Hypercare, maintenance, support, and further development of the EFSA Spatially Explicit Environmental Data (SEED) platform in Databricks

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) is inviting tenders for the Hypercare, maintenance, support, and further development of its Spatially Explicit Environmental Data (SEED) platform built on Databricks. This public procurement opportunity, identified by call ID EFSA/2025/OP/0021, is open until February 23, 2026, at 14:30 (CET). The estimated overall contract value is €550,000, with a duration of 48 months.

Bidders eligible for this tender include economic operators, such as private companies and consortia. However, small and medium enterprises (SMEs) are marked as not particularly suited for this opportunity, suggesting that larger providers may be favored due to the complexity and requirements of the services needed. The contract will be awarded to two selected contractors through a framework agreement, enhancing service continuity and risk management.

The aim of this procurement is to establish a contract to maintain the operational integrity of the SEED platform, assist users, provide technical training, and enhance existing tools and workflows. The assessment will heavily weigh technical quality (70%) with price accounting for 30%.

Procurement documents available for potential bidders include an invitation letter, tender specifications, a financial offer template, a draft framework contract, and a technical description of the EFSA datalake. The submission process is entirely electronic via the eSubmission platform, and all participants must obtain a Personal Identification Code (PIC) from the European Commission's Participant Register.

As part of the application process, clarifications can be solicited until February 13, 2026, and tenders must demonstrate technical capacity in cloud infrastructure management, data analysis, and support services relevant to the SEED platform.

This opportunity represents a strategic engagement for qualified vendors capable of delivering essential data services, maintaining high operational standards, and contributing to EFSA's scientific assessments across various environmental domains.

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) is launching a call for tenders, EFSA/2025/OP/0021, to ensure the operational continuity, maintenance, and technical support of the Spatially Explicit Environmental Data (SEED) platform. The TED reference for this call is 238/2025 817983-2025.

SEED is a cloud-based environment developed by EFSA to facilitate the use, integration, and analysis of geospatial and environmental data in scientific risk assessment activities across multiple domains. The platform is implemented on Databricks and integrates tools and data services for spatial analysis, modelling, and visualization.

The objective of this procurement procedure is to sign a Framework contract in cascade with two contractors in order to secure services covering the hypercare phase, technical maintenance, user and expert training, and further development of SEED tools and workflows. The selected contractors will ensure platform reliability and performance, assist EFSA users in adopting and operating SEED tools effectively, and contribute to the continuous improvement and integration of geospatial data workflows.

This is an open procedure with an estimated total value of 550000 EUR. The TED publication date is 10/12/2025. The main classification (CPV) is 73000000 - Research and development services and related consultancy services. The nature of the contract is for services, with a maximum contract duration of 48 months. The award method is best price-quality ratio. It is a framework agreement without reopening of competition.

Key milestones include:
TED publication date: 10/12/2025
Date and time of public opening: 24/02/2026 14:30 Europe/Rome
Deadline for receipt of tenders: 23/02/2026 14:30 Europe/Rome
Contracting authority is not bound to reply to questions submitted after: 13/02/2026 07:00 Europe/Rome

The following documents are available for download:
ENInvitation to tender_EFSA_2025_OP_0021Invitation letter, published on 10/12/2025, Version 1, No translations available
ENFinancial offer_templateFinancial offer form, published on 10/12/2025, Version 1, No translations available
ENAnnex 4 - Technical description of EFSA datalake, published on 10/12/2025, Version 1, No translations available
ENTender Specifications_EFSA_2025_OP_0021Tender specifications, published on 10/12/2025, Version 1, No translations available
ENEN_DRAFT FWC Service ContractDraft contract, published on 10/12/2025, Version 1, No translations available

Submissions must be sent exclusively via electronic submission at the address provided.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ):
How to proceed if the system is slow or doesn’t work while uploading/downloading documents? Use the latest versions of Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox. If the issue persists, clear the cache and cookies on the Internet browser. Published on 13/02/2025 21:52
Which Internet browsers does eSubmission support? Use the latest versions of Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox. For the most up-to-date technical recommendations, click on the link System Requirements. Published on 13/02/2025 21:52
Is it possible to view the details of the submission after the deadline? No, the content of the submission is not accessible after submitting the tender as the system encrypts all attachments upon upload. Published on 13/02/2025 21:50
Where can I find my submissions in Manage My Area, in the Funding & Tenders portal? Submissions can be found in ‘My Submission(s)’: tenders in response to open calls for tenders, requests to participate. Published on 17/10/2024 21:40
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I received an invitation from the F&T Portal but cannot view the procurement documents. Invited candidates can only see the procurement documents after having selected an organisation. Go to F&T Portal, “My Invitations”. Click on “Select Organisation” from the “Action” column. Published on 03/10/2024 17:37
Do I need to validate my PIC in order to submit a tender in eSubmission? The Personal Identification Code (PIC) is mandatory to participate in a call for tenders as a sole candidate/tenderer or as a member of a group (consortium). For subcontractors, PIC is not mandatory. Published on 03/10/2024 17:36
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How many languages does the system support? The system is multilingual and supports all 24 official EU languages. Published on 01/04/2024 20:56
Which is the character set encoding in the system? The character set encoding is UTF-8. Published on 23/02/2024 00:58
Does the system use encryption to ensure the integrity and the confidentiality of the information? Yes, the system encrypts all uploaded documents, using an asymmetric key as an encryption mechanism. Published on 23/02/2024 00:57
Which file types does the system support? The supported file types depend on the type of submission you want to make. The allowed file types are specified within the system requirements linked to the procedure in question. Published on 22/02/2024 00:55
Can I view and edit my draft submission? Until the deadline for the submission has been reached, submissions in the draft status can be edited, viewed and deleted. Published on 24/03/2023 22:32
In the submission report, under the name of our entity, "Legal form: UNKNOWN" is displayed while in the system, our legal form was correctly displayed. Is this a problem for the submission? No, it is just a display issue. This is not blocking for you: you can submit. Published on 03/08/2021 23:07
I sent my submission on time and a few days later, I received an automatic email informing me that the deadline for the reception of submissions had been reached. Does this mean that my submission was not correctly sent? No, this is an auto-generated notification sent when the time limit of receipt defined for the call for tenders has been reached. Until then, you had the possibility of withdrawing your submission. Published on 03/08/2021 23:05

In summary, this is a call for tenders by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) to find two contractors to maintain, support, and further develop their Spatially Explicit Environmental Data (SEED) platform, which is built on Databricks. The SEED platform is crucial for EFSA's scientific risk assessment activities, as it allows for the integration and analysis of geospatial and environmental data. The selected contractors will be responsible for ensuring the platform's reliability, providing user training, and contributing to its continuous improvement. The contract is a framework agreement with a maximum duration of 48 months and an estimated total value of 550,000 EUR. The deadline for submitting tenders is February 23, 2026. Interested parties must submit their tenders electronically and should carefully review the tender specifications and other provided documents. A key requirement for participation is having a valid Personal Identification Code (PIC).

Eligible Applicant Types: The eligible applicant types are not explicitly stated in the provided text. However, given the nature of the tender, it is likely that eligible applicants include companies, research institutions, and other organizations with the necessary expertise in IT services, data management, and geospatial analysis.

Funding Type: The funding type is procurement, specifically a service contract. The objective is to sign a Framework contract in cascade with two contractors.

Consortium Requirement: The text does not explicitly state whether a consortium is required or if a single applicant is sufficient. However, the mention of a "Framework contract in cascade with two contractors" suggests that the opportunity may be suitable for either single applicants or consortia.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): The geographic eligibility is not explicitly mentioned. Given that the contracting authority is the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), it is highly likely that the geographic eligibility includes EU member states and potentially other countries associated with EU programs.

Target Sector: The target sector is a combination of ICT, data management, and environmental science, specifically focusing on the maintenance, support, and further development of a geospatial data platform. The specific sectors include: ICT (Information and Communication Technology) for the development and maintenance of the SEED platform, Environmental Science for the application of the platform to environmental data, and Data Management for the integration and analysis of geospatial data.

Mentioned Countries: No specific countries are mentioned. The contracting authority is the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), implying a focus on the European Union.

Project Stage: The project is in the operational and maintenance phase, requiring hypercare, technical maintenance, user training, and further development of existing tools and workflows.

Funding Amount: The estimated total value of the contract is 550,000 EUR.

Application Type: The application type is an open call for tenders, with electronic submission.

Nature of Support: The beneficiaries will receive money in exchange for services rendered under the framework contract. The support is financial compensation for the provision of hypercare, maintenance, support, training, and development services for the SEED platform.

Application Stages: The number of application stages is not explicitly stated, but it can be inferred that there are at least two stages: submission of the tender and evaluation of the tender.

Success Rates: The success rates are not mentioned in the provided text.

Co-funding Requirement: The text does not explicitly mention a co-funding requirement.

Summary:

This is a call for tenders issued by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) for the hypercare, maintenance, support, and further development of the EFSA Spatially Explicit Environmental Data (SEED) platform in Databricks. The SEED platform is a cloud-based environment used for the integration and analysis of geospatial and environmental data in scientific risk assessment activities. The objective is to establish a framework contract with two contractors to ensure the platform's operational continuity, provide technical support and user training, and contribute to the platform's continuous improvement. The procedure type is an open procedure with electronic submission. The estimated total value of the contract is 550,000 EUR, and the maximum contract duration is 48 months. The deadline for receipt of tenders is 23/02/2026 at 14:30 Europe/Rome. Tenderers must submit their proposals electronically and should have expertise in IT services, data management, and geospatial analysis. The selected contractors will be responsible for ensuring platform reliability and performance, assisting EFSA users, and integrating geospatial data workflows. A Personal Identification Code (PIC) is mandatory to participate in this call for tenders. The maximum number of documents that can be uploaded per tender is 200 files, with each file being less than 50 MB in size. The system supports all 24 official EU languages and uses UTF-8 character set encoding. The system encrypts all uploaded documents to ensure integrity and confidentiality.