Supply and maintenance of a desktop SEM-EDX scanning electron microscope in custom build glovebox for the JRC Geel.

The European Commission DG Joint Research Centre (JRC) issues an open public procurement for the supply, installation, commissioning, training and maintenance of a desktop scanning electron microscope with EDX integrated into a custom nuclear glovebox for characterization of radioactive targets at JRC Geel, Belgium. The contract is awarded by lowest price, has an estimated total value of €300,000 excluding VAT and a maximum duration of 84 months (initial 36 months plus up to four 12-month renewals). Submission is electronic via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal, tender deadline 9 November 2026 at 16:00 Brussels time, and tenders must meet mandatory technical requirements including a technical concept with a three-dimensional sketch and the selection criteria for turnover and prior similar references.

Supply and maintenance of a desktop SEM-EDX in a custom glovebox (EC-JRC/GEE/2026/OP/4413)

Essential summary

Practical notes for bidders

Footnotes

1. 1Full procurement documents, annexes and eSubmission are available on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal tender page: ec.europa.eu

Key facts

What is being procured

Mandatory technical highlights (summary of Technical Specifications)

Tender offers must meet all mandatory technical requirements in the Technical Specifications (Part 2). Non-compliant offers will be disregarded. The procurement documents require a technical concept with a 3D sketch demonstrating integration of the SEM into a standard nuclear glovebox.

Procurement process and submission

This is an open e-procurement procedure. Submissions must be made exclusively through the eSubmission system on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal. A Participant Identification Code (PIC) is required for each organisation or subcontractor that must be identified for the procurement. The contracting authority publishes the procurement documents and multiple annexes (technical specifications, administrative specifications, draft contract and contract annexes).

Award, evaluation and price

Award method indicated in the procurement documents is lowest price, subject to compliance with mandatory technical specifications and selection criteria. The price used for evaluation is the total contractual amount as entered in the Financial Offer Form (Annex 6). The contracting authority may request clarifications or additional evidence during evaluation; initial checks include administrative compliance, exclusion criteria, selection criteria (financial, technical and professional capacity) and technical compliance.

Eligibility, consortium and applicant types

Project stage, funding scale and contract phases

Financial and contractual conditions

Price evaluation is based on the total contractual amount reported in the Financial Offer Form (Annex 6). Prices must be expressed in euro (€) excluding VAT. The award method is lowest price among technically compliant offers. Contract contains warranty and maintenance obligations. Price revision possible for maintenance phase per contract clauses (indexation formula in Special Conditions). Payment terms, invoicing rules and VAT handling are defined in the draft contract and annexes.

Templates, forms and required attachments (application structure)

The procurement documents provide mandatory templates and an explicit upload structure in eSubmission. Offers must follow the required structure and use the provided templates where specified. All required documents indicated in Annex 1 must be uploaded; failure to upload mandatory items leads to rejection.

Notable contract clauses and operational constraints

Eligible tenderer checklist (practical)

Risk factors and common bidder questions

The contracting authority will not be bound to reply to questions submitted after 29/10/2026 23:59 Europe/Brussels. Check the Portal regularly for Q&A and updates.

Summary: What this opportunity is about and how to approach it

This is an open EU procurement by the JRC Geel for a compact desktop SEM with EDX that must be integrated inside a custom nuclear glovebox for the characterisation of fragile thin targets including actinides. The procurement covers supply, glovebox integration (or integration coordination if glovebox is subcontracted), FAT, on-site commissioning, user training, two-year warranty with preventive maintenance and four-year maintenance phase (renewable). The award is by lowest price among technically compliant tenders. Bidders must satisfy exclusion and selection criteria, use the provided administrative and financial templates, and demonstrate experience delivering similar microscopy and glovebox-integrated installations. Tenderers should prepare a clear technical concept (3D sketch) showing how the SEM fits into the glovebox, how maintenance and filament replacement will be executed with gloves, propose a reliable maintenance & spare parts plan, and provide the completed Financial Offer Form. Compliance with JRC safety, radiation protection, and site access rules is mandatory. Follow eSubmission rules, upload all mandatory annexes (Annex 1 list) and be ready to provide requested supporting evidence promptly if shortlisted. The contracting authority’s detailed technical and administrative documents, templates and the draft contract are available on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal 1.

Footnotes

1. 1Procurement documents, technical specifications and submission are available via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal. Access the tender details page: ec.europa.eu

Executive summary

This is an EU public procurement tender, not a grant. The European Commission Directorate General Joint Research Centre is seeking one integrated solution consisting of a desktop scanning electron microscope with energy dispersive X ray spectroscopy, a custom nuclear glovebox, installation, commissioning, training and maintenance. The equipment will support characterization of targets containing radioactive material, including thin actinide layers, at the JRC site in Geel, Belgium.

The procurement uses an open procedure and is not divided into lots. The contract is awarded solely on price, provided that the tender is administratively compliant, technically compliant, submitted by an eligible tenderer and supported by the required capacity and exclusion declarations. The estimated total contract value is €300,000 excluding VAT. The maximum contract duration is 84 months, structured as an initial 36 month period with up to four renewals of 12 months each.

The official opportunity and its procurement documents are available through the EU Funding and Tenders Portal opportunity.

Opportunity profile

What the buyer intends to purchase

The JRC G.6 Metro Target Preparation Group requires equipment to characterize targets that it produces. The required solution is a scanning electron microscope equipped with energy dispersive X ray spectroscopy, integrated into a nuclear glovebox so that radioactive material can be handled safely during examination.

The equipment is intended to characterize targets with an outer diameter of up to 80 millimetres and a material deposition spot size of up to 40 millimetres. The system must be suitable for the characterization of thin actinide layers. A compact desktop microscope is preferred, but the tenderer must meet the detailed mandatory requirements in the technical specifications.

The expected scope includes the supply of the microscope and EDX system, design and construction of the custom glovebox integration, delivery, installation, commissioning, training and preventive maintenance. The technical tender must demonstrate how the proposed equipment and glovebox will satisfy every mandatory requirement.

Variants or alternative solutions are not allowed. Any variant described in a tender may be disregarded by the contracting authority.

Contract structure and financial scope

The procurement will result in a direct contract rather than a framework agreement. The financial offer form separates the price into delivery, installation and commissioning, training, preventive maintenance during the warranty period and preventive maintenance during the later maintenance phase.

The total price submitted in the financial model must match the total amount entered in the eSubmission application. Prices must be stated in euros, excluding VAT, duties and other charges. The European Union institutions benefit from applicable tax exemptions, and tenderers are responsible for confirming the correct VAT treatment with their national authorities.

The €300,000 figure is an estimated overall contract value and should not be treated as a grant allocation, guaranteed annual revenue or guaranteed purchase volume. Tenderers should price the complete required solution and all contractual maintenance obligations within the financial model.

Who can apply

Any eligible natural or legal person offering the required supplies and services may submit a tender. Tenderers may participate individually or as a joint tender formed by several economic operators. International organisations may participate where permitted by the applicable rules.

Participation is open to persons established within the scope of the EU Treaties, to persons established in third countries covered by an applicable EU public procurement agreement, to entities established in countries that have ratified the World Trade Organization Government Procurement Agreement under its applicable conditions and to persons established in third countries eligible under the Euratom programme.

The tenderer must state its country of establishment and provide normally accepted evidence of establishment. Neither the tenderer nor involved subcontractors may be subject to applicable EU restrictive measures, including asset freezes or prohibitions on making funds or economic resources available.

Eligible participation models

A sole tenderer may submit the tender directly.

A joint tender may be submitted by a group of economic operators. All group members assume joint and several liability for performance of the contract. The group must appoint a group leader and submit the required power of attorney or equivalent authorisation using the procurement template.

Subcontracting is permitted. Identified subcontractors must be disclosed where the tenderer relies on their capacity to meet selection criteria or where their intended individual share exceeds 20 percent of the contract. Relevant commitment letters must be provided.

A tenderer may rely on the capacity of other entities, but it must prove that the necessary resources will be available. For technical and professional capacity, the entity relied upon must perform the works or services for which that capacity is required.

An economic operator cannot participate simultaneously as a sole tenderer and as a member of another tendering group, or as a member of more than one group, in the same procedure. Cross subcontracting arrangements that create prohibited reciprocal participation can lead to rejection.

Mandatory registration and electronic submission

Each economic operator participating in the tender must be registered in the European Commission Participant Register and must have a Participant Identification Code. Each member of a joint tender must use its own registration and PIC.

An EU Login account is required to access the electronic submission system, submit questions and submit the tender. Tenders sent by email, post or any method other than the designated eSubmission system will be disregarded.

Tenderers should create or verify their Participant Register records, obtain any required authorisations, prepare electronic signatures and test the submission process well before the deadline. The system records an official submission timestamp, and a tender received after the deadline will be rejected.

A tender can be withdrawn or replaced before the deadline, but the replacement must be submitted as a complete tender. The contracting authority will normally consider only the latest non withdrawn tender from a tenderer.

Selection and eligibility requirements

Tenderers must pass legal and regulatory capacity checks, exclusion checks, economic and financial capacity checks and technical and professional capacity checks. A declaration on honour is required using the procurement document template. Supporting evidence may be requested during the procedure and is expected from the presumed successful tenderer before award.

The economic and financial and technical evidence may not need to be uploaded with the initial tender unless required by the administrative specifications, but tenderers must have it ready because the contracting authority may request it at short notice. Failure to provide valid evidence within the required deadline may result in rejection.

Exclusion and integrity conditions

The declaration on honour covers exclusion situations affecting the tenderer, members of management and control bodies, beneficial owners, entities relied upon, group members and relevant subcontractors. It also covers restrictive measures, established debts to the European Union and the requirement that the tender was prepared independently.

The contracting authority may verify exclusion information through the European Union Early Detection and Exclusion System and may request recent judicial, administrative, tax, social security or other supporting documents. Tenderers should prepare these documents in advance and ensure they remain valid when requested.

A tenderer must immediately inform the contracting authority of changes affecting any declaration. False declarations or information may lead to rejection and administrative sanctions, including exclusion or financial penalties.

Technical tender requirements

The technical offer must explain the proposed complete solution and demonstrate compliance with the technical specifications. A technical concept including a three dimensional sketch is expressly required. Without this concept, the offer may be declared non compliant.

The technical specifications document is the controlling source for all detailed minimum requirements. Tenderers should not rely on the short notice description alone. They should complete a requirement by requirement compliance review and identify any assumptions, exclusions or deviations before submission.

Mandatory requirements cannot be qualified by reservations, conditions or assumptions. A tender that does not cover all requirements or deviates from minimum specifications may be rejected without being evaluated on price.

Award and evaluation

The award criterion is price at 100 percent. Compliant tenders are ranked in ascending order of total evaluated price, and the contract is awarded to the lowest priced tender that meets all mandatory requirements and passes the eligibility, exclusion and selection checks.

Price competition therefore does not compensate for technical deficiencies. A low price will be relevant only after the tender has demonstrated full compliance with the technical specifications and all administrative requirements.

The financial offer must include all costs required to perform the contract, including equipment, glovebox integration, delivery, installation, commissioning, training, warranty maintenance, later preventive maintenance, personnel, travel, security compliance, insurance and any other costs required by the contract documents.

Duration and implementation conditions

The maximum contract duration is 84 months. The draft contractual structure provides for an initial 36 month period with four possible renewals. The precise renewal rights, notice periods, maintenance obligations, payment conditions and performance requirements are governed by the draft contract and its annexes.

The contractor and its personnel must comply with JRC security requirements. The contractor bears the financial burden of applicable security measures, including background checks, security clearance processes, security briefings and related training where required.

The contract also includes obligations concerning fraud prevention, subcontractor flow down, environmental considerations, equality and diversity, data protection, applicable labour and social obligations and cooperation with checks and audits.

The contracting authority may use an electronic exchange system for contract implementation and related procedures. The contractor may be required to use that system at no additional cost to the Commission.

Key documents to prepare

The tender package includes the invitation letter, administrative specifications, technical specifications, declaration on honour, list of documents, power of attorney template, subcontractor information form, subcontractor commitment letter, capacity reliance commitment letter, financial offer form, draft contract and contract annexes.

The following submission components should be treated as essential preparation items:

Important dates and procedural actions

The metadata supplied with the opportunity contains an additional date of 1 January 2026, but the official call details and invitation documentation identify 9 November 2026 at 16:00 Brussels time as the deadline for receipt of tenders. Applicants should rely on the live portal deadline and any subsequent official amendment rather than the additional metadata date.

Questions must be submitted through the Questions and answers section of the Funding and Tenders Portal. The contracting authority is not bound to reply to questions received less than six working days before the tender deadline. Applicants should monitor the portal for amendments, clarifications and document updates throughout the submission period.

Applicant risk assessment

Recommended bid strategy

Overall assessment

This is a focused specialist procurement suitable for an instrument manufacturer, nuclear laboratory equipment integrator, scientific equipment supplier or consortium able to combine SEM EDX expertise with radioactive containment and glovebox engineering. The opportunity is commercially relevant for suppliers with recent comparable projects and a credible long term service capability.

The main qualification barriers are the mandatory technical compliance, the requirement for a custom glovebox solution, the three recent projects valued at least €75,000 each, the minimum turnover requirement and the need for scientifically qualified SEM EDX personnel. The lowest compliant total price will determine the award, so the strongest tender will combine rigorous technical compliance with a fully transparent and competitive whole life price.

Official source

Applicants should use the official Funding and Tenders Portal record and its current procurement documents as the controlling source for all requirements, dates, amendments, clarifications and submission instructions: Official tender record.