Study of the Cyber Solidarity Act

The European Commission (DG CNECT) has published a services tender (EC-CNECT/2026/OP/0112) to commission a study evaluating the Cyber Solidarity Act, including assessment of effectiveness, efficiency, relevance, coherence and EU added value and potential support for a follow-on impact assessment. The estimated contract value is €250,000 with a planned 12-month duration and an electronic submission deadline of 7 September 2026; eligibility follows standard EU public procurement rules for economic operators. Awarding is based on quality and price (quality weighted at 60% and price at 40%) and full tender specifications, templates and contractual terms are available on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal.

What is funded

Scope summary

Contracted services to evaluate the Cyber Solidarity Act (effectiveness, efficiency, relevance, coherence and EU added value) and, if needed, support an impact assessment for a possible legislative proposal.

Who can apply:Legal entities able to tender for EU public procurement (expert consultancies, research organisations or consortia) in line with the procurement documents; submission is electronic via the Funding & Tenders Portal ¹.

1. 1Estimated contract value: €250,000 (total estimated overall amount).
2. 2Planned duration: 12 months (possible additional phase for impact assessment).
3. 3Awarding criteria: quality (60%) and price (40%) as set out in tender documents.

Apply and consult full tender specifications, draft contract and annexes on the portal:Tender details. ¹

Footnotes

1. 1All submission requirements and documents (tender specifications, draft contract, annexes, financial form) are available from the EU Funding & Tenders Portal Tender Details page.

Purpose and Scope

This is a Commission tender (Call Identifier EC-CNECT/2026/OP/0112) to contract services to support the evaluation of the Cyber Solidarity Act under Article 25. The contractor will gather data and carry out analysis on the effectiveness, efficiency, relevance, coherence and EU added value of the measures provided for in the Regulation. The services may also include support for an impact assessment in a potential second phase if the Commission decides to prepare a legislative proposal following the evaluation.

Key facts and administrative data

Procurement type:Service contract (direct service contract / tender process). Lead contracting authority: European Commission, DG CNECT (Communications Networks, Content and Technology). Main CPV: 79400000. Call published: 29 July 2026. Tender reference: aaeb91c5-5007. Estimated total contract value: €250,000. Planned duration: 12 months. Tender submission method: electronic (eSubmission through the EU Funding & Tenders Portal).

Deadlines and key dates:Submission deadline (closing date): 7 September 2026 at 16:00:59 (Europe/Brussels). Open tender event (information / opening): 8 September 2026 at 11:00 (CEST). Period to request additional information ends 28 August 2026. Tender documentation published 29 July 2026. Planned contract period: 12 months. ¹

1. 1Call Identifier: EC-CNECT/2026/OP/0112
2. 2Estimated contract value: €250,000
3. 3Planned contract duration: 12 months
4. 4Submission method: eSubmission via Funding & Tenders Portal
5. 5Tender documents published: Tender specifications, Draft contract, Annexes, Financial offer form, Declaration on honour, Invitation to tender

Detailed eligibility and selection information

The tender is run by the European Commission under standard procurement rules. Tenderers must consult the published tender specifications and Annexes for the exact selection and award criteria and any mandatory documentary evidence. The tendering terms indicate the tenderer qualification requests and selection criteria appear in the procurement documents; the Awarding criteria are split between Quality (60 weight) and Price (40 weight) — see tender documents for full scoring rules.

Eligible Applicant Types:The call is a public procurement for services and is therefore open to legal entities that meet the eligibility and selection criteria set out in the tender documents. Typical eligible applicants include: consultancies and research consultancies, universities and research institutions, think tanks, policy analysis organisations, non-profit organisations, international or national public bodies (where permitted), SMEs and large enterprises providing evaluation and impact assessment services. Specific exclusion or qualification restrictions (e.g., nationality, conflict-of-interest rules, financial standing, professional indemnity) are defined in the tender specifications and declaration on honour.

Funding Type:Primary financial mechanism: procurement service contract. This is not a grant, loan or equity instrument; the Commission will pay for services under a public contract.

Consortium Requirement:A single contractor (single legal entity or a lead legal entity in a consortium) is expected to sign the contract. The documentation allows for tenderers to propose consortium arrangements or subcontracting but the contract is awarded to one economic operator. Tenderers must follow the tender specifications for requirements on partnerships, subcontracting, and joint bids.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility):The contracting authority is the European Commission. Eligible participants are typically legal entities established in EU Member States and countries allowed under EU public procurement rules; tenderers should verify the nationality and establishment requirements and any restrictions in the tender documents. The action is EU-focused and concerns EU legislation (Cyber Solidarity Act).

Target Sector(s):Primary sectors: information and communication technologies (ICT) and cybersecurity. Secondary sectors: public policy, regulatory impact assessment, law, governance, resilience and crisis management, digital infrastructure policy.

Project Stage:Expected maturity: evaluation, policy analysis and potential impact assessment. The work requires completed implementation of the Cyber Solidarity Act measures (i.e., analysis of implemented measures) and may progress to accommodate a possible legislative impact assessment; this implies mid-to-late-stage policy analysis (no basic R&D).

Funding Amount:Estimated overall contract amount: €250,000 (estimated total procedure value published in the procurement data).

Application Type and Submission:Application method: open tender via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal. Submission method: electronic eSubmission. Tenderers must upload the tender dossier and provide the required forms before the published deadline. An open tender event is scheduled after the submission deadline. The procurement documents include an Invitation to Tender and instructions on eSubmission.

Nature of Support:Beneficiaries receive monetary compensation under a service contract in return for delivering the specified evaluation and impact assessment services. The contract may include deliverables, progress reporting and payment schedules.

Application Stages:Anticipated procedural stages: 1) Submission of tender (eSubmission) by the deadline; 2) Administrative and technical evaluation by the Commission (selection and award phases); 3) Contract award and signature; 4) Contract implementation and payments. In procurement terminology these translate to submission, selection checks (exclusion and selection criteria), award evaluation (quality and price scoring), and contract award — therefore a 3 to 4 stage process.

Success Rates:No published success-rate data is provided in the tender documents. As a single-procedure public procurement with an estimated value of €250,000, the number of competitors can vary widely; success rates are therefore not available and depend on market interest and compliance with tender criteria.

Co-funding Requirement:No co-funding from applicants is required. This is a fee-for-service public procurement: the Commission pays the contractor according to the contract terms. Tenderers must present their financial offer and costs in the Financial offer form included among the procurement documents.

Selection, Award Criteria and Evaluation

Awarding criteria are provided in the procurement documentation. The procurement project lot indicates awarding criteria with subordinate criteria: Quality carries 60 percent weight and Price carries 40 percent weight. Tenderers must consult the tender specifications and Annexes for the breakdown of quality sub-criteria (e.g., methodology, team experience, workplan, deliverables, stakeholder engagement, data collection and analysis methods) and the exact scoring/rules for price evaluation.

Required deliverables and likely technical expectations

Based on the tender description, the contractor should be prepared to deliver:detailed study reports assessing effectiveness, efficiency, relevance, coherence and EU added value of the Cyber Solidarity Act measures; data gathering and stakeholder consultation outputs; methodological annexes describing evaluation methods and evidence basis; policy recommendations; and, if required, inputs to an impact assessment (e.g., baseline, options analysis, costs/benefits, regulatory impacts). The tender specification (EN_TS...) and Annexes include the full terms of reference and deliverable schedule.

1. 1Comprehensive evaluation report including analysis against evaluation criteria (effectiveness, efficiency, relevance, coherence, EU added value).
2. 2Evidence dossier: data sources, stakeholder inputs, survey/interview results, statistical analyses.
3. 3Methodology report explaining evaluation frameworks and approaches used.
4. 4Recommendations and, if requested, inputs to an impact assessment and supporting economic and regulatory analysis.
5. 5Final deliverables, presentations and potential public summary documents.

Tender documentation and templates

Tender documents published on 29 July 2026 include the following attachments which must be used or followed when preparing the tender submission:

• Tender specifications (EN_TS_EC-CNECT2026OP0112_Study of the Cyber Solidarity Act_V1.pdf) — contains Terms of Reference, selection and award criteria, administrative requirements, deliverables, schedule and contractual clauses.
• Draft service contract (EN_Direct_Service_Contract_EC-CNECT2026OP0112_V1.pdf) — the contract the successful tenderer will sign; includes general conditions, intellectual property and confidentiality clauses.
• Annexes (Annexes_V1.docx) — likely includes templates, detailed schedules, declaration forms and additional annexes to the ToR.
• Declaration on honour for tenders (declaration-of-honour-tenders_Cyber Solidarity Act_EC-CNECT2026OP0112_V1.docx) — mandatory exclusion grounds declaration.
• Invitation to tender (EN-Invitation_to_tender_EC-CNECT2026OP0112_V1.pdf) — administrative instructions to tenderers.
• Financial offer form (Tender Specification - Annex 6 - Financial form_V1.xlsx) — mandatory price submission template.

Tenderers must complete the Financial offer form and Declaration on honour and include any required supporting documents specified in the tender specification and annexes. The draft contract indicates the contractual commitments and payment modalities; read it carefully before tendering.

Practical and legal considerations

The tender is governed by EU public procurement and Commission internal rules — tenderers should ensure compliance with: exclusion criteria (conflict of interest, anti-fraud, bankruptcy, criminal convictions), selection criteria (financial and economic capacity, professional capacity, technical & professional ability), and award criteria (quality and price). Specific documentary evidence and minimum thresholds will be listed in the tender specification and annexes. The contracting authority indicates a 6-month tender validity period and an anticipated 12-month contract with possible extension terms as specified in the documentation.

Mentioned Countries:The opportunity is published by the European Commission and is EU-focused. No specific Member States are singled out in the published summary; eligibility follows standard EU procurement rules (EU Member States and other eligible countries as defined in the tender documents).

Templates and application structure guidance

The tender documentation provides templates and forms. Preparing a compliant submission usually requires the following structure (verify exact ordering in Invitation to Tender and Annexes):

1. 1Administrative part: Declaration on honour, legal and financial entity data, proof of legal status, VAT/registration where applicable.
2. 2Selection evidence: financial statements or evidence of economic/financial capacity, references and CVs proving technical and professional ability, certificates and authorisations if requested.
3. 3Technical offer: a detailed methodology and workplan addressing the Terms of Reference, description of tasks, timelines, staffing and allocation of resources, quality assurance and risk management, stakeholder engagement and data collection approach, expected deliverables and milestones.
4. 4Consortium/subcontracting information: if the tender involves partners or subcontractors, provide signed consortium agreements or letters of intent, task allocation and responsibilities, and subcontracting details.
5. 5Financial offer: completed Financial offer form (Annex 6), pricing breakdown, any travel or unit costs as specified, and declarations on pricing assumptions.
6. 6Supporting documents: CVs of key experts (format and length as requested), evidence of relevant past projects and references, certificates or attestations required by the tender.

Formatting, submission envelope names and mandatory file names and types are detailed in the Invitation to Tender and Annexes; strictly follow those instructions to avoid administrative non-compliance.

Risk factors and recommended bidder capabilities

Recommended capabilities for a competitive bid:demonstrable expertise in evaluation and impact assessment of EU legislation and policies, strong methodological skills (qualitative and quantitative), experience in cybersecurity policy and technical domain knowledge of resilience and crisis response, experienced multidisciplinary team (policy analysts, economists, legal experts, statisticians), stakeholder engagement experience (Member States, ENISA, industry, civil society), and track record of delivering EU contract reports on time and to high quality.

How to apply and where to find documents

All submission, templates and tender documents are available on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal tender details page for this call. Tenderers must register on the Portal, prepare the submission in the required eSubmission format and submit before the deadline. The call documents include the tender specification PDF, draft contract, annexes (including financial form), declaration on honour and invitation to tender. ¹

Concluding summary

This tender commissions a study to evaluate the Cyber Solidarity Act, assessing how well the Regulation's measures have performed against standard evaluation criteria and to provide evidence to the Commission which may feed into a legislative proposal and an impact assessment. The contract is a service contract estimated at €250,000 for a 12-month period. It is an EU public procurement managed by DG CNECT and requires an electronic tender submission through the Funding & Tenders Portal. The award will be based on quality (60) and price (40). Tenderers should be organisations with proven evaluation and policy analysis experience in cybersecurity and EU regulatory frameworks, able to deliver robust methodological analysis, stakeholder engagement and clear, policy-relevant deliverables. Full procedural, eligibility, selection and documentation requirements are in the published tender specification and associated annexes; prospective bidders must consult those documents, use the provided templates and comply with eSubmission rules.

Footnotes

1. 1Tender documents and templates are published on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal on the call page for EC-CNECT/2026/OP/0112. Key files published 29 July 2026 include: EN_TS_EC-CNECT2026OP0112_Study of the Cyber Solidarity Act_V1.pdf (Tender specifications), EN_Direct_Service_Contract_EC-CNECT2026OP0112_V1.pdf (Draft contract), Annexes_V1.docx, declaration-of-honour-tenders_Cyber Solidarity Act_EC-CNECT2026OP0112_V1.docx, EN-Invitation_to_tender_EC-CNECT2026OP0112_V1.pdf, and Tender Specification - Annex+6-+Financial+form_V1.xlsx.

This is a services tender by the European Commission for a study that will support the evaluation of the Cyber Solidarity Act and, if needed, a follow on impact assessment phase. The opportunity is linked to the wider Cyber Solidarity Act framework, which strengthens EU capacities to detect, prepare for, and respond to cyber threats and incidents.[5][1][8]

Key opportunity facts

What the study is about

The contract is meant to help the Commission gather data and analysis on the effectiveness, efficiency, relevance, coherence, and EU added value of the Cyber Solidarity Act. The opportunity description also says that if the Commission proposes legislative changes after the evaluation, the contractor may be asked to support an impact assessment in a second implementation phase.

The Cyber Solidarity Act is Regulation (EU) 2025/38, which entered into force on 4 February 2025 and lays down measures to strengthen solidarity and capacities in the Union to detect, prepare for, and respond to cyber threats and incidents.[5] The Act supports the European Cybersecurity Alert System and the Cybersecurity Emergency Mechanism, including national and cross border Cyber Hubs and the EU Cybersecurity Reserve.[1][8]

Who can apply

The extracted notice summary indicates that eligible bidders are economic operators, including sole tenderers and joint tenders, established in EU Member States, countries covered by the WTO Government Procurement Agreement, or other third countries with a relevant public procurement agreement with the EU. Participation is not reserved.[6]

• EU based and internationally eligible economic operators may participate if they meet the procurement and legal eligibility conditions.[6]
• Joint tenders are allowed, which makes consortium bids possible.[6]
• Because this is a procurement tender, the relevant consideration is bidder eligibility and contract performance capacity rather than grant style beneficiary status.[6]

What applicants should expect to demonstrate

Based on the scope of the study, a competitive bid would normally need strong capability in policy evaluation, evidence gathering, qualitative and quantitative analysis, and cybersecurity regulatory expertise. This is an inference from the contract scope rather than an explicit scoring rule in the extracted notice.

• Experience with EU level policy or legislative evaluations.
• Ability to assess regulatory effectiveness, efficiency, coherence, relevance, and EU added value.
• Capability to support impact assessment work if the contract moves into a second phase.
• Knowledge of the Cyber Solidarity Act and its implementation environment.

Commercial and practical considerations

There is no grant funding rate for this opportunity because it is a procurement contract. The relevant financial figure is the estimated contract value of €250,000, and the detailed remuneration, duration, and deliverables should be checked in the tender documents because they were not visible in the extracted summary.[6]

The notice was published in TED on 29 July 2026 and is currently open for submission, so applicants should treat the opportunity as an active procurement case rather than a policy announcement.[6]