EU Complementary Time (C-T) and Complementary Position and Navigation (C-PN) services

EU procurement tender EC-DEFIS/2026/OP/0015 requests a 12-month research and experimental development contract (estimated value €500,000) to assess and define the EU contribution to Complementary Time (C-T) and Complementary Position and Navigation (C-PN) services. The contractor must deliver a project plan, C-T and C-PN technical trade-off analyses, and detailed procurement and implementation strategies to establish GNSS-independent, resilient timing and positioning solutions for the 2028–2034 period. The procedure is open and electronic submission via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal is mandatory, with award on a best price-quality ratio (quality 70%, price 30%) and a submission deadline of 9 October 2026 at 16:00 Brussels time. Eligible economic operators established in EU Member States may apply, consortia are allowed, and bids must meet exclusion, selection and security requirements and demonstrate engagement with trusted timing providers across multiple Member States.

What it funds

A one-year service contract to assess EU options for complementary Positioning, Navigation and Timing (C‑PNT): identify and trade-off mature C‑T (complementary timing) and C‑PN (position/navigation) candidates, produce detailed technical and procurement strategies, cost estimates and deployment timelines for the 2028–2034 MFF. Deliverables include project plan, C‑T and C‑PN technical trade‑offs (D210/D220) and detailed implementation/procurement strategies (D310/D320).

Maximum budget:Estimated total value €500,000; maximum contract duration 12 months ¹.

Who can apply

Open procedure for economic operators established in an EU Member State. Tenderers must meet exclusion and selection rules, not be subject to EU restrictive measures and must demonstrate technical and financial capacity. Consortia are allowed; the tender requires close engagement with national timing stakeholders (e.g. NMIs, NRENs) and may require letters of commitment from subcontractors or partners.

1. 1What is required: technical proposal (C‑T and C‑PN analyses), project and collaboration plans, CVs, and financial tender
2. 2Minimum technical expectations: GNSS‑independent UTC distribution (C‑T) with high availability and ns‑level accuracy; candidate C‑PNs resilient to RFI (eLORAN, R‑Mode, sensor fusion, 6G options etc.)
3. 3Evaluation: best price–quality ratio (quality 70%, price 30%); tenders over €500,000 are excluded

Key administrative notes:electronic submission via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal (EU Login and PIC required). The contracting authority is the European Commission, DG DEFIS (Defence Industry & Space).

Focus areas:strengthen PNT resilience to radio frequency interference (RFI); define a pan‑EU C‑T backbone linking NMIs and secure PoPs; assess C‑PN candidate technologies and their readiness for EU‑wide deployment; prepare procurement and SLA models for implementation in the next MFF.

Footnotes

1. 1Full tender documents, invitation to tender, tender specifications and draft contract are published on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal (tender details page for EC-DEFIS/2026/OP/0015).

Call summary and context

This is an open procedure call for tenders (Procedure identifier EC-DEFIS/2026/OP/0015) launched by the European Commission, Directorate-General DEFIS (Defence Industry and Space). The procurement seeks a study, analysis and procurement strategy to define how the Commission should contribute to complementary Positioning, Navigation and Timing (C-PNT) services for the 2028-2034 Multi-annual Financial Framework (European Competitiveness Fund, Article 59). The study focuses on two elements: a robust pan-EU Complementary Time (C-T) service based on UTC generation and distribution (network level D interoperability with national level C), and an assessment of candidate Complementary Position and Navigation (C-PN) technologies (TRL 8-9 and promising future technologies) that would use the C-T infrastructure and be resilient to GNSS radio-frequency interference (RFI). The contract is for services, maximum duration 12 months, estimated total value €500 000. Full procurement documents, tender specifications, draft contract and annexes are published on the Funding & Tenders Portal Tender details and documents ¹.

Key objectives required of the contractor

The contractor must perform a one-year project delivering:Project Plan (D110), C-T technical report and trade-off analysis (D210), C-PN technical report and trade-off analysis (D220), detailed implementation and procurement strategy for the selected C-T option (D310) and for selected C-PN option(s) (D320). Activities include: assessment of existing national and pan-European infrastructures; development and agreement of trade-off criteria and KPIs; trade-off analysis to identify one mature C-T solution (TRL 9) and at least two C-PN candidate solutions (TRL 8-9) or promising future solutions; detailed cost, schedule, CAPEX/OPEX (20-year), procurement and implementation approaches; definition of required SLAs, monitoring, security, interfaces to NMIs and Member State level C networks; analysis of supply chain and EU development requirements; design-to-cost scenarios and phasing options.

Primary procurement outputs and deliverables:Deliverables: D110 Project Plan (KO and progress reports), D210 C-T Technical Report and Trade-Off Analysis, D220 C-PN Technical Report and Trade-Off Analysis, D310 C-T Implementation and Procurement Strategy, D320 C-PN Implementation and Procurement Strategy, plus two progress reports and closure. Milestones are scheduled across a 12-month period with K0 within 15 days of contract signature, intermediate RR/IR/FR milestones and final close-out. Detailed list and timeline included in tender specifications.

Eligibility, application and contracting details

This procurement is an open procedure (electronic submission via eSubmission on the Funding & Tenders Portal). All economic operators eligible under the EU Treaties may submit a tender. The contracting authority requires evidence of access to procurement and applies additional eligibility / participation conditions to protect essential security interests: participant must be established in an EU Member State, have executive management in a Member State, commit to carry out relevant activities in one or more Member States and must not be subject to control by a third country or third country entity. The contracting authority may request documentary evidence and performs checks on exclusion and selection criteria. All submissions must follow the tender specification structure and include required administrative, technical and financial annexes as listed in Annex 1 to the specifications.

Important dates:TED publication date 14/08/2026. Deadline for receipt of tenders 09/10/2026 16:00 Europe/Brussels. Date and time of public opening 12/10/2026 10:00 Europe/Brussels. Contract maximum duration 12 months. Contract estimated total value €500 000.

Procurement & award mechanics

The award method is best price-quality ratio with weighting Price 30% and Quality 70% (quality split across three sub-criteria: technical work 40 points, implementation plan & collaboration 40 points, team & organisation 20 points). Tenders scoring less than 60% overall or less than 50% on any single criterion are eliminated. The maximum permitted tender value is €500 000; tenders exceeding this will be rejected. The contracting authority will evaluate eligibility (access to procurement), exclusion and selection criteria, then apply the award criteria and ranking formula: Score = (Technical Score x 0.7) + ((Lowest price / Price of Tender) x 100 * 0.3).

1. 1Procurement type: services contract (CPV 73100000 Research and experimental development services).
2. 2Submission: electronic via eSubmission (EU Login and PIC required).
3. 3Award: best price-quality ratio; quality threshold and scoring rules apply.
4. 4Contracting authority: European Commission, DG DEFIS - Defence Industry and Space.

Structured answers to categorisation questions

1. 1Eligible Applicant Types: Eligible applicants are legal and natural persons falling within the scope of the EU Treaties: startups, SMEs, large enterprises, universities, research institutes, non-profits, NGOs, national research organisations (including NMIs), public authorities, consortia/joint tenderers. The tender specifically expects involvement of recognised timing providers (e.g., NMIs, NRENs, EURAMET) and allows subcontractors and entities on whose capacities the tenderer relies. All involved entities must meet security and access-to-procurement conditions described in the tender (established in an EU Member State, executive management in EU, perform activities in EU, not controlled by third-country interests).

1. 1Funding Type: This is a public procurement / service contract (not a grant, loan or equity). The EU will sign a direct contract for services with the successful tenderer under the Financial Regulation. The estimated total contract value is €500 000.

1. 1Consortium Requirement: A single tenderer or a consortium (joint tender) may apply. Joint tenders are allowed and, if used, a group leader must be appointed. The tender allows subcontracting and reliance on capacities of other entities; identified subcontractors (≥10% or relied on for selection criteria) must be listed and provide commitment letters.

1. 1Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): Applicants must be established in EU Member States and commit to carry out relevant activities in one or more Member States. Participation by entities established outside the EU is restricted: the tender requires absence of third-country control (see participation conditions) and may require documentation demonstrating EU control.

1. 1Target Sector: Space and satellite navigation / PNT sector; cross-cutting critical infrastructure sectors (transport, energy, telecoms, finance, maritime, aviation). Thematic focus: positioning, navigation & timing resilience, GNSS-independent timing, complementary PNT technologies (eLORAN, R-Mode, inertial/autonomous solutions, 6G-future technologies), cybersecurity for PNT, national metrology (NMIs).

1. 1Mentioned Countries: Explicit country-level requirement: EU Member States (applicants must be established and carry out relevant activities within EU Member States). No specific non-EU countries are listed; the call excludes third-country control. The lead contracting authority is based in Belgium (Brussels).

1. 1Project Stage: This procurement requests analysis, evaluation, trade-off, validation and procurement strategy (research-to-demonstration-to-procurement planning). Expected maturity: review of TRL 8-9 technologies for C-PN and TRL 9 for C-T, leading to procurement-ready implementation plans (so: research/assessment, validation and demonstration planning, implementation/procurement planning).

1. 1Funding Amount: Estimated total procedure value €500 000 (this is the ceiling available for the contract). Maximum tender price must be ≤ €500 000; tenders above this will be rejected.

1. 1Application Type: Open call for tenders via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal (eSubmission). Electronic submission only; EU Login account and Participant Identification Code (PIC) required.

1. 1Nature of Support: Non-repayable contract payment for services (money paid as consideration for research/analysis/strategy services). The procurement buys services and deliverables; beneficiaries receive funds under a services contract, not grants, loans or equity.

1. 1Application Stages: Single-stage tender submission (full proposal via eSubmission). Evaluation sequence includes administrative compliance, exclusion checks, selection criteria verification (may request documents later), technical & financial evaluation under award criteria, and final award. The document and milestone structure in the tender requires draft and final versions of deliverables during performance.

1. 1Success Rates: Not explicitly published. General guidance: open EU tenders for advisory/analysis services at this budget often attract several bids; success rate depends on competition but typically low single-digit to low double-digit percentage of submissions reach award. No official success-rate data is available in the procurement documents.

1. 1Co-funding Requirement: No co-funding is requested or required in the procurement documents. The contract is a fully funded service contract with a fixed maximum amount. However, bidders must ensure their proposed costs fit the €500 000 ceiling and may be asked to provide a design-to-cost scenario.

Templates and application structure:The tender requires a structured submission with specified annexes. Applicants must follow the exact documentation list (Annex 1) and mandatory templates included in the procurement documents. The tender must contain: 1) Administrative package: Declaration on Honour (Annex 2), Letter of representation (Annex 9), Participation conditions (Annex 10 and 10bis), signed Agreement/Power of attorney for joint tenders (Annex 3), list of identified subcontractors (Annex 4) and commitment letters (Annex 5.1 / 5.2); 2) Technical tender: Project Plan (max 5 pages), Collaboration Plan (max 8 pages), Technical Report (max 12 pages, separate C-T and C-PN sections), Trade-Off Analysis (max 6 pages), CVs and evidence for selection criteria (T1-T3) and supporting documentation; 3) Financial tender using the provided Financial Model (Annex 6) expressed in EUR and excluding VAT; 4) Additional required annexes: Draft contract acceptance, security appendix compliance, VAT share annex for group bids. The tender specifications give page limits, required deliverables and milestone schedule which must be respected. Draft deliverables (0.1/0.5/0.9) and final versions are specified in the contract and must be delivered as per the milestone table.

Technical and security expectations

Technical minimums for C-T:deliver a GNSS-independent UTC distribution architecture with availability targets (C-T network available 99.999%; UTC service availability 99.9%), timing accuracy at the interface to level-C of 10 ns (2-sigma) and traceability to NMIs; support for rapid master-clock switching, continuous monitoring, defined SLAs, secure Points of Presence and contractual models. Technical minimums for C-PN: candidate technologies must be GNSS-independent with no common single points of failure, positional accuracy target <€20 M (ideally <€10 M) and optional time transfer <100 ns (ideally <40 ns) relying on C-T UTC; capability to operate without GNSS for 100 days or indefinitely; expandability to EU territory including inland waters and specified air/space domains; performance in GNSS-poor environments (urban canyon, indoor, underground, underwater); cybersecurity and resilience design. Security: contractor must comply with Commission security rules and Appendix 2 security requirements; if personnel access Commission premises, ethics and confidentiality declarations are required; personal data processing must comply with Regulations (EU) 2018/1725 and 2016/679 and data localisation requirements (EU/EEA).

• Mandatory documentation is available in English only; bidders may submit tenders in any EU official language but the contracting authority publishes documents in English as sole authentic text.
• eSubmission technical limits: attachments <50 MB per file, up to 200 attachments; supported browsers are Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox; PIC required for organisation(s).
• Questions & Answers: must be submitted via the Portal Q&A; contracting authority not bound to reply to questions submitted after 01/10/2026 23:59 Europe/Brussels.

Practical advice for applicants

Follow the tender specification structure exactly, respect page limits, include all annexes and signed declarations, prepare evidence for selection and exclusion criteria in advance (balance sheets, project lists, CVs, NMI engagement letters), identify subcontractors exceeding 10% or relied-on entities and include commitment letters, and ensure the financial tender stays within the €500 000 ceiling. Allow sufficient time for eSubmission testing, and for joint tenders prepare the Agreement/Power of attorney (Annex 3) and the VAT share annex if applicable. Engage recognised timing stakeholders early for the Collaboration Plan. Prepare a clear set of trade-off criteria and KPIs and a realistic Gantt and resource allocation. Demonstrate understanding of NMI interfaces, traceability to UTC(k), RFI resilience measures, SLAs and procurement models for pan-EU deployment.

• Recommended team composition: timing metrology experts (NMIs), network engineers (optical fibre/time transfer specialists), PNT technologists (eLORAN/R-Mode/inertial/6G experts), cybersecurity specialists, procurement and public policy experts with EU procurement experience, project management.
• Deliverable evidence: include independent cost estimates, CAPEX/OPEX projections for 20 years, phasing options, risk register and mitigation, supply-chain analysis and legal/regulatory constraints (spectrum, national authorisations).

Templates: structure and where to find them:All templates and mandatory annexes are published with the tender on the Funding & Tenders Portal: Invitation to tender, Tender specifications, Draft contract, Annexes I-IV, security appendix, Letter of representation, Declaration on honour, VAT share template, Participation conditions and Guidelines, Commitment letter templates and financial form (Annex 6). Applicants must download, complete and upload the templates exactly as requested in Annex 1 of the tender specifications. See the Portal for the official documentation Tender documentation and annexes ¹.

Concluding summary

What is this opportunity and how would you explain it? This procurement is a single, time-limited advisory/analysis service contract (maximum 12 months, €500 000) to deliver the assessment, trade-off analysis, detailed implementation and procurement strategy for an EU contribution to complementary PNT services. The Commission requires an actionable plan for a pan-EU Complementary Time (C-T) backbone that interconnects NMIs and secure PoPs over dedicated fibre and provides GNSS-independent UTC with stringent availability and accuracy targets and SLAs. In parallel, the contractor must evaluate candidate Complementary Position and Navigation (C-PN) technologies (TRL 8-9 and promising future approaches), assess their readiness, interoperability with C-T, RFI resilience, cost, timeline and procurement routes, and produce procurement-ready specifications and phased implementation options for the next MFF. The procurement is open to single tenderers and consortia established in EU Member States and requires compliance with exclusion, selection, security and data protection conditions. Submission is electronic via the Funding & Tenders Portal (eSubmission) using the provided templates and annexes, complying with the tender specification structure, page limits, milestone schedule and contractual terms.

Footnotes

1. 1Full procurement files, tender specifications, draft contract and annexes are available on the Funding & Tenders Portal: Tender details and documents Funding & Tenders Portal.

This is an EU procurement tender, not a grant, launched by the European Commission, DG DEFIS, to assess how the EU should contribute to complementary PNT services for the next multiannual financial framework. The contract is for research and experimental development services focused on resilient, GNSS-independent time and positioning solutions, with the official portal showing an estimated value of €500,000 and a 12 month maximum duration ¹.

Opportunity summary

The tender seeks analytical and technical support to identify the best approach for complementary Time services and Complementary Position and Navigation services that can strengthen resilience against radio frequency interference affecting GNSS, support critical infrastructure continuity, and inform future EU procurement or funding decisions for the 2028 to 2034 period ¹.

Procedure type:Open procedure, with electronic submission only and award on the basis of best price-quality ratio ¹.

Estimated value:€500,000 estimated total contract value ¹.

Publication and deadline:Published on 14 August 2026, with tender submission due by 9 October 2026 at 16:00 Brussels time. Questions are not guaranteed to be answered after 1 October 2026 at 23:59 Brussels time, and the public opening is scheduled for 12 October 2026 at 10:00 Brussels time ¹.

What the contract is about

The assignment covers a study and technical assessment of complementary PNT architecture for the European Union. For C-T, the focus is on creating a mature, interoperable, GNSS-independent time distribution backbone based on existing national and pan-European infrastructure, including links between National Metrology Institutes and secure points of presence. For C-PN, the focus is on assessing candidate positioning and navigation technologies that can use the C-T backbone and remain resilient to GNSS disruption and radio frequency interference ¹.

The tender documentation states that the project must assess the optimal contribution of the EU to C-T and C-PN, develop trade-off criteria, compare solution options, and then produce a more detailed procurement strategy and costed implementation pathway for the preferred options ¹.

Who can apply

Any economic operator able to submit a tender under EU procurement rules may apply, either alone or as part of a consortium. The invitation states that each organisation participating in electronic submission must register in the Participant Register and obtain a PIC, and that tenders may be submitted in any official EU language ¹.

For the C-T component, bidders must include or work with recognised and trusted timing providers from at least three different Member States. The tender specifications also mention that this may involve recognised pan-European bodies such as EURAMET or GÉANT, and that support letters are required if relevant stakeholders are part of an advisory board rather than the core project team ¹.

The tender is marked as not SME suitable in the portal data, so the opportunity is not tailored specifically to small and medium-sized enterprises ¹.

Eligibility and participation conditions

Tenderers must not be subject to exclusion grounds, including bankruptcy, tax or social security non-compliance, grave professional misconduct, fraud, corruption, criminal offences, conflict of interest, restrictive measures, or an established debt to the EU. The declaration on honour also requires confirmation that the tender was prepared independently and that no prohibited prior involvement in drafting the procurement documents created an unfair advantage ¹.

The portal documents also require compliance with EU restrictive measures, and they allow the contracting authority to request evidence on exclusion and selection criteria during the procedure. Where necessary, remedial measures can be declared, subject to assessment by the contracting authority ¹.

Technical scope and expected outputs

The project is structured around three work packages covering management, evaluation of the optimal contribution to C-T and C-PN, and detailed analysis with procurement strategy development. The tender requires a project plan, collaboration plan, technical report, and trade-off analysis, each with page limits and specific content requirements set out in the specifications ¹.

The C-T solution must provide UTC with at least 99.9 percent availability and 10 ns accuracy at the interconnection to level C, with a network availability target of at least 99.999 percent. It must be independent of GNSS, avoid common points of failure, preserve UTC traceability, support monitoring, and ideally offer frequency transfer capability for future optical clock comparison ¹.

The C-PN solutions must be fully independent of GNSS, share no common points of failure, provide positional accuracy better than €20 M, ideally better than €10 M, and maintain operation either permanently without GNSS or for at least 100 days without GNSS if justified. They must obtain traceable UTC from C-T with synchronization better than 100 ns, ideally better than 40 ns, and should be expandable across the EU, inland waters, territorial waters, airspace, and challenging environments such as urban canyons, indoor, underground, and underwater locations ¹.

The specifications indicate that the bidder should examine multiple C-PN technology candidates, including high-TRL systems such as eLORAN and R-Mode, promising future technologies such as 6G, and autonomous or local augmentation using GNSS-independent sensor fusion. Bidders may also propose other technologies, provided they meet the minimum requirements and are supported by credible analysis ¹.

Key contractual conditions

The contract is for services, under CPV code 73100000 for research and experimental development services, and is not divided into lots. Variants are not allowed. The contract duration is a maximum of 12 months, and the project is expected to start after signature with a kick-off meeting within 15 days, either in Brussels, Ispra, or remotely if agreed ¹.

The contractor must submit the tender electronically through the Funding and Tenders Portal, using EU Login and the eSubmission system. The invitation letter states that tenders submitted by email or by post will be disregarded, and that only one tender per tenderer can be considered unless variants are explicitly permitted, which they are not in this procedure ¹.

Award and evaluation

Award is based on best price-quality ratio, with quality carrying 70 percent and price 30 percent according to the portal data. The tender specifications indicate that the evaluation will focus on the technical soundness of the proposed approach, the quality of the collaboration framework, the credibility of the trade-off analysis, and the realism of the implementation and procurement strategy ¹.

The tenderer must provide an initial trade-off analysis in the proposal and then refine it during the contract. The Commission will use the results to select at least one C-T infrastructure solution for detailed analysis and at least two C-PN solutions for further examination in the second phase of the project ¹.

Practical points applicants should note

• Electronic submission is mandatory through the portal and requires EU Login and a PIC for each participating organisation. ¹
• Questions may be submitted only through the portal, and the authority is not bound to answer questions received after 1 October 2026 at 23:59 Brussels time. ¹
• The tender documents include a draft service contract, security requirements, declaration on honour, VAT share annex, IPR declaration, participation conditions, and a market questionnaire. ¹
• The proposal must include concrete drafts of the project plan, collaboration plan, technical report, and trade-off analysis, all of which are part of the evaluation basis. ¹
• Security and supply chain considerations matter, including non-EU dependence, cybersecurity, and long term sustainability of the proposed C-T and C-PN solutions. ¹

Overall assessment

This opportunity is most relevant for consortia or specialised firms with expertise in metrology, timing distribution, satellite navigation resilience, telecommunications infrastructure, cybersecurity, system architecture, and procurement strategy. The strongest proposals will likely combine technical credibility, access to trusted timing stakeholders across multiple Member States, a realistic design-to-cost approach, and a clear pathway from assessment to future EU deployment decisions ¹.

Footnotes

1. 1Official opportunity page and tender documents on the EU Funding and Tenders Portal for EC-DEFIS/2026/OP/0015, EU Complementary Time (C-T) and Complementary Position and Navigation (C-PN) services: EU Funding and Tenders Portal.