Supply and Maintenance of a GC-MS/MS-QQQ

EU public procurement tender by the European Commission DG JRC Joint Research Centre for the supply, installation, qualification and full-risk maintenance of a GC-MS/MS-QQQ analytical system. Estimated total value is €405,000 and the maximum contract duration is 88 months, with delivery, IQ/OQ, training and a 24-month warranty plus optional post-warranty maintenance. Procedure is an open electronic submission via the Funding & Tenders Portal with deadline for tenders 16 October 2026 16:00 Brussels time. Award is by best price-quality ratio weighted 60 percent quality and 40 percent price and tenderers must satisfy the mandatory technical, administrative and selection requirements in the tender documents.

What it funds

Procurement of a gas chromatography system coupled to a triple quadrupole tandem mass spectrometer (GC-MS/MS-QQQ) plus full-risk maintenance. Includes delivery, installation, IQ/OQ, operator training, initial consumables (12 months minimum), 2-year warranty and optional multi-year post-warranty maintenance (preventive and corrective service, software updates, spare parts availability).

Estimated value:Total estimated procedure value €405,000.

Who can apply

Open procedure:any economic operator (natural or legal person) established in countries eligible under the EU procurement rules and the WTO GPA where applicable. Participation is subject to standard exclusion and selection criteria, declaration on honour and registration (Participant Register/PIC) for electronic submission.

Key dates and logistics

1. 1Deadline for questions: 09/10/2026 (Contracting authority not bound to reply after this date)
2. 2Deadline for receipt of tenders (electronic eSubmission): 16/10/2026 16:00 Europe/Brussels
3. 3Public opening (virtual): 19/10/2026 11:00 Europe/Brussels

Contract duration and phasing:maximum 88 months in total. Phase 1 covers supply, installation, testing, documentation and 24-month warranty (installation within 4 months after award). Phase 2 covers post-warranty maintenance (annual preventive maintenance and corrective service) with initial 12-month periods renewable up to the maximum duration.

Award criteria summary:price (40%) and technical quality (60%). Quality sub-criteria prioritise factory-integrated column replacement without atmospheric venting, robust inlet/source features, hydrogen carrier compatibility, advanced data processing and remote training/maintenance tools.

How to apply

Prepare and submit a complete technical and financial tender via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal eSubmission. Required documents include Declaration on Honour, technical tender addressing mandatory technical specifications and award sub-criteria, and the financial offer form provided in the tender documentation. A PIC and EU Login account are required for submission.

Tender documents and portal:All procurement documents, technical specifications, draft contract, financial template and annexes are available on the Funding & Tenders Portal opportunity page Tender details. For submission use eSubmission via the same portal F&T Portal eSubmission ¹.

1. 1Register or reuse your PIC in the Participant Register
2. 2Complete Annexes and Declaration on Honour (exclusion/selection evidence may be requested)
3. 3Upload technical tender (must demonstrate compliance with mandatory specs) and financial offer (EUR, all-inclusive, excluding VAT)

Footnotes

1. 1Official call and all procurement documents are published on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal opportunity page; electronic submission and questions are handled via the Portal (EU Login required).

Opportunity snapshot

Title:Supply and Maintenance of a GC-MS/MS-QQQ. Tender reference: EC-JRC/GEE/2026/OP/3537 (TED ref 175/2026, 625549-2026). Lead contracting authority: European Commission, DG JRC - Joint Research Centre (JRC), JRC Geel site (Belgium). Nature of procurement: supplies (purchase of laboratory instrument) together with a full-risk maintenance contract. Estimated total procedure value: €405,000 (estimate published on 10/09/2026). Maximum contract duration: 88 months. Procedure type: Open procedure; submission method: electronic eSubmission via EU Login. Deadlines: 16/10/2026 16:00 Europe/Brussels (submission deadline); public opening: 19/10/2026 11:00 Europe/Brussels.

Primary objective:Acquire and place into service a new Gas Chromatograph coupled to a Triple Quadrupole Tandem Mass Spectrometer (GC-MS/MS-QQQ) at JRC Geel, replacing an outdated system, and secure full-risk maintenance (warranty followed by multi‑year post‑warranty maintenance). The instrument will be used principally for separation, detection and quantification of migrants from food contact materials and other trace contaminants in complex matrices.

Key dates and administrative items

1. 1Procurement documents publication: 10/09/2026 (F&T Portal and TED).
2. 2Deadline for requests for additional information (questions): 09/10/2026 23:59 Europe/Brussels.
3. 3Tender submission deadline: 16/10/2026 16:00:59 Europe/Brussels (electronic eSubmission required).
4. 4Date and time of public opening: 19/10/2026 11:00 Europe/Brussels.
5. 5Date in award timetable: award by best price-quality ratio; contract signature and installation schedule governed by draft contract and technical annexes.

Who may apply / Eligible applicant types

Participation is open to any economic operator established in an EU Member State and to natural or legal persons from countries covered by the EU Treaties, the Agreement on Government Procurement (GPA) and specified Union programmes (Horizon Europe eligible third countries) as set out in the tender documents. Permitted applicant types include commercial instrument manufacturers, authorised distributors, importers, systems integrators, service providers and maintenance companies. Both single tenderers and groups of economic operators (joint tenders) are permitted. Subcontracting is allowed subject to the rules in the tender specifications, and identified subcontractors above 20 % must be named and provide commitment letters. The call explicitly requires compliance with restrictive measures checks: neither tenderer nor involved entities may be subject to EU restrictive measures (sanctions) during performance.

Funding type and procurement modality

This opportunity is a public procurement (call for tenders) – not a grant, loan or award. The contracting authority will award a supplies contract (purchase of equipment) combined with a services contract element (full-risk maintenance). Award method: best price-quality ratio with weighting Price 40% and Quality 60% (technical options scored up to 60 technical points).

Consortium requirement

The procedure accepts either a sole tenderer or a joint tender (consortium/group of economic operators). Where a joint tender is submitted the group must appoint a group leader and all members are jointly and severally liable. Identified subcontractors whose intended share exceeds 20 % or whose capacities are relied upon for selection must be named and provide commitment letters. The administrative Annex 3 provides the required Agreement/Power of Attorney model for groups.

Beneficiary scope (Geographic eligibility)

Eligible participants are economic operators established in EU Member States and other countries covered by rules on access to procurement referenced in the call (including GPA signatories and Horizon Europe eligible third countries where applicable). The delivery location and place of performance is JRC Geel, Belgium; certain security and access procedures apply to personnel working on site.

Target sector and technical focus

Sector:analytical laboratory instrumentation; sub‑sectors: analytical chemistry, food safety and feed compliance, environmental and contaminants analysis, mass spectrometry (GC and triple quadrupole tandem MS), laboratory services, instrument maintenance. The instrument is intended for trace-level analysis of migration from food contact materials and other contaminants in complex matrices.

Project stage and expected maturity

Procurement requires supply of a mature, commercially available GC‑MS/MS‑QQQ system with full installation, IQ/OQ (ISO 17025 compatible), operator training and a defined warranty (minimum 24 months) and subsequent long‑term maintenance (post‑warranty maintenance offered for up to 5 years with annual preventive maintenance visits and corrective response times). This is not a research or development award; the instrument and software must be production‑ready and supported.

Mandatory technical highlights:Dual‑channel GC with two column ports; oven to ≥450°C; two programmable inlets including high‑temp multifunction inlet and split/splitless; autosampler ≥100 x 2 mL vials; carrier gas primary helium (5.0 grade) with hydrogen compatibility demonstrated; triple quadrupole mass analyser 10–€1050 M/z, scan speed ≥20,000 u/s, MRM ≥600 transitions/s, dwell ≤0.5 ms; EI source with inert materials and options for CI, autocleaning; detector HED‑EM or equivalent with dynamic range ≥10^6 and IDL ≤10 fg OFN; software with full instrument control, scheduled/dynamic MRM, NIST/Wiley compatibility, audit trail and remote diagnostics; consumables supply for 12 months included; installation within four months of award; warranty 24 months (parts and labour) with annual preventive maintenance during warranty; post‑warranty maintenance options for five years with yearly PM and 3 working days on‑site intervention time.

Funding amount and commercial conditions

Estimated total procedure value:€405,000 (this is an estimate for the whole procurement including supply and maintenance). The financial offer must be submitted in euros, all‑inclusive and excluding VAT. The call provides a Financial Offer template (Annex I Part 1 Annex 6). Price scoring uses the total price of the tender; lowest total price receives full price points (40), other offers are scored proportionally. Price is fixed as tendered for Phase 1; price revision for maintenance in Phase 2 is provided in the draft contract using HICP (if applicable) as set out in Article I.4.2.

Application method and templates

Application type:open call for tenders with electronic submission only via the F&T Portal eSubmission (EU Login required). Tenderers must register in the Participant Register and use PIC. Required templates and annexes are published with the call: Invitation to tender, Tender specifications Part 1 (administrative), Tender specifications Part 2 (technical), Draft contract and appendix (security requirements), Declaration on Honour (exclusion and selection), Financial Offer form (Annex 6), Agreement/Power of Attorney model (Annex 3), List of identified subcontractors (Annex 4), Commitment letters (Annex 5.1/5.2), Acceptance/Certificate of Conformity template (Annex III), Model Technical Maintenance Report (Annex IV), Instructions for staff of external companies, List of public holidays and other draft contract annexes. All documents are published on the F&T Portal for download and form part of the procurement dossier. The eSubmission system limits file size and number of files; system requirements and support are provided on the portal. ¹

Eligibility, selection and award criteria (summary)

1. 1Exclusion: Declarations / documentary evidence for bankruptcy, grave professional misconduct, fraud, tax/social security breaches and other grounds per Article 136 of the Financial Regulation; evidence may be requested during evaluation.
2. 2Selection – legal/regulatory: proof of enrollment in professional register; economic/financial: consolidated average annual turnover over the last two closed years above €110,000; technical/professional: at least two similar GC‑MS/MS‑QQQ supply/installation/maintenance projects completed within the last three years (consolidated assessment allowed).
3. 3Award: Best price-quality ratio. Price weighting 40 %. Quality weighting 60 % based on seven technical sub-criteria (factory-integrated column replacement without atmospheric venting scored up to 20 points; additional inlet architecture, autocleaning, inert quadrupole rod, hydrogen compatibility, software batch-review tools, digital training/maintenance ecosystem scored across remaining points).

Application stages and process

Stages:1) Publication and document download; 2) Tender preparation and submission via eSubmission (EU Login); 3) Public opening (virtual session) and administrative checks; 4) Evaluation of exclusion and selection criteria and technical compliance; 5) Technical and financial scoring and ranking on best price-quality ratio; 6) Award decision, notification and contract signature. Annex 1 lists documents to provide and when documentary evidence may be requested during the procedure. Tender validity: at least 6 months. The contracting authority may request additional evidence at short notice and will verify legal entity status via Participant Register services.

Nature of support and commercial relationship

Beneficiaries will receive a commercial supplies contract (delivery of instrument, installation, documentation, training) and a paid maintenance contract (a financial relationship: payment from contracting authority to the successful tenderer). This is not grant funding. The awardee will invoice the contracting authority under the contractual payment terms. No co‑funding is required from the contracting authority. Tenderers bear all costs to prepare and submit their proposals.

Co-funding and financial obligations

The tender does not request co‑funding by the contracting authority. Tenderers must supply prices free of taxes and duties to the contracting authority (EU institutions are VAT exempt). If eligible invoicing requires VAT handling under national rules, the tender documents and draft contract explain the VAT statements to include on invoices and practical invoicing guidance (Peppol/eInvoicing recommended). The tenderer bears costs of complying with security/clearance requirements for personnel and any import or transport costs within the contract price as proposed.

Response format and recommended attachments

Tenderers must submit:a completed technical tender with compliance table against mandatory technical requirements (Part 2 Technical Specifications), supporting datasheets and application notes (clearly referenced by document and page); financial tender using the Annex 6 financial form; Declaration on Honour (Annex 2) signed by authorised representative; list of identified subcontractors (Annex 4) and commitment letters where required; agreement/power of attorney for joint tenders (Annex 3); evidence for selection criteria if requested. Electronic signatures: qualified electronic signature preferred for signed documents.

1. 1Minimum mandatory compliance table (all mandatory technical criteria must be satisfied or tender will be excluded).
2. 2Filled technical quality evaluation table addressing the seven award quality sub‑criteria (justifications and cross references to datasheets).
3. 3Completed financial offer form (Annex 6) in euros, all charges included, excluding VAT.

Risk, timelines and contractual obligations

Key operational constraints in the draft contract and annexes:instrument delivery to JRC Geel (DDP), installation and IQ/OQ within defined timeframe (installation target: within four months of award), warranty 24 months with annual preventive maintenance visits during warranty, post‑warranty maintenance options (yearly PM visit + OQ) for up to five years with 3 working days on‑site corrective response time during warranty and post‑warranty maintenance, and spare parts availability for ≥10 years. The contractor assumes responsibility for compliance with safety, environmental, data protection and security rules defined in the contract and appendices (including Appendix 2 Security Requirements for personnel and external connections).

Success rates and competitiveness

The tender is an open public procurement and is expected to be competitive among instrument vendors, authorised distributors and systems integrators active in the GC‑MS/MS market. The contracting authority does not publish a quantitative historic success rate. Success probability will depend on technical compliance with the mandatory specifications, strength of service and maintenance commitments (warranty, preventive maintenance, on‑site corrective response), completeness of financial offer and competitiveness on total price‑quality ratio.

Co-funding requirement

Co‑funding from the applicant is not required. The procurement is financed by the contracting authority. Tenderers are responsible for all tender preparation costs and for complying with contractual obligations if awarded.

Templates and application form structure

All application templates and forms are supplied as annexes on the F&T Portal:Invitation to tender, Administrative Tender Specifications (Part 1), Technical Specifications (Part 2), Draft contract and appendices, Declaration on Honour (Annex 2), Financial Offer form (Annex 6), Agreement/Power of Attorney (Annex 3), List of identified subcontractors (Annex 4), Commitment letters (Annex 5.1 and 5.2), Certificate of Conformity template (Annex III) and Model Technical‑Maintenance Report (Annex IV). The Administrative Tender Specifications include an Annex 1 (list of documents to be submitted) that maps which documents each involved entity must upload to eSubmission and where to attach group or subcontractor files. The Financial Offer must be completed with unit and lump sums as required and rounding rules are specified (unit prices to five decimals, totals rounded to two decimals).

1. 1Declaration on Honour (Annex 2): exclusion and selection statements; signatory must be duly authorised; QES recommended.
2. 2Technical tender: compliance table, datasheets, IQ/OQ approach, training plan, maintenance plan, software licences and remote diagnostics, spare parts list and consumables included for 12 months.
3. 3Financial tender: Annex 6 spreadsheet; totals for Phase 1 (supply, installation, warranty) and Phase 2 (maintenance years) clearly presented.
4. 4Joint tender agreement: Annex 3 (Agreement/Power of Attorney) where applicable.
5. 5Subcontractor listing and commitment letters for identified subcontractors (Annex 4 and Annex 5.1/5.2).

Security, on‑site access and personnel requirements

Security and access protocols for personnel working on site are specified in Appendix 2 and Annex VI (Instructions for staff of external companies). Personnel may require background screening and authorisation for access to Commission premises in Belgium; costs of security checks are borne by the contractor. Where remote or network access to Commission CIS is required, the contractor must comply with the Commission Security Baseline for External Connections and may require prior network access approvals, interconnection security agreements and acceptance of acceptable use policies.

What this opportunity is about — summary and recommended next steps

This is an open EU public procurement for delivery, installation, qualification, training and long‑term full‑risk maintenance of a high‑performance GC‑MS/MS‑QQQ system for the European Commission’s JRC Geel site. The contract will be awarded to the economically most advantageous tender on a best price‑quality basis (40% price, 60% quality). The contracting authority requires strict compliance with the detailed mandatory technical specifications and provides comprehensive annexes and a draft contract specifying warranty, maintenance and operational rules, as well as security and site access instructions. Tenderers must register in the Participant Register, download the procurement dossier from the Funding & Tenders Portal, prepare a technical tender demonstrating full compliance with the mandatory features, supply supporting datasheets and application notes, complete the financial offer template (Annex 6) and submit via eSubmission before the deadline. Early preparation of documentary evidence for exclusion and selection criteria is recommended as the contracting authority may request supporting evidence at short notice. Tenderers should also ensure they can meet installation and maintenance performance commitments, spare parts availability, software licensing and training items described in the technical annexes.

Official procurement documents and portal:All procurement documents, annexes and templates are available on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal at the tender details page; tenderers must use eSubmission (EU Login/PIC) for questions and electronic tender submission. Full procurement dossier and downloads are available from the opportunity page on the Funding & Tenders Portal F&T Portal - Tender details. ¹

• Recommended immediate actions for interested vendors: register organisation in the Participant Register (obtain PIC); subscribe to the call for tender to receive updates; download and study Tender Specifications Part 1 and Part 2; prepare mandatory compliance matrix, datasheets and evidence; complete financial template; ensure ability to comply with site security and access rules (Appendix 2 and Annex VI).
• Contacts: use the F&T Portal Questions & Answers to raise clarifications before the Q&A cut‑off (09/10/2026). Administrative contact email in the documents: jrc-geel-procurement@ec.europa.eu.

Footnotes

1. 1Tender documents, annexes and submission instructions are published on the Funding & Tenders Portal: ec.europa.eu

This is an EU public procurement tender issued by the European Commission, DG JRC Joint Research Centre, for the supply of a gas chromatography system coupled to a triple quadrupole tandem mass spectrometer together with a full-risk maintenance contract. The instrument is intended to support trace analysis of substances migrating from food contact materials, as well as other contaminants and target compounds in complex matrices. [1]

Because this is a supply contract, grant-style funding rates do not apply. The winning tenderer will be paid under a procurement contract for delivery, installation, and maintenance services in line with the tender documents. [1]

Opportunity summary

What the tender is about

The procurement covers a GC-MS/MS-QQQ analytical platform and a maintenance arrangement that keeps the equipment operational over its lifetime. The stated immediate use is the separation, detection, and quantification of substances migrating from food contact materials, along with other trace contaminants in complex matrices. The notice also states that the new system will replace an existing GC-MS/MS instrument that no longer meets operational needs. [1]

Applicants should treat the maintenance component as part of the core scope, not as an optional add-on. The contract documentation includes technical specifications, administrative tender specifications, a financial offer form, a declaration on honour, draft contract text, security requirements, an acceptance form, and a model technical maintenance report. [1]

Who can apply

The notice is an open procedure, which means eligible economic operators that can meet the administrative, technical, and financial requirements in the procurement documents may submit a tender. The portal also states that submission is electronic and requires an EU Login account, and its help text indicates that a PIC is mandatory for participation as a sole tenderer or consortium member. [1]

The tender is marked as not SME suitable in the portal data, so applicants should not assume it is tailored to small businesses. Suppliers of laboratory analytical instrumentation, maintenance providers, and integrators with demonstrable capacity to deliver and support a GC-MS/MS-QQQ system are the most natural candidates. [1]

Key dates and submission conditions

• Deadline for receipt of tenders: 16 October 2026 at 16:00 Brussels time. [1]
• Public opening: 19 October 2026 at 11:00 Brussels time. [1]
• Last date the contracting authority is not bound to reply to questions: 9 October 2026 at 23:59 Brussels time. [1]
• TED publication date: 10 September 2026. [1]
• Submission method: electronic only. [1]

The tender documents indicate a tender validity period of 6 months. Applicants should therefore ensure their pricing, supply commitments, and maintenance resources remain available for at least that period after submission. [1]

Commercial and contractual terms

The estimated total contract value is €405000 and the planned maximum contract duration is 88 months. The award will be made on the basis of the best price-quality ratio, with the weighting shown in the tender data as 60 percent quality and 40 percent price. [1]

The procurement does not appear to be a framework agreement, and the lot structure shown in the portal data points to a single lot. The contract is for supplies, but the full-risk maintenance requirement means bidders should also price technical support, preventive and corrective maintenance, spare parts assumptions, and any service reporting obligations described in the contract annexes. [1]

Practical implications for bidders

1. 1Review the technical specifications carefully because the immediate application is trace analysis for food contact materials and related contaminants at trace levels. [1]
2. 2Confirm that the proposed GC-MS/MS-QQQ configuration, accessories, and service model satisfy the draft contract and technical annexes. [1]
3. 3Prepare the financial offer using the portal form and ensure all administrative declarations are complete. [1]
4. 4Submit clarification questions well before the authority's question cutoff date. [1]
5. 5Check whether your organisation already has a valid EU Login and PIC before attempting submission. [1]

From a bidder perspective, the main competitiveness factors are likely to be analytical performance, installation readiness, maintenance capability, response times, lifecycle support, and overall cost. The award model suggests that price matters, but quality will carry the greater weight. [1]

Overall assessment

This is a specialised laboratory equipment procurement aimed at a public research and regulatory analysis environment. It is most suitable for established instrument suppliers and service providers that can offer a robust GC-MS/MS-QQQ platform, long-term maintenance support, and compliance with the detailed procurement and security requirements set out in the tender documentation. [1]