Nano-indenter for dynamic nanoscale testing including continuous stiffness measurements, in-situ scanning probe microscopy, and high-speed mechanical ...

The European Commission Joint Research Centre (DG JRC) has published open procurement EC-JRC/PTT/2026/OP/1215 for the supply, delivery, installation and maintenance of an advanced nanoindentation system with quasi-static and dynamic testing, continuous stiffness measurement, in-situ scanning probe microscopy and high-speed mechanical property mapping for characterization of irradiated and degraded materials. The estimated contract value is €350,000 and the initial contract duration is 30 months, renewable up to three times for a total potential duration of 66 months. Electronic submission via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal is required by 15 June 2026 at 16:00:59 CET, with clarifications requested by 5 June 2026. Award will be based on a quality/price split weighted 30% quality and 70% price.

What is funded

Scope

Procurement of a laboratory nanoindentation system capable of high‑resolution quasi static and dynamic testing (continuous stiffness measurement), in‑situ scanning probe microscopy, and high‑speed mechanical property mapping for investigation of radiation and other damage in metals, ceramics, coatings and thin films.

Who can apply:Suppliers/contractors able to deliver, install and maintain the specified nanoindentation system; procurement issued by the European Commission Joint Research Centre (JRC). Electronic tender submission required. ¹

1. 1Key technical capabilities: continuous stiffness measurement, dynamic nanoindentation, in‑situ SPM, high‑speed mechanical mapping
2. 2Delivery, installation, acceptance testing and maintenance obligations as per tender documents
3. 3Participation via eSubmission through the EU Funding & Tenders Portal

Reference and tender documents (specifications, draft contract, financial form) are available on the call page: Tender details.

Footnotes

1. 1See Invitation to tender and Tender specifications in the procurement documents for eligibility, selection and award criteria available on the portal.

Opportunity Type and Issuer

This is a public procurement tender issued by the European Commission, Joint Research Centre (DG JRC). The procurement reference is EC-JRC/PTT/2026/OP/1215 and the contract nature is supplies for a nanoindentation system designed for advanced materials testing.

Key Dates and Administrative Facts

Publication date on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal:13 May 2026. Two referenced deadlines appear: 1 January 2026 at 14:00:59Z and the formal submission deadline 15 June 2026 at 16:00:59 CEST (Europe/Amsterdam timezone). An open tender event is scheduled for 16 June 2026 at 10:00 CEST. Electronic submission via the Funding & Tenders Portal (eSubmission) is required. The tender is non-restricted (open) and the tender validity period is six months. The contract initial duration is 30 months, renewable up to three times; planned period indicated 66 months in procurement metadata. Estimated total procedure value: €350,000.

Procurement documents and annexes:Comprehensive procurement documentation is published alongside the notice: Invitation to tender, Administrative specifications (Part 1) with Annexes, Technical specifications (Part 2), Financial offer form (Annex 6), Declaration on honour (Annex 2), Draft service contract and multiple draft contract annexes including safety regulations and order/acceptance forms. Consult these documents for detailed technical, contractual and submission requirements ¹.

1. 1Call identifier: EC-JRC/PTT/2026/OP/1215
2. 2Publication date: 2026-05-13
3. 3Tender submission deadline: 2026-06-15T16:00:59 CEST
4. 4Open tender event: 2026-06-16 10:00 CEST
5. 5Estimated total contract value: €350,000
6. 6Submission method: eSubmission via Funding & Tenders Portal
7. 7Contract type: Supplies (nanoindentation system)
8. 8Contract duration: initial 30 months (renewable up to 3 times)
9. 9SME suitability indicator: false (procurement not specifically reserved for SMEs)

Technical Scope and Functional Requirements

The tender requests supply, delivery and likely installation, maintenance and acceptance of an advanced nanoindentation system to support investigation of ion radiation induced damage and other degradation in metals, ceramics, claddings, protective coatings and thin films. The system must enable high-resolution nanoindentation using quasi-static and dynamic measurement techniques, continuous stiffness measurement capability, in-situ scanning probe microscopy integration, and high-speed mechanical property mapping (mechanical microscopy). The equipment will be used to probe damage gradients and microstructural features with high spatial resolution.

Expected technical capabilities

Although bidders must consult the technical specifications document for exact parameter thresholds, the procurement explicitly requires: continuous stiffness measurement (dynamic testing), support for both quasi-static and dynamic indentation modes, compatibility with in-situ scanning probe microscopy (AFM/SPM) for correlative imaging, high-speed mapping capability for mechanical microscopy to produce maps of modulus/hardness at fine spatial resolution, and suitability for testing metals, ceramics, coatings, claddings and thin films, including irradiated or degraded materials. Additional contractual annexes cover safety regulations, maintenance and acceptance procedures and order form models.

Eligibility and Applicant Requirements

This is a tender for supply of goods to the European Commission (JRC). Eligible applicants are legal entities able to enter into public contracts with the EC and who can meet the selection and technical requirements set in the administrative and technical specifications. Bidders must submit the required administrative documentation (including Declaration on Honour), financial offer form, technical offer and comply with qualification requests and exclusion/selection criteria described in the procurement documents.

Eligible Applicant Types:Suppliers of scientific instrumentation including manufacturers, authorised distributors, system integrators and consortia thereof. Typical eligible applicant types: SMEs, large enterprises, research equipment manufacturers, service providers, authorised resellers and legal entities registered in countries eligible to participate in EU public procurement. Universities or research institutes may bid if they are legally capable of contracting and meet the procurement selection criteria.

Consortium Requirement:The procurement allows a single tenderer or an economic operator (which may be a consortium or grouped economic operators) to submit an offer, as per standard EU procurement practice. The tender documentation should be consulted for specifics on joint bids, subcontracting and capacity demonstration.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility):Eligible bidders are those allowed to participate in EU tenders. The contracting authority is the European Commission (JRC) and the procurement is EU-funded; participants are expected to be established in EU Member States or other countries eligible under EU procurement rules (including certain third countries listed in procurement documents). The portal listing does not limit participation to a single Member State; consult the administrative specifications for the exact list of eligible countries.

Target Sectors:Target sectors are scientific instrumentation and research infrastructure for materials science, nuclear materials and radiation effects studies, advanced materials testing, microscopy and metrology. The thematic areas include materials testing, nanomechanics, microscopy (SPM/AFM), radiation damage assessment, coatings and thin films analysis.

Mentioned Countries:No specific contracting or delivery country is explicitly listed in the scraped content beyond the contracting authority (European Commission, DG JRC). The geographic region implied is the European Union. The JRC website and portal are EU institutions.

Project Stage (Maturity Expected):This procurement is for a mature commercial research instrument to be delivered, installed and accepted. Expected maturity: commercially available or configurable instrumentation (commercial readiness), with supplier demonstration, installation, commissioning, and maintenance provisions (demonstration/implementation stage).

Funding Type:This is a procurement contract (purchase of goods and associated services) funded by the European Commission. Financial mechanism: public procurement / service contract for supplies rather than a grant or loan.

Funding Amount:Estimated overall contract amount: €350,000 (estimated total procedure value). Bidders must prepare offers consistent with the financial form (Annex 6).

Nature of Support:The successful bidder will receive monetary payment under a service/supply contract in exchange for delivery, installation, acceptance and maintenance of the nanoindentation system. The contract will include non-monetary obligations such as providing documentation, training, warranty, maintenance and adherence to safety regulations.

Application Type and Submission Method:Application method: Open call / public tender. Submission is via eSubmission on the Funding & Tenders Portal (online). Bidders must follow the administrative and technical submission templates in the procurement documents by the stated deadline.

Application Stages:Single-stage procurement with electronic submission. The process includes: submission by deadline, administrative and technical evaluation against exclusion/selection criteria, award based on combined quality (30) and price (70) weighting as indicated, and contract signature/award. There will be an open tender event and a post-award contracting phase including contract signature and performance (installation/acceptance).

Success Rates:Not specified in the tender documents. As an open procurement, success rate depends on number and quality of bids; typical public tender success rates vary widely and cannot be determined from the provided content.

Co-funding Requirement:No applicant co-funding is required beyond the bidder pricing the supply and any optional services. The contract is fully funded by the contracting authority up to the awarded price. Bidders must cover their own proposal development costs.

Selection, Award Criteria and Evaluation

Awarding criteria are split between quality and price. The procurement metadata indicates an awarding weight split where quality represents 30 points and price 70 points. Specific sub-criteria, scoring methods, pass/fail thresholds, and required documentation are provided in the administrative and technical specifications and must be consulted by bidders.

Application Templates and Documentation Structure

The procurement publishes a number of template documents and annexes that bidders must complete and return as part of their offer. These documents provide the structure of the application and the information required for compliance, selection and award.

1. 11. Invitation to tender (1. Invitation to tender 1215) — overview and terms
2. 22. Administrative specifications (2.1 Tender specifications - Part 1) — procurement rules, exclusion/selection criteria, submission instructions
3. 33. Technical specifications (2.2 Tender specifications - Part 2) — detailed mandatory and desirable technical requirements for the nanoindenter
4. 44. Annex 2 - Declaration of honour (2.1.2 Annex 2) — exclusion grounds statement
5. 55. Annex 3-4-5 in Word (included in administrative part) — other administrative annexes (see doc list)
6. 66. Annex 6 - Financial form (2.1.6 Annex 6 - Financial form 1215_V1.xlsx) — price schedule and cost breakdown template
7. 77. Draft service contract (3. Draft service contract 1215 v2_V1.pdf) — proposed contractual terms and obligations
8. 88. Draft contract annexes: safety regulations for third parties (3.3), certificate of maintenance and acceptance form (3.4), order form model (3.5) — templates for post-award administration

Bidders must complete the financial form, provide a technical offer that demonstrates compliance with mandatory technical specifications, supply the declaration on honour, and sign/accept the draft contract terms as indicated. The technical specifications and draft contract should be reviewed for acceptance testing, warranty, maintenance, training and delivery requirements.

Procurement Procedures and Contractual Notes

The procurement uses eSubmission and follows JRC/European Commission procurement rules. Electronic ordering and electronic payment usage indicators are true, indicating post-award electronic order processing. The contract contains acceptance and maintenance certificate forms to be used at delivery and commissioning. Safety regulations for third parties are included as a binding annex. The draft contract indicates the contract is concluded for an initial 30 months and renewable up to three times; bidders must consult the draft contract for cancellation, liability, intellectual property, confidentiality and data protection provisions.

Additional practical details

How to prepare a compliant bid

Read all procurement documents carefully. Prepare and submit the following at minimum:completed financial form (Annex 6), technical offer demonstrating compliance with Part 2 technical specifications, Declaration on Honour (Annex 2), any requested proof of legal, financial and technical capacity (as per administrative part), signed draft contract acceptance or proposed deviations (with justification), and any required certificates or evidence for planned installation, training, warranty and maintenance. Ensure electronic submission before the deadline and monitor the portal for clarifications or addenda during the additional information request period which ends 5 June 2026.

The contracting authority advises bidders to consult the detailed technical specification for mandatory performance thresholds (e.g., force and displacement resolutions, dynamic stiffness measurement parameters, AFM/SPM integration interfaces, mapping speed and resolution, environmental or vacuum options, sample stage sizes and temperature control if required) and acceptance testing criteria contained in the draft contract and acceptance certificate annex.

Summary and Recommendation

This public procurement solicits a commercially mature, high-performance nanoindentation system with dynamic continuous stiffness measurement capability, quasi-static and dynamic testing modes, in-situ scanning probe microscopy integration and high-speed mechanical mapping suitable for characterization of irradiated and degraded materials (metals, ceramics, coatings, claddings and thin films). Estimated contract value is €350,000. Submission is via the Funding & Tenders Portal by 15 June 2026. Bidders must follow the published administrative and technical specifications and complete provided templates (financial form, declaration on honour) and will be evaluated on quality (30) and price (70). Interested suppliers should download and study all procurement documents (technical specifications, draft contract and annexes) and prepare a complete electronic offer that demonstrates compliance with mandatory requirements, offers clear acceptance testing procedures, warranty and maintenance commitments, and competitive pricing ¹.

Footnotes

1. 1Full procurement documentation is available on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal opportunity page: ec.europa.eu and includes Invitation to tender, Administrative and Technical specifications, Financial form (Annex 6), Declaration on Honour (Annex 2), draft contract and annexes.

Opportunity Overview

This is a European Commission procurement tender issued by the Joint Research Centre (JRC) for the supply of a specialized nano-indentation system. The tender seeks a comprehensive nanoindentation instrument capable of conducting advanced mechanical characterization at the nanoscale, with particular emphasis on investigating radiation-induced damage and material degradation. The system must integrate multiple testing modalities including quasi-static and dynamic nanoindentation, in-situ scanning probe microscopy, and high-speed mechanical property mapping capabilities ¹.

Tender Reference:EC-JRC/PTT/2026/OP/1215

Contracting Authority:European Commission, Directorate-General for the Joint Research Centre (DG JRC)

Procurement Scope and Technical Requirements

The nanoindentation system shall support investigation of ion radiation-induced damage and other forms of degradation in metals, ceramics, claddings, protective coatings, and thin films. The instrument must enable high-resolution nanoindentation using both quasi-static and dynamic measurement techniques, incorporate in-situ scanning probe microscopy capabilities, and provide high-speed mechanical property mapping functionality. This combination of features will allow precise probing of damage gradients and other microstructural features at the nanoscale.

The system must support continuous stiffness measurements during testing, enabling quantitative assessment of mechanical properties as a function of depth, frequency, and time. The instrument should be capable of measuring mechanical properties including hardness and elastic modulus with near-atomic resolution, with a probing volume on the order of 100 cubic nanometers or smaller.

Financial Information

Estimated Contract Value:€350,000

Contract Currency:Euro (EUR)

Contract Duration:Initial period of 30 months, renewable up to 3 times for a total potential duration of 66 months

Submission Deadlines and Key Dates

Tender Submission Deadline:15 June 2026 at 16:00:59 Central European Time (CET)

Additional Information Request Deadline:5 June 2026

Tender Opening Date:16 June 2026 at 10:00 Central European Time

Tender Validity Period:6 months from submission deadline

Eligibility and Participation

This tender is not specifically designated as suitable for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), though SMEs may still participate if they meet all technical and administrative requirements. Tenderers must demonstrate appropriate qualifications and technical capacity to deliver the specified nanoindentation system with all required capabilities.

Participation is open to suppliers and vendors capable of providing a complete nanoindentation system meeting the technical specifications outlined in the procurement documents. Tenderers must comply with all administrative and technical requirements specified in the tender documentation.

Award Criteria

The tender will be evaluated using a quality and price-based award criterion. The evaluation weighting is as follows: quality accounts for 30 percent of the total evaluation score, while price accounts for 70 percent. This weighting indicates that cost efficiency is the primary consideration, though technical quality remains a significant factor in the award decision ².

Submission and Procurement Process

Submission Method:Electronic submission via the EU Funding and Tenders Portal

Payment Method:Electronic payment

Ordering Method:Electronic ordering

All submissions must be made electronically through the EU Funding and Tenders Portal. Tenderers should ensure they have registered on the portal and have the necessary technical capabilities to submit documents electronically before the deadline.

Required Documentation

Tenderers must submit the following documents as part of their bid ³:

• Invitation to tender
• Tender specifications Part 1: Administrative specifications
• Tender specifications Part 2: Technical specifications
• Declaration of honour
• Financial offer form
• Draft service contract
• Safety regulations for third parties
• Certificate of maintenance and acceptance form
• Order form model

All documents are available in English on the EU Funding and Tenders Portal. Tenderers should carefully review all specifications and requirements before preparing their submission.

Contract Terms and Conditions

The contract will be concluded for an initial period of 30 months and is renewable up to 3 times, allowing for a potential total contract duration of 66 months. The draft service contract specifies the terms and conditions governing the supply, installation, maintenance, and support of the nanoindentation system. Tenderers should review the draft contract carefully to understand their obligations and the JRC's requirements.

The contract includes provisions for maintenance and acceptance of the equipment, as well as safety regulations for third parties who may interact with the system. Tenderers must be prepared to comply with all contractual obligations including equipment delivery, installation, training, technical support, and maintenance services.

Commodity Classification

The procurement is classified under the following Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV) codes:

• 38000000: Optical, precision and medical instruments
• 38400000: Measuring, testing, navigating and precision instruments
• 38340000: Precision instruments and apparatus
• 38410000: Measuring instruments
• 38424000: Hardness testing machines
• 38540000: Microscopes and accessories

How to Apply

Interested suppliers should access the complete tender documentation through the EU Funding and Tenders Portal. The portal provides all necessary forms, specifications, and instructions for submission. Tenderers must register on the portal if they have not already done so and ensure they understand all requirements before preparing their bid.

For technical clarifications or questions about the tender, tenderers should submit requests through the portal's additional information request mechanism before the deadline of 5 June 2026. The JRC will respond to clarification requests to ensure all tenderers have equal access to information.

Key Considerations for Tenderers

1. 1Ensure your organization has the technical expertise and manufacturing or supply capability to deliver a nanoindentation system meeting all specified requirements
2. 2Review the technical specifications carefully to understand the required capabilities including quasi-static and dynamic testing modes, continuous stiffness measurement, in-situ scanning probe microscopy, and high-speed mechanical property mapping
3. 3Prepare a comprehensive financial offer that clearly itemizes all costs associated with system supply, installation, training, and maintenance
4. 4Ensure compliance with all administrative requirements including declarations of honour and appropriate certifications
5. 5Plan for equipment delivery and installation at the JRC facility
6. 6Understand the maintenance and support obligations outlined in the draft service contract
7. 7Submit all documentation electronically through the portal before the 15 June 2026 deadline at 16:00:59 CET
8. 8Ensure your tender remains valid for the full 6-month validity period

Additional Information

The Joint Research Centre is the science and knowledge service of the European Commission, providing independent scientific evidence to support EU policymaking. The JRC operates over 50 laboratories and testing facilities across Europe. This procurement is part of the JRC's efforts to maintain and enhance its research infrastructure capabilities for investigating material properties and radiation effects ⁴.

The nanoindentation system will be used to support research on ion radiation-induced damage and material degradation, which has applications in nuclear materials research, materials science, and engineering. The system's capability to perform high-resolution mechanical characterization at the nanoscale makes it valuable for understanding material behavior under extreme conditions.

Footnotes

1. 1Detailed technical specifications are provided in the tender documentation available on the EU Funding and Tenders Portal at [[ec.europa.eu
2. 2The award criteria weighting of 30 percent quality and 70 percent price indicates that while technical quality is evaluated, the procurement emphasizes cost-effectiveness. Tenderers should ensure their technical proposal demonstrates full compliance with specifications while offering competitive pricing.
3. 3All required documents are available in the tender documentation package on the EU Funding and Tenders Portal. Documents include both PDF and native format files to accommodate different submission preferences.
4. 4Information about the Joint Research Centre and its mission is available at [[ec.europa.eu. The JRC provides evidence-based knowledge to support EU policies across multiple scientific domains including materials science, nuclear research, and advanced characterization techniques.