FINANCIAL ADVISORY SERVICES for the implementation of the Battery Booster facility

Planned European Commission procurement (EC-GROW/2026/MVP/0140-EXA) seeks specialised financial advisory services to support structuring, negotiation and implementation of loans under the Battery Booster Facility. The procurement is for services (CPV 66171000) with a maximum contract duration of 12 months and is an early-stage planned negotiated procedure rather than a call for loan applicants. Expressions of interest open 12 October 2026 and close 27 October 2026 (Brussels time); the advisory contract value is not published and the €1.5 billion Facility figure refers to the loan envelope, not adviser fees. Eligible bidders are financial advisory firms or project finance specialists with demonstrable experience in complex lending operations, and the Commission will require conflict of interest, confidentiality and data protection safeguards; full tender documents will be published on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal.

What it funds

Scope

Contract to provide specialised financial advisory services to the European Commission to support preparation, structuring, negotiation and implementation of zero-interest loan operations under the Battery Booster Facility, a €1.5 billion loan instrument to scale battery cell manufacturing in the European Economic Area.

Expressions of interest are electronic via EU Login. Start date for expressions of interest: 12/10/2026. Deadline for expression of interest: 27/10/2026 22:59 Europe/Brussels. Indicative launch of the negotiated procedure: 27/10/2026. Apply and find documents on the Funding & Tenders Portal Opportunity page 1

Footnotes

1. 1This publication is an announcement of the contracting authority's intention to launch a future negotiated low or middle value procedure; full tender documentation will be available on the Funding & Tenders Portal.

Tender at a glance

Key facts

This procurement is not the call for loans to beneficiaries. It is a planned procurement to contract financial advisers who will support the Commission in structuring, negotiating and implementing the loans awarded under competitive calls that will implement the Battery Booster Facility.

Eligibility and applicants

Geographic and sector scope

Scope of work and expected services

Financial information

Application process and timeline

This publication is an intent notice (reference includes 'EXA') announcing the contracting authority's plan to launch a negotiated procedure in the future. It is not itself the call for tenders. The planned dates in the notice are: start date for expression of interest 12/10/2026 (Europe/Brussels) and deadline for expression of interest 27/10/2026 22:59 (Europe/Brussels). The indicative date of launch of the negotiated procedure is 27/10/2026 (Europe/Brussels). Expressions of interest must be submitted electronically via the Funding & Tenders Portal; an EU Login account is required for submission.

Selection, award, co-funding and contract management

Practical requirements and evaluation considerations

Administrative details and references

Templates and application structure (what to expect)

The notice does not publish the full tender dossier or application templates. Based on standard Funding & Tenders Portal practice for negotiated procurement procedures and the metadata for this notice, bidders should expect the negotiated procedure stage to include: submission of a detailed technical proposal presenting methodology, workplan, staffing and deliverables; CVs and declarations of key experts; past performance and references for similar advisory assignments; legal and administrative documentation proving legal status, financial capacity and eligibility; a price proposal, possibly formed as a time-based fee schedule or fixed-price for defined services; and conflict-of-interest and confidentiality declarations. The expression of interest requires electronic registration in the portal and will be followed by invitation to selected bidders to participate in the negotiated procedure where the detailed templates and forms will be provided.

Project maturity and expected applicant profile

Success rates and competitive context

Mentioned countries and geographic references

Final summary

This opportunity is a planned procurement by the European Commission to contract specialised financial advisory services to support the implementation of the Battery Booster Facility. The facility itself is a €1.5 billion zero-interest loan instrument to accelerate battery cell manufacturing across the European Economic Area. The procurement will select advisers to provide high-level technical and financial advice on loan structuring, negotiation and implementation, including review of financing arrangements, financial modelling, contract negotiation support and advisory services during loan implementation. The procurement is a planned negotiated procedure for a middle/low value contract managed by DG GROW, with an expression of interest window and an anticipated launch of the negotiated procedure in late October 2026. Bidders must submit expressions of interest electronically via the Funding & Tenders Portal using EU Login. The advisory contract has a maximum duration of 12 MONTH. Interested parties should prepare to demonstrate project finance experience, capacity to deliver multidisciplinary advisory services, independence and conflict-of-interest safeguards, and to provide a clear technical and pricing proposal when invited to tender. For full tender documents, templates, award criteria and exact contract value, consult the Funding & Tenders Portal listing and the forthcoming negotiated procedure documentation on the portal Funding & Tenders Portal - Tender details 1.

Footnotes

1. 1Tender reference EC-GROW/2026/MVP/0140-EXA on the European Commission Funding & Tenders Portal. Full call and procurement documents will be available on the portal at the launch of the negotiated procedure.

Executive summary

This opportunity is a planned European Commission procurement for specialised financial advisory services supporting the preparation, negotiation and implementation of loans under the Battery Booster Facility. It is not a call for companies to apply directly for Battery Booster loans. It is a procurement opportunity for financial advisory service providers that may be invited to participate in a future negotiated procedure.

The contracting authority is the European Commission, Directorate General for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs. The procedure reference is EC-GROW/2026/MVP/0140-EXA and the main classification is CPV 66171000, Financial consultancy services. The official opportunity record is available at Official tender notice.

Opportunity classification

This is a planned call for tenders announcing the Commission’s intention to launch a future negotiated low or middle value procedure. The publication is not itself a call for tenders and does not contain the complete procurement documents, final specifications, tender forms, award criteria or contract price schedule.

The procedure concerns a services contract and is not identified as a framework agreement. The published metadata indicates one procurement lot and a maximum contract duration of 12 months.

Key opportunity details

The principal details currently available are set out below.

No estimated total contract value is published in the available notice. The €1.5 billion amount relates to the Battery Booster Facility loan envelope and is not the value of this advisory services contract.

Scope of the assignment

The appointed adviser will support the Commission in dealing with complex financing operations under the Battery Booster Facility. The published scope covers financial advice during the structuring, negotiation and implementation of loans awarded to selected beneficiaries.

Expected areas of work include:

The notice does not provide a detailed task list, deliverables schedule, staffing plan, workload estimate, required working languages, travel requirements, service levels or reporting timetable. These matters should be confirmed in the subsequent invitation and procurement documents.

Relationship with the Battery Booster Facility

The Battery Booster Facility is described as a €1.5 billion zero interest loan facility established under Pillar 1 of the Battery Booster Strategy. Its policy purpose is to accelerate the ramp up of battery cell manufacturing capacity in the European Economic Area, strengthen European strategic autonomy and industrial competitiveness, and support the Green Deal Industrial Plan, the Net Zero Industry Act and the Clean Industrial Deal.

The Facility is implemented by the Commission under direct management. The Commission remains responsible for the evaluation, selection and award of financing operations, as well as their negotiation, signature, implementation, monitoring and financial management. The advisory contract is intended to provide external specialist support without transferring those decision making responsibilities.

The related Battery Booster call for proposals provides interest free loans for eligible battery cell manufacturing projects. The related facility information indicates that loans may cover up to 60 percent of eligible project costs, subject to a maximum of €500 million per project. Those figures concern the separate financing programme for battery manufacturers and do not establish the budget, fee ceiling or funding rate for the advisory services contract. Battery Booster facility information

Who can apply

The likely target market consists of financial advisory firms, investment banking or project finance advisers, corporate finance specialists and comparable professional service providers with demonstrable experience in complex lending transactions. The notice itself does not publish definitive eligibility requirements or confirm whether individual firms, consortia, subcontracting arrangements or specific legal forms will be accepted.

Potential applicants should be capable of demonstrating relevant expertise in areas such as:

The available notice does not state minimum turnover, minimum professional experience, financial capacity thresholds, exclusion criteria, conflict of interest rules, professional registrations, nationality requirements or requirements concerning economic operators from particular countries. These requirements should not be assumed until the negotiated procedure documents are issued.

Funding and contract economics

This is a procurement contract rather than a grant. Successful participants would be paid under the eventual service contract for advisory work delivered to the Commission. The notice does not specify the total contract value, maximum price, daily rates, reimbursable costs, payment schedule, price basis, budget availability or whether the contract will use a fixed price, time and materials model or a combination of payment mechanisms.

There is no applicant funding rate. The 60 percent figure associated with the Battery Booster Facility is the maximum share of eligible costs potentially covered by loans to battery manufacturing beneficiaries and is not an applicable co financing rate for advisers.

The absence of a published value is material for bid planning. Suppliers should avoid treating the €1.5 billion Facility envelope as an indication of the advisory contract size. The eventual procurement documents should be checked for the estimated number of loan operations, expected person days, ceiling price and any options or extensions.

Timetable and submission process

Expressions of interest are to be submitted electronically through the address provided in the EU Funding and Tenders Portal. An EU Login account is required to submit an expression of interest, subscribe to the notice and submit questions through the portal.

The currently displayed timetable is:

The portal metadata also contains a registration deadline expressed as 27 October 2026 at 23:59 Brussels time. This differs from the 22:59 deadline displayed in the main opportunity details. Applicants should follow the deadline shown in the live submission interface and submit well before the earlier time to avoid technical or time zone risk.

What applicants should prepare

Because the notice is preliminary, suppliers should prepare a concise expression of interest that can be adapted to the eventual Commission requirements. The preparation should focus on evidence of capability rather than on a full technical or financial tender that has not yet been requested.

Compliance and risk considerations

The assignment is likely to involve commercially sensitive business plans, financial models, loan terms, investment assumptions and information concerning potential beneficiaries. Applicants should therefore be prepared to demonstrate robust confidentiality, data protection, cybersecurity, document management and conflict of interest procedures.

Potential conflicts may arise where an adviser has previously supported a battery manufacturer, lender, investor, project developer or other participant connected with a proposed financing operation. The final documents may require declarations, disclosure of existing mandates, restrictions on acting for other parties and safeguards for confidential information.

The adviser will support the Commission but will not make the formal financing decisions. A suitable proposal should clearly distinguish independent advisory analysis from the Commission’s responsibilities for evaluation, selection, award, contract signature, monitoring and financial management.

Strategic fit and likely evaluation focus

Although award criteria are not yet available, a competitive response is likely to depend on the quality and relevance of transaction experience, the seniority and availability of proposed experts, the ability to handle several financing operations, the robustness of financial analysis and the proposed approach to managing conflicts and confidentiality.

A strong candidate should also show an understanding of the commercial and policy context of battery cell manufacturing, including construction and ramp up risk, production scale up, capital intensity, technology and market risk, supply chain dependencies, revenue assumptions, customer concentration, refinancing needs and the interaction between public support and private finance.

Information not yet published

The following important information is not available in the planned notice and must be verified when the negotiated procedure is launched:

Applicant assessment

This opportunity is most relevant to established financial advisory providers with strong project finance, corporate finance, structured lending or public sector financing experience. It may be less suitable for general management consultancies, grant consultants or technical battery specialists without substantial loan transaction capability.

The lack of a published contract value and detailed terms creates an early market engagement risk. Nevertheless, the specialist nature of the assignment and the strategic importance of the Facility indicate that transaction credentials, senior expert availability and the ability to provide rapid, independent and technically rigorous advice will be central to competitiveness.

Recommended next steps

Overall conclusion

This is an early stage procurement opportunity for specialist financial advisory support to the European Commission. It should be treated as a market opportunity for advisers, not as a grant or loan application opportunity for battery manufacturers.

The opportunity has clear strategic relevance and a defined 12 month service requirement, but commercial and participation details remain unavailable. A decision to pursue should therefore be based primarily on proven experience with complex loan operations, public or supranational clients, industrial financing and high sensitivity information. The final procurement invitation will be required before pricing, final eligibility and bid competitiveness can be assessed reliably.

Source and verification note

The analysis uses the official EU Funding and Tenders Portal notice as the primary source and the European Commission’s official Battery Booster information for the distinction between the advisory procurement and the underlying loan facility. EU Funding and Tenders Portal notice European Commission Battery Booster overview