Expansion of the EU Building Stock Observatory and facilitation of an EU ecosystem for buildings data collection, processing and management

Service contract tender by the European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency (CINEA) to develop, expand and maintain the EU Building Stock Observatory (BSO) as an EU data hub for monitoring building energy performance. Estimated total value €2,800,000, maximum duration 48 months, awarded on the best price-quality ratio under procedure CINEA/2026/OP/0002. Scope covers database and user interface upgrades, integration of national EPBD data, data gap identification and validation, advanced functionalities, ad hoc technical support and communication and community activities. Electronic submission only via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal eSubmission with tender deadline 15 April 2026 at 15:00 Brussels time and questions due by 08 April 2026 at 23:59 Brussels time.

What it funds

Scope in one line

Service contract to develop, upgrade, operate and maintain the EU Building Stock Observatory (BSO) web tool and to facilitate an EU ecosystem for buildings data collection, processing, validation, visualisation and user support. Activities cover database schema/backend updates, integration of national and European data (including EPBD transfers), advanced visualisations and APIs, data‑gap analysis, security and quality checks, ad hoc policy support and communications/community building.

Estimated contract value:€2 800 000 (all inclusive) for a maximum contract duration of 48 months ¹

Who can apply

Open procedure. Eligible tenderers are legal persons or consortia (group of economic operators). Subcontracting is permitted but identified subcontractors must be declared. Tenderers must meet selection and exclusion requirements and demonstrate consolidated technical capacity across the team and partners.

Key eligibility / selection highlights:The tender is evaluated on selection criteria (economic/financial and technical/professional capacity) and award on best price‑quality ratio. Minimum experience thresholds include multiple recent projects of similar scope/value and named senior experts in project management, building energy data, data visualisation and web development.

1. 1Who: companies or consortia with proven experience in building energy data, web tools, analytics and communications
2. 2What: maintain and expand the BSO, integrate Member State EPBD data, add indicators, QA and APIs, provide policy and user support
3. 3Value & duration: estimated total €2.8M; up to 48 months
4. 4Award: best price‑quality ratio; framework/service contract with staged deliverables and interim payments

Important dates and practical notes

Tender published (TED/EU portal) in March 2026. Electronic submission only through the EU Funding & Tenders Portal eSubmission. Public opening of tenders and formal deadlines are set in the procurement notice and tender specifications.

Mandatory procurement documents (invitation letter, tender specifications, financial offer template, technical annexes, declaration on honour and model power of attorney) set detailed eligibility, selection and deliverable requirements; tenderers should consult those documents and use the Participant Registration / PIC and eSubmission systems. ¹

Footnotes

1. 1Full tender dossier and submission instructions are available on the Funding & Tenders Portal (call CINEA/2026/OP/0002) and the TED notice (TED reference 45/2026 154723-2026).

Procurement reference:CINEA/2026/OP/0002. Lead contracting authority: European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency CINEA. Procedure: Open procedure. Award method: Best price-quality ratio. Nature of the contract: Services. Main CPV: 73000000 Research and development services and related consultancy services. Estimated total value: €2,800,000. Maximum contract duration: 48 months. Submission method: Electronic only via the EU Funding and Tenders Portal. TED reference: 154723-2026.

Official opportunity page and documents:EU Funding and Tenders Portal link to the tender dossier and eSubmission. Downloadable documents include the Invitation to tender, Tender Specifications, Annex 1 List of documents, Annex 2 Declaration on honour, Annex 2.1 Technical and Professional capacity, Annex 3 Agreement Power of attorney, Annex 4 List of subcontractors, Annex 5.1 Commitment letter Identified subcontractor, Annex 5.2 Commitment letter Third party, Annex 6 Financial tender form. Opportunity page CINEA 2026 OP 0002 Tender Specifications PDF Invitation to tender PDF ¹

Purpose and scope of services

The contract will further develop, maintain, and expand the EU Building Stock Observatory BSO as the EU data hub for monitoring the evolution of the energy performance of the Union building stock, aligned with the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive EPBD recast Directive EU 2024/1275 and Commission Implementing Regulation EU 2025/1328 on common templates for transfer of information from national energy performance of buildings databases.

• Integrate information transferred annually from Member States’ national EPBD databases into the BSO database and visualisation tool, with automatic updates where possible.
• Expand data coverage with new indicators and datasets from credible sources such as Eurostat, JRC, EEA, national statistical and administrative bodies, research institutes and academia.
• Upgrade the BSO schema backend and user interface to enable easier updates, advanced visualisation, improved UX, data downloads and APIs, and more flexible data structures.
• Support the Commission in annually monitoring the evolution of the energy performance of the EU building stock and in preparing and publishing the annual monitoring report through the BSO Article 3 9 EPBD.
• Provide ad hoc technical support, mapping of EU and national data sources, and targeted advice to policy work.
• Facilitate an EU-wide building data community, cluster relevant EU-funded projects notably LIFE CET, and implement comprehensive communication and dissemination including BSO Days and newsletters.

Work packages and deliverables

The services are structured into six Work Packages WP with defined deliverables and timelines within the 48-month contract. Tenderers must propose a coherent methodology, management approach, and resourcing plan to meet all minimum requirements.

1. 1WP1 Project management. Deliverables D1 Inception report month 2, D2 First interim report month 4, D3 Second interim report month 16, D4 Third interim report month 32, D5 Final report month 48. Includes detailed work plan, coordination with CINEA, DG ENER and DG DIGIT, risk management, and quality assurance.
2. 2WP2 Review and upgrade the BSO database schema backend and user interface. Task 2.1 Critical review and design recommendations. Deliverable D6 Report on key requirements and recommendations month 4. Task 2.2 IT implementation agile approach and testing, with Commission hosting and DG DIGIT coordination. Deliverables D7 Detailed development plan month 8, D8 Upgraded BSO database 1 month 12, D9 Manuals and tutorials 1 month 10, D10 Testing report 1 month 13, D11 Upgraded BSO database 2 month 28, D12 Manuals and tutorials 2 month 26, D13 Testing report 2 month 29, D14 Upgraded BSO database 3 month 44, D15 Manuals and tutorials 3 month 42, D16 Testing report 3 month 45, plus annual April May BSO updates based on MS transfers due by 15 March annually from 2027.
3. 3WP3 Identification of data gaps, collection and validation of data. Task 3.1 Data gaps analysis top down and bottom up. Deliverables D17, D18, D19 EU building stock data gaps reports months 8, 24, 40. Task 3.2 Collection and validation procedures and IT modules. Deliverables D20 Data validity checking report month 6, D21 Expanded dataset 1 month 12, D22 Updates of existing indicators 1 month 12, D23 Update 2 month 24, D24 Expanded dataset 2 month 28, D25 Update 3 month 36, D26 Expanded dataset 3 month 44, D27 Update 4 month 48.
4. 4WP4 Development of BSO advanced functionalities. Identification, assessment, and prototyping of enhancements such as automated monitoring-report section, custom searches, GIS visualisation, AI-assisted queries, and automatic database updates. Deliverables D28 Assessment report month 32, D29 Prototypes month 42.
5. 5WP5 Ad hoc technical support to the Commission for BSO policy implementation. Establish and operate the BSO Support Office to handle enquiries from authorities and users. Deliverables D30 Support office operational month 3 and ongoing; D31 Support for annual monitoring report Q4 each contract year and ad hoc reports.
6. 6WP6 Promotion, communication and dissemination. Cluster BSO-relevant projects with 4 online meetings per year and ad hoc meetings. Build and engage a diverse BSO community; organise annual hybrid BSO Day events in Brussels months 13, 25, 37, 48 with 50 to 100 in person participants expected; prepare annual BSO highlights reports and regular newsletters every 2 months. Deliverables D32 Projects cluster month 3, D33, D37, D40, D43 Mapping of high-priority organisations months 10, 22, 34, 46, D34, D38, D41, D44 BSO highlights annual reports months 13, 25, 37, 48, D35, D39, D42, D45 BSO Day events months 13, 25, 37, 48, D36 Community bootstrapped month 15, D46 BSO Newsletter from month 6 then every 2 months.

Eligibility, access and participation

Eligible Applicant Types:Any interested economic operator natural or legal person with access to EU procurement can tender, individually or in a group joint tender. Typical eligible entities include SMEs, large enterprises, specialist consultancies, IT data and software firms, universities and research institutes, nonprofit organisations, and public or semi-public bodies with relevant expertise. Subcontracting is allowed. Particular experience is required in energy performance of buildings policy, EU buildings data, web database development, data analytics and visualisation, communications, and English reporting.

Funding Type:Procurement services contract. Payments against approved deliverables and interim reports under a direct contract. Not a grant.

Consortium Requirement:Single tenderers and joint tenders consortia are permitted. No mandatory consortium composition is imposed. For joint tenders, an Agreement Power of attorney Annex 3 is required, with joint and several liability and a group leader acting as single point of contact.

Beneficiary Scope Geographic Eligibility:Open on equal terms to all natural and legal persons within the scope of the EU Treaties and to international organisations. Access is also open to entities established in third countries that have a special agreement with the EU in public procurement on the conditions of that agreement. The WTO GPA does not apply. Countries explicitly listed as having access include North Macedonia, Albania, Montenegro, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Iceland, Norway, Liechtenstein, Georgia, Moldova, and Ukraine. Entities subject to EU restrictive measures or without access are not eligible.

Target Sector:Energy efficiency in buildings, environment and climate policy implementation, data infrastructure and analytics, ICT software services and web applications, statistics and indicators, public policy monitoring, communications and stakeholder engagement.

Mentioned Countries:EU Member States, Belgium Brussels for meetings and hosting, North Macedonia, Albania, Montenegro, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Iceland, Norway, Liechtenstein, Georgia, Moldova, Ukraine.

Project Stage:Service delivery and implementation. Activities include development and maintenance of an operational EU web data platform, data acquisition and validation, policy monitoring support, and community building. Not basic research; includes development, integration, validation, and continuous operation.

Funding Amount:Estimated total contract value €2,800,000 for up to 48 months. Financial offer to be submitted using Annex 6 with all-inclusive prices per deliverable and totals; best price-quality ratio will determine award.

Application Type:Open call for tenders via electronic submission eSubmission through the EU Funding and Tenders Portal. A valid Participant Identification Code PIC is required for each group member. Tenders submitted by email or post are not accepted.

Nature of Support:Money. The successful contractor will receive payments per contract terms. No sub-grants are foreseen. Tender preparation and participation costs, including attendance at meetings and event organisation costs, are borne by the contractor and must be included in the financial tender.

Application Stages:One-stage open procurement. After submission, a virtual public opening is held. Evaluation covers exclusion, selection, compliance with minimum requirements, and award criteria best price-quality ratio. Clarifications may be requested; no substantial changes to tenders are allowed post-deadline.

Success Rates:No success rate information is provided for this specific open procedure.

Co-funding Requirement:No co-funding. This is a service contract. The contractor is remunerated as per the contract; proposer bears its own bid costs and any non-reimbursable expenses required to perform the services within the offered price.

Selection and professional capacity requirements

Tenderers must meet economic and financial capacity requirements and demonstrate strong technical and professional capacity. Evidence is provided using Annex 2.1 Technical and Professional capacity and other documents. Consolidated assessment applies to the tenderer as a whole group members and identified subcontractors combined, unless specified.

• Financial capacity F1: Average yearly turnover of the last two closed financial years must be above €1,400,000. Evidence: Profit and loss accounts and balance sheets or bank statements upon request.
• Technical capacity T1: Experience in energy efficiency and renewable energy policy with focus on energy performance of buildings at EU and national levels. Minimum 2 similar projects in the last 3 years completed or ongoing, each at least €500,000.
• Technical capacity T2: Experience with buildings data across the 27 EU Member States, covering new and existing data sources and barriers opportunities for populating the BSO. Minimum 2 similar projects in the last 3 years completed or ongoing, each at least €500,000.
• Technical capacity T3: Experience in development of online databases and web tools, statistics, analytics, and user interface design. Minimum 2 similar projects in the last 3 years completed or ongoing, each at least €500,000.
• Technical capacity T4: Capacity to draft and deliver high-quality English reports. Provide at least one document relevant to BSO or EPBD of at least 10 pages, published or delivered in the last 2 years.

• Professional capacity P1 Project Manager: At least 10 years of project management experience, including delivery oversight, quality control, client orientation, conflict resolution; experience managing a project of similar size at least €2,000,000 and coverage at least 5 EU Member States, managing a team of at least 10 people.
• P2 Experts in Building Energy Data: At least 3 senior experts each with minimum 10 years experience collectively covering EPCs, smart metering data, building data analytics, stakeholder engagement, and excellent knowledge of the European building sector and policy challenges.
• P3 Data Visualisation Specialists: At least 2 experts experienced in Power BI, dashboards similar to BSO, data management and databases, and use of APIs. Each with a relevant higher education degree and at least 8 years professional experience.
• P4 Data Analytics and Web Development Experts: At least 2 experts in data analytics, visualisation, web development, and maintenance of web applications and tools for data processing and interaction. Each with a relevant higher education degree and at least 5 years professional experience.
• P5 Technical Experts Energy Performance, Data Management, Web Design: Team of at least 4 experts each with at least 3 years experience collectively covering building energy use data analysis, data management, analytics and statistics especially energy statistics, certification, and website web tools UI design.
• P6 Communication Expert: At least 1 expert with proven track record in managing social media and organising public events with at least 3 years of relevant experience in the last 5 years. Criterion applies to the tenderer as a whole; can be met across the team.
• P7 Language Quality Check English: Team of at least 5 members demonstrating English C1 CEFR level or native-level proficiency.

Evidence must include CVs detailing roles, responsibilities, achievements, project titles and activities, start and end dates, total project amounts, scopes, and links if available. Client statements may be requested for verification. For T-criteria, provide project lists with values and scope; for T4, include document or URL.

Award criteria and quality expectations

Award is based on the best price-quality ratio. Deliverables will be quality-checked against criteria of relevance to BSO challenges, sound analysis and understanding of building data and sources, and helpful, practical recommendations tailored to the evolving policy and legal framework. Performance indicators include BSO users and engagement metrics, number and coverage of indicators and countries, functionality adoption and system performance, support office responsiveness and satisfaction, event participation and feedback, community diversity, and newsletter reach and open rates.

Submission package and templates

Mandatory documents with the tender:Technical tender complete methodology, work plan, risk and quality plans, team composition and CVs, compliance with minimum requirements, Gantt; and Financial tender Annex 6 all-inclusive pricing per deliverable and totals. Upload through the portal sections Technical offer and Financial offer.

Administrative and capacity documents:Declaration on Honour Annex 2 for exclusion, selection criteria, restrictive measures, established debt, and independence. Authorisation to sign evidence. Agreement Power of attorney Annex 3 for joint tenders. List of identified subcontractors Annex 4 including roles tasks and proportion of subcontracting and commitment letters Annex 5.1. Commitment letters Annex 5.2 for entities on whose capacities the tenderer relies but which are not subcontractors. Annex 2.1 Technical and Professional Capacity with completed T and P criteria evidence. Evidence of financial and legal capacity upon request. All group members and identified subcontractors must provide required documents as per Annex 1 List of documents matrix.

Financial tender Annex 6 structure:Price breakdown by Work Package and Deliverable D1 to D46 including subtotals per deliverable and total price used for financial assessment all-inclusive. The sheet lists all deliverables WP1 to WP6, for example D1 Inception report, D8 Upgraded BSO database 1, D21 Expanded BSO dataset 1, D35 Event BSO Day 1, D46 BSO Newsletter. All calculations must be correct; prices cannot be changed after submission. Signature by authorised representative and initialling of all pages required.

How to apply and procedural rules

1. 1Register or reuse your organisation’s PIC in the Participant Register for each group member. Ensure SME status is up to date if applicable.
2. 2Prepare and upload the Technical tender and Financial tender using the portal’s eSubmission application under the opportunity page. Accepted file types and sizes are specified in the portal system requirements. Maximum 200 files per submission and file size under 50 MB each unless otherwise updated.
3. 3Submit before the deadline. The system provides a time-stamped receipt. Late submissions are rejected automatically. You may withdraw and replace your tender before the deadline.
4. 4Public opening session is virtual on 16/04/2026 at 12:00 Brussels time. Request attendance by email to cinea-procurement@ec.europa.eu at least 3 hours before start, including names, emails, tenderer name, and submission receipt.
5. 5Evaluation may include requests for clarification and missing evidence. Only non-substantial clarifications are allowed. The contracting authority may correct obvious clerical errors upon confirmation.
6. 6Communications and Q and A must occur only via the portal. The authority is not bound to reply to questions received less than six working days before the deadline.

Compliance, security and data protection

Tenderers and their personnel must comply with CINEA and Commission security requirements, including cybersecurity Regulation EU 2023/2841 and the Security Baseline for External Connections. Where remote access to Commission systems is required, contractors must apply the published baseline controls, ensure acceptable use policy signature by service providers, and implement incident reporting within 48 hours. No EU classified information access is foreseen. All processing of personal data must comply with Regulation EU 2018/1725 and GDPR where applicable. All Commission websites and tools must be hosted on europa.eu and comply with the Europa Web Guide and corporate visual identity. Intellectual property: results ownership and pre-existing rights management are governed by the draft service contract Articles I.8 and II.13; contractors must declare pre-existing rights and ensure transfer for full use by the contracting authority at handover.

Meetings, reporting and payments

• Kick-off meeting and handover training within 10 days of contract start in Brussels.
• Inception meeting online within 2 months, followed by bi-weekly progress meetings online.
• First, second, third interim meetings in Brussels aligned with BSO Day timings months 12, 24, 32, and a final meeting month 48 in Brussels.
• Draft versions of all reports are due 1 month before their due dates; CINEA provides feedback within 15 days.
• Payment milestones linked to interim and final reports. The first interim payment 10 percent at month 4, second 30 percent at month 16, third 30 percent at month 32, and balance at month 48 upon approval of the final report and deliverables.

Application templates outline

Technical tender suggested structure based on the Tender Specifications:1 Executive summary of the approach and understanding of objectives. 2 Methodology by Work Package including tasks, techniques, tools Power BI Embedded, RESTful web services, data pipelines, validation modules, API design, UX testing and accessibility. 3 Detailed work plan and Gantt chart aligned to deliverables D1 to D46 and the annual EPBD reporting calendar. 4 Management and governance model project manager role, WP leads, quality assurance, risk and change management, coordination with DG ENER, DG DIGIT, CINEA and LIFE CET projects. 5 Data strategy sources, acquisition, interoperability with Commission e-platform and Eurostat APIs, schema evolution, metadata and machine-readable downloads, RESTful services, security and GDPR. 6 User experience plan personas, user journeys, prototype and testing protocols, manuals and video tutorials. 7 Monitoring and evaluation KPIs aligned to the performance indicators in the TS. 8 Communication and dissemination plan BSO community, BSO Days, social media content preparation for DG ENER CINEA, newsletter content and cadence, branding and visual identity. 9 Team and resources detailed CVs meeting P1 to P7, allocation by WP, availability, language capabilities. 10 Evidence for T1 to T4 in Annex 2.1 with project references of at least €500,000 each and T4 document URL. 11 Legacy and handover strategy compatibility with Commission IT, IPR statements, transition and decommissioning. 12 Compliance statements on standards, security baseline, accessibility W3C, and Europa Web Guide.

Financial tender Annex 6 completion tips:Fill all deliverable lines D1 to D46 with all-inclusive prices. Ensure subtotals and totals compute correctly. Include all foreseen costs such as personnel, travel for in-person meetings and BSO Days, venue and hybrid event costs, multimedia production for tutorials, data acquisition where relevant, hosting covered by Commission. Signature by authorised representative and initials on all pages.

Administrative forms checklist:Annex 2 Declaration on Honour signed by each involved entity as required. Proof of signatory authorisation. Annex 3 Agreement Power of attorney signed by all group members if joint tender. Annex 4 List of subcontractors including roles and percentage and commitment letters Annex 5.1 for identified subcontractors over 10 percent or relied upon for capacity. Annex 5.2 commitment letters for relied-upon entities that are not subcontractors. Annex 2.1 fully completed for T and P criteria with CVs and project lists. PIC evidence and legal existence upon request through the Participant Register.

Key facts at a glance

What this opportunity is about and how to explain it

This is a four-year EU service contract to operate and substantially enhance the EU Building Stock Observatory, the central platform that aggregates and visualises consistent, reliable data on how Europe’s buildings use energy and how they are improving over time. The contractor will redesign and develop the BSO’s backend and user interface so it can seamlessly integrate the new annual data flowing from national energy performance of buildings databases mandated by the EPBD recast, expand indicators with robust sources such as Eurostat and EEA, and offer advanced visualisations, downloads, and APIs for users. A core task is to support the European Commission in compiling and publishing an annual monitoring report on the evolution of the Union’s building stock energy performance, using the best available data. The work also includes mapping and closing priority data gaps, building automated validation checks, running a responsive BSO Support Office for Member States and users, and nurturing an EU-wide buildings data community. Communication deliverables include regular newsletters, annual BSO Days held in Brussels in a hybrid format, and annual highlights reports. The winning team must bring deep expertise across energy performance of buildings policy and data in all EU countries, large-scale web data platforms and Power BI analytics, data engineering and APIs, statistics and validation methods, stakeholder engagement, events, and professional English reporting. Tenders are submitted electronically via the EU Funding and Tenders Portal. This is not a grant but a single services contract awarded to the best price-quality offer, with strict selection criteria on turnover, experience in relevant projects, and a multidisciplinary team meeting defined profiles.

Footnotes

1. 1Official opportunity and documents are accessible via the EU Funding and Tenders Portal. See the tender dossier and eSubmission workspace here: EU F&T Portal listing CINEA/2026/OP/0002.

Funding Opportunity Overview

This is a service contract tender issued by the European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency (CINEA) for the further development and maintenance of the EU Building Stock Observatory (BSO). The contract aims to transform the BSO into a comprehensive EU data hub for monitoring and tracking the energy performance of the European building stock, with particular focus on integrating data from national energy performance databases as required by the recast Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD).

Contracting Authority:European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency (CINEA), acting under powers delegated by the European Commission. CINEA manages the LIFE Clean Energy Transition programme funding for this initiative.

Key Opportunity Details

Procedure Reference:CINEA/2026/OP/0002

Procedure Type:Open procedure. Any interested economic operator may submit a tender.

Total Estimated Value:€2,800,000 (all-inclusive, excluding any renewals)

Contract Duration:Maximum 48 months

Submission Method:Electronic submission only via eSubmission system on the EU Funding and Tenders Portal

Tender Submission Deadline:15 April 2026 at 15:00 Brussels time

Public Opening Date:16 April 2026 at 12:00 Brussels time (virtual opening session)

Deadline for Questions:08 April 2026 at 23:59 Brussels time. Questions must be submitted through the Questions and Answers section of the F&T Portal.

Scope of Work

The contractor shall perform six main work packages over the contract period:

1. 1WP1: Project Management - Overall coordination with CINEA, European Commission services, and relevant EU initiatives
2. 2WP2: Review and Upgrade the BSO Database Schema, Backend and User Interface - Improve database structure, user experience, and enable automatic updates from data sources
3. 3WP3: Identification of Data Gaps, Collection and Validation of Data - Expand BSO database with new indicators and datasets from reliable sources
4. 4WP4: Development of BSO Advanced Functionalities - Identify and prototype advanced features such as automatic updates, customizable searches, and GIS-based visualization
5. 5WP5: Ad-hoc Technical Support to the Commission - Establish a BSO Support Office and provide ongoing assistance to Member States and users
6. 6WP6: Promotion, Communication and Dissemination - Establish and facilitate an EU-wide building data community, organize annual BSO Days, and manage newsletter

Key deliverables include upgraded BSO databases (three versions), user manuals and video tutorials, data gap reports, testing reports, advanced functionality prototypes, annual monitoring reports on EU building energy performance, and community engagement activities.

Eligibility and Who Can Apply

Participation is open on equal terms to all natural and legal persons coming within the scope of the EU Treaties, as well as international organisations. Tenderers may submit as sole economic operators or as groups of economic operators (joint tenders). Subcontracting is permitted.

Access to Procurement:Open to entities established in EU Member States and certain third countries with special agreements with the EU in public procurement (including Iceland, Norway, Liechtenstein, North Macedonia, Albania, Montenegro, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Georgia, Moldova, and Ukraine). Participation is NOT open to entities established in countries that have ratified the WTO Agreement on Government Procurement.

Restrictive Measures:No involved entities, subcontractors, or beneficial owners may be subject to EU restrictive measures adopted under Article 29 TEU or Article 215 TFEU consisting of prohibitions on making available funds or economic resources, or asset freezes.

Registration Requirement:All economic operators must register in the European Commission's Participant Register to obtain a Participant Identification Code (PIC). Each organization obtains a unique 9-digit PIC which acts as its identifier.

Selection Criteria and Minimum Requirements

Tenderers must demonstrate they meet the following selection criteria through consolidated assessment of all involved entities (group members, identified subcontractors):

Economic and Financial Capacity (Criterion F1):Average yearly turnover of the last two financial years for which accounts have been closed must be above €1,400,000. Evidence: Copy of profit and loss accounts and balance sheets for the last two years, or appropriate statements from banks. The most recent year must have been closed within the last 18 months.

Technical Capacity (Criteria T1-T4):T1: Experience in energy efficiency and renewable energy policy with focus on energy performance of buildings at European and national levels - minimum 2 similar projects completed in last 3 years, each with minimum value €500,000. T2: Experience in buildings data across 27 EU Member States, including data sources and barriers to populating the BSO - minimum 2 similar projects in last 3 years, each €500,000 minimum. T3: Experience in developing online databases, web tools, statistics, analytics and user interface design - minimum 2 similar projects in last 3 years, each €500,000 minimum. T4: Proven experience and capacity to work, draft and deliver reports in English - minimum one document or extract of at least 10 pages relevant to BSO or EPBD, published or delivered to client in last 2 years.

Professional Capacity (Criteria P1-P7):P1: One Project Manager with at least 10 years project management experience, including overseeing delivery, quality control, client orientation and conflict resolution; experience managing projects of at least €2,000,000 covering at least 5 EU Member States with team of at least 10 people. P2: At least 3 senior experts each with at least 10 years professional experience covering building energy data fields (energy performance certificates, smart metering, building data analytics) and stakeholder engagement with excellent knowledge of European building sector and policy challenges. P3: At least 2 experts in PowerBI, dashboard development, visual tools similar to BSO, data management and APIs - each with relevant higher education degree and at least 8 years professional experience. P4: At least 2 experts in data analytics, visualization, web development and maintenance of web-based applications - each with relevant higher education degree and at least 5 years professional experience. P5: Team of at least 4 experts each with at least 3 years professional experience covering building energy use data analysis, data management, data analytics, statistics, certification and website/web tools design including user interface design. P6: At least 1 communication expert with proven track record managing social media and organizing public events - at least 3 years relevant experience in last 5 years. P7: Team of at least 5 members demonstrating English language proficiency at C1 level under European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) or native-level proficiency.

Exclusion Criteria

Tenderers will be rejected if they or any involved entities are in exclusion situations including: bankruptcy or insolvency; breach of tax or social security payment obligations; grave professional misconduct; fraud, corruption or criminal offences; significant deficiencies in implementing EU-funded contracts; irregularities; creation of entities to circumvent legal obligations; or intentional resistance to investigations or audits. All tenderers must submit a Declaration on Honour confirming non-exclusion.

Award Criteria and Evaluation

Award Method:Best price-quality ratio

Evaluation will be based on:verification of non-exclusion; administrative compliance; selection criteria fulfillment; compliance with minimum requirements; and award criteria evaluation. The contracting authority will evaluate elements in the order it considers most appropriate. If any element demonstrates grounds for rejection, the tender will be rejected without further evaluation.

Tender Content and Documentation Requirements

Tenders must include the following documents and information:

1. 1Declaration on Honour on exclusion and selection criteria (Annex 2) - signed by authorized representative of each involved entity
2. 2Evidence of authorization to sign documents for each entity
3. 3Agreement/Power of attorney (Annex 3) - for joint tenders, signed by all group members
4. 4List of identified subcontractors (Annex 4) with roles and proportion of subcontracting
5. 5Commitment letters from identified subcontractors (Annex 5.1) and entities on whose capacity tenderer relies (Annex 5.2)
6. 6Technical and Professional Capacity evidence (Annex 2.1) - completed table with detailed information on projects, experts, and experience
7. 7Technical tender - detailed description of overall approach to work and proposed services for each work package, including coordination strategy with Commission services and relevant EU initiatives
8. 8Financial tender (Annex 6) - all-inclusive price breakdown by deliverable and work package
9. 9Detailed work plan with Gantt chart showing sequences and timing of all tasks and deliverables
10. 10Quality Assurance Plan
11. 11Risk Management Plan identifying risks, likelihood, impact and mitigation measures
12. 12Legacy Strategy explaining transition to contracting authority or designated party at contract end
13. 13Proposed structure for interim and final reports

All documents must be submitted in English. Reports and deliverables must be in professional, high-quality English using clear, concise, understandable and user-friendly language. Materials for publication must be edited and proofread by native speakers or equivalent.

Payment and Financial Arrangements

Payment is structured as follows:

1. 1First interim payment: 10% of total contract value (due at month 4, linked to first interim report)
2. 2Second interim payment: 30% of total contract value (due at month 16, linked to second interim report)
3. 3Third interim payment: 30% of total contract value (due at month 32, linked to third interim report)
4. 4Final payment: 30% of total contract value (due at month 48, linked to final report)

All costs for tender preparation and submission are borne by tenderers and will not be reimbursed. Tenderers must include all costs related to contract implementation in their financial offer, including travel and accommodation for in-person meetings in Brussels, organization of four annual BSO Day events (venue, audio-visual equipment, catering, speaker travel, registration management), and all other operational costs.

Key Dates and Timeline

Important Conditions and Requirements

Place of Performance:Services will be performed at contractor's premises. In-person meetings will be held at CINEA or European Commission premises in Brussels. Annual BSO Day events will be held at a conference/event venue in Brussels in hybrid format (in-person and online).

Nature of Contract:Direct service contract. All terms governing service provision are defined at outset and implemented directly without further contract procedures.

Variants:Variants (alternatives to the model solution) are NOT allowed. The contracting authority will disregard any variants described in a tender.

Intellectual Property Rights:Intellectual property rights related to services/studies are covered in Articles I.8 and II.13 of the draft service contract. Tenderers must clearly identify any pre-existing materials and provide evidence of rights acquisition. The contracting authority will have full access to all results at contract end. Contractors must provide a Legacy Strategy ensuring smooth transition of IT tools and databases compatible with European Commission IT architecture and guidelines.

Confidentiality and Data Protection:Confidentiality is required of all persons working on the contract. Breach of confidentiality is treated as professional misconduct and may lead to contract termination. Contractors must comply with Regulation (EU) 2018/1725 on data protection for EU institutions and Regulation (EU) 2016/679 (GDPR). Personal data must be processed and accessible only within EU and EEA territory. All websites, platforms and digital applications containing personal data must be hosted within the EU.

Security Requirements:Contractors and personnel must comply with Commission security requirements including Commission Decision (EU, Euratom) 2015/443 on Security in the Commission and Regulation (EU, Euratom) 2023/2841 on cybersecurity. Contractors must establish and maintain appropriate risk management processes for confidentiality, integrity and availability of assets. All costs for security compliance (background checks, security clearance, information security management) are borne entirely by contractor. Service providers may require security screening by Belgian authorities if accessing Commission premises or IT assets in Belgium. For non-EU nationals, additional Third Country National Security Screening applies.

Meetings and Coordination:Contractor must organize regular bi-weekly progress meetings with CINEA and Commission services (online). Additional in-person meetings required: kick-off meeting (T0+10 days), inception meeting (T0+2 months), interim meetings (T0+4, 16, 32 months), and final meeting (T0+48 months) in Brussels. Contractor bears own travel and accommodation costs. All meetings in English. Contractor prepares agendas and meeting minutes.

Handover and Transition:Contractor must provide adequate overview of state of play at contract end and guarantee cooperation for transition meetings and handover of products and services in progressive, secured and orderly manner. Contractor must ensure continuity of products and services developed. Full list of pre-existing rights must be provided with final report along with evidence of acquisition.

How to Apply

Interested economic operators must:

1. 1Register in the European Commission's Participant Register (if not already registered) to obtain a Participant Identification Code (PIC)
2. 2Access the EU Funding and Tenders Portal at EU Funding and Tenders Portal
3. 3Subscribe to the call for tenders to receive notifications of updates and modifications
4. 4Download all procurement documents including tender specifications and annexes
5. 5Prepare tender including all required documents and information
6. 6Submit tender exclusively via eSubmission system (no other submission methods accepted)
7. 7Ensure submission is completed before 15 April 2026 at 15:00 Brussels time
8. 8Obtain submission receipt from eSubmission as proof of timely submission

For technical problems with eSubmission, contact the eSubmission Helpdesk. For questions about the tender, submit written questions through the Questions and Answers section of the F&T Portal by 08 April 2026 at 23:59 Brussels time. The contracting authority is not bound to reply to questions received less than six working days before the submission deadline.

Contact Information

Contracting Authority:European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency (CINEA), CINEA.D - Natural Resources, Climate, Sustainable Blue Economy and Clean Energy, D.1 - LIFE Energy + LIFE Climate, Brussels, Belgium

Email:cinea-procurement@ec.europa.eu

Telephone:+32 2 299 11 11

Website:CINEA

Tender Portal:EU Funding and Tenders Portal

Additional Information

This tender is funded through the LIFE 2025-2027 programme, specifically the LIFE Clean Energy Transition subprogramme. The contract will support implementation of the recast Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD) (EU) 2024/1275 and Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2025/1328 on common templates for data transfer from national databases to the EU Building Stock Observatory. The BSO is a key tool for monitoring EU building sector energy performance and supporting policy implementation at both national and EU levels. Successful contractor will work in close cooperation with DG ENER (Directorate General for Energy), DG DIGIT (digital services), and relevant EU-funded projects under LIFE Clean Energy Transition programme including OpenBEP4EU, OBSERVE, and ReLIFE projects.

Footnotes

1. 1All procurement documents are available in English only. This language version constitutes the sole authentic text and prevails over any other language versions that may be published on request of economic operators.