Supply, Installation and maintenance of a PEM Electrolyser for Hydrogen Production at JRC Ispra

Tender by the European Commission DG JRC for the supply, installation and three-year maintenance of a containerized Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) electrolyser system for hydrogen production at JRC Ispra, Italy. The core system is specified as 50 Nm3/h upgradable to 100 Nm3/h with 30 barg outlet and includes MV/LV transformer, water purification, ATEX-compliant stack area, low-pressure storage and a gas blender; scope includes FAT, SAT, staff training and two years of spare parts. Estimated value is €1,100,000 excluding VAT and award is by best price-quality ratio (technical 60%, price 40%). Electronic submission via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal (eSubmission) is required by 1 October 2026 at 16:00 Europe/Rome.

What is procured

Scope in one line

Turn-key design, manufacture, delivery, on-site installation, commissioning and three-year maintenance of a modular PEM electrolyser plant for green hydrogen production at JRC Ispra, including FAT, SAT, ATEX verification, staff training and a 2-year spare parts kit.

Main technical requirements:Base capacity 50 Nm3/h hydrogen (upgradable to 100 Nm3/h) delivered at 30 barg; containerized/skid main unit with AC/DC converter area, water purification, ATEX-rated stack area; external Balance of Plant including MV/LV transformer, dry cooler, 5 m3 30 bar low-pressure cylinder storage rack and a downstream gas blender ¹.

1. 1Who can apply: economic operators established in eligible countries; sole tenderers or joint tenders; subcontracting allowed (PIC registration required).
2. 2What it funds: supply of equipment, civil preparatory works, FAT/SAT, training, 36-month maintenance contract and spare parts.
3. 3Award: best price–quality ratio (price 40%, technical quality 60%) against defined KPIs and simulation of PV profile.

Key mandatory items in tenders:compliance with technical specifications (Annex I Part 2), financial offer form (Annex 6), Declaration on Honour, evidence for selection criteria on financial, technical and professional capacity; eSubmission via Funding & Tenders Portal and PIC registration required.

How offers are evaluated:Ranking by total score S = Q + P where Q is quality (max 60) across six technical subcriteria (annual hydrogen yield, warranted stack lifetime, LCA/recyclability, extended guarantee, preventive maintenance quality, dynamic response) and P is price score (max 40).

Footnotes

1. 1Full tender dossier, specifications and submission instructions are published on the Funding & Tenders Portal Call details.

Administrative snapshot and procurement identity

Call identifier EC-JRC/IPR/2026/OP/3317. Procedure type:Open procedure (public tender). Lead contracting authority: European Commission, DG JRC - Joint Research Centre, Infrastructure Ispra. Main CPV classification: 42980000 Gas generators (also multiple CPV codes listed). Nature of contract: supplies (turn-key supply, installation, commissioning and maintenance). Award method: best price-quality ratio. Estimated total value: €1 100 000 (one million one hundred thousand euros). Submission method: electronic eSubmission via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal (EU Login required).

Tender deadlines:Deadline for receipt of tenders: 01/10/2026 16:00 Europe/Rome. Date and time of public opening: 02/10/2026 10:00 Europe/Rome. Contract notice / TED publication date: 24/08/2026. Contract maximum duration noted in the procurement documents: 74 months overall. Submission Q&A cut-off: 23/09/2026 23:59 Europe/Rome ¹.

What is being procured (technical and service scope)

The contracting authority requests a turn‑key solution for a modular Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) electrolyser system to produce green hydrogen at the JRC Ispra site. Contract scope covers design, manufacturing, delivery DDP, factory testing (FAT), on‑site preparatory works, installation, site acceptance testing (SAT), commissioning, staff training, spare parts supply and a three‑year maintenance contract. The system core is a 50 Nm3/h electrolyser (must be upgradable to 100 Nm3/h) delivering hydrogen at 30 barg outlet pressure; the reference sizing and evaluation assume a modular 2×250 kW architecture (approx. 500 kW nominal total).

Main equipment delivered as containerized/skid unit subdivided into:control panel area with AC/DC converter, a water purification unit, and an ATEX‑classified area containing stacks and gas purification. External components included in the supply: MV/LV transformer, thermal management system (dry cooler), a low‑pressure hydrogen storage system (cylinder rack at 30 bar, total volume 5 m3), and a gas blender installed on the outlet piping after storage.

Service package required:Factory Acceptance Test (FAT), Site Acceptance Test (SAT), ATEX verification, staff training (minimum 3 days indicated), two years of spare parts kit (critical spares) and a three‑year maintenance contract (preventive, corrective, remote support).

Essential technical requirements (minimums and evaluation drivers)

1. 1Total nominal hydrogen output: ≥ 100 Nm3/h at 30 barg, delivered by at least two independent stacks (e.g., 2×50 Nm3/h).
2. 2Hydrogen purity: ≥ 99.9% (dry basis) with oxygen and dew‑point control per CHP fuel requirements.
3. 3Warranted stack lifetime under the PV cyclic duty profile: ≥ 40 000 operating hours (minimum pass/fail).
4. 4Water treatment: feed water quality to meet stack supplier requirements and capability ≤ 0.1 µS/cm.
5. 5Power interface: MV/LV transformer dry‑type and IGBT AC/DC converters sized for offered capacity, compliance with grid‑connection code CEI 0‑16, PF and THD limits.
6. 6Dynamic response: ramp from Hot Standby to 100% < 5 minutes (mandatory floor); guaranteed start/stop cycle capability supported by evidence.
7. 7Containerized housing: weather‑proof, fire‑resistant, climate control, gas and smoke detection, emergency stop, ATEX zoning per EN/IEC 60079‑10‑1.
8. 8Gas purification and drying sufficient for CHP combustion and blending control to achieve up to 10% v/v blend (adjustable 2–10%).
9. 9Thermal management sized to operate up to +40 °C with permitted derating up to +42 °C.
10. 10CE marking and compliance with Machinery Directive 2006/42/EC, PED 2014/68/EU, ATEX 2014/34/EU, EMC and other applicable directives and ISO 22734:2019.
11. 11FAT and SAT acceptance tests and delivery of full CE and as‑built documentation, P&IDs, electrical schematics, operation & maintenance manuals and data logging provision (real‑time, minimum acquisition frequencies defined).

Key external interfaces and operational concept

The electrolyser is intended to be powered by the site photovoltaic (PV) plant (existing 1.35 MWp, planned expansion to 2 MWp and then 3 MWp) and may use limited grid import. Battery storage is excluded from the procurement. Hydrogen is used for blending into the natural gas pipeline feeding co‑generators (CHP) at up to 10% volume. The contractor must provide integration to the site Distributed Control System (DCS) via an open industrial protocol (Modbus TCP/IP or equivalent), accept DCS set‑points and implement master‑slave energy management, stack sequencing (single/dual stack operation) and storage / blending priority logic.

Performance evaluation and award weighting:Award rule: Most Economically Advantageous Tender based on Technical Quality (60 points) and Price (40 points). Price scoring formula P = (Pmin / Poff) × 40. Quality scored on six technical criteria Q1–Q6 (annual methane displacement via hydrogen production; warranted stack lifetime; sustainability & recyclability; extended guarantee beyond mandatory 36 months; quality of preventive maintenance plan; dynamic response capability). Minimum thresholds apply (e.g., MH2 ≥ 18 000 kg/year and warranted stack lifetime ≥ 40 000 h).

Procurement, contractual and submission practicalities

1. 1Submission is electronic only through the EU Funding & Tenders Portal eSubmission tool. EU Login account and Participant Register PIC are required. Use the portal to ask questions (Questions & Answers section) within the published time window.
2. 2Tender language: documents published in English (official authentic version). Tenders may be submitted in any EU official language but the English procurement documents are the sole authentic text.
3. 3Mandatory attachments and templates available as Annexes: Invitation letter, Administrative specifications (Annex I Part 1), Technical specifications (Annex I Part 2), Financial offer form (Annex I Part 2 Annex 6), Declaration on Honour template (exclusion and selection), Draft contract and contract annexes, DUVRI and safety/ATEX/environmental annexes, Financial offer XLSX template.
4. 4Documents provided: 22 procurement documents published on the F&T Portal including technical specs, draft contract, financial offer form (native xlsx), declaration on honour (native docx) and DUVRI materials.
5. 5Tender validity and conditions: tender validity period defined in contract notice (standard), no variants permitted (strict compliance with technical minimums).

Who may apply and mandatory preconditions

Eligible applicant types:legal persons (companies), public bodies, research organisations and other economic operators meeting the access conditions. Joint tenders (consortia) and subcontracting are allowed. Entities must not be subject to EU restrictive measures. Participation open to entities established in EU/EEA and countries covered by procurement access agreements including the WTO GPA and associated/eligible third countries. PIC registration in Participant Register is required.

• Administrative must‑haves at submission: Declaration on Honour on exclusion and selection criteria (Annex 2), financial tender (Annex 6), technical tender, Agreement/power of attorney for joint tenders (Annex 3), list of identified subcontractors (Annex 4) and commitment letters (Annex 5.1/5.2) where applicable.
• Selection minima: economic/financial criterion F1: average turnover of last two financial years > €1 500 000 (consolidated assessment permitted across involved entities); technical criteria require at least 3 similar projects in the last 5 years (T1), evidence of at least 1 ATEX/IECEx Zone 1 hydrogen installation (T2) and at least 3 maintenance contracts ≥100 kW (T3).
• Evidence for selection and exclusion will be requested from the presumed successful tenderer prior to award; tenderers are advised to prepare documentary evidence in advance.

Contract structure and payment milestones

The contract is a direct fixed‑price supply contract resulting in a turn‑key delivery and a subsequently executed maintenance contract covering three years. The financial offer must be presented in the provided Financial Offer Form (Annex 6) and include a CAPEX (turn‑key supply price) and OPEX (36‑month maintenance price).

Eligibility of applicants and contractual special clauses

Tenderers must be able to sign the draft contract and its annexes as published; the draft contract includes clauses on data protection, security and anti‑fraud provisions, insurance requirements, warranty and remedies, and allows the Contracting Authority to offset established public debts against payments. The contractor must comply with the JRC Ispra site safety, environmental and access rules, complete site inductions, obtain required clearances and deliver required assurance documentation (FAT/SAT test reports, CE declarations, ATEX documentation, DUVRI).

Insurance and guarantees (summary):The tender documents require evidence of insurance (Contractor’s All Risk, third party liability with limits indicated in the draft contract) to be provided prior to start of on‑site works. Performance guarantees are not required for this contract per special conditions; check draft contract for detailed payment, retention and guarantee clauses.

Application process, submission templates and system notes

Submit electronically through the F&T Portal eSubmission. Required templates and forms are attached to the F&T portal listing (Invitation letter, Administrative spec, Technical spec, Financial offer form (native XLSX), Declaration on Honour (native DOCX), Draft contract and numerous annexes including DUVRI, safety, environmental and customs procedures). Maximum number of attachments and file size constraints apply (see eSubmission system requirements).

Documents and templates available (selection)

1. 1Invitation letter (00_Invitation_3317_V1.pdf).
2. 2Annex I Part 1 Administrative specifications (Tender spec – admin part).
3. 3Annex I Part 2 Technical specifications (detailed tech specs, 23+ requirements and tests).
4. 4Annex I Part 2 Annex 6 Financial offer form (native XLSX template — completing the yellow cells is mandatory).
5. 5Declaration on honour template (Annex 2 — native DOCX).
6. 6Draft contract and appendices including safety, environmental, customs and DUVRI templates and activity/risk sheets (22 documents published).

Categorisation questions and structured answers

1. 1Eligible Applicant Types: startups (if able to meet technical and financial minima), SMEs and large enterprises, manufacturers of electrolysers and BoP equipment, utilities, engineering & EPC contractors, research institutes (if acting as a supplier/consortium partner), consulting firms (as subcontractors), nonprofit or public bodies only where they can act as economic operators. Joint tenders and subcontracting allowed; entities from eligible third countries and WTO/GPA parties may participate per access rules.
2. 2Funding Type: This is a procurement/contract (supply contract) rather than a grant, with payment milestones for supply and subsequent maintenance fees; the primary financial mechanism is a direct purchase contract (public tender for supplies and subsequent service contract).
3. 3Consortium Requirement: not mandatory to bid as a consortium; single economic operator may bid; joint tenders (consortia) are permitted and standard. If participating as a group, a group leader with power of attorney must be appointed (Annex 3).
4. 4Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): open to entities established in EU Member States and other countries with procurement access rights (WTO GPA signatories and other eligible third countries and associated countries per programme rules). The physical implementation location is JRC Ispra, Italy.
5. 5Target Sector: energy transition and clean fuels (hydrogen production), low‑carbon energy systems, renewable integration, energy/industrial equipment manufacturing, electrochemical systems (PEM electrolysis), hydrogen storage/blending, power electronics, water treatment and industrial services.
6. 6Mentioned Countries: Italy (site of performance) and EU (contracting authority).
7. 7Project Stage: expected maturity: supply, installation, commissioning and early operational maintenance (demonstration/implementation). Bidders should be capable of manufacturing proven PEM stacks and delivering systems for operational demonstration and integration.
8. 8Funding Amount: Estimated total procedure value €1 100 000. Tenderers must quote a single all‑inclusive price (VAT excluded) broken down into CAPEX (turn‑key supply) and OPEX (36‑month maintenance price) using the Annex 6 Financial Offer form.
9. 9Application Type: open public tender (electronic submission). Call is an open procedure and published on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal. Submission via eSubmission within stated deadlines; questions through portal Q&A.
10. 10Nature of Support: monetary contract payments to the successful supplier (turn‑key supply price and maintenance service fees). No grant funding; supplier will be paid against milestones and ongoing service invoices.
11. 11Application Stages: four main procedural stages for bidders: 1) Electronic submission, 2) Public opening and administrative checks, 3) Evaluation (exclusion/selection/award scoring), 4) Award notification and contract signature. Practical contract milestones for deliverables (Design approvals, FAT, SAT) determine payments.
12. 12Success Rates: not published. No specific historical success‑rate data provided in documents. As a single‑winner open tender, success depends on meeting selection minima and scoring best price‑quality ratio.
13. 13Co‑funding Requirement: no co‑funding from the supplier is required as a condition of award. The procurement is a purchase contract — the supplier is paid for the delivery and services per the contract. The tender does not require external co‑financing by the bidder.
14. 14Templates: mandatory templates are provided as Annexes in the procurement dossier and must be used where specified: Declaration on Honour (Annex 2), Financial offer form native XLSX (Annex I Part 2 Annex 6), Draft contract (Annex 1_00), Agreement/Power of attorney for consortia (Annex 3), List of identified subcontractors (Annex 4), Commitment letters (Annex 5.1 and 5.2), DUVRI and Safety annexes. The Financial Offer requires filling specific yellow cells and produces the Poff value used in scoring.

What bidders must prepare (practical checklist)

1. 1Register in Participant Register (obtain PIC). Create EU Login and eSubmission access.
2. 2Complete Declaration on Honour (Annex 2) for exclusion and selection criteria.
3. 3Prepare legal and financial evidence (turnover accounts for last 2 years — may be requested at award stage).
4. 4Compile technical tender demonstrating compliance with each technical requirement (use requirement numbering from Technical Specification Part 2 and provide evidence/datasheets, simulation Excel for annual hydrogen production as required under Q1 and unlocked formulas).
5. 5Complete the Financial Offer Form (Annex 6 native XLSX — mandatory to fill specific yellow cells).
6. 6If joint tender: prepare Agreement/Power of Attorney (Annex 3) and nominate group leader.
7. 7If subcontracting: identify subcontractors in Annex 4 and collect commitment letters (Annex 5.1) where subcontractor share >20% or where subcontractor capacities are relied upon to meet selection criteria.
8. 8Prepare safety and DUVRI documentation, confirm ATEX area‑classification study approach and site PSC/CSE cooperation plan.
9. 9Plan FAT agenda and provide Factory Acceptance Test protocol commitments and evidence (FAT tests are part of contract milestones).
10. 10Prepare insurance certificates and other contractual guarantees per draft contract prior to start of on‑site activities.

Risks, compliance and on‑site rules

The procurement contains comprehensive safety and environmental contractual clauses. Contractors must comply with DUVRI, PSC and POS processes, site safety induction, site access rules, ATEX classification approval, emergency procedures and local environmental policy (EMAS references). The CONTRACTOR is responsible to ensure its staff and subcontractors follow all JRC instructions and to provide required PPE, qualifications and training records. Joint inspection (VSC) is mandatory prior to works and the Contractor must provide RAMS (Risk Assessment and Method Statement) prior to each activity.

Where to get the procurement documents and portal link:All procurement documents and the call are published on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal opportunity page: Supply, Installation and maintenance of a PEM Electrolyser for Hydrogen Production at JRC Ispra F&T Portal opportunity page. Full document package (technical specifications, financial template, draft contract and annexes) is downloadable from the portal ¹.

Footnotes

1. 1Portal subscription and access: the call documents are published on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal. Use the eSubmission Quick Guide and System Requirements pages on the portal for technical instructions and for uploading documents.

This is an open EU supply procurement by the European Commission, DG JRC - Joint Research Centre for a containerized PEM electrolyser system and related services at JRC Ispra in Italy, with electronic submission through the Funding and Tenders Portal and a deadline of 1 October 2026 at 16:00 Europe/Rome.[1]

Key procurement facts

What the procurement is about

The contract covers the design, manufacturing, delivery, installation and commissioning of a Proton Exchange Membrane electrolyser for hydrogen production at JRC Ispra, with the core system specified as a 50 Nm3/h electrolyser that must be upgradable to 100 Nm3/h and deliver hydrogen at 30 barg.[1]

The main equipment is to be supplied in a containerized or skid solution that includes a control panel area with AC/DC conversion, a water purification unit and an ATEX-classified area for the stacks and gas purification treatment.[1]

The scope also includes an MV/LV transformer, a dry cooler for thermal management, a low-pressure hydrogen storage system with a 30 bar cylinder rack of 5 m3 total volume, and a gas blender installed after storage on the outlet piping.[1]

Service obligations include Factory Acceptance Test, Site Acceptance Test, ATEX verification, staff training, two years of spare parts and a 3-year maintenance contract.[1]

Why JRC is procuring it

The purpose is to convert surplus electricity from the JRC Ispra photovoltaic plant into green hydrogen for self-consumption, with the site PV capacity currently at 1.35 MWp and planned to expand to 2 MWp and then 3 MWp in the future.[1]

The produced hydrogen will be blended into the natural gas pipeline at up to a 10 percent volume blend to feed the site cogenerators, and the technical sizing analysis identified a modular 2x250 kW electrolyser as the best compromise between PV availability, operating hours and cogenerator demand.[1]

Who can apply

Any interested economic operator may submit a tender as a sole bidder or as part of a joint tender, and subcontracting is permitted provided the procurement rules are respected and the tender is prepared independently.[1]

Participation is open on equal terms to operators within the scope of the EU Treaties, to international organisations, to eligible third-country operators under the applicable procurement agreement framework, and to operators from countries covered by the WTO Government Procurement Agreement.[1]

Tenderers, group members, identified subcontractors and relied-on entities must not be subject to EU restrictive measures, and the tenderer must demonstrate the country of establishment and provide supporting evidence acceptable under that country's law.[1]

Each participating organisation must be registered in the Participant Register and use a valid PIC, and the rules allow only one tender per tenderer in the procedure.[1]

The procurement documents also prohibit variants, require joint tender members to sign an Agreement or Power of Attorney, and require commitment letters for identified subcontractors and for any entity relied on to meet selection criteria.[1]

Selection, exclusion and compliance notes

The tenderer must complete the declaration on honour covering exclusion grounds, selection criteria, restrictive measures, debt to the Union, independence of the tender and any remedial measures if relevant, while the contracting authority may request evidence on legal existence, tax and social security standing, and economic, financial and technical capacity.[1]

The administrative package includes a financial offer form that separates the CAPEX supply and works price from the 36-month maintenance component, and failure to complete the required unit prices can lead to rejection.[1]

The invitation states that tenders must be submitted electronically, that the contracting authority may request clarifications during evaluation, and that notification of the award outcome will be sent by email to the contact address provided in eSubmission.[1]

Submission process and key dates

Practical takeaways for applicants

This is a technically demanding procurement that will favour bidders able to provide a fully integrated PEM electrolyser package with ATEX compliant design, PV driven operation, hydrogen storage and blending integration, and a credible long-term maintenance capability for an installation at JRC Ispra.[1]

A competitive tender should clearly show experience with electrolyser systems, turnkey industrial installation, FAT and SAT execution, spare parts logistics, maintenance planning and delivery to the JRC site under DDP Incoterms 2020.[1]