The SPIN4EIC, powered by EIC BAS 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.
Within the Calls for applications, public buyers can apply for support funded by the EIC regarding four types of assistance, namely:
1. Identification and assessment of needs
2. Business case development
3. Conducting an open market consultation
4. Drafting tender documents
This Call for applications offers a maximum of 5 person-days expert assistance on the development of a business case. 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 September 2024.
What’s in it for you?
Public buyers fostering innovation in Europe can apply now to the second Call for applications to receive assistance in the development of a business case to decide on the feasibility of implementing an innovation procurement (Pre-Commercial Procurement, Public Procurement of Innovative Solutions, Innovation Partnership).
If you are at the first stage of an innovation procurement project and want to understand the costs and benefits resulting thereof, 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 build a business case on an at least one already identified public need in a way that will lead to the development and/or purchase of an innovative solution to address this specific need/s. The assistance may include support in performing a cost/benefit analysis and value calculations, as well as exploring different scenarios to compare the ‘as-is’ situation with the desired situation and the cost of doing nothing.
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 powered by EIC BAS Innovation Procurement Programme
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 a cost/benefit analysis.
- Pre-defined concrete procurement need.
- 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/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 30/09/2024.
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 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 applications 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. Are you a public buyer seeking assistance in another area covered by SPIN4EIC, such as needs assessment, open market consultations or drafting tender documents? Do not hesitate to ask for our open call for general assistance to public buyers!
If you want to stay updated with all the opportunities offered by the Programme, register on the EIC Community 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 our 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.