Support the preparatory work on the universal PFAS restriction: (1) Site-specific PFAS management plan: horizontal considerations; (2) Supply chain co...

Tender by the European Commission DG GROW (call EC-GROW/2026/LVP/0085-EXA) to support preparatory work for the proposed universal PFAS restriction, covering horizontal guidance for site-specific PFAS management plans, supply chain communication including labelling, and reporting of continued use. Submissions must be registered via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal with EXA registration deadline 27 July 2026 and planned contract start 28 July 2026. The contract is a five-month service contract to deliver technical and policy-ready reports, templates and frameworks to feed into the Commission proposal following ECHA opinions.

Tendering authority

DG GROW — European Commission

What it funds:a service contract to deliver preparatory work for a proposed universal PFAS restriction, covering (1) horizontal considerations for site-specific PFAS management plans, (2) supply chain communication including labelling, and (3) reporting of continued use. The output will feed the Commission proposal expected after ECHA opinions in December 2026 ¹.

Procurement type and duration:Services contract; planned contract duration 5 months. Submission and administration are handled through the Funding and Tenders Portal.

1. 1Who can apply: eligible economic operators according to EU public procurement rules (bidders submit via the Funding & Tenders Portal).
2. 2Expected suppliers: consultancies, specialised technical or legal experts, research organisations or consortia with relevant PFAS, chemical regulation, supply-chain communication or labelling expertise.
3. 3SME suitability: tender metadata indicates not SME-targeted (smeSuitableIndicator false).

Budget:no specific contract value is stated in the published notice; financial details should be checked in the tender documents on the portal Tender notice ¹.

Footnotes

1. 1Official tender page and full procurement documents available at the EU Funding & Tenders Portal Tender details.

Opportunity summary

Scope and purpose

This is a public procurement (tender) launched by the European Commission, Directorate-General for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs (DG GROW). The contract covers preparatory work to support the Commission in drafting a universal PFAS restriction proposal. The workstreams required under the contract are threefold: (1) develop horizontal considerations for site-specific PFAS management plans; (2) develop approaches for supply chain communication, including labelling; and (3) define reporting requirements and procedures for continued use of PFAS. The Commission intends to propose the universal PFAS restriction as soon as possible after receipt of the European Chemicals Agency opinions, expected in December 2026.

Procurement type:Service contract (tender/procurement) to buy preparatory analytical, drafting, stakeholder engagement and deliverable production services.

Lead contracting authority:European Commission, DG GROW - Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs (link: ec.europa.eu).

1. 1Main contract title: Support the preparatory work on the universal PFAS restriction: (1) Site-specific PFAS management plan: horizontal considerations; (2) Supply chain communication, including labelling; (3) Reporting of continued use
2. 2Call identifier: EC-GROW/2026/LVP/0085-EXA
3. 3Main CPV code: 79000000
4. 4Planned contract duration: 5 months
5. 5SME suitability indicator: false (contract not specifically marked as SME-suitable)
6. 6Submission method: eSubmission via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal
7. 7EXA registration deadline: 27 July 2026, 23:59:59 Europe/Brussels
8. 8Planned procurement publication/award timeline: planned date 28 July 2026 (Europe/Brussels)
9. 9Portal reference (tender details): ec.europa.eu

Eligibility and who should apply

This is a public procurement open to economic operators able to deliver the specified services. Typical eligible applicant types for this kind of tender include consultancies and service providers, environmental and chemical policy consultancies, multidisciplinary teams, research institutes and universities, non-profit organisations and NGOs with demonstrated technical capacity, private companies and large enterprises offering consulting or technical expertise, and public-private partnerships formed as a single tenderer. Natural persons/individuals may be eligible only where procurement rules allow and if they can legally contract with the Commission. The tender is published by an EU institution and therefore the contracting rules will apply regarding eligible countries and legal entities established in those countries.

Eligible applicant types (detailed):Priority applicants are firms or consortia with demonstrable experience in chemical regulatory processes, PFAS science and management, supply-chain communication and labelling systems, environmental reporting systems, stakeholder consultation and legal analysis of restrictions. This includes: consultancies, SMEs and large enterprises active in regulatory affairs and environmental management, universities and research institutes with chemical and policy expertise, NGOs/industry associations experienced in supply-chain engagement and labelling, and multi-actor consortia combining legal, scientific and communication expertise.

Administrative and procedural details

Submission and interaction with the contracting authority must use the Funding and Tenders Portal eSubmission facility. The portal is the official channel for registration, access to tender documents and submission of bids. The EXA registration deadline is 27 July 2026 at 23:59:59 Europe/Brussels and the portal lists a planned procurement date of 28 July 2026. The tender record indicates a single procurement lot (PAR-0001) and a single contractor award is expected. The tendering process includes standard qualification and award criteria consistent with EU procurement practice; more detailed required documents and selection/award criteria will be in the procurement documents on the portal.

Funding, contract and financial information

This is a procurement contract. The opportunity does not state a funding amount or maximum contract value in the scraped content. As a service contract, successful bidders will receive payment for the contracted services under the terms of the procurement contract. Typical EU procurement contracts set a lump-sum or unit-price payment schedule defined in the tender documents. No co-funding from applicants is indicated in the available text; standard procurement contracts do not require co-funding by the contractor, but bidders must cover their own bid preparation costs and provide any required guarantees or insurances.

Consortium, teaming and contract award

The tender record describes a single procurement lot and does not explicitly require a consortium, but multi-party consortia or subcontracting arrangements are commonly accepted in public procurement when the lead bidder meets the selection criteria and declares intended subcontractors. The contracting authority indicates contracting system type 'none' and a single lot (PAR-0001); the award is expected to a single contractor. Where consortia bid, contract management and legal responsibility rest with the lead tenderer.

Consortium requirement:Not explicitly required. Single contractor award expected; consortia and subcontracting allowed subject to procurement rules and proven capacity.

Scope of work and technical requirements (as provided)

The tender requires preparatory analytical and drafting work supporting the universal PFAS restriction proposal across three principal areas: 1) Horizontal considerations for site-specific PFAS management plans: this implies developing policy and practical guidance applicable across sectors and sites for managing PFAS on-site, including risk assessment, containment, remediation, monitoring and end-of-life considerations. 2) Supply chain communication, including labelling: this covers mechanisms for communicating PFAS presence and PFAS-free alternatives along supply chains, standardised labelling approaches, information flows between suppliers and downstream users, and practical measures to ensure transparency and traceability. 3) Reporting of continued use: this includes defining reporting formats, data fields, reporting frequencies, IT-compatible structures, confidentiality handling, and enforcement/compliance monitoring approaches for continued authorised uses pending transition or derogations.

Expected deliverables (indicative from scope):technical reports and guidance documents covering the three workstreams; templates for site-specific management plans; labelling and supply-chain communication frameworks; reporting templates and IT-compatible data structures; methodology for stakeholder engagement and public consultation; a final consolidated report and recommendations for the Commission to use in the restriction proposal.

Geographic and legal eligibility

The contracting authority is an EU institution. The scraped record does not explicitly list eligible countries. Standard EU procurement practice makes contracts available to economic operators established in EU Member States and may extend eligibility to EEA countries and certain third countries in line with applicable procurement rules and international agreements. Bidders must consult the full tender documents on the Funding & Tenders Portal to confirm exact legal and geographic eligibility.

Mentioned countries / region:Region: European Union (European Commission DG GROW). No individual Member States are explicitly mentioned in the scraped content.

Project maturity and expected stage

Project stage:preparatory and policy development. This tender covers short-term preparatory analysis, guidance development and drafting tasks feeding directly into the regulatory proposal process; it is aimed at mature technical and policy expertise rather than basic research or long-term deployment.

Application process and templates

Application must be submitted electronically via the Funding & Tenders Portal eSubmission system. The procurement record references standard tender documentation and qualification/award criteria that will be provided as downloadable call documents on the portal. The scraped content does not include the tender dossier PDF or template forms. Applicants should register on the Funding & Tenders Portal, obtain EXA registration before the deadline (27 July 2026), download the full tender documents, and follow the provided structure for tender submissions (technical offer, financial offer, selection and exclusion documentation, declarations and potential forms).

Typical tender application structure (what to expect):The full tender dossier typically requires: administrative forms (legal ID, power of attorney), exclusion and selection declarations, proof of financial and operational capacity, references and CVs of key personnel, a technical proposal addressing the required tasks and methodology, a work plan and timeline, risk management and quality assurance provisions, a list of subcontractors (if any), and a priced financial offer. Exact templates and form codes will be in the portal tender documents.

Evaluation, stages, co-funding and success rates

Number of application stages:the procurement appears to be a single-stage open tender requiring full submission of technical and financial offers. If the contracting authority uses pre-qualification (restricted procedure), there could be two stages, but the scraped record indicates an open eSubmission process. Success rates: not provided in the tender record and variable; public procurement success rates depend on the number and quality of bids but are typically low when many bidders compete. Co-funding: procurement contracts normally do not require co-funding; the contractor is paid for deliverables under the contract terms. Bidders must fund proposal preparation themselves.

Risks, considerations and recommended bidder capabilities

Key capabilities required:deep expertise in PFAS chemistry and environmental behavior, regulatory and legal knowledge of REACH and restriction processes, practical experience with site management plans and remediation, supply-chain mapping and labelling systems, data/reporting system design, stakeholder engagement and consultation, and experience delivering concise policy-ready reports to EU institutions. Time sensitivity is critical; the Commission intends to proceed quickly after receipt of ECHA opinions in December 2026, and the contract duration is short (5 months), so bidders must demonstrate capacity to mobilise quickly and deliver high-quality outputs within tight timelines.

1. 1Expertise in PFAS technical science and risk management
2. 2Experience drafting policy/guidance documents for EU institutions
3. 3Proven track record in supply-chain communication, labelling and traceability
4. 4Capability to design reporting templates and IT-compatible data structures
5. 5Project management capacity to deliver within 5 months
6. 6Consortium-building ability when multidisciplinary inputs are required

For legal, eligibility, submission templates and exact award criteria, interested applicants must consult the full procurement documentation on the Funding & Tenders Portal and follow the eSubmission instructions. Portal access and EXA registration are mandatory to participate Funding & Tenders Portal ¹.

Concluding summary

This tender seeks a qualified service provider to deliver short-term, high-quality preparatory work supporting the Commission's universal PFAS restriction proposal. The contractor will produce technical and policy-ready outputs on site-specific PFAS management plan considerations, supply-chain communication and labelling, and reporting requirements for continued use. Submissions must be made via the Funding & Tenders Portal by the EXA registration deadline of 27 July 2026. The contract is intended to be awarded quickly and executed over approximately five months to feed into the Commission's restriction proposal process following ECHA opinions expected in December 2026.

Footnotes

1. 1Tender details and all official documents will be published on the European Commission Funding & Tenders Portal at the provided link. Bidders must consult the portal for the full tender dossier, templates, selection and award criteria, and legal provisions.

Opportunity Overview

This tender seeks an external contractor to support the European Commission’s preparatory work for the universal PFAS restriction proposal, specifically focusing on site-specific management plans, supply chain communication (including labelling), and reporting of continued use ¹.

The contract is critical for finalizing the restriction proposal the Commission intends to submit immediately after receiving the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) opinions, which are expected in December 2026 ².

Call Identifier:EC-GROW/2026/LVP/0085-EXA ³.

Contracting Authority:European Commission, Directorate-General for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs (DG GROW) ³.

Scope of Work

The contractor must deliver technical and policy support on three horizontal pillars essential for the derogated uses of PFAS under the upcoming restriction.

1. 1Site-specific PFAS management plans: Developing horizontal considerations for managing PFAS at specific sites where derogations apply.
2. 2Supply chain communication: Defining requirements for information flow and labelling to ensure transparency across the value chain.
3. 3Reporting of continued use: Establishing frameworks for monitoring and reporting PFAS usage in sectors granted derogations.

These measures align with ECHA’s Risk Assessment Committee (RAC) recommendations, which suggested that any additional derogations beyond Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) should include mandatory reporting, labelling, and site-specific management plans to minimize emissions ².

Eligibility and Application Details

Who Can Apply:Legal entities capable of providing high-level consultancy, regulatory analysis, and scientific support services, typically including specialized environmental law firms, chemical regulatory consultancies, or research institutions with expertise in REACH and PFAS ³.

Submission Deadline:27 July 2026, 23:59:59 (Europe/Brussels) for EXA registration ³.

Planned Contract Start:28 July 2026 ³.

Contract Duration:5 months ³.

Submission Method:Electronic submission via the EU Funding and Tenders Portal ³.

Strategic Context and Importance

The universal PFAS restriction aims to ban the manufacture, import, and use of PFAS in the EU unless proven essential for society, covering consumer and industrial applications from cosmetics to aerospace ⁴.

While a broad ban is the primary goal, the Commission anticipates granting derogations for specific sectors (e.g., medical devices, green transition technologies) with transition periods up to 13.5 years, making the preparatory work on risk management measures critical for implementation ⁴.

Stakeholders have a key opportunity to provide evidence on alternatives and impacts during the public consultation phase (running until mid-May 2026), which will directly inform the final ECHA opinion ².

Key Requirements for Applicants

• Expertise in REACH regulation and PFAS chemistry.
• Experience in drafting site-specific environmental management plans.
• Knowledge of supply chain communication protocols and labelling standards.
• Ability to design robust reporting frameworks for regulatory compliance.

Footnotes

1. 1Official Tender Details: Support the preparatory work on the universal PFAS restriction, available at EU Funding Portal.
2. 2ECHA Committee Analysis: SEAC and RAC opinions on PFAS restriction measures, including labelling and management plans, detailed at A&O Shearman PFAS Analysis.
3. 3Tender Metadata: Call identifier EC-GROW/2026/LVP/0085-EXA, duration 5 months, and deadline 27 July 2026, confirmed via EU Funding Portal Metadata.
4. 4Restriction Scope: CHEM Trust overview of the universal PFAS ban, derogations, and transition periods at CHEM Trust PFAS Restriction.