Open call for tenders for external service provision in time & means in the field of digital solution lifecycle management (DIGIT-TM III)

The European Commission's DG DIGIT has issued an open call for tenders (EC-DIGIT/2025/OP/0014) for external service provision in the area of digital solution lifecycle management, known as DIGIT-TM III. The procurement has an estimated total value of approximately 3.97 billion EUR and is structured into three distinct lots.

Lot 1 is for far-site external service provision for all delivery locations, valued at approximately 1.40 billion EUR. Lot 2 pertains to near-site external services specifically for Belgium (Brussels and Geel), with an estimated value of about 2.01 billion EUR. Lot 3 covers near-site external services for locations in Luxembourg, Italy (Ispra), Spain (Seville), Germany (Karlsruhe), the Netherlands (Petten), and Ireland (Grange), valued at approximately 568 million EUR.

The contract duration is set for a maximum of 48 months, and the evaluation criteria will strictly focus on the lowest price. Bidders are required to submit their tenders electronically via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal, with the submission deadline set for December 22, 2025, at 12:00 UTC. The public opening of tenders will take place the next day, December 23, 2025, at 10:00 UTC.

This procurement opportunity targets larger organizations capable of providing extensive consultancy services, particularly in the Information and Communication Technology sector, covering various aspects of the digital solution lifecycle such as management, design, construction, transition, and maintenance. While the main applicants can submit individually, consortiums are also welcome to participate. However, the opportunity is deemed unsuitable for small and medium enterprises due to its scale and complexity.

A Personal Identification Code (PIC) is mandatory for participation, and all documents related to the tender must adhere to size limitations and formatting requirements as set out in the tender specifications. The submitted proposals must demonstrate the bidders' capabilities and experience in handling large-scale government contracts and operational service provision across multiple EU locations.

The contract structure is designed as a framework agreement with the potential for reopening competition for individual service orders, providing flexibility in service provision. Overall, this tender represents a substantial opportunity for companies with relevant expertise in digital solutions to engage with the European Commission on an ongoing basis over the project’s duration.

The European Commission, DG DIGIT Digital Services, has announced an open call for tenders, EC-DIGIT/2025/OP/0014, for external service provision in time & means in the field of digital solution lifecycle management (DIGIT-TM III). The TED reference for this tender is 2025/S 215-740851. The estimated total value of this procurement is 3,971,638,879 EUR. The TED publication date is 07/11/2025.

The scope of this procedure is to procure external consultancy services in time & means. It involves the provision of external services performed from within the territory of the European Union by external contractors in the field of digital solution lifecycle management. More specifically, it covers digital solution management, its definition, design, construction, transition, operations, support, exploitation and data management.

This is an open procedure, and submissions must be sent exclusively via electronic means. The deadline for receipt of tenders is 22/12/2025 at 12:00 Europe/Brussels time. The date and time of the public opening is 23/12/2025 at 10:00 Europe/Brussels time. The contracting authority is not bound to reply to questions submitted after 12/12/2025 07:00 Europe/Brussels.

The main classification (CPV) for this tender is 72000000 IT services: consulting, software development, Internet and support. Additional classification (CPV) is 72600000 Computer support and consultancy services.

The tender is divided into three lots:

Lot 1: Far-site external service provision for all places of delivery. The estimated value for this lot is 1,395,699,881 EUR.
Lot 2: Near-site external service provision for place of delivery in Belgium (Brussels & Geel). The estimated value for this lot is 2,007,410,004 EUR.
Lot 3: Near-site external service provision for place of delivery in Luxembourg, Italy (Ispra) and Spain (Seville), Germany (Karlsruhe), Netherlands (Petten) and Ireland (Grange). The estimated value for this lot is 568,528,994 EUR.

The nature of the contract for all lots is services, and the maximum contract duration is 48 months. The award method for all lots is lowest price. The contract type is a framework agreement, with reopening of competition.

The following documents are available for download:

EN0. Invitation to tender DIGIT2025OP0014 DIGIT-TM III Invitation letter, published on 07/11/2025, Version 1, for all lots, no translations available.
EN1.0. TMIII Tender-specifications Tender specifications, published on 07/11/2025, Version 1, for all lots, no translations available.
EN1.1. Annex 1 to TS List of documents Tender specifications, published on 07/11/2025, Version 1, for all lots, no translations available.
EN1.2. Annex 2 TS Declaration honour Oct 2025 Declaration on honour (tender), published on 07/11/2025, Version 1, for all lots, no translations available.
EN1.3. Annex 3 TS Agreement & PoA template Tender specifications, published on 07/11/2025, Version 1, for all lots, no translations available.
EN1.4. Annex 4 TS subcontractors reliance entities sub-processors FSR Tender specifications, published on 07/11/2025, Version 1, for all lots, no translations available.
EN1.5.1. Annex TS Commitment letter subcontractor template Tender specifications, published on 07/11/2025, Version 1, for all lots, no translations available.
EN1.5.2. Annex TS Commitment letter entity relied upon template Tender specifications, published on 07/11/2025, Version 1, for all lots, no translations available.
EN1.6.1. Annex 6.1 a Financial Model Lot 1 Financial offer form, published on 07/11/2025, Version 1, for Lot 1, no translations available.
EN1.6.1. Annex 6.1 b Financial Model Lot 2 Financial offer form, published on 07/11/2025, Version 1, for Lot 2, no translations available.

The maximum number of documents the system will allow you to upload per tender is 200 files. For attaching files to your tender submission, eSubmission accepts files that are less than 50 MB in size.

A Personal Identification Code (PIC) is mandatory to participate in a call for tenders as a sole candidate/tenderer or as a member of a group (consortium).

The eSubmission system supports the latest versions of Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox. The character set encoding is UTF-8. The system encrypts all uploaded documents, using an asymmetric key as an encryption mechanism. The system is multilingual and supports all 24 official EU languages.

Until the deadline for the submission has been reached, submissions in the draft status can be edited, viewed and deleted.

This tender is for external consultancy services to support the European Commission's DG DIGIT in managing the lifecycle of digital solutions. This includes everything from initial planning and design to building, deploying, operating, and maintaining these solutions. The tender is divided into three lots based on the location where the services will be provided: far-site (remote), near-site in Belgium, and near-site in other specified European locations. Companies specializing in IT consulting, software development, and related support services are invited to submit proposals, with the contract being awarded based on the lowest price offered. The selected contractors will enter into a framework agreement with the Commission, which will then be followed by specific calls for competition for individual projects.

Eligible Applicant Types: The opportunity is open to external contractors. This suggests that eligible applicants could include companies, consultancies, and other organizations capable of providing external services. The tender specifications and related documents would provide more specific details on eligibility criteria.

Funding Type: This is a procurement opportunity, specifically a call for tenders for service contracts.

Consortium Requirement: The opportunity mentions subcontractors and commitment letters, suggesting that both single applicants and consortia are potentially eligible. The requirement for a Personal Identification Code (PIC) for both sole candidates and members of a group (consortium) further supports this.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): The description states that the external services must be performed from within the territory of the European Union. Therefore, the geographic eligibility is EU.

Target Sector: The program targets the ICT sector, specifically IT services, consulting, software development, Internet, and support. It focuses on digital solution lifecycle management, including digital solution management, definition, design, construction, transition, operations, support, exploitation, and data management.

Mentioned Countries: Belgium, Luxembourg, Italy, Spain, Germany, Netherlands, Ireland.

Project Stage: The opportunity is for the provision of services, implying that the projects are in the operations, support, and exploitation stages of the digital solution lifecycle.

Funding Amount: The estimated total value of the procedure is 3,971,638,879 EUR. The estimated values for each lot are: Lot 1: 1,395,699,881 EUR, Lot 2: 2,007,410,004 EUR, Lot 3: 568,528,994 EUR.

Application Type: The application type is an open call for tenders, with electronic submission.

Nature of Support: Beneficiaries will receive service contracts in exchange for providing external consultancy services. This implies money in exchange for services.

Application Stages: The number of application stages isn't explicitly stated, but it involves at least one stage of submitting a tender. The evaluation process likely involves multiple stages internally.

Success Rates: The success rates are not mentioned in the provided text.

Co-funding Requirement: The need for co-funding is not explicitly mentioned.

Summary:

This is an open call for tenders (EC-DIGIT/2025/OP/0014) issued by the European Commission, DG DIGIT, for external service provision in the field of digital solution lifecycle management (DIGIT-TM III). The total estimated value of the tender is approximately 3.97 billion EUR. The tender is divided into three lots: Lot 1 focuses on far-site external service provision for all places of delivery, with an estimated value of 1.39 billion EUR. Lot 2 concerns near-site external service provision for place of delivery in Belgium (Brussels & Geel), valued at 2.00 billion EUR. Lot 3 is for near-site external service provision for place of delivery in Luxembourg, Italy (Ispra), Spain (Seville), Germany (Karlsruhe), Netherlands (Petten), and Ireland (Grange), with an estimated value of 568 million EUR.

The contract duration is a maximum of 48 months, and the award method is based on the lowest price. The procedure type is an open procedure, and submissions must be electronic. The deadline for receipt of tenders is December 22, 2025, at 12:00 Europe/Brussels time. The public opening of tenders will occur on December 23, 2025, at 10:00 Europe/Brussels time. The contracting authority is not obliged to answer questions submitted after December 12, 2025, at 07:00 Europe/Brussels time.

The scope of the tender includes digital solution management, its definition, design, construction, transition, operations, support, exploitation, and data management. The services must be performed within the territory of the European Union. Tenderers must have a Personal Identification Code (PIC). The maximum number of documents that can be uploaded per tender is 200, and the maximum file size is 50 MB. The system supports all 24 official EU languages and uses UTF-8 character set encoding. The system encrypts all uploaded documents.