Maintenance Services for Perkin Elmer Scientific Instruments

The European Commission Joint Research Centre (JRC) in Ispra, Italy has published an open tender (EC-JRC/IPR/2026/OP/5527) for preventive and corrective maintenance, repairs, operational qualification and technical support for Perkin Elmer scientific instruments on site. The procurement is a single framework contract awarded on the lowest price criterion with a maximum ceiling of €400,000 and a maximum duration of 48 months. Tenders must be submitted electronically via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal eSubmission system, with the submission deadline 17 December 2026 at 16:00 (Europe/Rome). Eligible economic operators must demonstrate required legal capacity, an average turnover above €100,000 over the last three financial years and relevant technical experience (minimum three similar projects and qualified personnel).

High-level summary

What is funded

Provision of preventive and corrective maintenance, repair, operational qualification (OQ) and technical support for Perkin Elmer scientific instruments used in JRC Ispra laboratories to ensure reliability, reduce downtime and maintain availability for laboratory work.

Who can apply

Economic operators registered in the Participant Register with capacity to supply maintenance and technical support for the listed Perkin Elmer instruments. Subcontracting is permitted; consortiums (joint tenders) allowed. Tenderers must use the EU Login/eSubmission system.

Key dates

Tender documents, technical specifications, draft contract, model forms and annexes (safety, radiation protection, DUVRI, site access rules, financial offer form) are published on the Funding & Tenders Portal; an EU Login account is required to subscribe and submit. 1

Footnotes

1. 1Full procurement documents and submission are available on the Funding & Tenders Portal: ec.europa.eu

What is being procured and covered service scope

Eligibility and applicant requirements

Selection, technical and administrative requirements

Award method, evaluation and price model

How to apply and submission rules

Contract implementation and practical obligations

Commercial and financial conditions

Templates and application structure

Application checklist

Procurement process stages and practical notes

Risk allocation, liabilities and compliance

The contractor is fully responsible for performance of contracted services and for the acts of its personnel and subcontractors. The contractor must insure staff and compliance with health and safety, environmental and radiation protection rules. Liability clauses, audit and recovery provisions are included in the draft contract and general conditions. The Commission reserves rights to suspend, order corrective action, apply liquidated damages, withhold payments or terminate the framework for breaches including health and safety, fraud or other contractual infringements.

Contact, Portal links and where to find documents

All procurement documents, annexes, templates and Q&A are available on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal tender details page for EC-JRC/IPR/2026/OP/5527. Subscription to the call on the Portal allows email notifications when documents are published or updated. Tenderers must follow the eSubmission Quick Guide and Portal system requirements to ensure uploads and signatures comply with the rules.

For full tender documentation and downloads see the tender page on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal. The official tender documents contain the complete technical specification, the draft contract and annexes, the financial template and all administrative instructions. This summary is an accurate extraction of the contract notice and published annexes but does not replace the official procurement documents which govern the procedure.

Official portal and technical guidance are available on the Funding & Tenders Portal and JRC website. For procedural queries use the Portal 'Create a question' function. For eSubmission technical issues contact the eSubmission Helpdesk.

This summary does not add, modify or override the procurement documents and conditions. Tenderers must read and follow all provisions in the contract notice, tender specifications and draft contract annexes before submitting a tender.

Footnotes

1. 1Portal and eSubmission technical guidance pages are the official help resource for submitting tenders and follow the latest system requirements. Use the Helpdesk contact details provided on the eSubmission Quick Guide for technical problems.

Executive Summary

This is a public procurement opportunity, not a grant. The European Commission Directorate General Joint Research Centre is seeking one contractor to provide preventive and corrective maintenance, repairs, operational qualification and technical support for Perkin Elmer scientific instruments used at the JRC site in Ispra, Italy. The procurement is intended to maintain reliable laboratory operations and avoid interruption after the existing maintenance contract expires in November 2026. 1

The procedure is an open procedure for a single framework contract with a maximum estimated value of €400,000 and a maximum duration of 48 months. The contract is awarded using the lowest price criterion, subject to compliance with all administrative, exclusion, selection and technical requirements.

Opportunity Profile

What the Contract Covers

The successful contractor will be expected to provide services for the Perkin Elmer instruments identified in the technical specifications and financial offer documents. The scope includes the following activity categories:

Preventive maintenance and routine servicing designed to preserve instrument reliability and availability.

Corrective maintenance, troubleshooting and repair following instrument failures or performance problems.

Operational qualification and related verification activities required to confirm that instruments operate within the specified requirements.

Technical support for JRC laboratory users and technical personnel.

Provision of technical reports, acceptance documentation and other records required by the contract.

The financial offer identifies instruments including an ICP MS NEXION 350D with autosampler, UV VIS spectrometers, a UV VIS NIR LAMBDA 950 with integrating sphere, thermal gravimetric analyser, UV Vis Spectrophotometer Lambda 365 plus Touch, FTIR microscope and differential scanning calorimeter. The definitive scope, service frequencies, response obligations, parts arrangements and qualification requirements must be taken from the technical specifications rather than inferred from the price form.

Eligible Applicants

Any interested economic operator may submit a tender under the open procedure, including a natural person, legal person, joint tender group or international organisation where permitted by the applicable EU procurement access rules. Tenderers must have access to EU procurement and must not be subject to applicable EU restrictive measures.

Economic operators may participate as a sole tenderer or as a group of economic operators. A joint tender must identify a group leader, and all group members assume joint and several liability for performance of the contract as a whole.

Participation is open to entities established in EU Member States, entities covered by applicable EU procurement access arrangements, countries covered by the WTO Government Procurement Agreement where the relevant conditions apply, and eligible third countries under the applicable Horizon Europe participation rules. Each tenderer must state its country of establishment and provide supporting evidence if required.

The opportunity is not identified as SME suitable in the procurement data. This does not automatically exclude SMEs, but the economic and technical thresholds, manufacturer specific experience and ability to deliver services at the JRC site may make specialist partnerships or a joint tender commercially relevant.

Eligibility and Selection Requirements

Legal and regulatory capacity

Tenderers must have the legal and regulatory capacity to perform the contract and pursue the professional activity required for scientific instrument maintenance. Proof of registration in a relevant trade or professional register may be requested during the procedure.

Economic and financial capacity

The tenderer, assessed on a consolidated basis where applicable, must have an average annual turnover above €100,000 for the last three financial years. Evidence may include profit and loss accounts for the last three closed financial years or, where appropriate, statements from banks. The most recent financial year must have closed within the previous 18 months when the evidence is requested.

Technical and professional experience

The tenderer must demonstrate experience maintaining scientific instruments of the same type as those listed in the technical specifications. The minimum requirement is at least three similar projects, comparable in scope and complexity, completed during the three years preceding the tender deadline.

The project reference list should include the start and end dates, total project value, scope, the tenderer's role and the amount invoiced. For ongoing projects, only the part completed during the relevant reference period is considered.

Personnel and technical team

The tenderer must have a dedicated team qualified to perform the required services. The specified technical personnel must have at least three years of professional experience within the previous five years in maintaining instruments of the same type as those covered by the tender.

The complete requirements for staffing, qualifications, availability, service response, manufacturer training and any additional technical profiles are set out in the technical specifications. Applicants should not rely solely on the administrative specifications or the financial form when assessing compliance.

Exclusion and Integrity Requirements

Each relevant entity must submit the required declaration on honour covering exclusion and selection criteria. The declaration addresses insolvency, unpaid taxes or social security contributions, grave professional misconduct, fraud, corruption, criminal organisations, money laundering, terrorism, trafficking, significant contractual failures, irregularities, circumvention of legal obligations, obstruction of audits and other grounds under the EU Financial Regulation.

The declaration also covers persons with powers of representation, decision making or control, beneficial owners and, where applicable, persons with unlimited liability for the tenderer's debts. Tenderers must also confirm compliance with EU restrictive measures, absence of established debts to the Union and independent preparation of the tender.

Documentary evidence is generally requested from the presumed successful tenderer before award, although the Commission may request updated declarations or supporting evidence from any tenderer during the procedure. Applicants should prepare certificates, judicial extracts, tax and social security evidence, financial accounts and professional registration documents in advance because response deadlines may be short.

Consortiums and Subcontracting

Joint tenders are permitted. All members must be registered and identified, appoint a group leader and provide the required agreement or power of attorney. An entity cannot participate simultaneously as a sole tenderer and member of another tender group, or as a member of more than one group in the same procedure.

Subcontracting is permitted unless the procurement documents reserve critical tasks for the contractor or group members. Identified subcontractors must be disclosed where the tenderer relies on their capacity or where their intended individual share exceeds 20 percent of the contract. Relevant subcontractors must provide commitment letters.

A tenderer may rely on the capacity of other entities, but it must demonstrate that the necessary resources will be available. For technical and professional capacity, the supporting entity must perform the services for which its capacity is relied upon. The Commission may require an entity providing financial capacity to sign the contract or provide a joint and several first call financial guarantee.

Tender Submission Requirements

Tenders must be submitted exclusively through the Commission's electronic submission system, eSubmission. Submissions by email, post or other means will be disregarded.

Each participating organisation must be registered in the European Commission Participant Register and must use a valid nine digit Participant Identification Code. An EU Login account is required to access the submission system and submit the tender.

The tender must be prepared in one of the official languages of the European Union. The procurement documents are published in English, which is the authentic language version for the procedure.

The tender package should include the documents specified in the administrative specifications and document checklist, including the completed financial offer form, declaration on honour, evidence or statements requested for selection criteria, information on group members and subcontractors, commitments from supporting entities, powers of attorney where applicable, and all other required technical and administrative documents.

The financial offer must be completed using the Commission's prescribed form. Prices entered in the price list are used in the evaluation scenario, and the price list prevails in the event of a discrepancy. Mandatory quotations identified in the form must not be left incomplete.

Variants are not allowed. Alternative solutions or deviations from the model solution described in the procurement documents may be disregarded.

The eSubmission system provides a timestamped submission receipt. The receipt is the evidence that the tender was submitted on time. Tenderers should complete uploading and final submission well before the deadline because late submissions cannot be accepted.

Deadlines and Procedure Milestones

The key dates are as follows:

Questions must be submitted in writing through the Questions and Answers section of the Funding and Tenders Portal. Tenderers are responsible for checking the portal for clarifications, corrections, document replacements and other updates during the submission period.

The invitation states that a maximum of two representatives per tender may attend the virtual opening session. A request to attend must be sent to the procurement contact as soon as possible and no later than three hours before the opening, including the representatives' names, email addresses, tenderer name and submission receipt.

Commercial and Contractual Conditions

The €400,000 amount is a maximum framework ceiling, not a guaranteed payment. Estimated volumes in the financial model are indicative only. Actual expenditure will depend on specific orders issued by the JRC during the contract period.

The Commission may, within three years following signature of the framework contract, use a negotiated procedure to procure similar additional services from the contractor up to a maximum of 50 percent of the initial framework ceiling, subject to the conditions in the procurement documents and applicable Financial Regulation.

The contractor bears the costs of preparing and submitting the tender and attending the opening session. These costs will not be reimbursed.

The Commission is not bound by the invitation to tender until a contract is signed. It may cancel the procurement before signature without tenderers being entitled to compensation, provided the decision is substantiated and tenderers are notified.

Any established debt owed by the successful tenderer to the Union, the European Atomic Energy Community or an executive agency may be offset against payments due under the contract in accordance with the Financial Regulation and draft contract.

The contractor must comply with JRC security requirements, site access procedures, safety requirements, environmental obligations, radiation protection requirements where applicable, fraud prevention obligations and equal opportunity and diversity requirements. Costs of complying with security measures, including any required checks or clearances, are borne by the contractor.

Assessment of Tenders

The Commission may assess tenders in an order it considers appropriate. The assessment can include access to procurement, administrative compliance, exclusion, selection capacity, technical compliance, price evaluation, restrictive measures and other rejection grounds.

A tender that fails an applicable minimum requirement may be rejected without full evaluation. The Commission may request clarification or missing information where permitted, but clarifications cannot substantially change the tender. False declarations or information may lead to rejection and administrative sanctions, including exclusion or financial penalties.

Because the award criterion is lowest price, bidders should focus on submitting a fully compliant and complete offer at a competitive price. A low price does not compensate for failure to meet mandatory technical, staffing, documentary or contractual requirements.

Key Applicant Actions

1. Register or verify the organisation in the Participant Register and confirm the correct PIC for every tenderer, consortium member and relevant involved entity.

2. Obtain an EU Login account and test access to eSubmission well before the deadline.

3. Download and review the invitation, administrative specifications, technical specifications, draft contract and every annex, including the site access, safety, environmental, radiation protection and risk documentation.

4. Confirm that the organisation has the required average annual turnover and prepare financial evidence for the last three closed financial years.

5. Prepare at least three qualifying scientific instrument maintenance references completed during the required three year period.

6. Identify the proposed technical team and document at least three years of relevant experience within the required five year period.

7. Decide whether to bid alone, form a joint tender or use subcontractors. Obtain all required commitment letters and powers of attorney before submission.

8. Complete the mandatory financial offer form exactly as provided and verify that all instruments and required quotation fields are covered.

9. Submit questions through the portal before the question deadline and monitor the portal for clarifications or amended documents.

10. Finalise and submit the tender well before 17 December 2026 at 16:00 Europe/Rome, then retain the official electronic submission receipt.

Important Document Verification Issue

One extracted declaration document in the supplied material contains a different procedure reference and a title referring to Applied Biosystems or Life Technologies scientific instruments rather than Perkin Elmer instruments. This appears to be a document mismatch or extraction error. Applicants must verify that the declaration, financial form, technical specifications and every annex submitted relate to EC-JRC/IPR/2026/OP/5527 and the Perkin Elmer procurement. Any inconsistency should be raised through the official Questions and Answers channel before the applicable deadline.

Overall Assessment

This opportunity is most suitable for the manufacturer, an authorised service provider or a specialist scientific instrument maintenance company with demonstrable experience across the listed Perkin Elmer instrument types, qualified technicians, the capacity to work at the JRC Ispra site and the systems needed to deliver documented preventive, corrective and qualification services.

The principal commercial risk is that the €400,000 ceiling is not guaranteed and actual orders will depend on JRC requirements. The principal compliance risks are failure to demonstrate the specific technical experience, incomplete financial or technical forms, inadequate evidence for the proposed team, incorrect handling of consortium or subcontractor arrangements, and late or technically invalid eSubmission.

The opportunity is attractive for a suitably qualified specialist because it offers a potential four year relationship with a major European research organisation, but it should be treated as a competitive service tender rather than guaranteed grant funding or a guaranteed revenue award.

Official Source

The authoritative opportunity page and procurement documents are available through the European Commission Funding and Tenders Portal EU Funding and Tenders Portal opportunity page. 1

Footnotes

1. 1Information is based on the official European Commission Funding and Tenders Portal opportunity record and the procurement documents supplied for this analysis. Applicants should rely on the latest version of the documents published in the portal because dates, requirements or annexes may be amended during the procedure.