Provision of underwater services

The grant opportunity is a procurement contract for underwater survey services issued by the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) with an estimated total value of 20 million EUR over a maximum duration of 48 months. The tender is open to legal entities based in EU Member States, Norway, Iceland, and other designated countries, allowing both single applicants and consortia to participate. Applicable services include using Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROVs) and sonar systems focused on supporting maritime safety, infrastructure monitoring, evidence collection, and Coast Guard functions.

This tender is categorized as an open procedure, with a submission deadline set for 27 May 2025, requiring electronic proposals following specified procurement guidelines. The award method will be based on a best price-quality ratio, evaluating applicants on their technical and professional capabilities as well as their economic standing.

The primary sectors targeted by this funding opportunity include maritime technology, defense, and environmental monitoring, specifically relating to underwater inspections and surveys. The project stage is operational, emphasizing readiness and capability to provide on-demand services, including organization of drills and training sessions.

Tender submissions must address a framework agreement that is structured without reopening competition. The process involves one main submission and evaluation stage focused on quality and price, and while a co-funding requirement is not specified, procurement contracts typically do not require it.

Key milestones include the publication date of the tender on 25 March 2025, a public opening of tenders scheduled for 29 May 2025, and a deadline for questions regarding the tender on 19 May 2025. Tender documents detail selection and award criteria, operational requirements, and financial forms. Electronic submissions are mandatory, and specifications include size and quantity limits for attachments.

Overall, this procurement contract represents a significant opportunity for specialized firms or consortia capable of delivering complex underwater survey services to various stakeholders within the EU and associated nations, helping to enhance maritime safety and infrastructure operations.

This is a call for tenders, EMSA/2025/OP/0003, issued by the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA). The objective is to contract underwater survey services using Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROVs) and sonar systems. The services are intended to support EU Member States, Norway, Iceland, and European institutions in areas such as evidence collection, infrastructure monitoring, and coast guard activities. The call includes drills, proofs of concept, and familiarization sessions.

The procedure type is an open procedure. The estimated total value of the tender is 20,000,000 EUR. The TED publication date was 25/03/2025. The maximum contract duration is 48 months. The award method is based on the best price-quality ratio, and it is a framework agreement without reopening of competition.

Selection criteria include: Suitability to pursue the professional activity, Economic and financial standing, and Technical and professional ability.

Key milestones include: TED publication date: 25/03/2025, Date and time of public opening: 29/05/2025 10:00 Europe/Lisbon, Deadline for receipt of tenders: 27/05/2025 16:00 Europe/Lisbon, Deadline for questions: 19/05/2025 06:00 Europe/Lisbon.

The tender documents include: Invitation to tender, Tenderer Checklist, Tender Specifications, Operational requirements, Requirements for specific modules, Indicative list of topics, Selection and award criteria, Scenario for evaluation, Financial tender form, and a Draft Framework Service Contract.

Submissions must be sent electronically.

A minor clerical error in Appendix 2, section 3.1, item 3.a (HD camera) has been corrected, and the document has been re-published.

Some questions and answers related to the tender include: Clarification on the application of the multiplier to the price component, clarification regarding the Quality Award Criterion Q1, guidance on locating the Financial Identification Form, details on familiarization sessions, minimum requirements for IC-ROV, the requirement to bid for all modules, the acceptability of additional sensors, the availability of TMSA/LARS, advantageous technical features for IC-ROV and OC-ROV, the use of Appendix 4, the panning movement of the camera for OC-ROV, eligibility of UK-registered companies, non-negotiable requirements, negotiation of framework terms, reaction time for mobilization, requirements for mobilization on site, the requirement to bid on supplying the support vessel, the sequential nature of modules, the basis for the 20 million EUR budget, the budget's coverage period, the obligation of Member States to use EMSA services, the intention to sign the framework with single or multiple contractors, the scheduled work under the contract, the necessity of EU passports for operational crews, insurance coverage for undefined project sites, EMSA's support for permits or licenses, invoicing procedures, informing the intention to bid, the location of the ROV base, the mobilization of ROVs on vessels, the current service provider for ROV services, and clarification on potential project areas.

The eSubmission system supports the latest versions of Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox. Attachments should be less than 50 MB in size, and there is a limit of 200 files per tender. A Personal Identification Code (PIC) is mandatory for participation. The system supports all 24 official EU languages and uses UTF-8 character set encoding. The system encrypts all uploaded documents.

In summary, this is a European Maritime Safety Agency call for tenders seeking contractors to provide underwater survey services using ROVs and sonar systems. The services will be available to EU member states and associated countries to support maritime safety and security activities. The tender involves a framework agreement with a maximum budget of 20 million EUR and a duration of 48 months. Tenderers must submit their proposals electronically and meet specific technical and financial requirements. The tender documents have been updated to correct a minor error related to HD camera specifications.

Eligible Applicant Types: The tender is open to legal entities established in one of the countries listed in point 22 of the Invitation to Tender. The specific types of legal entities are not explicitly mentioned, but based on the nature of the tender, eligible applicants could include companies, firms, and organizations with the technical and professional ability to provide underwater survey services. The tenderer can also opt for subcontracting and/or joint offers.

Funding Type: Procurement. This is a call for tender, aiming to establish a framework service contract for underwater survey services.

Consortium Requirement: Both single applicants and consortia are allowed. The tenderer can also opt for subcontracting and/or joint offers when submitting the bid.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): The tender is open to legal entities established in countries listed in point 22 of the Invitation to Tender. The Q&A section specifies that the ROV base must be within EU-EEA member states for services deployed in area Alpha. Area BRAVO is defined as any area outside the sea basins surrounding the beneficiary countries (EU Member States and the EEA Member States).

Target Sector: This program targets the maritime sector, specifically underwater survey services, including but not limited to: Coast Guard functions, safety investigations, monitoring underwater infrastructures, and evidence collection. The relevant industry sectors include: ROV (Remotely Operated Vehicle) services, sonar systems, maritime technology, inspection and intervention services, and related value-added services.

Mentioned Countries: Norway, Iceland, Portugal (Lisbon), United Kingdom (UK), EU member states, EEA member states.

Project Stage: The project stage is operational. The tender seeks to contract existing underwater survey service providers to perform on-demand services.

Funding Amount: The estimated total value of the framework agreement is 20,000,000 EUR.

Application Type: Open call. This is an open procedure, and submissions must be electronic.

Nature of Support: Beneficiaries will receive service contracts in exchange for providing underwater survey services. This is a procurement contract, so the beneficiaries will receive money for services rendered.

Application Stages: The application process involves submitting a tender, which will be evaluated based on selection and award criteria. The exact number of stages is not explicitly mentioned, but it involves at least one stage of submission and evaluation.

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

Co-funding Requirement: Co-funding requirements are not explicitly mentioned.

Summary:
This is a call for tenders issued by the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) to contract underwater survey services. The objective is to establish a framework agreement with one or more contractors who can provide on-demand underwater survey services to EU Member States, Norway, Iceland, and European institutions. These services will support activities such as evidence collection in safety investigations, monitoring underwater infrastructures, and other tasks related to the Coast Guard community.

The tender is open to legal entities established in specific countries (detailed in point 22 of the Invitation to Tender), and both single applicants and consortia are eligible. The estimated total value of the framework agreement is 20 million EUR, and the maximum contract duration is 48 months.

The services to be contracted include the use of Inspection/Intervention Class Remotely Operated Vehicles (IC-ROV), Observation-Class Remotely Operated Vehicles (OC-ROVs), and sonar systems. The call also includes the organization of drills and proofs of concept upon EMSA request and development/delivery of familiarization sessions on underwater surveys.

The tender process is an open procedure, and submissions must be made electronically. The award method is based on the best price-quality ratio. Tenderers must meet specific selection criteria related to their suitability to pursue the professional activity, economic and financial standing, and technical and professional ability.

The deadline for receipt of tenders is 27/05/2025 at 16:00 Europe/Lisbon. EMSA is not bound to reply to questions submitted after 19/05/2025 at 06:00 Europe/Lisbon.