Study to support the rapid assessment of policy scenarios to strengthen innovation and competitiveness in the field of biotechnology in the EU

This summary highlights a call for tenders (EC-SANTE/2025/OP/0028) published by the European Commission, specifically the Directorate-General for Health and Food Safety, on May 19, 2025. This tender invites qualified organizations to submit proposals for a study aimed at assessing policy scenarios to enhance innovation and competitiveness in biotechnology within the European Union. The total estimated value of the contract is €650,000, with a contract duration set at a maximum of 7 months.

Eligible applicants include large enterprises, universities, and research institutes, with the opportunity for single applicants or consortia. The funding type is classified as procurement, focusing on service contracts, particularly feasibility studies as indicated by the CPV code 79314000. The application process is an open call for tenders, requiring electronic submission through a designated platform. There are no specific geographic restrictions mentioned beyond the EU focus, making it likely that applicants from EU and possibly EEA countries are eligible.

Key selection criteria include suitability to perform the professional activity, economic and financial standing, and technical and professional ability. The evaluation process will consider the best price-quality ratio, with emphasis placed on the quality of proposals.

The tender allows for the assessment of up to 20 scenarios defined by the Commission, with the requirement for a draft scenario assessment report to be delivered within three weeks following the Commission's formulation of these scenarios. Questions related to the tender must be submitted by June 18, 2025, and the deadline for tender submissions is June 26, 2025, at 16:00 Europe/Brussels time.

Participants are mandated to register for a Personal Identification Code (PIC) to facilitate submission, and the eSubmission system has specific technical requirements, including file size limits of 50 MB per attachment and a maximum of 200 attachments per tender. The system supports multiple languages and employs encryption to ensure document integrity and confidentiality.

In summary, this tender represents an important opportunity for organizations with a strong background in biotechnology and policy assessment to contribute to significant research efforts impacting European biotechnology innovation strategies.

This is a call for tenders with procedure identifier EC-SANTE/2025/OP/0028, published on 19/05/2025 by the European Commission, DG SANTE Health and Food Safety. The TED publication date is 19/05/2025. The TED reference is 95/2025 320043-2025, with a change notice on 23/05/2025, TED reference: 99/2025 00334436-2025.

The call is for the provision of services for a study to support the rapid assessment of policy scenarios to strengthen innovation and competitiveness in the field of biotechnology in the EU. The procedure type is an open procedure. The estimated total value is 650000 EUR. The main classification (CPV) code is 79314000 Feasibility study. The nature of the contract is for services. The maximum contract duration is 7 months. The award method is best price-quality ratio. There is no framework agreement.

The selection criteria include:
Suitability to pursue the professional activity Please consult the procurement documents.
Economic and financial standing Please consult the procurement documents.
Technical and professional ability Please consult the procurement documents.

Milestones:
TED publication date: 19/05/2025
Date and time of public opening: 27/06/2025 10:00 Europe/Brussels
Deadline for receipt of tenders: 26/06/2025 16:00 Europe/Brussels
Contracting authority is not bound to reply to questions submitted after: 18/06/2025 05:00 Europe/Brussels

Submission must be sent exclusively at the address for submission given below. The submission method is electronic.

The following documents are available:
1.EN-Invitation to tender EC-SANTE2025OP0028Invitation letterPublished on 19/05/2025Version 1 No translations available
2.Biotech pub-proc oc tender-specifications 7.5.2025Tender specificationsPublished on 19/05/2025Version 1 No translations available
Annex 2 to tender specifications Declaration of honourDeclaration on honour (tender)Published on 19/05/2025Version 1 No translations available
Annexes 3-7 to tender specificationsOther invitation to tender documentPublished on 19/05/2025Version 1 No translations available
Annex 6 Financial offer templateFinancial offer formPublished on 19/05/2025Version 1 No translations available
3.Draft service contractDraft contractPublished on 19/05/2025Version 1 No translations available
Appendix 2 to contractDraft contract annexPublished on 19/05/2025Version 1 No translations available
Annex III to contract VATDraft contract annexPublished on 19/05/2025Version 1 No translations available
Annex IV to contract Declaration IPRsDraft contract annexPublished on 19/05/2025Version 1 No translations available

Questions and Answers:
Question: From the description of the request for services we understand that the Commission will define the up to 60 scenarios and provide...
Answer: In accordance with point 1.4.2.4 of the Tender Specifications, only a first draft of the scenario assessment report is required three weeks after the Commission has formulated the scenarios. Published on 26/05/2025 18:19

Question: Can you confirm that not all 60 scenarios will be part of the analysis of effectiveness, efficiency and coherence, and the subsequent...
Answer: Please note that all scenarios and alternative scenarios provided by the Commission will need to be assessed by the contractor in terms of effectiveness, efficiency, and coherence. However...Published on 26/05/2025 16:57

Question: From the description of the request for services we understand that there will be up to 60 options/scenarios to analyse: up to 2...
Answer: In accordance with point 1.4.1.1.C of the tender specifications, the contractor will be expected to assess a maximum 20 scenarios and for each scenario the Commission may request...Published on 26/05/2025 16:39

Question: As regards the selection criteria, we would like to highlight that they might be quite restrictive knowing the Biotechnology mar...
Answer: Please note that tenderers must comply with all selection criteria set out in point 3.2 of the Tender Specifications, including the requirements related to: a minimum of 10 years of ...Published on 26/05/2025 15:01

Question: The tender looks at a relevant area for Europe and biotechnology and requires a comprehensive approach to assess the desired pol...
Answer: In the interest of ensuring the submission of high-quality offers, the deadline for this call has been extended to 26 June 2025. A corresponding corrigendum will be published shortly.Published on 21/05/2025 21:34

FAQ's:
How to proceed if the system is slow or doesn’t work while uploading/downloading documents? Please make sure you use the latest versions of Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox. If the issue persists, try the following steps: 1. Clear the cache and cookies on the Internet brows...Published on 13/02/2025 20:52
Which Internet browsers does eSubmission support? Please use the latest versions of Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox. For the most up-to-date technical recommendations, click on the link System Requirements. You can access this link...Published on 13/02/2025 20:52
Is it possible to view the details of the submission after the deadline? The content of the submission is not accessible after submitting the tender as the system encrypts all attachments upon upload. Thus, the system will not allow decryption after the u...Published on 13/02/2025 20:50
Where can I find my submissions in Manage My Area, in the Funding & Tenders portal? Depending on the type or step of procedure, you can find the submissions in one of these sections: In ‘My Submission(s)’: tenders in response to open calls for tenders, requests to ...Published on 17/10/2024 20:40
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How should I name attachments in eSubmision? In eSubmission, you must name the attachments for your tender draft following the System Requirements. With regards to all attachment names, please see the following conditions: The ...Published on 03/10/2024 16:39
Can I submit a video in eSbmission? Which formats are supported? You can check the System Requirements of eSubmission: Published on 03/10/2024 16:37
I received an invitation from the F&T Portal but cannot view the procurement documents. Invited candidates can only see the procurement documents after having selected an organisation. Go to F&T Portal, “My Invitations”. Click on “Select Organisation” from the “Action” ...Published on 03/10/2024 16:37
Do I need to validate my PIC in order to submit a tender in eSubmission? The 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). For subcontractors PIC i...Published on 03/10/2024 16:36
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How many attachments can I upload per submission? The maximum number of documents the system will allow you to upload per tender is200 files. You are able to check the eSubmission System Requirements in the documentation by clicking...Published on 03/10/2024 16:35
Why do tenderers need a PIC? It is mandatory to register for a PIC if you intend to submit a tender or a request to participate. Only one PIC per organisation must be used. Therefore, if your organisation alread...Published on 23/04/2024 17:14
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Which is the character set encoding in the system? The character set encoding is UTF-8.Published on 22/02/2024 23:58
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Which file types does the system support? The supported file types depend on the type of submission you want to make. The allowed file types are specified within the system requirements linked to the procedure in question. M...Published on 21/02/2024 23:55
Can I view and edit my draft submission? Until the deadline for the submission has been reached, submissions in the draft status can be edited, viewed and deleted. Published on 24/03/2023 21:32
In the submission report, under the name of our entity, "Legal form: UNKNOWN" is displayed while in the system, our legal form was correctly displayed. Is this a problem for the submission? No, it is just a display issue. This is not blocking for you: you can submit. Published on 03/08/2021 22:07
I sent my submission on time and a few days later, I received an automatic email informing me that the deadline for the reception of submissions had been reached. Does this mean that my submission was not correctly sent? No, this is an auto-generated notification sent when the time limit of receipt defined for the call for tenders has been reached. Until then, you had the possibility of withdrawing...Published on 03/08/2021 22:05

In summary, this tender is an invitation for service providers to submit proposals for a study that will assess policy scenarios aimed at strengthening innovation and competitiveness within the EU biotechnology sector. The European Commission, specifically DG SANTE, is seeking a contractor to analyze up to 20 scenarios (out of a possible 60 defined by the Commission) in terms of their effectiveness, efficiency, and coherence. The selected contractor will need to deliver a first draft of the scenario assessment report within three weeks of the Commission formulating the scenarios. The tender is open to organizations with at least 10 years of experience in the relevant field, and submissions must be made electronically by the extended deadline of June 26, 2025. The eSubmission system supports various file types up to 50 MB each, with a maximum of 200 files per tender. A Participant Identification Code (PIC) is mandatory for all tenderers. The system supports all 24 official EU languages and uses UTF-8 character encoding. The estimated total value of the contract is 650,000 EUR, and the maximum contract duration is 7 months. The award will be based on the best price-quality ratio.

Eligible Applicant Types: The eligible applicant types are not explicitly stated, but based on the nature of the tender, it is likely that suitable applicants could include research institutes, consulting firms, universities, and other organizations with expertise in biotechnology, policy assessment, and economic analysis. The selection criteria mention "Suitability to pursue the professional activity," "Economic and financial standing," and "Technical and professional ability," suggesting that the applicant must be a legal entity capable of fulfilling the contract requirements.

Funding Type: The funding type is procurement, specifically a service contract. The call is for "Provision of services for a study," and the "Nature of the contract" is explicitly stated as "services."

Consortium Requirement: The requirement is not explicitly stated, but the FAQ section mentions that a Personal Identification Code (PIC) is mandatory to participate as a sole candidate/tenderer or as a member of a group (consortium). This suggests that both single applicants and consortia are eligible.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): The geographic eligibility is not explicitly stated, but given that it is an EU tender related to biotechnology in the EU, it is highly likely that applicants from the EU and possibly EEA countries are eligible.

Target Sector: The target sector is biotechnology, specifically focusing on strengthening innovation and competitiveness in the field of biotechnology in the EU. The tender involves assessing policy scenarios related to this sector.

Mentioned Countries: No specific countries are mentioned, but the focus is on the European Union (EU).

Project Stage: The project stage is research and development, specifically focusing on a study to support the rapid assessment of policy scenarios. The project aims to provide insights and recommendations for strengthening innovation and competitiveness, indicating a stage prior to commercialization or scale-up.

Funding Amount: The estimated total value of the tender is 650,000 EUR.

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

Nature of Support: The beneficiaries will receive money in exchange for services rendered, as this is a service contract.

Application Stages: The number of application stages is not explicitly stated, but it involves at least one stage of submitting a tender, followed by evaluation based on the selection criteria. There may be additional stages related to contract negotiation and award.

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

Co-funding Requirement: The co-funding requirement is not mentioned in the provided text.

Summary:

This is a call for tenders (EC-SANTE/2025/OP/0028) issued by the European Commission, DG SANTE - Health and Food Safety, for a study to support the rapid assessment of policy scenarios aimed at strengthening innovation and competitiveness in the field of biotechnology within the EU. The procedure is an open procedure, meaning any interested and qualified organization can apply. The estimated total value of the contract is 650,000 EUR, and the maximum contract duration is 7 months.

The tender requires the provision of services to conduct a feasibility study (CPV code 79314000). The contracting authority will award the contract based on the best price-quality ratio. The selection criteria include the suitability to pursue the professional activity, economic and financial standing, and technical and professional ability, all of which are detailed in the procurement documents.

The deadline for receipt of tenders is 26 June 2025 at 16:00 Europe/Brussels time. The contracting authority will not reply to questions submitted after 18 June 2025 at 05:00 Europe/Brussels time. Submissions must be sent electronically.

The tender documents include an invitation letter, tender specifications, declaration of honor, other invitation to tender documents, a financial offer template, a draft service contract, and annexes related to the contract, VAT, and IPRs.

The study will involve assessing up to 20 scenarios (out of a possible 60 defined by the Commission) and alternative scenarios in terms of effectiveness, efficiency, and coherence. A first draft of the scenario assessment report is required three weeks after the Commission has formulated the scenarios.

To participate, tenderers must register for a Personal Identification Code (PIC). The eSubmission system supports various file types and has specific system requirements, including a maximum file size of 50 MB per attachment and a maximum of 200 files per tender. The system supports all 24 official EU languages and uses UTF-8 character set encoding. The system encrypts all uploaded documents to ensure integrity and confidentiality.