Maintenance of freezers & drying ovens

This document presents a procurement tender opportunity issued by the European Commission's Joint Research Centre (JRC) located in Geel, Belgium. The tender focuses on the maintenance of freezers and drying ovens essential for the storage of certified reference materials. The contract will be for a duration of 48 months and involves purchasing services rather than providing funding for projects.

Eligible applicants include companies or specialized service providers capable of maintaining scientific equipment, particularly those with experience in servicing specific brands of equipment, such as Thermo Fisher Scientific, PHCBI, New Brunswick, and Haier for freezers, as well as Hereaus and Carbolite for drying ovens. The tender is geared more towards larger firms, as indicated by the `smeSuitableIndicator` being false, which suggests smaller enterprises may struggle to meet the technical and certification requirements.

The nature of the opportunity is a planned negotiated procedure categorized under a low to middle value contract. This indicates that successful applicants will be compensated for maintenance services rendered rather than receiving grants. The implication is that the procurement is structured for a single applicant rather than requiring a consortium.

Geographically, the procurement is likely open to entities within EU member states and possibly EEA countries, as it falls under standard EU public procurement rules. The scope of this opportunity targets the scientific sector focused on maintenance and support for laboratory equipment, and while specific countries are not mentioned, the service will be executed in Belgium, given the mandate of the JRC-Geel.

The procurement is categorized under operational or commercialization stages, with an emphasis on maintaining existing equipment rather than research or development activities. Although the exact funding amount is not disclosed, there is a defined framework for expressing interest. The application type for this opportunity involves submitting expressions of interest electronically, starting from August 18, 2025, with a deadline on September 2, 2025. The call for tenders is expected to be formally launched around the same date.

This procurement serves an essential function in sustaining the research infrastructure necessary for producing certified reference materials, thereby maintaining scientific standards and competitiveness within the EU research ecosystem. Interested parties are encouraged to monitor the EU Funding & Tenders Portal for the official tender documentation and further specifics. The core procurement category is classified under CPV code 50800000, which covers miscellaneous repair and maintenance services.

This is a publication announcing the European Commission, DG JRC Joint Research Centre's intention to publish a future negotiated low or middle value procedure. It is not a call for tenders. The procedure identifier is EC-JRC/GEE/2025/LVP/4250-EXA.

The subject of the planned call for tenders is the maintenance of freezers and drying ovens. Specifically, it concerns the preventive maintenance services on equipment used to store specific certified reference materials produced by JRC-Geel. These materials are stored in freezers at -70°C, which require yearly maintenance. The number of freezers may change over time.

The equipment foreseen in this call for tender includes the following:

Freezers:
Thermo Fisher Scientific
PHCBI
New Brunswick
Haier

Drying ovens:
Hereaus T6200 961013
Carbolite LHT/5/120 controller 3216P1 + 2132

The procedure type is a planned negotiated procedure for a middle/low value contract. The nature of the contract is for services. The maximum contract duration is 48 months. It will be a framework agreement without reopening of competition. The main classification (CPV) code is 50800000 Miscellaneous repair and maintenance services.

The milestones are as follows:

Start date for expression of interest: 2025-08-18 Europe/Brussels
Deadline for expression of interest: 02/09/2025 05:59 Europe/Brussels
Indicative date of launch of the negotiated procedure: 2025-09-02 Europe/Brussels

The method of expression of interest is electronic. Submissions must be sent exclusively at the address for submission given.

A question and answer section is available, requiring users to log in to create questions. One question has already been answered: References that feature an ‘ExA’ are not calls for tenders but a publication announcing the contracting authority’s intent to launch in the future a low or middle negotiated procedure. This was published on 03/10/2024 17:32.

In summary, this is a pre-announcement for a future low to middle value negotiated procedure by the European Commission's Joint Research Centre (JRC) in Geel, Belgium. The contract will cover the preventive maintenance of freezers and drying ovens used to store certified reference materials. The freezers operate at -70°C and require annual maintenance. Specific brands and models of freezers (Thermo Fisher Scientific, PHCBI, New Brunswick, Haier) and drying ovens (Hereaus, Carbolite) are listed. The contract is expected to last for 48 months and will be a framework agreement. Companies interested in participating in this future tender should express their interest electronically, with the expression of interest period starting on August 18, 2025, and ending on September 2, 2025. The actual call for tenders is expected to be launched around September 2, 2025. This announcement serves as an early notice to allow potential bidders to prepare for the upcoming opportunity.

Eligible Applicant Types: The eligible applicant types are not explicitly stated in the provided text. However, given the nature of the contract, it is likely that eligible applicants would be companies or service providers specializing in the maintenance and repair of laboratory equipment, specifically freezers and drying ovens. This could include SMEs or larger enterprises with the necessary expertise.

Funding Type: This is a procurement opportunity, specifically a planned negotiated procedure for a middle/low value contract. The nature of the contract is for services.

Consortium Requirement: The text does not explicitly state whether a consortium is required or if a single applicant is sufficient. Given that it is a low to middle value contract for maintenance services, it is possible that both single applicants and consortia could be eligible, but this would need to be confirmed in the full call for tenders documentation when it is released.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): The geographic eligibility is not explicitly stated, but since the contracting authority is the European Commission, DG JRC, it is highly likely that the geographic eligibility will be at least EU member states. It could potentially be extended to EEA countries or other countries associated with EU research programs.

Target Sector: The target sector is the maintenance and repair of laboratory equipment, specifically focusing on scientific instruments used for storing and processing certified reference materials. This falls under the broader category of scientific services and equipment maintenance.

Mentioned Countries: No specific countries are mentioned, but the European Commission, DG JRC Joint Research Centre is the lead contracting authority, and the specific location mentioned is JRC-Geel, which is in Belgium. Therefore, Belgium is implicitly mentioned as the location where the services are to be performed.

Project Stage: This opportunity is for the operational phase, specifically the maintenance of existing equipment. It is not related to research, development, or demonstration stages.

Funding Amount: The funding amount is described as a "low or middle value procedure," but no specific monetary range is given.

Application Type: The application type is a planned negotiated procedure. This means that after the expression of interest, the contracting authority will likely invite a limited number of pre-selected candidates to submit a full proposal and negotiate the terms of the contract.

Nature of Support: The beneficiaries will receive money in exchange for providing maintenance services for the specified laboratory equipment.

Application Stages: The application process appears to involve at least two stages: an expression of interest, followed by a full proposal submission and negotiation for selected candidates.

Success Rates: The success rates cannot be determined from the provided text, as this is just an announcement of a future call for tenders.

Co-funding Requirement: The text does not mention any co-funding requirements.

Summary:

This is an announcement from the European Commission, DG JRC Joint Research Centre, specifically JRC-Geel, about a planned call for tenders for the maintenance of freezers and drying ovens used to store specific certified reference materials. This is not a call for tenders yet, but a pre-announcement to allow interested parties to express their interest. The procedure will be a negotiated procedure for a low or middle value contract. The contract will cover preventive maintenance services for equipment including freezers from Thermo Fisher Scientific, PHCBI, New Brunswick, and Haier, as well as drying ovens from Hereaus and Carbolite. The maximum contract duration is 48 months and will be a framework agreement without reopening of competition. The start date for expression of interest is planned for 2025-08-18, with a deadline of 2025-09-02. The indicative date for the launch of the negotiated procedure is 2025-09-02. Interested parties should monitor the EU Funding & Tenders Portal for the official call for tenders and related documentation. The CPV code is 50800000, which relates to miscellaneous repair and maintenance services.