Framework contract for the provisions of Radioactive Waste Supercompaction services

The European Commission Joint Research Centre (JRC) Ispra site has published a tender (call ID EC-JRC/IPR/2026/RP/2855) for a framework contract to provide radioactive waste super-compaction services to reduce compactable waste volumes arising from decommissioning. The estimated overall contract value is approximately €3,000,000 with a planned duration of up to 96 months and submission via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal. Eligible bidders are legal entities capable of performing radioactive waste super-compaction and complying with the technical, safety, transport and regulatory requirements set out in the tender dossier. The final deadline for submission is 20 August 2026 at 15:00:59 (CEST) and full documentation is available on the Funding & Tenders Portal under the tender reference.

What it funds

Scope

Provision of external super-compaction services to reduce volume of compactable radioactive waste produced and held by JRC-ISPRA as part of decommissioning and routine operations.

Estimated contract value and duration:Estimated overall contract amount approximately €3 000 000; planned framework duration up to 96 months.

1. 1Who can apply: commercial service providers/contractors able to perform radioactive waste super-compaction and meet safety, transport and regulatory requirements (see procurement documents).
2. 2Contracting authority: European Commission, DG JRC - Joint Research Centre (JRC-ISPRA).
3. 3Procedure: framework agreement (single lot) published as call EC-JRC/IPR/2026/RP/2855; procurement classified under CPV 90521000 (waste treatment services) and related codes.
4. 4Submission: electronic submission via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal; tender documents and annexes published on the portal.
5. 5Deadlines: submission window closes 20 August 2026 at 15:00:59 (portal time); documents show earlier internal dates and references — consult portal for final timetable ¹.

Contract type:services; single lot framework agreement; SMEs suitability flagged as false in the notice — check procurement documents for selection and award criteria.

Footnotes

1. 1Tender details, downloadable documents and the official submission portal are available at the EU Funding & Tenders Portal Opportunity page.

Opportunity summary

The Joint Research Centre (JRC) Ispra site requires an external service provider to perform super-compaction of compactable radioactive waste generated and held during decommissioning activities. The JRC has selected super-compaction as the preferred volume reduction method to minimise final disposal charges. This procurement is structured as a framework contract for provision of radioactive waste supercompaction services, planned for a duration of up to 96 months and with an estimated overall contract value of €3 000 000. The contract is published on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal under call identifier EC-JRC/IPR/2026/RP/2855. Submission is by electronic eSubmission via the Funding and Tenders Portal. The final submission deadline for requests to participate is 20 August 2026 at 15:00:59 (CEST/Europe/Rome timezone).

Primary contracting authority:European Commission, DG JRC - Joint Research Centre (lead authority).

Procurement type and nature:Procedure type: public procurement (tender). Contract nature: services. Contracting system: framework agreement. Main CPV: 90521000 (waste management services) with additional CPV codes listed including 90500000, 90520000, 90521400 and 98391000.

Key facts and timeline

Call identifier EC-JRC/IPR/2026/RP/2855; publication date 16 July 2026. Estimated overall contract amount: €3 000 000. Planned contract duration: 96 months (8 years). Submission method: required electronic submission (eSubmission) through the Funding and Tenders Portal. Final deadline for request to participate / tender submission: 20 August 2026 at 15:00:59 (CEST). The procurement includes LOT-0001 covering the services described.

Detailed scope of services

The service consists of externally provided super-compaction of compactable radioactive waste arising from the JRC Ispra site storage and decommissioning operations. The contractor will be responsible for receiving, handling, processing (super-compaction) and returning or disposing of compacted waste in accordance with the contract specifications and applicable safety, transport and customs rules. Tender documents include detailed technical, safety, access, acceptance and emergency procedures and annexes (see listed documents).

Technical and operational elements (as extracted from procurement documents):The procurement references detailed tender specifications and contract annexes covering: safety (Annex VII Safety), environmental obligations (Annex VIII Env), customs procedures (Annex VI Customs), access rules (Annex V Access), acceptance criteria (Annex IV Acceptance), transport and radioactive packaging requirements (Annex IX RP), and DUVRI (Annex X and appendices covering risk sheets, activity sheets, site map and emergency leaflet). A draft contract and multiple appendices are published and form part of the procurement package.

Who should apply (eligible applicant types)

Eligible applicants are legal entities capable of performing radioactive waste super-compaction services and complying with EU public procurement eligibility rules. Typical eligible applicant types include specialized hazardous/radioactive waste management companies, waste treatment service providers, large enterprises with radiological waste processing facilities, public or private waste management operators, and consortia formed by such entities. Research institutes or universities that operate certified treatment facilities could participate if they meet the commercial procurement and licensing requirements. NGOs, individuals or pure consultancy entities without operational super-compaction capability are not appropriate unless they form part of a consortium with operational providers.

Geographic and legal eligibility:This is an EU public procurement launched by the European Commission (JRC). Bidders from EU Member States are directly eligible. Typically, entities established in EEA states and countries with procurement market access agreements with the EU may also be eligible provided they comply with the procurement rules and documentary requirements in the tender dossier. Applicants must follow the legal and administrative requirements set out in the tender documents and submit via the Funding and Tenders Portal. The procurement text does not list specific third countries as eligible; refer to the tender dossier for exact participation rules.

Funding and commercial model

Funding type:public procurement / service contract (framework contract). This is not a grant or subsidy; it is a paid commercial contract where the contracting authority will pay for delivered services according to contract terms and unit prices in the tender. The estimated total procedure value is €3 000 000 over the planned duration.

Co-funding requirement:No co-funding from applicants is required. This is a procurement: the contracting authority will remunerate the contractor according to the contract price schedule. Bidders must bear the costs of preparing bids.

Consortia, subcontracting and supplier structure

The procurement documentation includes standard selection and award criteria and may permit joint bids or consortia; dossiers include a Declaration on Honour template and selection/qualification requirements. Bidders may propose subcontracting arrangements but must declare subcontractors and demonstrate compliance with selection criteria. The tendering documents should be consulted for exact rules on joint bids, lead contractor responsibilities and subcontracting limits.

Consortium requirement:The procurement does not explicitly require a consortium; single economic operators can tender. Joint bids and consortia are typically permitted subject to the tender rules. Consult the Invitation to submit a request to participate and Annexes for specific requirements and format for consortium declarations.

Application process and documents

Submission method:electronic via eSubmission through the EU Funding & Tenders Portal (Funding and Tenders Portal eForms extension). The procurement publishes an Invitation to submit a request to participate plus a draft contract, tender specifications and numerous annexes and templates that bidders must complete. These documents set out administrative, technical, safety, environmental, customs and acceptance rules and form the basis of the tender submission.

1. 100 Invitation 2855 (Invitation to submit a request to participate).
2. 201 00 - Draft contract 2855 (main contract text).
3. 301 01 - Appendix1 2855 (contract appendices).
4. 401 02 - Oppressive clauses 2855 (document on contract clauses).
5. 502 01 - Admin specs 2855 (tender specifications and administrative rules).
6. 602 02 - Declaration_on honour_2855 (template).
7. 703_01 - Annex III a Spec contr 2855, 03_01 - Annex III b PO 2855, 03_03 - Annex III_c VAT 2855 (contractual and financial annexes).
8. 804 - Annex IV Acceptance 2855 (acceptance procedures and criteria).
9. 905 - Annex V Access 2855 (site access rules).
10. 1006 - Annex VI_Customs_2855 (customs procedures).
11. 1107 - Annex VII_Safety_2855 (safety requirements and obligations).
12. 1208 - Annex VIII_Env_2855 (environmental obligations).
13. 1309 - Annex IX_RP_2855 (radioactive packaging/transport requirements).
14. 1410 00 - Annex X_DUVRI_2855 and appendices (DUVRI: risk management documentation, site map, activity and emergency sheets).
15. 15Other supporting documents, inspection reports and templates referenced in the tender dossier.

Templates and application form structure:The procurement package provides standard templates that bidders must complete and upload via the portal. Key templates include: the Invitation to submit a request to participate (covering form and instructions), Declaration on Honour (entity eligibility and exclusion grounds), administrative specifications, draft contract appendices (commercial and technical offers), safety and environmental annexes, customs and VAT annexes, acceptance testing and reporting templates, and transport / packaging compliance forms. Bidders should follow the exact file names and versioning provided (examples: 00_Invitation_2855_V1.pdf, 02_02 - Declaration_on honour_2855_V1.docx, 01_00 - Draft contract_2855_V1.pdf).

Evaluation, award and selection

Awarding is based primarily on price as the subordinate awarding criterion list shows a price criterion with weight 100 (consult procurement documents for full list of award criteria and weighting). Selection criteria, required evidence and exclusion checks are detailed in the administrative specifications and Annex III series. Bidders must provide technical capability, proven experience in radioactive waste super-compaction, evidence of licences/permits, health & safety management systems, environmental compliance and financial capacity as set out in the tender dossier.

Number of application stages:Two-stage procurement process is indicated: request to participate / submission of supporting documents and then award/contracting stage. The portal lists a 'Two Stage Deadline Date' and publishes an Invitation to submit a request to participate and draft contract documents. Bidders should follow the timelines and any additional stages described in the Invitation and tender specifications.

Eligibility, technical and administrative requirements (summary)

Applicants must satisfy standard EU procurement eligibility and exclusion criteria (lack of insolvency, no criminal convictions, tax and social security compliance or equivalent). They must demonstrate technical capacity, prior experience in radioactive waste management and super-compaction operations, have appropriate facilities and licences for handling and transporting radioactive waste or propose reliable subcontracting arrangements, provide safety management documentation (Annex VII), environmental compliance (Annex VIII), customs arrangements if cross-border movement is required (Annex VI) and meet the site access and emergency response rules (Annex V and Annex X). Specific documentary evidence and thresholds are set out in the Admin Specs and Annex III documents.

Project maturity / expected stage:This is an operational service contract. The required maturity is operational readiness: bidders must be capable of immediate service provision according to contract requirements (equipment, certified processes, personnel, transport and packaging, licences). This is not an R&D call; it targets service delivery, logistics and operations (demonstration/operation stage).

Target sector:Sector: radioactive and hazardous waste management / environmental services; cross-cutting topics include safety, transport of radioactive material, decommissioning support and environmental compliance.

Financials, contract value and payments

Estimated overall contract value:€3 000 000 (estimated overall contract amount currency EUR). This is an estimate for procurement planning; actual turnover awarded to contractors depends on call-offs under the framework agreement and contract terms. Payment terms, invoicing, unit prices and price revision rules are defined in the draft contract and its annexes (consult 01_00 - Draft contract 2855 and contract appendices).

Success rates:Success rates are not published in the call. As a competitive public procurement, success depends on compliance with selection criteria, completeness of documentation, meeting technical requirements and competitiveness of price. No historical success-rate data is provided in the tender package.

Practical notes and compliance

Bidders must carefully review all annexes and templates published with the tender (including safety, customs, environmental and acceptance annexes). The tender references mandatory clauses and procedural requirements (the document '01 02 - Oppressive clauses 2855' flags contractual clauses to note). The DUVRI annexes include risk assessments, site map and emergency instructions that bidders must follow for access and operations at the JRC Ispra site. Ensure permits and transport arrangements for radioactive material movements are in place.

Explicitly mentioned countries and geographic references

The opportunity is published by the European Commission's Joint Research Centre at the Ispra site (Italy). The procurement is an EU institution procurement; explicit country mention: Italy (JRC Ispra site). Geographic eligibility is EU / EEA / countries covered by EU procurement access agreements as per the tender documentation. The contracting authority location and timezone: Europe/Rome.

How to apply and next steps

Register and sign in to the Funding and Tenders Portal, locate the tender by reference d24b2fdb-8c0e or call identifier EC-JRC/IPR/2026/RP/2855, download all tender documents and templates, complete the requested forms (Declaration on Honour, administrative and technical offers, annexes), compile safety/environmental evidence and permits, and submit via eSubmission before the deadline. Follow any requests for clarification and the considerations dates for updated documents (some documents show a consider-changed-until date 30 July 2026).

Relevant portal link and procurement notice are available on the Funding and Tenders Portal. Full documentation is published with version identifiers and file names; bidders must use the exact document versions referenced in the call when preparing their submission Funding & Tenders Portal - Tender details. ¹

Footnotes

1. 1Access the official tender dossier and download all annexes and templates from the Funding & Tenders Portal tender page (call identifier EC-JRC/IPR/2026/RP/2855). The portal contains the Invitation, draft contract, administrative specifications and all annexes listed in the procurement documents section.

Opportunity Overview

This tender seeks a framework contractor to provide **Radioactive Waste Supercompaction services** for the **Joint Research Centre (JRC) Ispra site** in Italy, aiming to reduce waste volume to minimize final disposal charges during decommissioning activities [7][Primary URL].

The JRC-ISPRA site currently stores and expects to generate significant amounts of **compactable waste** through its decommissioning, having selected **super-compaction** as the optimal volume reduction method based on cost-benefit studies [Primary URL].

Key Contract Details

Scope and Technical Requirements

Primary Objective:Renew an external service to **super-compact compactable radioactive waste** to reduce its volume before final disposal [Primary URL].

Waste Context:The waste originates from **nuclear decommissioning activities** at the JRC Ispra site, which includes metal and cement materials subject to clearance procedures by the Italian Nuclear Regulator (ISIN) [16].

Technical specifications are detailed in **Annex I TS Part 2** of the tender documentation, which includes corrigendum updates for the supply call EC-JRC/IPR/2024/OP/0562 [12].

Eligibility and Applicant Profile

Applicants must be qualified **radioactive waste treatment and conditioning service providers** with specific capability in **supercompaction technology** for low-to-intermediate level radioactive waste [11].

While the search results reference similar UK frameworks (e.g., LLWR's Combustion & Supercompaction Framework), this specific opportunity is an **EU Commission tender** managed by the JRC, requiring compliance with EU public procurement rules [11][7].

Strategic Context and Related Programs

This contract supports the EU's broader **Radioactive Waste and Spent Fuel Management Directive (2011/70/Euratom)**, which mandates national policies for waste management from generation to disposal [17].

The JRC Ispra site has previously engaged international partners like **Sogin** for decommissioning assistance, indicating a history of external contracting for nuclear waste management services [13][15].

Applicants should review the full tender documentation via the official portal to confirm specific technical requirements, financial guarantees, and contract duration terms ¹.

Footnotes

1. 1Official tender details and documentation are available at the EU Funding & Tenders Portal under reference d24b2fdb-8c0e EU Tender Portal.