Risk assessment of organic priority substances contained in sewage sludge and derived mineral-like materials applied on EU agricultural land

The European Commission's Joint Research Centre (JRC) is planning to issue a procurement contract for services related to a risk assessment of organic priority substances found in sewage sludge and derived materials applied to agricultural land across the EU. The official reference for this future opportunity is EC-JRC/SVQ/2025/MVP/3526-EXA.

The main objective of this contract is to evaluate the environmental and human health risks associated with specific organic contaminants, notably ten substances including seven organic priority substances, as identified in a 2022 JRC study. These include various chemical compounds such as PAH, long-chain PFAS, and others, while excluding metals and biological pathogens. The project is set for an 11-month duration, with the start date for expressions of interest planned for July 3, 2025, and a deadline of July 22, 2025 for those expressions.

Eligible applicants for this service contract include research institutes, consultancies, and private companies specializing in environmental science. The opportunity is open to entities from EU member states, and possibly from associated countries as well, although specific geographic eligibility is primarily focused on EU agricultural land.

This procurement is categorized as a negotiated procedure for a service contract, with no co-funding required from applicants, meaning the European Commission will cover full costs associated with the contracted services. The funding amount has not been specified, indicating it is likely within a middle to low range.

Applications must be submitted electronically through the EU Funding & Tenders Portal. While the procurement opportunity does not currently require a consortium, it may be beneficial for applicants to collaborate, given the nature of the work.

While detailed information regarding success rates is unavailable, the selection process will be competitive, and the contract will be awarded based on predefined evaluation criteria.

This announcement serves as a prelude to a formal call for tenders, highlighting the importance of the project, which aims to ensure safety in agricultural practices through rigorous assessment of potentially hazardous organic substances present in sewage sludge. A Q&A section will be available for applicants to seek further clarifications leading up to the submission deadlines.

This is a publication announcing the European Commission, DG JRC Joint Research Centre's intention to publish a future negotiated low or middle value procedure. This is not a call for tenders. The procedure identifier is EC-JRC/SVQ/2025/MVP/3526-EXA.

The title of the planned call for tenders is "Risk assessment of organic priority substances contained in sewage sludge and derived mineral-like materials applied on EU agricultural land".

The primary objective of this contract is to assess the environmental and human health risks from selected organic contaminants contained in sewage sludge and derived materials thereof applied on agricultural fields in the EU. The scope of this work is limited to organic contaminants. A total of 10 organic contaminants shall be assessed, including 7 organic priority substances or substance groups (PAH, PCDD/F+dl-PCB, long-chain PFAS, SCCPs/MCCPs, alkylphenols, PCNs, and phthalate acid esters; as identified in the 2022 JRC study (https://publications.jrc.ec.europa.eu/repository/handle/JRC129690)) as well as three additional compounds of concern to stakeholders (e.g. pharmaceutical residues, surfactants). Other contaminants and compounds of concern contained in sewage sludge, such as metals, biological pathogens, microplastics, and antimicrobial resistance genes fall outside the scope of this study.

The procedure type is 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 73000000 - Research and development services and related consultancy services. The nature of the contract is for services. The maximum contract duration is 11 months. There is no framework agreement.

The start date for expression of interest is 2025-07-03 Europe/Brussels. The deadline for expression of interest is 22/07/2025 04:59 Europe/Madrid. The indicative date of launch of the negotiated procedure is 2025-07-28 Europe/Madrid.

Submissions must be sent exclusively via electronic method to express interest.

A question and answer section is available where users can log in to create questions, view public Q&As, FAQs, and download Q&As in xls format.

A previously asked question was: Where can I find the procurement documents for calls for tenders with ‘ExA' in the reference? The answer provided was: 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 16:32.

In summary, this is a pre-announcement for a future low to middle value negotiated procedure related to a risk assessment of organic contaminants in sewage sludge used on EU agricultural land. The European Commission's Joint Research Centre (JRC) intends to launch this procedure, focusing on assessing the environmental and human health risks associated with specific organic substances found in sewage sludge and derived materials applied to agricultural fields. The project will involve evaluating 10 organic contaminants, including priority substances and other compounds of concern. The contract duration is expected to be 11 months. Interested parties can express their interest electronically, and the announcement includes a Q&A section for further clarification. It is important to note that this announcement is not a call for tenders but a preliminary notice of an upcoming opportunity.

Eligible Applicant Types: The eligible applicant types are not explicitly stated in the provided text. However, given the nature of the contract, which involves risk assessment of organic contaminants, it is likely that eligible applicants would include research institutes, universities, consulting firms, and other organizations with expertise in environmental science, chemistry, toxicology, and risk assessment.

Funding Type: The funding type is a service contract, as indicated by "Nature of the contract: services." This means the selected applicant will be paid for providing specific services related to the risk assessment.

Consortium Requirement: The text does not explicitly state whether a consortium is required or if a single applicant is sufficient. This will likely be detailed in the future call for tenders.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): The project focuses on assessing risks related to sewage sludge applied on agricultural fields in the EU, suggesting that the geographic scope is the EU. While the eligibility of applicants from outside the EU is not explicitly mentioned, it is possible that entities from EEA countries or other countries with relevant expertise could be eligible, depending on the specific requirements of the future call.

Target Sector: The target sector is environmental science and research, specifically related to agriculture, pollution, and risk assessment of chemical contaminants. It also touches upon the health sector due to the human health risk assessment component.

Mentioned Countries: The text mentions the EU as the area where the agricultural land is located. No specific countries within the EU are mentioned.

Project Stage: The project is in the research and assessment stage. The goal is to assess the environmental and human health risks associated with specific contaminants.

Funding Amount: The estimated total value is described as a "middle/low value contract." This suggests a funding range that is likely below 200k EUR, but without more information, it is impossible to provide a more precise estimate.

Application Type: The application type is a planned negotiated procedure. This means that after an expression of interest, the contracting authority will likely invite a limited number of pre-selected applicants to submit full proposals.

Nature of Support: The beneficiaries will receive money in exchange for providing services, specifically the risk assessment services outlined in the contract description.

Application Stages: The application process appears to involve at least two stages: an expression of interest and a subsequent submission of a full proposal if invited. Therefore, there are at least 2 stages.

Success Rates: The success rates cannot be determined from the provided text, as this is a planned call for tenders. Success rates will depend on the number of applicants and the evaluation criteria.

Co-funding Requirement: The text does not mention any co-funding requirements.

Summary:

This is a pre-announcement for a future negotiated procedure for a low or middle value contract by the European Commission, DG JRC - Joint Research Centre. The project aims to assess the environmental and human health risks from selected organic contaminants found in sewage sludge and derived materials when applied to agricultural fields within the EU. The scope is limited to organic contaminants, specifically 10 substances including 7 organic priority substances or substance groups (PAH, PCDD/F+dl-PCB, long-chain PFAS, SCCPs/MCCPs, alkylphenols, PCNs, and phthalate acid esters) and three additional compounds of concern (e.g., pharmaceutical residues, surfactants). The contract duration is expected to be 11 months. The procedure will involve an expression of interest, followed by a negotiated procedure with selected applicants. The start date for expression of interest is planned for July 3, 2025, with a deadline of July 22, 2025. The indicative date for launching the negotiated procedure is July 28, 2025. This is not a call for tenders yet, but a notification of an upcoming opportunity for organizations with expertise in environmental risk assessment to provide services to the European Commission.