Framework contract - Implementation of the European Radioisotope Valley Initiative (ERVI)

This is a framework service contract issued by the European Commission DG ENER to provide technical, scientific, administrative and logistical support for implementation of the European Radioisotope Valley Initiative (ERVI). The contract has an estimated overall value of €4,000,000 for a planned duration of 48 months and covers five pillars: investment in production facilities, research and innovation, market monitoring and forecasting, strategic international partnerships and regulatory evolution. The tender is open to economic operators established in EU Member States and associated countries, must be submitted electronically via the EU Funding and Tenders Portal and has a final deadline of 21 September 2026 at 16:00:59 Luxembourg time. Tenders will be evaluated on quality weighted 60% and price weighted 40% and require the invitation to tender, tender specifications, draft contract, financial offer forms and security and selection documentation.

What it funds

Scope summary

A service framework contract to provide technical, scientific, administrative and logistical support to the European Commission (DG ENER) for implementing the European Radioisotope Valley Initiative. Support will cover five pillars: investment in production facilities, research and innovation, market monitoring and forecasting, strategic international partnerships, and regulatory evolution, plus coordination across these areas.

Who can apply:Legal entities and consortia able to deliver specialised services to a contracting authority (service providers in consultancy, scientific support and project coordination). The procedure is an open eSubmission tender under a framework contract; SME suitability is marked as false in the procurement notice. ¹

1. 1Contracting authority: European Commission, DG ENER
2. 2Procurement type: Framework contract (services)
3. 3Submission method: eSubmission via the Funding & Tenders Portal

Tender documents published include invitation to tender, tender specifications, draft contract and financial offer forms. Interested bidders must consult the full procurement dossier and submit electronically by the deadline. ¹

Footnotes

1. 1Full tender details and documents available on the Funding & Tenders Portal: Tender details.

Opportunity summary and purpose

This is an EU public tender (call identifier EC-ENER/LUX/2026/OP/0035) issued by the European Commission, Directorate-General for Energy (DG ENER), to award a framework service contract to provide technical, scientific, administrative and logistical support for the implementation of the European Radioisotope Valley Initiative (ERVI). The action follows preparatory work performed under the SAMIRA action plan (2022-2025), including a feasibility study, stakeholder consultation, Steering Group and Stakeholder Forum inputs and expert workshops. The Commission expects the contractor to support implementation across five strategic pillars: investment in innovative production facilities; research and innovation; market monitoring and forecasting; strategic international partnerships; and the evolution of the regulatory framework. The contract aims to strengthen EU production capacities, improve supply chain resilience and reduce dependency on foreign suppliers, with particular emphasis on metallic HALEU and stable isotopes as identified by REPowerEU guidance.

Key tender identifiers and dates:Call identifier EC-ENER/LUX/2026/OP/0035. Publication on 2026-06-12. Submission deadline 21 September 2026, 16:00:59 (Europe/Luxembourg time). Open tender event scheduled 22 September 2026, 10:00 CET. Consideration period for document changes noted until 26 June 2026. Estimated procedure value €4,000,000. Planned contract duration 48 months.

Who should consider applying

Organisations able to provide high-level multidisciplinary support (technical, scientific, regulatory and administrative) for a major EU initiative in the nuclear/radioisotope domain should consider this tender. Typical capable applicant types include consultancy firms, specialist technical service providers, large enterprises with nuclear/radioisotope expertise, research institutes and universities, nuclear industry stakeholders and consortia combining scientific and administrative capacity. Public bodies or NGOs with relevant capabilities may participate if eligible under EC procurement rules. The tender is not marked SME-suitable.

Lead contracting authority:European Commission, DG ENER - Energy (link: ec.europa.eu). The tender documentation is published on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal.

1. 1Primary objective: provide technical, scientific, administrative and logistical support to DG ENER for ERVI implementation.
2. 2Five implementation pillars to be supported: investment in production facilities; research and innovation; market monitoring and forecasting; strategic international partnerships; regulatory framework evolution.
3. 3Contract nature: framework service contract (framework agreement) with planned duration 48 months and estimated overall maximum value €4,000,000.
4. 4Lot structure: single lot (LOT-0001).
5. 5Procurement type: services (main CPV 79417000).
6. 6Submission method: electronic submission via the Funding and Tenders Portal (esubmission).

Structured extraction: eligibility, funding and process

The following sections extract and summarise specific structured facts from the tender metadata and documents available on the portal.

Eligible Applicant Types:Procurement of this kind is addressed to legal entities that can perform service contracts under EU public procurement rules. Practically, eligible applicant types include: large enterprises, SMEs (though the tender is marked not SME-suitable), consultancies, specialist technical service providers, universities, research institutes, nonprofit organisations, public bodies (where permitted), and consortia or joint ventures formed to submit a single tender. Subcontracting is allowed as set out in the tender specifications. Specific exclusion and selection grounds and supporting evidence are detailed in the tender documents (declaration on honour and selection criteria) and must be consulted by applicants.

Funding Type:This is a public procurement service contract awarded through a framework agreement. It is not a grant, loan or equity instrument. The Commission will pay contracted fees for services rendered under the framework contract.

Consortium Requirement:The procurement allows submission by a single economic operator or by an economic operator constituted by several entities (consortium/joint venture) if permitted by the tender rules. The tendering documents include selection criteria and may require specific capacities; consortia are commonly used to demonstrate combined technical, scientific and administrative capabilities. Applicants must consult the tender specifications for precise rules on leader designation, joint liability and required documents.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility):The contracting authority is the European Commission and the procurement follows EU rules. Eligible bidders are typically legal entities established in the EU Member States, the EEA and third countries that meet the conditions set out in the procurement documents and applicable international agreements. The intervention is aimed at supporting ERVI across EU Member States. Applicants should consult the tender specifications for precise eligibility lists and any nationality or residence constraints.

Target Sector:Primary sector: energy, nuclear and radiological services with a focus on radioisotopes, HALEU (high-assay low-enriched uranium) metallic production and stable isotopes. Cross-cutting sectors include research and innovation, regulatory affairs, supply chain resilience, and international partnerships.

Mentioned Countries:The tender text explicitly references the European Union and Member States. Russia is mentioned only in the context of current supply dependencies. No other specific countries are listed in the scraped metadata. The procurement is published by the European Commission (Luxembourg timezone).

Project Stage and Expected Activities:Expected project maturity: implementation and coordination support for mid-term and long-term actions. Activities foresee progressing from planning and implementation (investment facilitation), through R&I programme coordination, market monitoring and forecasting, to regulatory evolution and international partnership development. The contractor will support both operational implementation and strategic coordination across the five ERVI pillars.

Funding Amount:Estimated overall contract amount: €4,000,000 (four million). This is indicated as the estimated total procedure value and the planned maximum for the framework contract over the 48-month period.

Application Type and Submission:Open public tender (invitation to tender). Submission method required: electronic submission through the Funding and Tenders Portal (eforms / esubmission). The invitation to tender, tender specifications, draft contract, financial tender forms and other annexes are published on the portal. The tender documents include Annex 6-I and 6-II financial offer forms and a declaration-on-honour for tenders.

Nature of Support:Monetary: the successful contractor will receive financial compensation under a service contract (fees for deliverables/tasks) up to the contract ceiling. The contract also delivers non-monetary outputs for the Commission: technical reports, policy and regulatory inputs, coordination mechanisms and strategic advice.

Application Stages:The typical procurement procedure includes: 1) Electronic submission of tender and supporting documentation by the deadline; 2) Administrative and selection criteria verification (eligibility, exclusion, selection); 3) Technical and financial evaluation against award criteria (quality weighted 60, price weighted 40 as shown in the metadata); 4) Contract award and signature. Depending on clarifications or complaints the process may include additional clarification exchanges or standstill periods.

Success Rates:No explicit success rate is provided in the tender metadata. As a high-value EU framework services tender with national and international visibility and a single lot, competition is expected to be strong; practical success rates for such tenders are typically low single-digit to low double-digit percentages depending on the number of valid bids and qualification thresholds.

Co-funding Requirement:No co-funding from applicants is required. This is a fee-based service contract: the Commission pays the contractor for services under the terms of the contract. Applicants must however bear their proposal preparation costs and provide any required financial guarantees or evidence of economic/financial capacity specified in the tender documents.

Templates and required submission documents:Tender package documents are published and include: invitation to tender (EN-Invitation_to_tender...), tender specifications (EN_TENDER_SPECIFICATIONS...), draft service framework contract (EN_Draft_Service_FWC...), financial offer forms (Annex 6-I ERVI financial tender form_V1.docx and Annex 6-II ERVI financial tender form - price calculation_V1.xlsx), declaration on honour (declaration-of-honour-tenders...), and security requirements appendix. Applicants must complete the financial offer form(s), submit a declaration on honour, provide requested selection and exclusion evidence and comply with security requirements. The tender specifications contain precise templates for proposed staffing, CVs, work plan, price schedule and evidence requested for technical capacity. Applicants must use the Funding & Tenders Portal eForms where required.

1. 1Published documents to download: invitation to tender; tender specifications; draft contract; Annex 6-I and 6-II financial tender forms; declaration on honour; security requirements appendix.
2. 2Mandatory submission: completed financial offer form(s), technical proposal addressing award criteria, selection & exclusion documentation, and any eForms requested through the Portal.
3. 3Evaluation weighting: quality 60%, price 40% (per metadata).

Applicants must consult the tender specification and the published annexes for full and binding procurement rules, exclusion and selection grounds, detailed award criteria and templates. The draft contract sets out contractual conditions, deliverables, payment terms, confidentiality and security clauses and associated obligations.

Risks, special requirements and points of attention

This tender concerns activities in the nuclear and radioisotope policy and supply domain, which implies heightened security, confidentiality and regulatory compliance requirements. The published Appendix 1 Security requirements should be read carefully. The draft contract and tender specifications will include clauses on data protection, classified or sensitive deliverables, intellectual property and liability. The procuring authority explicitly references the need to support regulatory evolution and international partnerships; bidders should evidence expertise in nuclear regulatory frameworks, isotope production technologies (including HALEU metallic production and stable isotope production techniques), market analysis for radioisotopes and stakeholder coordination experience. The tender is not SME-suitable, so consortia including large organisations or specialised partners are likely to be more competitive.

Key procurement documents are referenced in the portal and should be downloaded and completed: invitation to tender (PDF), tender specifications (PDF), draft contract (PDF), Annex 6-I/II financial forms (DOCX/XLSX), and declaration on honour (DOCX). Use the Funding & Tenders Portal eForms channel for submission. Administrative clarifications window closes 10 September 2026 (see tender metadata for exact timestamp).

How to proceed and practical checklist

1. 1Download and read the invitation to tender, tender specifications, draft contract and all annexes from the Funding & Tenders Portal.
2. 2Confirm organisational eligibility under procurement selection and exclusion criteria; prepare required supporting documents including declaration on honour.
3. 3Assemble technical proposal demonstrating required technical, scientific and administrative capabilities across the five pillars and provide CVs and references.
4. 4Complete Annex 6-I and Annex 6-II financial offer forms as required and ensure compliance with the price submission format.
5. 5Register on the Funding & Tenders Portal and use the Portal eForms to upload the full tender package before the deadline (21 September 2026, 16:00:59 CET).
6. 6Plan to address the security requirements appendix and any regulatory compliance or facility access needs for personnel who will perform contract tasks.

For details, applicants should consult the tender notice and all annexed documentation on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal and use the portal’s contact channels for formal clarification requests. The tender notice and documents are the authoritative source for binding requirements and conditions; this summary is an extraction and interpretation of the published metadata.

Further official link to the procurement on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal:Framework contract - Implementation of the European Radioisotope Valley Initiative (ERVI) ¹

Footnotes

1. 1Tender documents and detailed procurement conditions are published on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal. Consult the invitation to tender, tender specifications, draft contract and Annexes listed under call identifier EC-ENER/LUX/2026/OP/0035 (published 12 June 2026).

Opportunity Overview and Strategic Context

This tender seeks a framework contract to provide technical, scientific, administrative, and logistical support to the European Commission's Directorate-General for Energy (DG ENER) for implementing the European Radioisotope Valley Initiative (ERVI) ¹. ERVI is a strategic initiative under the SAMIRA action plan designed to secure the supply of medical radioisotopes, improve production efficiency, and foster innovation in medical ionising radiation applications ². The initiative is critical for maintaining Europe's global leadership in medical radioisotope supply and reducing dependency on foreign suppliers, particularly Russia, for source materials like metallic HALEU and stable isotopes ³.

Key Objectives and Five Strategic Pillars

The contract aims to advance mid-term and long-term actions grouped into five pillars:investment in innovative production facilities, research and innovation, market monitoring and forecasting, strategic international partnerships, and evolution of the regulatory framework ⁴. A coordination mechanism will be established to ensure coherence between these pillars as they advance over time ⁴.

Who Should Apply and Eligibility Requirements

Applicants must be economic operators capable of delivering high-level technical, scientific, administrative, and logistical support services. The tender is open to entities from EU Member States and associated countries, provided they meet the qualification criteria outlined in the procurement documents ⁵. While the tender is not specifically marked as SME-suitable, SMEs may participate if they can demonstrate the necessary expertise and capacity ⁵.

Contract Type and Duration:This is a framework contract with an estimated duration of 48 months (4 years) ⁵.

Estimated Contract Value:The estimated overall contract amount is €4,000,000 ⁵.

Evaluation Criteria

Tenders will be evaluated based on quality and price, with quality weighted at 60% and price at 40% ⁵. Quality criteria include technical merit, scientific expertise, and administrative/logistical capabilities, while price criteria focus on the cost-effectiveness of the proposed services ⁵.

Submission Deadlines and Process

1. 1First deadline: 1 January 2026 at 14:00:59 (Luxembourg time)
2. 2Final deadline: 21 September 2026 at 16:00:59 (Luxembourg time)
3. 3Submission method: Electronic submission via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal
4. 4Tender validity period: 6 months from submission

Required Documentation

Applicants must submit the following documents:Invitation to tender, Tender specifications, Draft contract, Financial offer forms (Annex 6-I and 6-II), Declaration on honour, and Security requirements appendix ⁵. All documents must be submitted electronically in the specified formats (PDF, DOCX, XLSX) ⁵.

Strategic Importance and Funding Context

ERVI addresses critical vulnerabilities in the EU's medical radioisotope supply chain, which currently relies heavily on Russian enriched uranium for research reactors producing vital isotopes ⁶. The initiative aligns with the REPowerEU Roadmap to strengthen EU production capacities and reduce foreign dependencies ³. Funding for ERVI activities will be coordinated through DG ENER, with potential synergies from the Euratom Research and Training Programme and Horizon Europe's Health cluster ⁷.

Footnotes

1. 1Official tender details available at EU Funding & Tenders Portal.
2. 2SAMIRA action plan overview at European Commission Energy.
3. 3HALEU supply security report at Euratom Supply Agency.
4. 4ERVI feasibility study and design at European Commission.
5. 5Procurement documents including tender specifications and draft contract available in the tender portal EU Funding & Tenders Portal.
6. 6Russian dependency in medical radioisotope production at NucNet.
7. 7Synergies between Euratom and Horizon Europe at European Commission.