Necessity and Proportionality Assessment for the Introduction of Environmental Footprint Declarations on Critical Raw Materials (CRMs) under Article 31 of the CRM Act (Regulation EU 2024/1252)

This document outlines a future procurement opportunity from the European Commission's Joint Research Centre (JRC) concerning a Necessity and Proportionality Assessment for the Introduction of Environmental Footprint Declarations on Critical Raw Materials (CRMs) under Article 31 of the Critical Raw Materials Act (Regulation EU 2024/1252). The procurement is classified under the CPV code 73210000, which pertains to research and experimental development services.

This upcoming contract is categorized as a planned negotiated procedure for a middle or low value contract, although the exact financial value has not been specified. It represents a fee-for-service arrangement where selected contractors will be compensated for delivering specific research services without a co-funding requirement.

Eligible applicants are likely to include large enterprises, research institutes, universities, and specialized consulting firms with expertise in environmental impact assessments and critical raw materials, although the specific eligibility criteria do not explicitly preclude small and medium enterprises (SMEs) from participating. The assessment aims to determine if introducing environmental declarations for certain critical materials is both necessary and proportionate in relation to the EU's climate and environmental objectives.

The application process will involve an initial expression of interest, starting on August 21, 2025, with a deadline for submissions on September 5, 2025. A negotiated procedure is expected to launch shortly after this date. The geographic eligibility for applicants is primarily focused on EU member states, with possible extensions to entities in the European Economic Area.

The project will involve a comprehensive analysis, stakeholder consultations, and likely require a multidisciplinary approach to address the complex challenges associated with environmental policy, critical raw materials, and sustainability objectives. The successful contractor will need to have substantial experience in relevant methodologies and regulatory frameworks.

Overall, this opportunity represents a significant EU initiative aimed at fostering evidence-based policymaking in environmental regulation and sustainability, signaling the importance of empirical assessments in shaping regulatory frameworks for critical raw materials. Interested parties are encouraged to monitor updates and participate in the electronic expression of interest by the stated deadlines.

This is a pre-information notice, not a call for tenders. It announces the European Commission's, DG JRC Joint Research Centre intention to publish a future negotiated low or middle value procedure. The procedure identifier is EC-JRC/IPR/2025/MVP/4297-EXA.

The subject of the planned call for tenders is the Necessity and Proportionality Assessment for the Introduction of Environmental Footprint Declarations on Critical Raw Materials (CRMs) under Article 31 of the CRM Act (Regulation EU 2024/1252).

The description of the opportunity is as follows: The Necessity and Proportionality Assessment for environmental footprint (EF) declarations on critical raw materials (CRMs) aims to evaluate whether introducing EF declarations for (selected) CRMs is necessary and proportionate to achieve the EU’s climate and environmental objectives and overall contributing to the competitiveness of EU industries. The context of EF declarations implementation is defined in Art. 31 of the CRM Act (Regulation (EU) 2024/1252).

The procedure type will be a planned negotiated procedure for a middle/low value contract. The estimated total value is not specified. The lead contracting authority is the European Commission, DG JRC Joint Research Centre. The main classification (CPV) code is 73210000 Research consultancy services. The nature of the contract is for services. It is not a framework agreement.

The start date for expression of interest is 2025-08-21 Europe/Brussels. The deadline for expression of interest is 05/09/2025 05:59 Europe/Rome. The indicative date of launch of the negotiated procedure is 2025-09-05 Europe/Rome.

The method of expression of interest is electronic. To express interest, use the "Express interest" link. Submissions must be sent exclusively at the address for submission given.

A question and answer section is available. To create a question, you must log in. A public Q&A, FAQs, and a "My Q&A" section are available. Q&As can be downloaded as an xls file.

One Q&A is already available: 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 from the European Commission's Joint Research Centre (JRC) regarding a future opportunity. The JRC plans to launch a negotiated procedure for a low or middle value contract related to a necessity and proportionality assessment for environmental footprint declarations on critical raw materials. This assessment is tied to Article 31 of the Critical Raw Materials Act. The goal is to determine if introducing environmental footprint declarations for specific critical raw materials is both necessary and proportionate for achieving the EU's climate and environmental goals while also supporting the competitiveness of EU industries. The notice provides key dates, including the start and deadline for expressing interest, as well as the anticipated launch date for the negotiated procedure. Parties interested in potentially participating in this future tender should monitor the provided channels for updates and express their interest electronically by the specified deadline. It is important to note that this announcement is not a call for tenders itself, but rather a heads-up about a future opportunity.

Eligible Applicant Types: The opportunity is for a planned negotiated procedure, suggesting that the contracting authority will likely select specific applicants to invite to the negotiation. While the specific eligible applicant types are not explicitly stated, the nature of the contract (services, specifically research consultancy services) suggests that eligible applicants could include research institutes, consulting firms, universities, or other organizations with expertise in environmental footprint assessment, critical raw materials, and related policy analysis. The CPV code 73210000 points to research consultancy services.

Funding Type: This is a planned call for tenders, specifically a "negotiated procedure for middle/low value contract," which implies a procurement or service contract.

Consortium Requirement: The information does not explicitly state whether a consortium is required or if a single applicant is sufficient. Given that it is a negotiated procedure, the contracting authority may have preferences regarding the structure of the applicant (single entity or consortium), but this is not specified in the provided text.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): The geographic eligibility is not explicitly stated, but given that it is an EU initiative related to the Critical Raw Materials Act, it is highly likely that the beneficiaries should be based in the EU or have a significant presence and operations within the EU.

Target Sector: The target sector is focused on critical raw materials (CRMs), environmental footprint (EF) assessment, climate and environmental objectives, and the competitiveness of EU industries. This encompasses elements of environment, climate, manufacturing, and research/consulting.

Mentioned Countries: No specific countries are mentioned, but the context is the EU and its policies related to critical raw materials.

Project Stage: The project stage is related to conducting an assessment, specifically a "Necessity and Proportionality Assessment," which suggests a research and analysis phase that informs policy implementation.

Funding Amount: The opportunity is described as a "middle/low value contract," but the estimated total value is not specified.

Application Type: The application type is a "planned negotiated procedure," meaning that after the expression of interest, selected applicants will be invited to a negotiation phase.

Nature of Support: The beneficiaries will receive money in exchange for services, specifically research consultancy services.

Application Stages: The application process appears to involve at least two stages: an initial "expression of interest" followed by a "negotiated procedure" for selected applicants.

Success Rates: The success rates cannot be determined from the provided information, as this is a planned procedure and no historical data is available.

Co-funding Requirement: The information does not specify whether co-funding is required.

Summary: This opportunity is a planned negotiated procedure for a middle/low value contract, announced by the European Commission's Joint Research Centre (DG JRC). The project aims to conduct a "Necessity and Proportionality Assessment" for introducing environmental footprint (EF) declarations on critical raw materials (CRMs), as mandated by Article 31 of the CRM Act (Regulation (EU) 2024/1252). The assessment will evaluate whether implementing EF declarations for selected CRMs is necessary and proportionate to achieve the EU's climate and environmental objectives while contributing to the competitiveness of EU industries. The procedure involves an initial expression of interest, followed by a negotiated procedure for selected applicants. The indicative start date for expression of interest is August 21, 2025, with a deadline of September 5, 2025, and the indicative launch date for the negotiated procedure is September 5, 2025. The contracting authority is seeking research consultancy services (CPV code 73210000). The opportunity is relevant to organizations with expertise in environmental footprint assessment, critical raw materials, and related policy analysis, likely based in the EU.