Monitoring of the development and implementation of ICT standards and standardisation deliverables in ITU-T

This opportunity is a procurement contract announced by the European Commission's DG CNECT focusing on the hiring of external consultants as ICT Standardization Experts. The maximum value of the contract is €135,000 for a duration of 12 months, specifically for monitoring and reporting on International Telecommunication Union (ITU-T) standardization work.

The contract entails the experts acting as observers in targeted ITU-T standardization groups, tracking developments on sensitive topics defined by DG CNECT.DDG2.1, and providing regular reports related to EU digital policies and potential strategic actions for enhanced EU involvement in international standardization efforts.

Eligible applicants are expected to be specialized consultants or consulting firms with expertise in ICT standardization. This procurement is not suitable for small and medium enterprises. There are no explicit consortium requirements mentioned, indicating that both individual experts and firms may apply.

The application process will be conducted electronically through the EU Funding & Tenders Portal. Interested parties must submit their expressions of interest by January 16, 2026, with the indicative start date for the contract set for January 23, 2026.

This service procurement contract aims to reinforce the EU's strategic position in global digital governance and standardization, aligning with the International Digital Strategy of the EU, which advocates for a values-based approach to global standards.

There is no co-funding requirement for this procurement, and the nature of support involves financial payment for the consulting services rendered. The opportunity aims to enhance the EU's role in international standardization by ensuring close monitoring and proactive engagement in ICT governance on a global scale.

This is a pre-information notice, not a call for tenders. It announces the European Commission's, DG CNECT's intention to publish a future negotiated low or middle value procedure.

The procedure identifier is EC-CNECT/2026/MVP/0002-EXA.

The title is Monitoring of the development and implementation of ICT standards and standardisation deliverables in ITU-T.

The description is for External Consultants as ICT Standardisation Experts for DG CNECT in targeted standardisation groups across ITU-T and other relevant technical bodies in ISO & IEC.

The background and objectives are as follows:
The International affairs and Policy outreach Unit (DG CNECT.DDG2.1) is the Unit in DG CONNECT in charge of international issues, including the coordination of matters related to information and communication technologies (ICT) standardisation, and representing the EU in the International Telecommunication Union standardisation sector (ITU-T).

The objective of the EU regarding international standardisation, as stated in the Communication setting an EU Strategy on Standardisation, aims at reinforcing EU’s leading position as forerunner in key technologies and promoting core EU values in global standardisation.
The International Digital Strategy of the European Union also calls for shaping a global digital governance and standards with a network of partners, promoting its values-based approach on digital standards to shape a global digital transformation that is human-centric, trustworthy, and respects human rights and fundamental freedoms, acting decisively to become a driving force of responsibly guided technological advancement on the global stage.
The EU acknowledges the important role of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) in the context of global standardisation and believes that the EU and its Member States must promote a more strategic approach to international standardisation activities, namely in the ITU.
The purpose of this tender is to contract the services of standardisation experts to follow closely the ITU-T standardisation work in key sensitive topics defined by CNECT.DDG2.1 Unit, and report regularly to CNECT.DDG2.1 on relevant findings and trends with respect to EU digital policies, and proactively suggest potential strategic actions for DG CNECT to consider, in particular the need of more involvement of EU experts in technical bodies, study groups and working groups of ITU-T.
The consultants will act as observers on behalf of DG CNECT in targeted standardisation groups across ITU-T. They will follow closely ITU-T standardisation work in key sensitive topics defined by DG CNECT.DDG2.1.

The maximum total value of the contract is 135.000 EUR.
The procedure type is a planned negotiated procedure for a middle/low value contract.
The lead contracting authority is the European Commission, DG CNECT Communications Networks, Content and Technology.
The main classification (CPV) code is 73000000 Research and development services and related consultancy services.
The nature of the contract is for services.
The maximum contract duration is 12 months.
There is no framework agreement.

Milestones:
Start date for expression of interest: 2025-12-23 Europe/Brussels
Deadline for expression of interest: 16/01/2026 06:59 Europe/Brussels
Indicative date of launch of the negotiated procedure: 2026-01-23 Europe/Brussels

Expression of interest:
Submissions must be sent exclusively at the address for submission given below.
Method of expression of interest: Electronic
Address for expression of interest: Express interest

A frequently asked question is: Where can I find the procurement documents for calls for tenders with ‘ExA' in the reference? The answer is: References that feature an ‘ExA’ are not calls for tenders. They are 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-information notice for a planned negotiated procedure by the European Commission, DG CNECT, to contract external consultants as ICT standardisation experts. These experts will monitor and report on ITU-T standardisation work in key sensitive topics, acting as observers on behalf of DG CNECT. The maximum contract value is 135,000 EUR, and the contract duration is 12 months. The expression of interest period starts on December 23, 2025, and ends on January 16, 2026. The indicative launch date for the negotiated procedure is January 23, 2026. This initiative aims to reinforce the EU's leading position in key technologies and promote its values in global standardisation, particularly within the ITU.

Eligible Applicant Types: The opportunity is for contracting the services of standardization experts, suggesting that eligible applicants are likely to be individual consultants, consulting firms, or research organizations with expertise in ICT standardization.

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 information does not explicitly state whether a consortium is required or if a single applicant is preferred. However, given the nature of the work (consulting services), both single applicants and consortia of experts could potentially be eligible.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): The opportunity is being offered by the European Commission, DG CNECT. While not explicitly stated, it is highly likely that eligible applicants will need to be based in the EU or EEA countries, or potentially other countries with agreements with the EU.

Target Sector: The primary target sector is ICT (Information and Communication Technologies) standardisation. This includes areas covered by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU-T), ISO, and IEC.

Mentioned Countries: No specific countries are mentioned, but the focus is on the EU and its Member States in the context of promoting a strategic approach to international standardisation activities, namely in the ITU.

Project Stage: The project stage is focused on the provision of expert services to monitor, report on, and strategically advise on ICT standardization activities. This is not a research or development project, but rather a service contract for ongoing expert consultation.

Funding Amount: The maximum total value of the contract is 135,000 EUR.

Application Type: The application type is a planned negotiated procedure. This means that after an expression of interest, selected applicants will be invited to negotiate the terms of the contract.

Nature of Support: The beneficiaries will receive money in exchange for their services.

Application Stages: There are at least two stages: an expression of interest, followed by a negotiated procedure for selected applicants.

Success Rates: The success rates are not mentioned.

Co-funding Requirement: Co-funding is not mentioned, and is likely not required.

Summary:

This is a publication announcing the European Commission's intention to launch a future negotiated procedure for a low or middle value contract. The European Commission, specifically DG CNECT, plans to contract external consultants as ICT standardization experts. These experts will monitor the development and implementation of ICT standards and standardization deliverables in ITU-T and other relevant technical bodies like ISO & IEC. The main goal is to have these consultants act as observers on behalf of DG CNECT in targeted standardization groups, closely following ITU-T standardization work in key sensitive topics. They will report regularly to CNECT.DDG2.1 on relevant findings and trends related to EU digital policies and proactively suggest potential strategic actions for DG CNECT, especially regarding the involvement of EU experts in ITU-T technical bodies. The maximum total value of the contract is 135,000 EUR, and the maximum contract duration is 12 months. The expression of interest period is planned for late December 2025 to mid-January 2026, with the negotiated procedure expected to launch in late January 2026. The procedure identifier is EC-CNECT/2026/MVP/0002-EXA.