Supply of Integrated System for Measuring and Communication Analysis of Mono- and Bi-directional Electric Vehicle Charging Processes.

Public procurement by the European Commission Joint Research Centre (EC-JRC/IPR/2026/OP/0753) for supply, delivery, installation, a 24-month guarantee and 12-month maintenance of an integrated system to measure and analyse mono- and bi-directional electric vehicle charging processes at JRC Ispra, Italy. Estimated contract value is €700,000 with a maximum contract duration of 42 months and a baseline delivery period of 6 months (offers with 4 months may receive award points). Minimum technical requirements include time-synchronous voltage and current measurement, DC bidirectional capability of at least 150 kW up to 900 V/450 A, AC emulation up to 22 kW, support for ISO 15118 and OCPP 2.1, long cable kits and compatibility with VeLA8 and VeLA9 test chambers. Tenders must be submitted electronically via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal eSubmission by 3 June 2026 at 15:00 Rome time and will be evaluated by best price-quality ratio with price weighted at 60% and technical quality at 40%.

Supply of integrated EV charging measurement and communication analysis system

Essential facts

European Commission Joint Research Centre (JRC) Ispra seeks tenders to supply a fully integrated hardware and software system for time‑synchronised electrical measurement and higher‑level communication analysis of mono‑ and bi‑directional electric vehicle charging processes (IEC/ISO protocols incl. ISO 15118 family and OCPP simulation).

Estimated budget:Estimated total value €700 000; contract duration up to 42 months; delivery required within 4 months (minimum requirement if awarded for shorter delivery) or maximum 6 months; 24‑month guarantee plus 12 months paid maintenance ¹ Funding & Tenders Portal.

1. 1What is funded: supply, delivery, documentation, software licences, 2‑year guarantee and 12 months preventive/corrective maintenance for an integrated EV charging test and communication analysis system.
2. 2Who can apply: economic operators eligible under EU procurement rules (any natural or legal person with access to procurement; registration in Participant Register/PIC and eSubmission required).
3. 3Key requirements: system must support AC and DC bidirectional testing (DC up to at least 150 kW and up to ~900 V / ~450 A), ISO 15118‑20 and ISO 15118‑2 analysis, OCPP backend simulation, long charging cables for chamber use, sniffer/capture features, software licences for duration of contract.
4. 4Award: best price‑quality ratio (price 60%, technical quality 40% with specified technical criteria).

Selection and exclusion:tenderers must meet standard exclusion criteria and selection minimums (financial and technical). Example selection minima include average turnover and demonstrated experience in bidirectional EV charging test systems; full documentary evidence will be requested from the presumed successful tenderer.

Footnotes

1. 1Procurement documents, specifications, templates and submission portal are published on the Funding & Tenders Portal: ec.europa.eu.

Key facts and procurement overview

Type of procedure:Open procedure (call for tenders). Contracting authority: European Commission, DG JRC - Joint Research Centre (JRC), JRC Ispra site (Italy). TED reference: 84/2026 299408-2026. TED publication date: 30/04/2026. Procedure identifier: EC-JRC/IPR/2026/OP/0753. Main CPV: 38540000 - Machines and apparatus for testing and measuring. Nature of contract: supplies. Award method: best price-quality ratio. Estimated total value: €700,000 (excl. VAT). Maximum contract duration: 42 months.

Lot and place of performance:Single lot (LOT-0001). Delivery and onsite activities to be performed at JRC Ispra site, Via Enrico Fermi 2749, Ispra (VA), Italy. Some experiment setups will be used in JRC test chambers VeLA8 (thermal chamber) and VeLA9 (semi-anechoic EMC chamber).

Deadlines and milestones:Deadline for receipt of tenders: 03/06/2026 at 15:00 (Europe/Rome). Public opening (virtual): 03/06/2026 at 16:00 (Europe/Rome). Deadline to submit questions: contracting authority is not bound to reply to questions submitted after 25/05/2026 23:59 (Europe/Rome). TED publication date: 30/04/2026.

What is being procured (technical scope)

A fully integrated hardware and software system for measurement and communication analysis of mono-directional and bi-directional electric vehicle charging processes. The system shall enable time‑synchronous electrical measurements (voltage, current, power profiles), decoding and recording of pilot wire (CP) PWM signalling and higher-level communication according to ISO 15118-20 (and backward compatibility with ISO 15118-2), simulation roles (EV-simulating and EVSE-simulating), OCPP back-end simulation (OCPP 2.1 edition 1 with free updates to edition 2 if released in-contract), AC grid emulation capabilities, DC and AC bidirectional power racks, cable kits including long cables suitable for routing into VeLA8/VeLA9 test chambers, sniffing/listening devices for CP HLC capture, and software features for recording and replaying distilled charging process logfiles.

1. 1Minimum DC bidirectional power capability: at least 150 kW DC, up to at least 900 V DC and 450 A DC (lab has 175 kW AC supply lines and a 500 kW AC line available).
2. 2AC emulation: 3p,N,PE grid emulation up to 400 V phase-to-phase and up to 22 kW AC for bidirectional AC charging.
3. 3Cable requirements: kit(s) for AC and DC bidirectional charging with at least €5 Mcable routing to allow tests through VeLA8 walls; award criterion seeks additional kit(s) >=€12 Mwith optical isolation for CP communications operable -30°C to +50°C.
4. 4Sniffer device: inductive coupling for CP HLC capture (ISO 15118-20), software frontend, licences included if offered.
5. 5Recording/replay: capability to distil charging logfiles into repeatable behaviour files (current/voltage profiles, HLC content, timings).
6. 6OCPP simulation: dedicated component licensed for OCPP 2.1 edition 1 and upgrade to OCPP 2.1 edition 2 if published during contract, integrated into the system timeline for correlation analyses.

Delivery time:6 months from contract signature is the baseline. Tenderers may obtain evaluation points by offering a 4-month delivery (the tender specification makes 4 months a minimum requirement if points are awarded).

Who can apply and eligible applicant types

Eligible applicant types:private companies (manufacturers, system integrators), SMEs, large enterprises, research institutes, universities, test-laboratory operators, non-profits and consortia where applicable. Public bodies may participate if permitted by domestic rules and the procurement documents. Subcontractors are allowed and must be declared where their individual share exceeds thresholds (see administrative specs).

Consortium requirement:Single tenderer or joint tender permitted. A joint tender (group of economic operators) must appoint a group leader and submit an Agreement/Power of Attorney (Annex 3). All members are jointly and severally liable.

Geographic eligibility (beneficiary scope):Open to economic operators established in EU Member States and WTO-GPA signatory countries per procurement documents. Tenderers must satisfy the access-to-procurement rules and not be subject to EU restrictive measures.

Funding type and nature of support

Funding type:public procurement / tender for supplies (not a grant). Nature of support: monetary contract (payment for supplied system and maintenance services). The contracting authority pays invoices under the contract (no research grant modalities).

Estimated contract value and payment structure:Estimated total value: €700,000 (excl. VAT). Tenderers must submit a financial offer using the Financial Offer Form (Annex 6). The price shall be DDP Ispra and include supply, licences, delivery, installation, two-year guarantee and one additional year of maintenance (year 3) as specified. Interim payments are linked to Acceptance Form sign-offs (Annex III) for supply and for guarantee years; balance payment follows contract conditions.

Procurement process, submission and evaluation

Submission method:electronic through the EU Funding & Tenders Portal's eSubmission system. EU Login and PIC registration required for organisations. Supported languages: any official EU language. Attachments and forms must follow eSubmission technical requirements (file types and size limits). Important documents are published on the F&T Portal and include Invitation to Tender, DoH form (Declaration on Honour), Financial offer form, Technical offer template, Technical specifications, Draft contract (with annexes), Acceptance form, customs and site access guidance, safety and environmental clauses, and a Joint Inspection Report template.

1. 1Documents to upload with tender (per Annex 1): Declaration on Honour (Annex 2), identification evidence for signatory, Agreement/Power of Attorney (joint tenders Annex 3), list of identified subcontractors (Annex 4) plus commitment letters (Annex 5.1 and 5.2) where applicable, Technical offer (Annex 7) and Financial offer (Annex 6).
2. 2Electronic submission address and portal: submission via eSubmission link provided in tender notice and portal publication.
3. 3Important administrative constraints: tenders must remain valid for 6 months; late tenders are rejected; withdrawal or replacement allowed prior to deadline; submissions are encrypted by the system.

Selection and exclusion checks:Exclusion criteria: standard EU exclusion grounds per Financial Regulation Article 138 (bankruptcy, grave professional misconduct, fraud, corruption, money laundering, terrorist financing, serious professional deficiencies, irregularities, etc.). Evidence required by the contracting authority on request; all involved entities must declare non-exclusion on the Declaration on Honour (Annex 2). Selection criteria: minimum average turnover requirement (€350,000 over last two financial years) and technical experience (at least one similar contract/project in the last three years) and quality management system (eg EN ISO 9001:2015) as indicated in the tender specifications.

Award criteria and scoring:Award method: best price-quality ratio. Weighting: Price 60% and Quality 40% (technical quality criteria). Technical quality items are scored against specific features (delivery time, DC testing power range up to 500 kW for award scoring, AC grid emulation features, long-cable kit >=€12 Mwith opto-couplers, sniffer device availability, recording & replay capabilities). Maximum technical score: 40 points. The scoring rules and tie-break approach are detailed in the tender documentation.

Evaluation steps / application stages:The procurement follows these practical stages: 1) Administrative compliance and exclusion checks on submitted documents; 2) Selection criteria verification (economic, financial and technical capacity) consolidated and individual assessments — evidence may be requested during evaluation or before award; 3) Technical and financial evaluation (award scoring); 4) Notification of outcome and contract signature. In practice tenderers pass through 3 major evaluation stages (initial compliance & exclusion, selection/capacity verification, award evaluation).

Applicant requirements and operational constraints

Mandatory contractual obligations and operational rules:compliance with JRC site safety, environmental and customs procedures; site-specific clauses (Annex V access rules, Annex VI safety clauses, Annex VII environmental clauses, Annex IV customs guidance). The contractor must provide documentation and certificates, two-year guarantee on equipment, software licences for at least four years, preventive and corrective maintenance for 12 months (year 3) with defined response times (telephone/email support within 48 working hours; interventions within 5 working days for corrective maintenance; 10 working days maximum for guarantee interventions). Maintenance price covers labour, travel and consumables; spare parts are covered up to €2,000 during year 3, with a separate offer procedure for parts above that value (budgetary ceiling €5,000 indicated as available to the contracting authority). Occupational health and safety compliance with Italian legislation (D.Lgs 81/08) is required. Personnel lists, police records and badges are required for site access; joint inspections and DUVRI/DUVRIs are applicable when interference risks exist.

• Delivery: DDP Ispra; documentation and licences at delivery; acceptance tests within 8 weeks after delivery; Acceptance Form (Annex III) is prerequisite to payment.
• Guarantee: minimum 2-year guarantee on entire system with free software updates during guarantee; on‑site preventive maintenance annually in guarantee period.
• Maintenance (Year 3): preventive visit once per year plus unlimited corrective interventions within contractually guaranteed response times; spare parts up to €2,000 included.

Templates and application forms (how the application looks)

Tender documentation provides mandatory templates and forms. These must be completed and uploaded in eSubmission as directed in Annex 1 and the Invitation to Tender. Key templates are:

1. 1Invitation to Tender (Invitation letter) — administrative instructions, contact data and contractual overview.
2. 2Declaration on Honour (DoH) on exclusion and selection criteria (Annex 2) — mandatory signed form for involved entities.
3. 3Financial Offer Form (Annex 6) — spreadsheet template: price of supply, guarantee & maintenance years, totals (filled yellow cells).
4. 4Technical Offer / Technical quality template (Annex 7) — to declare compliance with technical award criteria and to provide evidence locations in the technical offer.
5. 5Draft contract and its annexes (multiple versions) — read carefully; sets contract clauses, special conditions and contractual obligations.
6. 6Acceptance Form (Annex III) — signed at delivery/acceptance and used to trigger payments.
7. 7Annex IV (customs procedure) and Annex V (site access rules), Annex VI (safety clauses) and Annex VII (environmental clauses) — mandatory compliance documents.

Other practical requirements and logistics

Customs and logistics:suppliers must follow Annex IV customs procedure for bringing goods onto the JRC Ispra site. Site access: follow Annex V rules — pre-registration of personnel, police/criminal record checks, badges and site induction. Occupational safety: comply with Annex VI safety contractual clauses including DUVRI/DVR/POS/PSC and joint inspections when required. Environmental obligations: Annex VII details site environmental rules and waste sorting procedures.

Project stage, target sector and technologies

Target sector:Transport, energy, e-mobility, ICT/communications, electric power systems, EV charging infrastructure, EMC testing and laboratory testing equipment.

Project stage and expected maturity:The procurement targets technology and measurement systems at development/validation/demonstration maturity (laboratory-grade test and measurement systems for pre-normative research and EMC/thermal chamber testing). The system must be production-grade (commercial hardware and licensed software) with operational maintenance and support.

Assessment of application process and risks

Number of application stages:The selection and award process functionally comprises three main stages: 1) administrative and exclusion compliance screening; 2) selection criteria assessment (economic/financial/technical capacity) and requests for supporting documents; 3) award evaluation (technical quality scoring and price comparison) leading to ranking, notification and contract signature. Evidence of selection criteria may be requested later in the procedure, and the winner will be requested to provide remaining documents prior to award and signature. Co-funding: no co-funding from applicant is required; this is a supply contract paid by the contracting authority. Success rates: the tender documents do not publish historical success rates — success depends on competitiveness, meeting mandatory technical minima and quality/price scoring. Contracting authority may reject tenders not meeting mandatory requirements.

Practical advice for applicants

1. 1Read all procurement documents (Invitation, Tender Specifications Part 1 Administrative and Part 2 Technical, Draft Contract and all annexes).
2. 2Complete Declaration on Honour (Annex 2) for each involved entity and prepare evidence for selection/exclusion criteria to be provided on request.
3. 3Use the exact Financial Offer template (Annex 6) and Technical Offer template (Annex 7); mark clearly where claims in the technical offer are evidenced.
4. 4Prepare customs and delivery documentation in advance to ensure DDP delivery at Ispra and compliance with Annex IV.
5. 5Plan site access and safety compliance early: personnel lists, police/criminal records, safety documentation (DVR, POS if relevant) and participate in joint inspection if required (Annex VIII template).
6. 6Allow time to test electronic submission (EU Login, PIC, QES signature where requested).

Mentioned countries and geographic notes

Explicit country mentioned:Italy (JRC Ispra site). Regional scope: EU / WTO-GPA signatories for participation. The place of performance is the JRC Ispra site, Varese province, Italy.

Summary: What is this opportunity about and how to explain it?

This is a public procurement by the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre (JRC) seeking a single supplier to deliver, install, guarantee and maintain a fully integrated laboratory system for electrical measurement and communication analysis of mono- and bi-directional electric vehicle charging processes. The JRC uses the equipment for pre-normative research, interoperability and EMC and thermal testing of EVs and EVSE (charging columns and wall-boxes). The procurement covers a complex system comprising power racks for DC/AC bidirectional testing, grid emulation, long cable kits for special chamber use (including opto-isolated CP communications for DC cables), a sniffer/listener device for CP HLC capture, OCPP backend simulation component, software for recording and replaying charging process logfiles, and all hardware, software licences and documentation. Delivery, acceptance testing, at least a two-year guarantee and a further 12 months of preventive and corrective maintenance are contractually required. The tender evaluates offers by best price-quality ratio: price (60%) and technical quality (40%) with clearly defined technical award criteria. Applicants must submit tenders electronically via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal eSubmission system, complete mandatory administrative forms (Declaration on Honour), and follow JRC safety, customs and site access rules. The total budget is €700,000 (excl. VAT) and the contract is to be performed at JRC Ispra, Italy. Review the Tender Specifications Part 1 and Part 2, the Draft Contract and all annexes (DoH form, Financial form, Technical template, Acceptance Form, safety and customs annexes) posted on the Funding & Tenders Portal and ensure compliance with mandatory requirements before submission.

Opportunity Overview

This is a public procurement tender issued by the European Commission's Joint Research Centre (JRC) for the supply of a fully integrated system designed to measure and analyse mono- and bi-directional electric vehicle (EV) charging processes. The system will support pre-normative research on EV charging technologies, vehicle-to-grid integration, and bidirectional charging at the JRC Ispra facility in Italy. The procurement is conducted as an open procedure, meaning any qualified economic operator from the European Union or elsewhere may submit a tender.

Procedure Identifier:EC-JRC/IPR/2026/OP/0753

Contracting Authority:European Commission, Directorate-General Joint Research Centre (DG JRC), located at Via Enrico Fermi 2749, I-21027 Ispra (VA), Italy

Key Dates and Deadlines

All tenders must be submitted electronically via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal (eSubmission system). Tenders received after the submission deadline will be rejected. Tenderers are strongly advised to submit well in advance of the deadline to avoid technical issues. ¹

Funding and Contract Value

Estimated Total Contract Value:€700,000

Maximum Contract Duration:42 months from the date the contract enters into force

The contract value covers three distinct phases:the supply and delivery of the integrated system, a 24-month guarantee period with corrective and preventive maintenance, and a 12-month maintenance period. The financial offer form requires tenderers to provide separate pricing for each phase.

Scope of Supply and Technical Requirements

The contractor must supply a fully integrated system including all required hardware and software for measuring and communication analysis of mono- and bi-directional EV charging processes. The system must enable time-synchronous electrical measurements (voltage and current) and decode both power-related and communication signals to verify functionality and interoperability of charging processes.

Minimum Technical Requirements

• Support for IEC 62196-2 Type 2 AC plugs and IEC 62196-3 CCS Type 2 DC plugs
• DC power range: minimum 150 kW bidirectional power flow with voltage up to 900 V DC and current up to 450 A DC
• AC power range: capability to emulate grids for bidirectional AC charging up to 22 kW AC at 400 V AC (three phases) and 230 V AC
• Communication standards: support for ISO 15118-20:2022 and ISO 15118-2:2014 standards for higher-level communication on Control Pilot (CP) lines
• Simulation capabilities: both EV-simulating and EVSE-simulating routes for mono- and bidirectional charging
• OCPP 2.1 edition 1 simulation component (equivalent to IEC 63584-210:2025) with commitment to free updates to future OCPP 2.1 edition 2
• Cable length capability: minimum 5 metres towards real equipment under test, with optional extended cable sets of 12 metres or longer
• Integration with JRC Ispra facilities: compatibility with VeLA8 thermal chamber (-30°C to +50°C) and VeLA9 semi-anechoic chamber for EMC testing

Optional Technical Features (Award Criteria)

Tenderers may offer additional features that will be evaluated under technical quality award criteria, each worth up to 40 points maximum. These optional features include: delivery within 4 months (instead of 6 months), testing power range up to 500 kW DC, advanced power quality emulation capabilities, special cable sets of increased length with opto-coupler technology, sniffer or listener device for higher-level communication monitoring, and recording and re-use of distilled charging process log files.

Delivery and Installation

Standard Delivery Period:6 months from contract signature, or 4 months if the tenderer commits to this shorter period and is awarded points for it

Delivery Location:DDP Incoterms 2020 to European Commission JRC Ispra site, Via E. Fermi 2749, Ispra (VA), Italy

The contractor must notify the contracting authority of the exact delivery date at least 10 working days in advance. Deliveries may be made on any working day during normal working hours. The contractor must provide complete technical documentation in English (both electronic and paper copies) including technical drawings, software descriptions, installation and operating manuals, datasheets, troubleshooting guides, and maintenance procedures. All software licences must be provided for at least 4 years of operative duration.

Acceptance and Testing

The supplied system will be subject to verification tests by JRC staff within 8 weeks after effective delivery. These tests verify conformity with requirements and specifications, including checks for completeness and damage, system setup and connection, proper operation verification, communication with equipment under test, and functionality of input and output channels. An acceptance form must be signed by the JRC representative only after successful testing and delivery of all documentation. Presentation of the signed acceptance certificate is a prerequisite for payment.

Guarantee and Maintenance Services

Phase 1: 24-Month Guarantee

A minimum 24-month guarantee is required starting from the date of acceptance. During this period, the contractor must provide software updates free of charge and repair or replace any defective equipment, components, or parts at no cost. Interventions must take place no later than 10 working days from the JRC's confirmed email request. For minor technical or operational problems, telephone and email support must be provided within a maximum of 48 working hours. At least one preventive maintenance intervention per year is mandatory during the guarantee period, with all spare parts costs included. ²

Phase 2: 12-Month Preventive and Corrective Maintenance

Following the guarantee period, the contractor must provide 12 months of preventive and corrective maintenance. Preventive maintenance consists of one systematic inspection and intervention during the 12-month period at the JRC site (or at contractor's premises if specifically justified). The contractor must perform risk assessment and issue a maintenance report after each visit. Corrective maintenance must be provided upon request with a guaranteed response time of no more than 5 working days. All labour, consumables, travel, and subsistence costs are included in the maintenance price. Spare parts are covered up to a maximum of €2,000; parts exceeding this threshold require separate quotation with a maximum budget of €5,000 available at the contracting authority's discretion.

An important requirement is that the contractor must provide a software update incorporating the forthcoming amendment ISO 15118-20:2022/Amd 1 once it is officially published by ISO. This update must be included in the preventive maintenance schedule at no additional cost.

Eligibility and Selection Criteria

Who Can Apply

Any economic operator established in an EU Member State or third country may submit a tender. This includes companies, consortia (joint tenders), and other legal entities. Tenderers may also rely on the capacity of subcontractors or other entities, provided they assume responsibility for their performance. Each tenderer or group member must register in the European Commission's Participant Register and obtain a Participant Identification Code (PIC) before submitting a tender.

Selection Criteria

• Average yearly turnover of at least €350,000 over the last two financial years
• Proven experience in supplying systems for bidirectional EV charging with at least one similar contract or project completed in the last three years preceding the tender submission deadline
• Capacity to employ quality assurance measures complying with a Quality Management System such as EN ISO 9001:2015 or equivalent quality assurance standard
• Legal and regulatory capacity to pursue the professional activity needed for performing the contract
• No conflicting interests that may negatively affect contract performance

Tenderers must provide evidence of these criteria through appropriate documentation. The contracting authority may request additional evidence if not submitted with the tender.

Exclusion Criteria

Tenderers must declare that they are not in any exclusion situation as defined in Article 138 of the EU Financial Regulation. These include situations such as bankruptcy or insolvency, breach of tax or social security obligations, grave professional misconduct, fraud, corruption, money laundering, terrorist financing, significant deficiencies in contract performance, irregularities, creation of entities to circumvent legal obligations, and intentional resistance to investigations or audits. Tenderers must complete a Declaration on Honour form confirming their status regarding exclusion and selection criteria. ³

Award Criteria and Evaluation

Award Method:Best price-quality ratio

Tenders will be evaluated based on a combination of price and technical quality. The technical quality evaluation includes assessment of optional features such as delivery time, testing power range, power quality emulation capabilities, special cable sets, sniffer device functionality, and recording and re-use of charging process log files. Each optional feature can contribute points towards the overall technical quality score, with a maximum of 40 points available for technical quality criteria. The final award will be made to the tender offering the best combination of price and technical quality.

Submission Requirements

All tenders must be submitted exclusively via the electronic submission system (eSubmission) available through the EU Funding & Tenders Portal. Tenders submitted by any other means (email, letter, etc.) will be disregarded. Tenderers must ensure their submissions contain all required information and documents as specified in the procurement documents.

Required Documents

• Declaration on Honour form (DoH) confirming exclusion and selection criteria compliance
• Financial offer form with pricing for supply, guarantee, and maintenance phases
• Technical offer including response to technical specifications and optional quality features
• Tender specifications and administrative requirements
• Any supporting documentation demonstrating compliance with selection criteria

File size limits apply:individual attachments must not exceed 50 MB. The maximum number of documents per tender is 200 files. Supported file types are specified in the system requirements. Tenderers should use the latest versions of Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox browsers.

Communication and Questions

Tenderers may submit questions about the procurement documents through the Questions & Answers section of the EU Funding & Tenders Portal. Questions must be submitted in writing and the contracting authority is not bound to reply to questions received less than six working days before the submission deadline. Any additional information or clarifications will be published on the Portal, and it is the tenderer's responsibility to check for updates and modifications during the submission period.

For technical questions, contact:Directorate C, Unit, European Commission JRC, Ispra. For financial and administrative questions, contact: Directorate R, Unit R8, European Commission JRC, Ispra. Contact details are available in the procurement documents.

Contract Terms and Conditions

Payment Arrangements

Payment is structured in three interim payments and a final balance payment. The first interim payment covers the supply (delivery, installation, software licences, and documentation) upon acceptance. The second and third interim payments cover the first and second years of guarantee respectively, each upon acceptance of services. The final balance payment covers the 12-month maintenance period upon completion and acceptance. The contracting authority must approve and pay within 30 days of receiving the invoice. Pre-financing is not applicable to this contract.

Liability and Insurance

The contractor performs the contract at its own risk and must hold the contracting authority harmless against any action or claim by third parties. The contractor's liability is limited to three times the total contract amount, except in cases of gross negligence, wilful misconduct, injury to persons, or breach of intellectual property rights, where liability is unlimited. The contractor must take out insurance policies as required by applicable legislation and as reasonably required by standard industry practice.

Liquidated Damages for Delay

If a tenderer commits to a 4-month delivery period and fails to deliver within this timeframe, the contracting authority may claim liquidated damages calculated as 0.6 x (V / da), where V is the price of the supply and da is the committed delivery period in days. Liquidated damages may be imposed together with price reduction, termination, or other available remedies.

Applicable Law and Dispute Resolution

The contract is governed by Union law, complemented where necessary by Italian law. The courts of Varese, Italy have exclusive jurisdiction over any dispute regarding the validity, interpretation, performance, or termination of the contract. The United Nations Convention on Contracts for the International Sales of Goods (CISG) is excluded.

Special Conditions and Requirements

Occupational Health and Safety

Contractors performing work on the JRC Ispra site must comply with Italian occupational health and safety legislation (Law No. 123 of 3 August 2007 and Legislative Decree 81 of 9 April 2008). Before any technical intervention, a joint inspection between JRC and contractor representatives must take place to confirm or adapt the initial risk analysis and generate a Single Document for Assessment of Interferential Risks (DUVRI) if necessary. A report of the joint inspection must be drawn up and signed by all participants.

Personnel and Contractor Responsibilities

The contractor must ensure that all personnel performing on-site activities have the necessary abilities, competencies, and fitness for the intended work. All contractor and subcontractor personnel must comply with applicable Italian legislation and JRC rules and regulations. The contractor must nominate a Contract Manager who will interface with the JRC counterpart and coordinate all on-site activities. The Contract Manager's details must be communicated to JRC within 10 days of contract signature.

Working Hours and Communication

Normal working hours are 8 hours per day between 8 am and 8 pm. Staff are normally required to be available for contact by JRC between 9:00-12:00 and 14:30-17:00. All communication during the contract must be in English. Communication between parties must be made in writing and may occur via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal, email, or mail (courier with proof of delivery or registered post).

Data Protection

Personal data processing is governed by Regulation (EU) 2018/1725. The European Commission acts as data controller for personal data processed in the context of contract management. Tenderers and contractors have rights to access, rectify, or erase their personal data and to restrict or object to processing. Detailed information on data protection is available in the privacy statement at [[commission.europa.eu. The contractor must comply with data protection obligations and notify the contracting authority of any personal data breaches within 48 hours of becoming aware of them.

Subcontracting

The contractor may subcontract part of the contract performance, but remains fully responsible to the contracting authority for execution of the entire contract. Any subcontracting must be explicitly identified in the tender. The contractor must pass on all relevant contractual obligations to subcontractors in writing, including exclusion and selection criteria compliance, confidentiality, and data protection obligations.

Key Contacts and Resources

The primary source for all procurement information is the EU Funding & Tenders Portal at [[ec.europa.eu. Tenderers must register in the Participant Register to obtain a PIC before submitting a tender. For technical assistance with the eSubmission system, the eSubmission Helpdesk is available. Detailed instructions on tender submission are provided in the eSubmission Quick Guide.

All procurement documents are available for download from the Portal, including the invitation letter, technical specifications, draft contract, financial offer form, technical offer template, and Declaration on Honour form. Documents are published in English only.

Important Considerations for Applicants

• Early submission is strongly recommended to avoid technical issues with the eSubmission system
• Ensure all required documentation is complete and properly formatted before the submission deadline
• Verify compliance with all selection and exclusion criteria before submitting
• Provide realistic pricing that reflects the full scope of supply, guarantee, and maintenance services
• Consider offering optional technical features to improve competitiveness on the price-quality ratio
• Ensure technical specifications clearly demonstrate how the system meets all minimum requirements
• Confirm capacity to deliver within the committed timeframe and provide necessary support services
• Verify insurance coverage and liability arrangements are adequate for the contract scope
• Ensure personnel have appropriate qualifications and experience for on-site work at JRC Ispra
• Understand Italian occupational health and safety requirements for on-site work

Footnotes

1. 1The eSubmission system will not accept tenders after the deadline. Tenderers should familiarize themselves with the system and accepted file formats well in advance. For technical support, contact the eSubmission Helpdesk as detailed in the eSubmission Quick Guide available at [[webgate.ec.europa.eu.
2. 2The guarantee period is distinct from the subsequent 12-month maintenance period. During guarantee, all repairs and replacements are at no cost to the contracting authority. The maintenance period follows and includes both preventive and corrective maintenance with specified cost limits for spare parts.
3. 3The Declaration on Honour form must be completed for all involved entities (sole tenderer, group members, subcontractors, and entities on whose capacity the tenderer relies). The form covers exclusion criteria, selection criteria, restrictive measures, established debt to the Union, and independence of tender preparation. False declarations may result in rejection from the procedure and administrative sanctions.