Large Area Silicon Wafer Contacting and Temperature Control Unit

This is a planned European Commission negotiated procurement (EC-JRC/IPR/2026/LVP/5504-EXA) by the Joint Research Centre for the supply of a large-area silicon wafer contacting and temperature control unit for the European Solar Test Installation to characterise single- and multi-junction PV cells up to G12 size, including half-cut and third-cut formats, under continuous illumination. The contract is a supply contract classified under CPV 38000000 with a maximum duration of six months, it is not a grant and no estimated contract value is published. Interested economic operators must express interest electronically via the Funding & Tenders Portal using an EU Login account; the expression of interest period opens 13 October 2026 and the deadline displayed is 28 October 2026 at 22:59 Europe/Rome. The notice is an advance publication to identify interested suppliers and does not constitute a final invitation to tender; detailed technical, financial and contractual documents will be published when the negotiated procedure is launched.

Opportunity type

Planned negotiated procurement (middle/low value)

The Joint Research Centre (European Commission, DG JRC) plans to procure a large area silicon wafer contacting and temperature control unit for characterisation of single- and multi-junction PV cells up to G12-sized wafers (including half-cut and third-cut cells) under continuous illumination. The contract is for supplies with a maximum duration of 6 months. 1

This publication is a notice of intent, not the call for tenders. Further documents and the negotiated tender will be published later on the Funding & Tenders Portal; electronic submission is required. 1

Footnotes

1. 1Source: EU Funding & Tenders Portal tender notice EC-JRC/IPR/2026/LVP/5504-EXA, published 03/10/2026. Full entry available at Tender details.

Opportunity identification and contracting authority

Reference and publication status

Procurement classification and contract details

Key dates and milestones

How to express interest and submission method

Expressions of interest must be submitted electronically via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal using an EU Login account. Submissions must be sent exclusively to the address for submission given on the portal and follow the eSubmission method code ESUBMISSION. The Funding & Tenders Portal / eForms access tool is referenced for electronic interaction.

The publication explicitly notes that references featuring ExA are not a direct call for tenders but an announcement that a low or middle negotiated procedure will be launched in the future. Prospective suppliers should monitor the portal for the formal call documents when published. 1

Technical and functional requirements (summary of scope)

The contracting authority’s stated technical need is for a laboratory-grade unit that combines wafer contacting capability and precise temperature control suitable for photovoltaic characterization of large-area silicon wafers. Required functional capabilities derived from the description include:

Eligibility and applicant types

This is a public procurement for supplies. Eligible applicants are suppliers of laboratory and precision equipment capable of delivering the described unit. Typical eligible applicant types include: manufacturers, authorised distributors, specialised instrumentation vendors, research-focused OEMs, and legal entities (private companies of any size, including SMEs and large enterprises). Public bodies, research organisations or universities could participate if they are commercial suppliers and meet procurement qualification criteria, but the procurement targets market suppliers rather than funding beneficiaries.

Structured answers to categorisation questions

Practical next steps for interested suppliers

Footnotes

1. 1References with ExA indicate an advance publication that the contracting authority intends to launch a negotiated low or middle value procedure in the future. See the Funding & Tenders Portal guidance for ExA references and procurement document locations.

Executive summary

This is a planned European Commission procurement for the supply of a large area silicon wafer contacting and temperature control unit for the European Solar Test Installation, part of the Joint Research Centre. The equipment will support measurement of advanced photovoltaic technologies, including single junction and multi junction solar cells, wafers up to G12 size, half cut cells and third cut cells under continuous illumination 1.

The opportunity is not a grant or funding scheme. It is a planned negotiated procurement for a supply contract. The contracting authority intends to identify interested economic operators before launching the negotiated procedure. The published notice does not itself constitute an invitation to submit a final tender.

The portal record does not state an estimated contract value, award budget, reimbursement rate or maximum price. Applicants should therefore treat this as a commercial tender opportunity rather than financial support for project development.

Opportunity status and key facts

The opportunity is identified as EC-JRC/IPR/2026/LVP/5504-EXA. The suffix EXA indicates that the record is an advance publication announcing the contracting authority’s intention to launch a future low or middle value negotiated procedure. Procurement documents and detailed technical, financial and contractual requirements are expected to become available only when the negotiated procedure is launched.

Purpose and expected supply

The JRC requires an integrated equipment unit capable of contacting and controlling the temperature of large silicon wafers and solar cells during photovoltaic performance measurements. The intended use is to measure the latest photovoltaic technology developments under continuous illumination.

The required operating scope expressly includes single junction and multi junction solar cells of different sizes, up to G12 sized wafers. The description also identifies half cut and third cut cells, indicating that the equipment must accommodate both full wafer formats and segmented cell configurations.

The wording suggests that the contracting authority is seeking a complete and operational laboratory system rather than an isolated component. However, the available notice does not specify the required temperature range, illumination interface, electrical current and voltage range, contact geometry, measurement accuracy, automation level, software interfaces, safety requirements, installation conditions or acceptance testing criteria. These matters should be treated as pending technical specification items.

Who can apply

The likely target applicants are manufacturers, specialist laboratory equipment suppliers, photovoltaic measurement system providers, and authorised distributors or integrators able to supply, install and support the required equipment. The notice does not publish a closed list of eligible applicant categories or identify a nationality restriction in the available record.

Because this is a negotiated procurement, an expression of interest is not equivalent to a grant application and does not guarantee an invitation to tender or contract award. The contracting authority may assess interested economic operators against requirements that will be set out in the subsequent procurement documentation.

The available record does not confirm whether joint tenders, subcontracting, consortia or reliance on third party capacity will be permitted. Suppliers should not assume that these arrangements are accepted until the final procurement documents state the applicable rules.

Applicant and supplier requirements to prepare for

Potential suppliers should be prepared to demonstrate the following areas, subject to confirmation in the future invitation and technical specifications:

These points are procurement preparation considerations and are not confirmed mandatory eligibility criteria. The legally binding requirements will be those contained in the future negotiated procedure documents.

Funding, value and commercial conditions

No estimated total value is displayed in the available opportunity record. Consequently, no reliable award range, ceiling price, payment schedule or budget allocation can be reported. Suppliers should avoid using generic low value procurement thresholds to infer the contract price because the notice does not disclose the amount.

There is no EU co financing rate, eligible cost category, advance grant payment or project reimbursement mechanism. The successful supplier would be paid under a public supply contract according to the final contractual terms, likely against delivery, installation, acceptance or other milestones defined in the procurement documents.

The contract is described as a supply contract and has a maximum duration of six months. The six month period may include manufacturing or sourcing, delivery, installation, commissioning, testing and formal acceptance, but the notice does not allocate time between these activities.

Procedure and submission process

Interested economic operators must submit an expression of interest electronically through the Funding and Tenders Portal. An EU Login account is required to subscribe to the opportunity, submit questions and submit the expression of interest or other electronic procurement material.

The announced deadline is 28 October 2026 at 22:59 Europe/Rome time. The portal metadata also records a registration deadline of 28 October 2026 at 23:59 Europe/Rome time. Because these displayed times are not identical, suppliers should use the earlier time as the internal deadline and verify the live portal record before submission.

The indicative date for launching the negotiated procedure is also 28 October 2026. This date is not necessarily the date by which a final tender must be submitted. It represents the planned launch of the next procurement stage and may change.

The available record states that submissions must be sent exclusively to the submission address provided in the portal. Suppliers should not submit by ordinary email, post or through the JRC website unless the future procurement documents expressly permit another channel.

Recommended preparation plan

Key risks and uncertainties

Overall assessment

This is a specialised and potentially attractive procurement for suppliers of photovoltaic test equipment, semiconductor measurement systems and advanced laboratory instrumentation. The opportunity is particularly relevant to suppliers with proven experience in large wafer contacting, temperature-controlled photovoltaic measurements and integration with continuous illumination systems.

The opportunity is not yet sufficiently developed for a final bid decision based on price or compliance. The immediate commercial objective should be to register interest, monitor the portal and prepare evidence of technical suitability and delivery capacity. A definitive go or no go decision should be taken after publication of the formal negotiated procedure documents, especially the technical specifications, selection criteria, award methodology, contract value and place of performance.

Official source

The authoritative opportunity record is the European Commission Funding and Tenders Portal entry for Large Area Silicon Wafer Contacting and Temperature Control Unit 1.

The contracting authority is the European Commission Joint Research Centre, which describes itself as the Commission’s science and knowledge service supporting evidence based EU policy and operating scientific laboratories and testing facilities.

Footnotes

1. 1Official opportunity record: EU Funding and Tenders Portal opportunity. The portal record should be checked directly for amendments, the formal negotiated procedure, documents, submission instructions and any revised deadlines.