Short term stability of ERM-CA714 - pharmaceuticals in wastewater

The European Commission DG JRC intends to launch a planned negotiated low or middle value procurement for laboratory services to assess short-term stability of the candidate Certified Reference Material ERM-CA714 containing pharmaceuticals in wastewater. The scope includes measuring 14 units with 3 replicates per unit under repeatability conditions and reporting according to technical specifications provided with the invitation to tender. Expressions of interest must be submitted electronically via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal using an EU Login account between 05/10/2026 and 12/10/2026 21:59 Brussels time, with the negotiated procedure indicative launch on 13/10/2026. The contract is a services contract classified under CPV 73111000 with a maximum duration of three months and no estimated total value published in the notice.

Tender snapshot

Essential facts

Service contract to perform measurements for the assessment of short-term stability of the candidate Certified Reference Material ERM-CA714 (pharmaceuticals in wastewater). Scope: measure 14 units, 3 replicates per unit under repeatability conditions and report according to provided technical specifications.

Footnotes

1. 1Tender details and submission instructions: Tender page.

Administrative and procedural summary

Overview

This is a planned negotiated procedure (ExA reference EC-JRC/GEE/2026/LVP/5280-EXA) published as an announcement of intent to launch a future negotiated low or middle value procurement. The contracting authority is the European Commission, DG JRC - Joint Research Centre. The procurement concerns laboratory measurements and reporting to assess the short-term stability of a candidate Certified Reference Material (CRM) named ERM-CA714, which contains pharmaceuticals in wastewater. The scope requires measuring 14 units, with 3 replicates per unit, under repeatability conditions, following technical specifications that will be provided with the invitation to tender.

Detailed eligibility, requirements and practical information

Comprehensive summary

This ExA announces the European Commission DG JRC's intent to procure laboratory services for the short-term stability assessment of a candidate Certified Reference Material ERM-CA714, containing pharmaceuticals in a wastewater matrix. The required work comprises measuring 14 CRM units, each analysed in 3 replicates under repeatability conditions, and producing measurement reports in accordance with technical specifications that will be distributed with the formal invitation to tender. The procurement is a planned negotiated procedure for a low to middle value contract, classified under research laboratory services (CPV 73111000). Expressions of interest must be submitted electronically via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal using an EU Login account between 05/10/2026 and 12/10/2026. The contract duration is short (maximum 3 months). Bidders should be accredited analytical laboratories or equivalent organisations capable of delivering metrologically sound measurements and reporting for CRM stability assessment. Full tender documentation, evaluation criteria, potential minimum requirements (such as ISO/IEC 17025 accreditation) and the contract valuation will be provided in the forthcoming invitation to tender published through the portal.

Footnotes

1. 1Access the EU Funding & Tenders Portal for the full procurement dossier and to submit expressions of interest: ec.europa.eu. EU Login is required for electronic submission and portal access.

Opportunity overview

This is a planned procurement notice, not an open call for tenders. The European Commission, DG JRC Joint Research Centre, intends to launch a future negotiated low or middle value procedure for laboratory services related to the short term stability assessment of candidate Certified Reference Material ERM CA714 pharmaceuticals in wastewater.1

Scope of work

The contract concerns measurements for the assessment of short term stability of ERM CA714. The notice states that 14 units will be measured in 3 replicates per unit under repeatability conditions, and that both measurements and reporting must follow the technical specifications that will be sent with the invitation to tender. The pharmaceuticals to be analysed are defined in those technical specifications.1

Who can apply

The published information does not set out a detailed eligibility list, but the opportunity is clearly targeted at operators able to provide research laboratory services and compliant analytical measurement and reporting. In practice, applicants should expect to need relevant laboratory capacity, experience with repeatability based measurement work, and the ability to follow technical specifications precisely.1

Key procedural facts

Important dates and procedural details are already published for the expression of interest phase. The expression of interest opened on 05/10/2026 and closes on 12/10/2026 at 21:59 Brussels time. The indicative launch date of the negotiated procedure is 13/10/2026.1

The submission method for the expression of interest is electronic, and an EU Login account is required to submit electronically. The notice also states that the procedure identifier is EC JRC GEE 2026 LVP 5280 EXA and that the main CPV code is 73111000 Research laboratory services.1

Commercial and contract information

The contract is classified as services and has a maximum duration of 3 months. The published notice does not show an estimated total value, so the financial size is not visible in the current notice extract. The notice also indicates that this is not a framework agreement and that the SME suitability indicator is false.1

Summary of applicant considerations

Applicants should focus on the technical rather than grant style aspects of the opportunity. This is a service procurement, so there is no funding rate in the grant sense. The most important issues are the ability to deliver the required laboratory measurements, meet the reporting obligations, comply with the technical specifications, and respond quickly within the short expression of interest window.1

At this stage, the notice is best understood as a pre announcement of a future invitation to participate in a negotiated procurement. Any organisation considering this opportunity should prepare its laboratory credentials and be ready for a rapid follow on procedure after the expression of interest deadline.1

Key facts at a glance

Further interpretation of the notice

The notice is aimed at a specialised laboratory contractor rather than a broad commercial supplier base. Because the work involves controlled measurement of pharmaceuticals in wastewater under repeatability conditions, applicants would typically need robust analytical chemistry capability, documented quality procedures, and the ability to manage a narrow timetable.1

The opportunity appears to support the JRC mission as the European Commission science and knowledge service by providing evidence based laboratory work for policy relevant reference material development and verification.1

Official notice note

The ExA reference means the publication announces the contracting authority intention to launch a future negotiated low or middle value procedure, so the current step is expression of interest rather than full tender submission.1

Footnotes

1. 1Official portal information extracted from the opportunity notice for EC JRC GEE 2026 LVP 5280 EXA, including the planned procurement type, dates, contracting authority, scope, CPV code, duration, and submission method.