SPIN4EIC, an initiative of the EIC Innovation Procurement Programme, is launching a new Call for Assistance to Public Buyers. This initiative aims to provide assistance to public buyers fostering innovation in Europe throughout the whole tender preparation process, contributing to the enhancement of their capacity to purchase innovative solutions and fostering innovation in Europe.
This fourth call for applications offers a maximum of 5 person-days expert assistance on drafting the tender documents. The support on innovation procurement will follow the EAFIP methodology (www.eafip.eu) and will be tailored to the needs of the public buyer on a case-by-case basis.
This call will be open until 30 May 2025.
If you are a public buyer and require assistance in another area related to innovation procurement, explore all the available support within the SPIN4EIC programme by visiting the "SPIN4EIC for Public Buyers" section of this call.
What’s in it for you?
Public buyers fostering innovation in Europe can apply now to the fourth call for applications to receive assistance to draft the tender documents for their innovation procurement project (Pre-Commercial Procurement, Public Procurement of Innovative Solutions, Innovation Partnership).
If you are preparing a tender to launch an innovation procurement project, this is your opportunity to receive assistance by our legal and business experts.
The assistance will be tailored to each case using the EAFIP methodology and Toolkit (www.eafip.eu) and best practices on innovation procurement. It will include videocalls, one-to-one meetings, and email support.
The selected public buyers will be supported to draft tender specifications in a way that facilitates access to innovative SMEs and start-ups. The assistance may include the design of the procurement strategy comprising technical and legal aspects such as the IPR provisions and the contractual set-up on a case-by-case basis (e.g. use of framework agreements, open, negotiated procedures or the best applicable procedure of the toolbox). Support will be provided to draft the request for tender, the model contracts and contract notices, as well as to assist public buyers in addressing questions from providers in relation to the tender documents.
One-to-many assistance, for example in the case of training sessions, is also possible.
Important: Please note that this call does not provide assistance in the preparation of proposals for Horizon Europe calls. Furthermore, projects that receive EU funding for the costs related to the preparation and/or management of an innovation procurement (e.g. Horizon Europe programmes) are not eligible for assistance for activities that are eligible costs under the EU funding they already receive.
Contracting authorities selected as beneficiaries must indicate in all communications to the market related to the procurement project that they benefit from assistance offered under the SPIN4EIC initiative, which is supported by the European Innovation Council (EIC)/EISMEA.
Who can apply?
All public buyers in Europe can apply for assistance.
The public procurers will be selected through a transparent selection procedure against the following criteria:
- Expression of interest in support in drafting tender documents.
- Clear procurement need.
- Market consultation has been conducted.
- Existing business case.
- In kind capacity allocated.
- Available concrete budget.
- Fostering of innovation in Europe and, in particular, in the EU.
Nevertheless, it needs to be noted that applications will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis and will not be immediately excluded if some criteria are not met.
The selection of the public buyers to receive assistance will be conducted in coordination with the European Commission Services/EISMEA on the basis of the interest shown via the online questionnaire. All expressions of interest received via the questionnaire are assessed according to the above criteria, based on the information provided in the questionnaire, and any additional information the European Commission/EISMEA may have decided to request. The evaluation of the candidature will take place within a period not longer than five working days from the closure of the call.
How to apply?
If you are interested to receive assistance, please apply by filling in the application form by 30 May 2025.
If you have any questions, feel free to contact us through the Helpdesk (please identify “SPIN4EIC powered by EIC BAS innovation Procurement Programme” in the category of your request).
SPIN4EIC for public buyers
Within the EIC Innovation Procurement Programme powered by SPIN4EIC, public buyers interested in the innovations of the EIC Beneficiaries can benefit from valuable support for procuring innovation, active involvement in communities alongside procurers tackling similar needs, and the opportunity to modernize services through cutting-edge solutions delivered by the EIC's top-notch innovators.
A total of eight calls for application will be launched (two per type of assistance as indicated below), and one open flexible call offering public buyers the possibility to apply for any or more than one of the four types of assistance throughout the project duration.
In addition to the current call, the fourth of its kind, public buyers can apply for support funded by the EIC regarding other types of assistance, namely:
1. Identification and assessment of needs
2. Business case development
3. Conducting an open market consultation
4. Drafting tender documents
If you require assistance in any of the other areas listed above, please do not hesitate to apply for the general assistance available to public buyers.
If you want to stay updated with all the opportunities offered by the Programme, register on the EIC Community Platform and join the SPIN4EIC Public Buyers Community group. It’s a virtual place where you can network with other buyers and find information about services, events and other opportunities! Additionally, you can also subscribe to the Newsletter to receive all the relevant news about the Programme.
DISCLAIMER: This information is provided in the interest of knowledge sharing and should not be interpreted as the official view of the European Commission, or any other organisation.