who can apply:Legal entities able to provide research laboratory services (external measurement laboratories). Electronic expression of interest via EU Login is required.

Procedure and value:Planned negotiated procedure for a low/middle value contract (research laboratory services, CPV 73111000). No contract amount is published; maximum contract duration is 3 months.

Key dates:Start of expression of interest 17/09/2026. Deadline for expression of interest 01/10/2026 00:59 Europe/Brussels. Indicative launch of negotiated procedure 01/10/2026.

1. 1Procurement type: services (research laboratory measurements)
2. 2Submission method: electronic via EU Login
3. 3Reference: EC-JRC/GEE/2026/LVP/4811-EXA

Full opportunity page and documents available on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal Tender details ¹

Footnotes

1. 1This entry is an ex-ante notice announcing the intent to launch a negotiated procedure; it is not yet a published call for tenders. See the portal page for updates and submission instructions.

Basic description

The European Commission Joint Research Centre (DG JRC) has published an ex-ante notice for a planned negotiated procedure (middle/low value) to procure external measurements for the characterisation of a candidate Certified Reference Material (CRM) coded ERM-AD623k. The procurement main CPV classification is 73111000 Research laboratory services. The nature of the contract is services. This notice is an announcement of intent to launch a negotiated low or middle value procedure and is not itself a call for tenders.

Key administrative facts

Procedure identifier:EC-JRC/GEE/2026/LVP/4811-EXA. Lead contracting authority: European Commission, DG JRC - Joint Research Centre. Main CPV: 73111000 Research laboratory services. Maximum contract duration (planned): 3 MONTH. Procurement type: services. Contracting system: none (no framework agreement).

Purpose of the procurement:To obtain external measurement services required for the characterisation of the candidate Certified Reference Material ERM-AD623k. Activities will be laboratory-based external measurements provided by qualified laboratories or service providers capable of producing metrologically traceable, quality-assured analytical results consistent with CRM characterisation practice.

Planned procedure type and value:Planned negotiated procedure for a middle/low value contract (ExA reference indicates ex-ante publicity of intent). No estimated total contract value is published in the notice.

Important dates and milestones

1. 1Publication / ex-ante notice date: 17/09/2026 (Europe/Brussels).
2. 2Start date for expression of interest: 17/09/2026 (Europe/Brussels).
3. 3Deadline for expression of interest / EXA registration deadline: 30/09/2026 23:59:59 +02:00 Europe/Brussels (published field lists 2026-09-30T23:59:59+02:00).
4. 4Indicative date of launch of the negotiated procedure: 01/10/2026 (Europe/Brussels).
5. 5Expression of interest submission deadline as listed: 01/10/2026 00:59 Europe/Brussels (the notice contains this timestamp).

Who should consider responding

Organisations capable of providing accredited, traceable laboratory measurement services and external characterisation for Certified Reference Materials. This typically includes national metrology institutes, accredited testing and calibration laboratories, specialised research institutes, university analytical laboratories with accreditation/traceability, commercial contract testing laboratories and qualified private-sector analytical service providers with proven CRM characterisation experience.

Eligible applicant types

The procurement notice does not explicitly list restrictive legal entity types. Based on the contract nature (research laboratory services) and the EU Procurement context the following applicant types are appropriate and likely eligible: research institutes, universities, national metrology or standards institutes, accredited testing and calibration laboratories, SMEs offering laboratory services, large enterprises providing analytical services, nonprofit scientific organisations. Individuals are not appropriate because this is a services contract requiring organisational capacity and laboratory infrastructure. Public-private partnership or investor participation is possible only where consistent with procurement rules and the submission requirements of the negotiated procedure.

Consortium requirement

The notice does not mandate a consortium. The procedure will be a negotiated contract where single economic operators may submit offers, and consortia or joint ventures can normally participate if allowed under procurement rules. There is no explicit requirement that multiple partners are mandatory.

Geographic eligibility / beneficiary scope

This is a European Commission procurement managed by the JRC; submission requires an EU Login account. The notice does not explicitly restrict participation to nationals of specific countries, but procurement under the Commission follows EU public procurement rules—tenderers from EU Member States and eligible countries under the procurement rules (including EEA and associated countries where applicable) should be eligible. The contracting authority is the European Commission (EU).

Target sector and technical scope

Sector:laboratory services, metrology, reference materials, analytical chemistry and quality assurance for Certified Reference Material characterisation. Technical activities expected: external analytical measurements, traceable metrology, uncertainty evaluation, inter-laboratory comparability, provision of measurement reports compatible with CRM certification. CPV 73111000 covers research laboratory and testing services.

Project maturity / expected stage

This procurement concerns measurement and characterisation work on a candidate CRM, therefore the relevant project stage is validation/characterisation and laboratory demonstration. It is not a basic idea or early research call nor is it a commercialization or scale-up contract; it aims to generate validated measurement data required for CRM certification.

Contract details and duration

Nature of contract:services. Maximum contract duration indicated in the notice: 3 MONTH. Contracting system: none (no framework agreement). The procurement is planned as a negotiated procedure for middle/low value contracts.

Funding and financial information

Estimated total value:not provided in the published notice. The notice explicitly does not publish an estimated total value. Contracting will be via a paid services contract awarded after the negotiated procedure; the awarded contractor will be paid for the delivered services under the contract. No grants, loans, equity or vouchers are involved—this is a procurement service contract.

Funding type:Procurement / service contract (purchase of external measurement services).

Application and submission process

Method to express interest:electronic submission only via the Funding & Tenders Portal eSubmission system. An EU Login account is required to submit expressions of interest and to receive procedural documentation. The notice emphasises that submissions must be sent exclusively to the address for submission specified in the portal. This is an open expression of interest for the planned negotiated procedure (ex-ante publicity).

Application type:Expression of interest via an open ex-ante notice followed by a negotiated procedure (planned launch date 01/10/2026).

Stages in the procurement process

1. 1Publication of ex-ante notice / expression of interest window (this announcement).
2. 2Receipt of expressions of interest by the contracting authority by the published deadline.
3. 3Launch of the negotiated procedure (invitation to selected economic operators or open negotiation phase as determined in the tender documents).
4. 4Submission of formal tenders under the negotiated procedure, evaluation, award and contract signature.

At minimum this implies two primary stages for an economic operator:(1) submit expression of interest during the EXA window; (2) participate and submit an offer in the subsequent negotiated tender when launched. Additional internal evaluation and clarifications may add further steps.

Success rates and competitiveness

The notice does not provide historical success rates or number of expected awards. As a negotiated procedure for a single contract, success rates will depend on the number and quality of offers received and the contracting authority's selection and award criteria. No statistical success rate is published.

Co-funding and financial contributions

No co-funding from applicants is indicated or required in the notice. This is a public procurement of services where the Commission will pay the contractor under the contract. Applicants should account for full-cost pricing in their offers according to procurement rules.

Selection and award criteria (as inferred)

The published record does not include detailed award criteria. Given the technical nature (CRM characterisation) likely evaluation elements include technical competence and experience in CRM characterisation and metrology, laboratory accreditation or traceability (e.g., ISO/IEC 17025), measurement uncertainty assessment, methodological appropriateness, quality control and data reporting, capacity to deliver within the 3-month duration, and price. The tender documents issued at launch will specify exact criteria.

Templates and submission documents

The ex-ante notice does not provide tender or application templates. Submission must be electronic via the Funding & Tenders Portal (eSubmission). Applicants should monitor the portal for the formal tender dossier which will include the specification, contractual terms, submission templates (technical and financial offer forms), and selection/exclusion and award criteria. The portal entry and the JRC procurement page are the primary sources for the tender documents¹.

Mentioned countries and geographic references

Explicit country references:European Commission and European Union (JRC). The notice uses Europe/Brussels timezone and requires EU Login. No specific Member States or third countries are individually listed in the notice; participation follows Commission procurement rules which typically allow economic operators from EU Member States and eligible associated countries.

Practical next steps for interested organisations

1. 1Create or ensure access to an EU Login account if not already registered.
2. 2Access the Funding & Tenders Portal tender page for EC-JRC/GEE/2026/LVP/4811-EXA and register interest before the EXA deadline.
3. 3Monitor the portal for publication of the negotiated tender documents (technical specification, contractual terms and templates).
4. 4Prepare evidence of laboratory accreditation, experience in CRM characterisation, measurement traceability and uncertainty budgets, quality assurance procedures (ISO/IEC 17025 or equivalent), and a realistic work plan for delivery within 3 months.
5. 5Plan for electronic submission according to the eSubmission rules and templates once the negotiated procedure is launched.

This notice is informational and constitutes ex-ante publicity for a planned negotiated procedure. Interested bidders should not submit full tenders now but must register their expression of interest electronically via the portal to be considered when the contracting authority launches the negotiated procurement.

Contact and information source:Full notice and updates are available on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal tender details page for EC-JRC/GEE/2026/LVP/4811-EXA. Interested parties must use EU Login to submit expressions of interest and to view Q&A and subsequent tender documents Funding & Tenders Portal tender page ¹.

Footnotes

1. 1Portal entry for the planned procurement: ec.europa.eu. The JRC corporate site with information on services and labs can be found at ec.europa.eu.

This is a planned procurement notice for external measurements supporting the characterisation of the candidate Certified Reference Material ERM-AD623k. It is not yet a live tender, and the work sits within the JRC reference material portfolio, which includes the official ERM-AD623 certified reference material record.[8]

Opportunity overview

What the contract is about

The notice concerns external measurements for the characterisation of a candidate Certified Reference Material identified as ERM-AD623k. In practical terms, the contracting authority is seeking laboratory or analytical measurement services to support the JRC's work on reference material characterisation and related quality assurance activities.

Who can apply

The public notice does not publish a formal eligibility list, selection criteria, or award methodology because this is a preliminary notice announcing a future negotiated procedure. In practice, the opportunity is relevant to organisations able to deliver research laboratory services, especially laboratories, research institutes, universities, and specialist technical service providers with demonstrable analytical capability.

• Applicants should be able to provide external measurements of suitable quality for a reference material characterisation exercise.
• The expression of interest must be submitted electronically through the Funding and Tenders Portal.
• An EU Login account is required to access the electronic submission function.
• The notice does not indicate any geographic restriction in the public summary.
• The lot is not marked as SME suitable in the available metadata.

Key dates and submission requirements

1. 1Expression of interest opened on 17 September 2026.
2. 2Expression of interest closes on 1 October 2026 at 00:59 Brussels time.
3. 3The indicative date for launching the negotiated procedure is 1 October 2026.
4. 4Submissions must be sent exclusively through the designated electronic express interest process.
5. 5No public questions and answers are listed in the notice at the time of the available record.

Budget and commercial terms:The estimated total value is not disclosed in the public notice, and no grant funding rate applies because this is a procurement for services rather than a funding grant. The maximum contract duration is 3 months, which suggests a short, narrowly scoped service engagement.

Practical implications for applicants

Interested parties should treat this as an early market signal rather than a final tender. The key immediate action is to register interest electronically, ensure EU Login access is available, and be ready for a short procurement window once the negotiated procedure is launched.

This publication also indicates that the procedure is planned under the middle or low value procurement route, which usually means the contracting authority intends to run a simplified negotiated process rather than a full open tender. Procurement documents are not yet available in the current public notice.

The official notice can be consulted here:EU Funding and Tenders Portal notice.

Footnotes

1. 1The notice explains that references containing ExA are not calls for tenders, but publications announcing the contracting authority's intention to launch a future negotiated low or middle value procedure. Official notice: EU Funding and Tenders Portal notice.