Further development of the sustainable district heating systems in Upper Nitra region (2026CE160AT046)

EU DG REGIO has published an open service contract tender (EC-REGIO/2026/OP/0050, 2026CE160AT046) to provide technical assistance for restructuring and decarbonising district heating systems in the Upper Nitra region (Slovakia). The estimated contract value is €125,000 for a planned duration of 12 months and the award criteria are quality 70% and price 30%. Eligible legal entities or consortia with experience in district heating decarbonisation, EU funding instruments and stakeholder capacity building should submit electronically via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal. The submission deadline is 10 September 2026 at 16:00:59 (Brussels time) and the contractor will work under close cooperation and supervision of JASPERS/EIB experts.

Tender overview

What is funded

A service contract to provide technical assistance to Upper Nitra regional and local authorities, district heating suppliers and stakeholders to identify, plan, develop and implement measures and action plans to restructure and decarbonise district heating systems in line with the Revised Renewable Energy Directive and the Energy Efficiency Directive. The contractor will work under close cooperation and supervision of JASPERS experts.

Who can apply:Economic operators (service providers, consultancies, engineering firms or consortia) that meet the procurement selection and quality criteria set out in the tender documents; SME suitability: not indicated as specifically targeted.

1. 1Contracting authority: European Commission, DG REGIO - Regional and Urban Policy
2. 2Procurement type: Services (open tender, eSubmission required)
3. 3Planned contract period: 12 months, tender validity 6 months

Applicants must consult the official tender specifications and administrative documents for detailed eligibility, selection, award criteria (quality 70% / price 30%) and submission rules. Apply and download documents via the tender portal Tender page ¹.

Footnotes

1. 1The portal contains Part I and Part II tender specifications, draft contract and required submission forms (eSubmission). See the official call EC-REGIO/2026/OP/0050.

Opportunity identification and administrative data

Basic metadata

Title:Further development of the sustainable district heating systems in Upper Nitra region (2026CE160AT046). Contracting authority: European Commission, DG REGIO - Regional and Urban Policy (lead). Call identifier: EC-REGIO/2026/OP/0050. Procurement type: Service contract (CPV 79000000, professional services). Estimated total procedure value: €125,000. Planned contract duration: 12 months. Submission method: electronic submission (eSubmission) via the Funding & Tenders Portal. Open tender event / submission deadline: 10 September 2026. Publication date: 25 June 2026. Main language: English.

Tender documents provided:Part I - Tender Specifications (administrative), Part II - Tender Specifications (technical), Draft Contract, Draft Contract Annex (Appendix 2 Security requirements), Invitation to tender, Declaration on honour (tender). Full document references and publication entries are available on the Funding & Tenders Portal EU Funding & Tenders Portal - Tender details ¹.

Objectives, scope and expected outcomes

General objective:Provide expert services to assist Upper Nitra regional and local authorities, district heating (DH) suppliers and stakeholders to identify, plan, develop and implement specific measures and action plans for restructuring and improving district heating systems (DHS) in line with the Revised Renewable Energy Directive (EU) 2023/2413 and the Energy Efficiency Directive (EU) 2023/1791. Specific objective: Provide technical assistance to enable successful implementation of DHS improvements with direct socio-economic and environmental benefits, contributing over the longer term to a just transition and climate neutrality for the most affected territories in the Upper Nitra region.

Scope of work and expected contractor role:Prepare detailed technical deliverables and Specific Action Plans for DHS improvements; build capacity of local and regional stakeholders; work in close cooperation and under the supervision of JASPERS experts of the EIB as well as the contracting authority; ensure deliverables are implementable within the legal framework of relevant EU directives. The contracting authority emphasises that long-term impact depends on endorsement and implementation of deliverables by national, regional and local authorities and other stakeholders and is therefore not solely the contractor's responsibility.

Eligibility and applicants

Eligible applicant types

This is a public procurement for a services contract. Eligible applicants are legal entities able to submit tenders through the Funding & Tenders Portal under public procurement rules. Typical eligible applicant types (as relevant to service contracts of this nature) include: consultancy firms, engineering and technical service providers, energy and district heating specialists, research institutes and universities acting as contracting or consortium partners, multidisciplinary consortia (joint ventures or grouped tenderers), non-profit organisations and NGOs with relevant technical capacity, and large enterprises. Natural persons (individuals) may participate only where permitted under the procurement rules and where they can legally submit through the portal. The procurement documents contain detailed selection and exclusion criteria that tenderers must meet; consult Part I - Tender Specifications for mandatory eligibility, exclusion and selection criteria.

Consortium requirement:The procurement allows and anticipates participation by consortiums or grouped tenderers where appropriate for service delivery. The documents reference specific tenderer qualification requests and selection criteria; the tender is not restricted to single entities only. Tenderers can form consortia to cover the required technical competences and resources. Specific rules for joint tenders and required documents are set out in the administrative tender specifications.

Geographic eligibility and benefitting area

Beneficiary scope and geographic focus:The contract is financed and managed by an EU authority and procurement is open via the Funding & Tenders Portal, therefore bidders registered in the EU/EEA and other countries eligible to participate in EU public procurement rules may submit tenders subject to the tender documents. The operational geographic target and beneficiary of the contract is the Upper Nitra region in Slovakia (region-level focus). The contracting authority is DG REGIO and the work will directly involve regional and local authorities and stakeholders in Upper Nitra.

Financial and contractual information

Funding type:Public procurement contract (service contract) paid by the contracting authority. The contracting authority will pay the successful tenderer under the terms of the contract; this is not a grant, loan or equity instrument but a paid service contract.

Estimated contract value:€125,000 (estimated overall contract amount, as published).

Co-funding:The procurement notice does not require co-funding from the contractor; the estimated contract amount covers fee for services. Any requirements for subcontracting, overheads or cost breakdowns are detailed in the tender specifications and draft contract. The contract may allow or require subcontracting subject to the administrative rules; see Part I for exact conditions.

Procurement process and application

Application / submission type:Open competitive tender published on the Funding & Tenders Portal. Submission is electronic only via the Portal (eSubmission required). Tenderers must register in the Participant Register and follow eSubmission procedures. The tender documentation contains mandatory forms such as the Declaration on honour and the draft contract which tenderers must complete or sign as part of their submission.

1. 1Key dates: Publication 25 June 2026; Deadline for requests for additional information 2 September 2026; Tender submission deadline 10 September 2026 (end time 16:00:59 CET); Open tender event 10 September 2026 at 16:30 local time.
2. 2Tender documents: consult Part I (administrative) and Part II (technical) tender specifications, Draft Contract and annexes, Invitation to tender, Declaration on honour.
3. 3Submission method: eSubmission via Funding & Tenders Portal (Funding and Tenders eForm).
4. 4Evaluation criteria: Award criteria include quality (70 weight) and price (30 weight). Tenderers must consult procurement documents for full evaluation methodology, sub-criteria and scoring.

Application stages and evaluation

Application and evaluation stages:The procurement follows a standard tender process with at least the following stages: (1) Submission of tender (administrative, selection and technical/financial parts); (2) Administrative and selection eligibility check (exclusion, selection criteria); (3) Technical and financial evaluation (quality and price scoring). The contracting documents indicate awarding based on quality (70) and price (30). There is no explicit multi-phase innovation procurement indicated; therefore the core stages can be considered as two to three sequential steps (submission -> selection eligibility -> evaluation and award).

Number of stages (summary):2 to 3 principal stages (administrative/eligibility check and technical/price evaluation leading to award).

Selection, award and competition

Success rates and competitiveness:The tender notice does not publish a success rate or number of anticipated awardees. As a single-contract procurement with estimated value €125,000, competition is expected among multiple interested professional service providers. The exact probability of success depends on the number and quality of bids and cannot be determined from the published notice.

Technical and thematic focus

Target sector:Energy, specifically district heating systems, energy efficiency and renewable energy integration. The tender requires knowledge of EU legal frameworks — Revised Renewable Energy Directive (EU) 2023/2413 and Energy Efficiency Directive (EU) 2023/1791 — and technical competence in DHS planning, restructuring, socioeconomic assessment and just transition considerations. The contractor will be expected to produce technical action plans, feasibility-oriented analyses, stakeholder engagement inputs and implementation-ready recommendations.

Expected deliverables and outputs (high level)

Deliverables expected (as described in the tender summary):Specific technical assistance outputs to local and regional stakeholders in Upper Nitra, Specific Action Plans for DHS restructuring and improvements, capacity building of stakeholders, reports and technical documentation aligned to EU directives and JASPERS guidance, and recommendations to improve socio-economic and environmental outcomes of the transition to climate neutrality in affected territories. Final deliverables will be defined in the tender specifications and draft contract.

Administrative, legal and compliance notes

Contractual relationships and supervision:The contractor will work under close cooperation and supervision of JASPERS initiative experts from the European Investment Bank (EIB) and will be equally responsible to them and to the contracting authority. Tenderers must accept the draft contract terms and the security requirements annex and comply with EU public procurement rules including exclusion, selection and award criteria described in Part I of the tender specifications.

Key contractual references and compliance documents:Draft Contract, Appendix 2 Security requirements, Declaration on honour (tenders) and the two-part Tender Specifications (administrative Part I and technical Part II) contain detailed contractual clauses, eligibility, selection, award criteria and templates for submission.

Templates, forms and supporting documents (application structure)

Available tender forms and templates (published alongside the notice):Invitation to tender, Part I - Tender Specifications (administrative) including selection and exclusion questionnaires, Part II - Tender Specifications (technical) containing required technical proposal structure, Draft Contract and contract annexes (security requirements), Declaration on honour (tender). Tenderers must complete the administrative forms, provide required evidence for exclusion/selection criteria, submit a technical offer following the structure and required content described in Part II, and provide a priced financial offer. The administrative and technical content will be subject to evaluation: quality (70%) and price (30%).

1. 1Typical structure expected in the technical proposal (as implied by common Part II requirements): Executive summary; understanding of objectives and methodology; detailed workplan and timetable; staffing and team composition with CVs; description of relevant experience and references; technical approach to produce Specific Action Plans; stakeholder engagement approach; risk management and quality assurance measures; deliverable descriptions and milestones.
2. 2Administrative package: Signed Declaration on honour; legal entity form; financial capacity statements if required; evidence of technical capacity (references, projects); any certificates requested in Part I.
3. 3Financial offer: Detailed breakdown of fees, staff days and rates, reimbursable costs and any requested pricing templates as per the draft contract.

Practical advice and procurement features

Evaluation emphasis:Quality has substantially higher weight (70) than price (30). Tenderers should therefore prioritise strong technical proposals, clear methodology, experienced key experts and robust stakeholder engagement plans while keeping cost proposals competitive and transparent. Close cooperation with JASPERS experts is mandatory in implementation; proposals should show prior experience of working with EU or EIB advisory teams where available.

Subcontracting and team composition:The procurement allows subcontracting subject to rules in Part I; consortia must specify the lead entity and the roles of partners and any subcontractors. Ensure all required supporting documents for subcontractors and partners are provided as stipulated in the administrative tender specifications.

Summary analysis and concluding remarks

This procurement is a targeted, time-limited service contract financed by DG REGIO to provide technical assistance for restructuring and improving district heating systems in the Upper Nitra region (Slovakia) to support the transition to climate neutrality in line with recent EU directives on renewables and energy efficiency. The contract is relatively small in monetary size (€125,000) and is intended to produce Specific Action Plans, capacity building and implementation-ready technical deliverables. The successful contractor will have to demonstrate strong technical expertise in district heating, energy efficiency and renewable integration, proven experience in preparing action plans and working with public authorities and EU/EIB advisory structures, and an ability to deliver high-quality outputs under close supervision by JASPERS and the contracting authority.

How to apply and next steps:Interested bidders should download and study Part I and Part II of the tender specifications, complete the required administrative forms including the Declaration on honour, prepare a high-quality technical proposal aligned with the evaluation weighting (quality 70, price 30), assemble the required team and references, and submit electronically via the Funding & Tenders Portal before the 10 September 2026 deadline. Use the eSubmission tool and consult the portal Q&A and support pages for technical submission assistance. Requests for additional information must be submitted before 2 September 2026 as specified.

Contact and reference:Tender available on the Funding & Tenders Portal; detailed tender documents and official text are the authoritative source and must be followed. For the official notice and downloadable documents consult the tender page on the Funding & Tenders Portal Tender details - Upper Nitra DHS ¹.

Footnotes

1. 1Tender documents, specifications, draft contract and all formal publication records are available on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal tender page: ec.europa.eu

Tender Overview and Strategic Context

This service contract tender aims to provide technical assistance to Upper Nitra regional and local authorities, district heating (DH) suppliers, and stakeholders to improve their capacity for identifying, planning, and implementing measures for DH system restructuring ¹. The initiative is directly aligned with the EU Revised Renewable Energy Directive (EU) 2023/2413 and the Energy Efficiency Directive (EU) 2023/1791, supporting Slovakia's Territorial Just Transition Plan for the climate-neutral transition of the Upper Nitra region ².

Estimated Contract Value:The estimated overall contract amount is €125,000, covering a planned project duration of 12 months ³.

Who Should Apply and Eligibility Criteria

The tender is open to legal entities (public or private bodies) with proven expertise in energy planning, district heating decarbonization, and technical assistance for EU-funded projects ⁴. Applicants must demonstrate the ability to work under close supervision and cooperation with JASPERS experts from the European Investment Bank (EIB), as the contractor will be equally responsible to JASPERS and the contracting authority ⁵.

1. 1Expertise in district heating system decarbonization and renewable energy integration
2. 2Experience with EU cohesion policy and Just Transition Fund (JTF) project preparation
3. 3Capacity to collaborate with JASPERS technical assistance experts
4. 4Knowledge of Slovak energy regulations and the Upper Nitra regional transformation context

Key Tasks and Deliverables

The contractor will develop Specific Action Plans to guide the restructuring of district heating systems, focusing on socio-economic and environmental impacts of the transition to climate neutrality in the most affected territories ⁶. Deliverables include technical assessments, feasibility studies, and investment plans that enable the transition to 4th-generation district heating systems using renewable energy sources and waste heat ⁷.

Funding Context and Related Opportunities

This technical assistance tender supports the broader €459 million Just Transition Fund (JTF) investment in Upper Nitra, which targets the phasing out of coal and metals/chemicals industries ⁸. Successful action plans developed under this contract will enable stakeholders to access additional funding from the JTF, Modernisation Fund, and European Regional Development Fund for physical infrastructure upgrades ⁹.

Related JASPERS Resources:Applicants should consult the JASPERS Guide to Decarbonisation of District Heating Systems for systematic project preparation advice ¹⁰.

The contracting authority is the European Commission, DG REGIO (Regional and Urban Policy), and all procurement documents are available via the official EU Funding & Tenders Portal ¹¹.

Footnotes

1. 1Official tender description: EC-REGIO/2026/OP/0050, available at EU Tender Portal.
2. 2Slovakia's Territorial Just Transition Plan: European Commission clears €459M climate investment in Slovakia Enerdata.
3. 3Contract value and duration: Estimated overall contract amount €125,000, duration 12 months EU Tender Portal Data.
4. 4Eligibility requirements: Tender specifications Part I and Part II, available at EU Tender Documents.
5. 5JASPERS cooperation: Contractor will work under close cooperation and supervision of JASPERS experts Tender Description.
6. 6Specific objective: Provide technical assistance for DHS improvements with direct socio-economic and environmental impact Tender Description.
7. 74th Generation DH: Goal to design preliminary project using renewable energy sources W4RES.
8. 8JTF Investment: €459M to help metals and chemicals industries in Upper Nitra phase out Enerdata.
9. 9Funding sources: JTF, Modernisation Fund, and EFRR for district heating investments JASPERS Guide.
10. 10JASPERS Guide: Simplifies project preparation for EU funding JASPERS Knowledge.
11. 11Contracting Authority: European Commission, DG REGIO EU Tender Portal.