Technical Assistance to the Commission for the assessment of harmonised standards

The European Commission, through its DG GROW department, has issued a call for tenders for "Technical Assistance to the Commission for the assessment of harmonised standards," identified as EC-GROW/2026/OP/0001. This open procurement is primarily aimed at service contractors who can provide technical and administrative support related to compliance with EU Regulation 1025/2012. Eligible applicants include large consulting firms, research organizations, engineering companies, and professional services firms with relevant expertise in standardisation and regulatory compliance. Notably, small and medium-sized enterprises are excluded from suitability due to the project's technical complexity. The contract is structured as a direct service procurement with an overall value of €1,045,700 for a maximum period of 8 months, commencing from August 1, 2026. The contractor's responsibilities include recruiting and overseeing a network of independent consultants, conducting non-technical verifications of standards, evaluating outcomes, proposing improvements, and providing training to ensure the effective implementation of harmonised standards. The work supports the existing Harmonised Standards (HAS) Consultants system, introduced in 2018, which has been crucial for maintaining the quality and timeliness of compliance assessments. Applications must be submitted electronically by February 23, 2026, with the opening of bids scheduled for February 24, 2026. The evaluation will weigh quality at 70% and price at 30%, emphasizing the importance of expertise in this sensitive area. There are no co-funding obligations, and the process is open to all qualified organizations established in EU member states or EEA countries. The objective of this procurement is to ensure that the standards developed by European standardization bodies like CEN, CENELEC, and ETSI meet compliance criteria and facilitate ongoing legal reliability for stakeholders across the European Single Market. This is crucial for reducing compliance costs, promoting cross-border trade, and enhancing consumer and environmental protection through robust legal frameworks.

The European Commission, DG GROW - Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs, has published a call for tenders with procedure identifier EC-GROW/2026/OP/0001. This is an open procedure for "Technical Assistance to the Commission for the assessment of harmonised standards". The TED reference is 13/2026 39909-2026. The estimated total value of the tender is €1,045,700. The TED publication date is 20/01/2026. The nature of the contract is for services. The maximum contract duration is 8 months. The award method is best price-quality ratio. No framework agreement is mentioned. The main classification (CPV) code is 73000000 - Research and development services and related consultancy services.

Milestones:

The submission method is electronic, and submissions must be sent exclusively at the address for submission provided.

Documents available for download include:

ENEN-Invitation to tender EC-GROW2026OP0001 HAS CONSULTANTSInvitation to tender (request for offer)Published on 20/01/2026Version 1 No translations available

ENEN TENDER SPECIFICATIONS EC-GROW2026OP0001 HAS CONSULTANTSTender specificationsPublished on 20/01/2026Version 1 No translations available

ENANNEX I - Annex 2 - declaration-of-honour-tenders HAS CONSULTANTS EC-GROW2026OP0001Declaration on honour (tender)Published on 20/01/2026Version 1 No translations available

ENANNEX I - Annex 6 - Financial offer templateFinancial offer formPublished on 20/01/2026Version 1 No translations available

ENANNEX II - EN Draft Direct Service Contract EC-GROW2026OP0001Draft contractPublished on 20/01/2026Version 1 No translations available

ENANNEX II - Appendix 1 Security requirements en 2025Draft contract annexPublished on 20/01/2026Version 1 No translations available

ENANNEX II - Annex 3 to Draft contract statements-ipr-enDraft contract annexPublished on 20/01/2026Version 1 No translations available

ENANNEX II - Annex 4 to Draft contract-vat-2023-enDraft contract annexPublished on 20/01/2026Version 1 No translations available

The procurement ensures the continuity and strengthening of the Harmonised Standards (HAS) Consultants system, which provides the European Commission with technical and administrative assistance to perform its legal duties under Regulation (EU) No 1025/2012. HAS Consultants verify whether draft and final harmonised standards (or parts thereof) developed by CEN, CENELEC and ETSI under Commission standardisation requests comply with those requests and the relevant Union harmonisation legislation, so that the conditions for citing their references in the Official Journal of the European Union are met in accordance with Article 10(6).

The need is reinforced by Court of Justice case law, specifically the James Elliott ruling and the Grand Chamber judgment of 5 March 2024 in Public.Resource.Org & Right to Know v Commission (case, C-588/21 P). These rulings confirm the legal effects of harmonised standards and the Commission’s duty to perform systematic controls before OJ citation, while also addressing public access and copyright protection.

Under the contract, the contractor will:

(i) recruit, coordinate and quality-control a pool of independent HAS Consultants across relevant technical domains;

(ii) carry out horizontal non-technical verifications (format, scope, informative elements such as Annex Z) to enable efficient technical assessments;

(iii) evaluate results and propose horizontal improvements; and

(iv) deliver targeted communication and training to ESO technical bodies and Commission services to promote coherent implementation and reduce recurring non-compliances.

The HAS system, introduced in 2018, has demonstrably improved the timeliness and quality of assessments and helped clear legacy backlogs, enabling more predictable OJ citations and better policy outcomes. Continuing the service from 01/08/2026 avoids a gap in the Commission’s ability to meet its obligations, supports the transparency imperative emphasised in C-588/21 P, and maintains legal certainty for manufacturers, conformity assessment bodies and market surveillance authorities. It also ensures that evolving areas (e.g. digital, green and safety-critical technologies) are covered by consistent, independent assessments aligned with the latest guidance and jurisprudence.

The action directly supports the Single Market Programme by safeguarding a reliable, open and coherent standardisation framework, reducing compliance costs for economic operators, facilitating innovation and cross-border trade, and enhancing protection of consumers, workers and the environment through clear, legally robust standards.

FAQ's related to the eSubmission system:

How to proceed if the system is slow or doesn’t work while uploading/downloading documents? Please make sure you use the latest versions of Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox. If the issue persists, try the following steps: 1. Clear the cache and cookies on the Internet brows...Published on 13/02/2025 20:52

Which Internet browsers does eSubmission support? Please use the latest versions of Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox. For the most up-to-date technical recommendations, click on the link System Requirements. You can access this link...Published on 13/02/2025 20:52

Is it possible to view the details of the submission after the deadline? The content of the submission is not accessible after submitting the tender as the system encrypts all attachments upon upload. Thus, the system will not allow decryption after the u...Published on 13/02/2025 20:50

Where can I find my submissions in Manage My Area, in the Funding & Tenders portal? Depending on the type or step of procedure, you can find the submissions in one of these sections: ·In ‘My Submission(s)’: tenders in response to open calls for tenders, requests to ...Published on 17/10/2024 20:40

Which size should attachments have? For attaching files to your tender submission, eSubmission accepts files that are less than 50 MB in size. Any larger sizes will not be accepted by the system. For the latest informa...Published on 17/10/2024 20:36

How should I name attachments in eSubmision? In eSubmission, you must name the attachments for your tender draft following the System Requirements. With regards to all attachment names, please see the following conditions: The ...Published on 03/10/2024 16:39

Can I submit a video in eSbmission? Which formats are supported? You can check the System Requirements of eSubmission: Published on 03/10/2024 16:37

I received an invitation from the F&T Portal but cannot view the procurement documents. Invited candidates can only see the procurement documents after having selected an organisation. Go to F&T Portal, “My Invitations”. Click on “Select Organisation” from the “Action” ...Published on 03/10/2024 16:37

Do I need to validate my PIC in order to submit a tender in eSubmission? The Personal Identification Code (PIC) is mandatory to participate in a call for tenders as a sole candidate/tenderer or as a member of a group (consortium). For subcontractors PIC i...Published on 03/10/2024 16:36

I have an issue uploading a file in eSubmission and it’s giving me an error. What do I do? When uploading a file in eSubmission, you must first make sure it follows the technical requirements of the system, which are as shown below. A)For procurement procedures: B)For req...Published on 03/10/2024 16:36

How many attachments can I upload per submission? The maximum number of documents the system will allow you to upload per tender is200 files. You are able to check the eSubmission System Requirements in the documentation by clicking...Published on 03/10/2024 16:35

Why do tenderers need a PIC? It is mandatory to register for a PIC if you intend to submit a tender or a request to participate. Only one PIC per organisation must be used. Therefore, if your organisation alread...Published on 23/04/2024 17:14

How do I register my organisation and get a Participant Identification Code (PIC)? First, check if the organisation is already registered using the Search PIC tool under 'How to Participate' > Participant Register. If your organisation is a bigger...Published on 23/04/2024 16:07

How many languages does the system support? The system is multilingual and supports all 24 official EU languages.Published on 01/04/2024 19:56

Which is the character set encoding in the system? The character set encoding is UTF-8.Published on 22/02/2024 23:58

Does the system use encryption to ensure the integrity and the confidentiality of the information? Yes, the system encrypts all uploaded documents, using an asymmetric key as an encryption mechanism.Published on 22/02/2024 23:57

Which file types does the system support? The supported file types depend on the type of submission you want to make. The allowed file types are specified within the system requirements linked to the procedure in question. M...Published on 21/02/2024 23:55

Can I view and edit my draft submission? Until the deadline for the submission has been reached, submissions in the draft status can be edited, viewed and deleted. Published on 24/03/2023 21:32

I sent my submission on time and a few days later, I received an automatic email informing me that the deadline for the reception of submissions had been reached. Does this mean that my submission was not correctly sent? No, this is an auto-generated notification sent when the time limit of receipt defined for the call for tenders has been reached. Until then, you had the possibility of withdrawing...Published on 03/08/2021 22:05

In summary, this tender is for technical assistance to the European Commission in assessing harmonized standards. The selected contractor will manage a pool of consultants who will verify that these standards comply with EU legislation. This ensures that the standards are legally sound and support the Single Market Programme by facilitating trade, innovation, and protecting consumers and the environment. The contractor will also be responsible for communication and training to improve the implementation of these standards. The tender is an open procedure, meaning any eligible organization can apply, and the contract will be awarded based on the best price-quality ratio. The estimated value of the contract is approximately €1,045,700, and the maximum duration is 8 months.

Summary:

This is an open call for tenders by the European Commission, DG GROW, for "Technical Assistance to the Commission for the assessment of harmonised standards." The aim is to ensure the continuity and strengthening of the Harmonised Standards (HAS) Consultants system, which provides the Commission with technical and administrative assistance to perform its legal duties under Regulation (EU) No 1025/2012. The HAS Consultants verify whether draft and final harmonised standards developed by CEN, CENELEC, and ETSI comply with Commission standardisation requests and relevant Union harmonisation legislation.

The contractor will be responsible for recruiting, coordinating, and quality-controlling a pool of independent HAS Consultants, carrying out horizontal non-technical verifications, evaluating results, proposing improvements, and delivering targeted communication and training. The contract has a maximum duration of 8 months and an estimated total value of €1,045,700. The deadline for receipt of tenders is 23/02/2026 at 16:00 Europe/Brussels. Submissions must be sent electronically. The tender is related to the Single Market Programme and aims to safeguard a reliable, open, and coherent standardisation framework.