MASSIVE – Metabolite Analysis System Supporting In-depth Validation and Exploration

The European Union Drugs Agency (EUDA) has published a tender (EUDA/2026/OP/0004) for a fixed-price service contract to establish the MASSIVE Metabolite Analysis System to generate validated metabolic, pharmacological and analytical data for new psychoactive substances and other illicit drugs and to consolidate outputs into a centralised EU database. The estimated contract value is €500,000 for a planned 36-month implementation period. Applications must be submitted electronically via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal and the official closing date in the procurement metadata is 30 September 2026 at 12:00:59 (Europe/Lisbon). Bidders should consult the Tender Specifications and Annexes for full eligibility, required documents, award criteria and contractual conditions.

Opportunity type and objective

Tender to strengthen EU toxicology/metabolism capacity

Service contract procured by the European Union Drugs Agency (EUDA) to generate metabolic, pharmacological and analytical data on NPS and other illicit drugs, consolidate outputs into a centralised EU database, harmonise methods and support timely reporting for monitoring, early warning and public health responses ¹.

Estimated contract value:€500,000 (estimated overall contract amount).

Duration and delivery:Planned contract period 36 months; draft service contract and tender specifications available in the procurement documents ¹.

1. 1Who can apply: legal entities eligible to tender under the procurement rules and meeting the selection and qualification criteria described in the tender documents (consult Annexes and Information for candidates and tenderers).
2. 2Submission: electronic submission via the Funding & Tenders Portal (ESUBMISSION).
3. 3Evaluation: award based on quality and price criteria as set in the procurement documents.

Lead contracting authority:European Union Drugs Agency (EUDA). Applicants should consult the Invitation to tender, Tender specifications and Annexes for full eligibility, required documents, subcontractor commitments and financial form ¹.

Footnotes

1. 1Full tender dossier and documents available on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal: ec.europa.eu

Opportunity summary

This is an open tender published by the European Union Drugs Agency (EUDA) to procure services to establish a Metabolite Analysis System for systematic investigation of drug metabolism, targeted primarily at improving the detection, identification and timely reporting of exposure to new psychoactive substances (NPS) and other illicit drugs. The procurement is framed by Regulation (EU) 2023/1322 (establishing EUDA) and Article 15 which requires a dedicated network of forensic and toxicology laboratories to strengthen analytical capacity, harmonise methods, support quality assurance and facilitate exchange of data and expertise across Member States.

Estimated contract value:€500,000 estimated overall contract amount for the planned contract period of 36 months ¹.

Objectives and expected deliverables

Primary objective:reinforce collective EU capacity to interpret toxicological findings and to improve the detection, identification and timely reporting of exposure to NPS and other illicit drugs by generating robust metabolic, pharmacological and analytical data and consolidating these outputs into a centralised, accessible EU database. Expected outputs include validated metabolic and analytical reference data, harmonised analytical methods and workflows, databases accessible to the EUDA forensic/toxicology network, quality assurance material and support for timely reporting and early warning systems.

Who can apply and applicant requirements

This procurement is a services contract published on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal. Applicants should consult the tender specifications and the Information for candidates and tenderers annexes for the exact and binding selection and exclusion criteria, required documents and minimum evidence of capacity. The procurement allows the main tenderer to rely on the capacities of other entities and to name identified subcontractors; commitment letters for entities on whose capacities the tenderer relies and for identified subcontractors are provided as Annex 5.1 and Annex 5.2, indicating that consortium-like participation is supported through subcontracts or reliance statements.

Eligible applicant types:Public and private organisations capable of delivering laboratory-based forensic and analytical services. Typical eligible applicant types include universities, research institutes, public forensic laboratories, private analytical laboratories, SMEs and large enterprises specialised in analytical chemistry, toxicology, metabolite identification and data management. Nonprofit organisations and consortia formed by such entities are also feasible provided they meet the tender selection criteria. The tender allows reliance on other entities and the use of subcontractors, as evidenced by the required commitment letter templates (Annex 5.1 and Annex 5.2).

Funding and contractual model

This is a public procurement (tender) for services. The successful applicant will be awarded a service contract (draft contract provided as Annex 6). The contracting mechanism is direct payment under a services contract (procurement), not a grant, loan, equity or voucher.

Funding type:Procurement / service contract (monetary payment under contract).

Cft Estimated Total Procedure Value:€500,000 (estimated overall contract amount) ¹.

Consortium, subcontracting and use of other entities

Procedure permits a single contracting entity to submit a tender and to rely on the capacities of other entities. Identified subcontractors may be listed and must provide commitment letters using the templates in the procurement documents (Annex 5.1 for identified subcontractors, Annex 5.2 for entities on whose capacities the tenderer relies). The procurement documents include Annex 4 listing identified subcontractors (if any). Therefore the tender is a single-award procedure that allows partnerships, subcontracts or capacity-reliance arrangements rather than a mandatory multi-party consortium under the call.

Consortium requirement:Single tenderer permitted; consortium-style submissions via subcontracting or capacity reliance are explicitly allowed and supported by required commitment letter templates.

Geographic and sectoral scope

Lead contracting authority is the European Union Drugs Agency (EUDA). The procurement is intended to strengthen capacity across EU Member States and to support the EUDA forensic and toxicology laboratory network. Geographic eligibility follows the general rules of EU procurement for services and, in practice, applicants established or able to perform the contract in the EU are the target. Exact eligibility requirements and any restrictions on participant nationality or establishment will be found in the tender specifications and Information for candidates and tenderers annex.

Beneficiary scope (geographic eligibility):Primarily EU Member States / EU-wide; applicants established or legally able to perform under EU procurement rules. For precise eligibility rules see the tender specifications and Information for candidates and tenderers annex (Annex 1).

Target sectors:Forensic toxicology, clinical toxicology, analytical chemistry, metabolomics, pharmacology, laboratory services, data management for forensic/health surveillance, and public health early warning systems.

Project maturity and expected activities

The procurement covers applied laboratory and data-integration activities aimed at producing validated metabolic and analytical reference data and integrating those into an EU database to support monitoring and early warning. Expected project stage: research-to-development, validation and demonstration of metabolite identification methods and workflows; generation of analytical reference spectra and pharmacological interpretation suitable for operational forensic and public health use.

Project stage:Development, validation and demonstration (applied laboratory research and operational implemention).

Application process and timelines

Submission is electronic via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal (eSubmission). The tender documentation package published on 16 July 2026 includes the Invitation to Tender, Tender Specifications, Information for candidates and tenderers (Annex 1), Declaration on honour (Annex 2), Power of attorney template (Annex 3), List of identified subcontractors (Annex 4), Commitment letter templates (Annexes 5.1 and 5.2), Draft contract (Annex 6) and Financial Form (Annex 7). An official open tender event (opening) is scheduled for 1 October 2026 at 10:30 (local time) per the portal listing; the submission deadline is 30 September 2026 at 12:00:59 local time.

Deadlines:Submission deadline (closing date): 30 September 2026, 12:00:59 (Europe/Lisbon timezone). An additional date appearing (2026-01-01T11:00:59.000Z) may be a system or metadata timestamp; official closing date in procurement metadata is 30 September 2026 12:00:59 ¹.

Application type and submission method:Open call / public tender. Mandatory electronic submission via the Funding & Tenders Portal (eSubmission).

Evaluation, award and success factors

Awarding criteria include quality and price; details on weighting and sub-criteria are in the Tender Specifications. Tenders will be assessed against quality (technical approach, methodology, team competence, track record, data management and quality assurance) and price. The tender documents instruct bidders to consult the procurement documents for full details of award criteria and scoring.

Application stages:Single-stage submission followed by evaluation and contract award (functionally a 1-stage tender). There is an additional administrative sequence: questions/additional information request period ends 22 September 2026, opening event on 01 October 2026 and award thereafter.

Success rates:Not specified in the published procurement metadata. Typical single-award public service tenders accept one successful bidder; competition depends on the number of compliant bids received. No historical success rate data are provided in the procurement documents.

Co-funding and financial obligations

The procurement is a paid service contract and the contracting authority will remunerate the contractor according to the contract conditions and the financial form (Annex 7). There is no explicit co-funding requirement stated in the procurement metadata; bidders should check the Tender Specifications and Draft Contract for payment schedule, invoicing, retainers, possible performance guarantees, and any requirement to finance activities ahead of payment.

Co-funding requirement:No explicit co-funding required in the published metadata. Contractual payment terms and possible guarantees are set out in the Draft Contract and Financial Form (Annex 6 and Annex 7).

Required documents and application templates

The procurement package contains the list of required documents and templates. Key annexes published with the tender are: Invitation to tender, Tender specifications, Annex 1 List of documents to be submitted with the tender (Information for candidates and tenderers), Annex 2 Declaration on honour (tenders), Annex 3 Power of attorney template, Annex 4 List of identified subcontractors, Annex 5.1 Commitment letter by an identified subcontractor, Annex 5.2 Commitment letter by an entity on whose capacities is being relied, Annex 6 Draft service contract, Annex 7 Financial Form (Excel). Bidders must complete and upload required administrative, technical and financial documents through the Portal.

Templates and structure of the application:Applicants should structure their submission around the procurement instructions (Annex 1) and typically include the following sections and documents: 1) Administrative and eligibility documentation: signed Declaration on honour (Annex 2), legal entity forms, proof of legal registration, power of attorney (Annex 3) where relevant, and any required certificates; 2) Selection and financial documents: completed Financial Form (Annex 7), evidence of financial capacity if requested; 3) Technical offer: detailed methodology, workplan, deliverables, quality assurance and validation procedures, data management plan, database integration approach, examples of previous metabolic/analytical work, and description of facilities and equipment; 4) Personnel and capacity: CVs, roles and responsibilities, evidence of forensic/analytical experience, and evidence of collaborations; 5) Subcontracting and reliance documents: list of subcontractors (if any), commitment letters using Annex 5.1 and Annex 5.2; 6) Any additional supporting documents requested in Annex 1.

1. 1Administrative package: Declaration on honour (Annex 2), legal entity registration, power of attorney if applicable (Annex 3)
2. 2Financial offer: completed Annex 7 Financial Form (native spreadsheet format)
3. 3Technical offer: methodology, workplan, deliverables, quality assurance and validation details
4. 4Personnel and resources: team CVs, facility descriptions, equipment lists
5. 5Subcontracting/Capacity reliance: Annex 5.1 and Annex 5.2 commitment letters where applicable, list of identified subcontractors (Annex 4) if used
6. 6Draft contract review: acknowledgement and understanding of Annex 6 Draft service contract terms

Procurement logistics and contact

All submissions must be uploaded to the EU Funding & Tenders Portal by the specified deadline. The Procurement ID is EUDA/2026/OP/0004 and the tender reference on the Portal is a9b8180f-3bb5. The contracting authority is the European Union Drugs Agency (EUDA) and the EUDA public website is provided in the metadata.

Risks, considerations and recommended bidder actions

Bidders must carefully review the Tender Specifications and Annex 1 for mandatory selection criteria and required documentation to avoid exclusion on formal grounds. The Draft Contract (Annex 6) contains the contractual terms and conditions, liabilities, intellectual property rules, data protection and confidentiality clauses — these must be read and accepted or clearly commented on if the procurement allows. The Financial Form must be completed exactly in the provided native format (Annex 7). If relying on third-party capacities or identified subcontractors, use the exact commitment templates (Annex 5.1/5.2). Comply with the eSubmission technical requirements and upload deadlines; late submissions are typically rejected. Plan the work programme and deliverables consistent with a 36-month execution period and the €500,000 budget envelope.

For full and binding requirements, scoring rules and contract conditions refer to the Tender Specifications and the Information for candidates and tenderers published in the procurement dossier available on the Funding & Tenders Portal Tender details ¹.

Footnotes

1. 1Procurement documents published 16 July 2026 on the Funding & Tenders Portal include Invitation to tender, Tender specifications, Annexes 1-7 and Draft contract. Refer to the portal page for the downloadable annexes and final procurement terms: ec.europa.eu.

Opportunity Overview and Strategic Context

The MASSIVE tender is a service contract issued by the European Union Drugs Agency (EUDA) to develop a centralized metabolite analysis system that strengthens the EU’s capacity to detect, identify, and report exposure to New Psychoactive Substances (NPS) and illicit drugs [2][3]. This contract directly implements Article 15 of Regulation (EU) 2023/1322, which mandates the creation of a dedicated network of forensic and toxicology laboratories to harmonize methods and enhance analytical capacity across Member States [1][3]. The primary goal is to generate robust metabolic, pharmacological, and analytical data to consolidate into an accessible EU database, thereby improving early warning systems and public health responses to emerging drug threats [Opportunity Metadata].

Key Objectives and Scope of Work

Core Deliverables:The contract requires the generation of comprehensive metabolic data for NPS and the consolidation of these outputs into a centralised, accessible EU database to support timely reporting and harmonized practices [Opportunity Metadata].

1. 1Improve detection, identification, and timely reporting of exposure to NPS and other illicit drugs
2. 2Generate robust metabolic, pharmacological, and analytical data for drug metabolism investigation
3. 3Consolidate outputs into a centralised EU database accessible to forensic and toxicology experts
4. 4Strengthen the EU Early Warning System (EWS) and support rapid responses to drug-related health threats
5. 5Harmonise analytical methods and support quality assurance across the EUDA Network of labs

Eligibility and Applicant Profile

While the tender is open to qualified service providers, the strategic context indicates that the ideal applicant must possess advanced capabilities in **forensic toxicology**, **metabolomics**, and **mass spectrometry** to support the EUDA Network of laboratories [2][3]. The network itself comprises specialized laboratories appointed by EU Member States, Turkey, and Norway, suggesting that applicants should have experience collaborating with or supporting such national forensic networks [3]. The contract aims to reinforce collective capacity, implying that the selected provider will act as a technical backbone for the network's analytical activities [Opportunity Metadata].

Timeline and Deadlines

Note:The current date is July 18, 2026. The first deadline (January 1, 2026) has already passed. Applicants must verify if the second deadline (September 30, 2026) is still open or if the tender is in a post-submission evaluation phase [[Opportunity Metadata]].

Funding and Contract Details

Contract Type:This is a **Tender** for a service contract, not a grant, meaning the winner will be paid a fixed price for delivering the specified system and data services [Opportunity Metadata][13].

Financial Terms:Based on standard EUDA service contracts, the contract shall be at **fixed prices** which are not revised, requiring all costs to be included in the initial bid ¹.

Application Process and Resources

Applications must be submitted through the official **EU Funding & Tenders Portal** using the specific opportunity ID provided in the metadata EU Funding Portal.

1. 1Review the full Tender Specifications (Part 1 and Part 2) available on the portal for detailed technical requirements
2. 2Ensure compliance with Regulation (EU) 2023/1322 and Article 15 network objectives
3. 3Prepare technical proposals demonstrating expertise in metabolite analysis and database consolidation
4. 4Verify eligibility against the specific criteria listed in the tender documents before the September 30, 2026 deadline

Footnotes

1. 1Standard General Conditions for Service Contracts for the EUDA specify that contracts are at fixed prices which shall not be revised General Conditions.