Pre-Commercial Procurement
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Leverage the PCP process to address the limitations of TEMs.
IMPRESS aims to overcome the lack of interoperability of TEM components through the development of a cartridge-based interoperable platform that will allow:
o to customize TEM components to fit smoothly along the microscope column and across manufacturers;
o to seamlessly integrate TEM components with a wide spectrum of instrumentation across different sectors;
o to make TEMs flexible and adaptable to a diversity of multimodal experiments.
Innovative solutions will be co-developed with companies selected through a Pre-Commercial Procurement (PCP) procedure. The PCP is a demand-side approach aimed at advancing Research & Development services and stimulating innovation.
Selected companies will engage in a competitive development process composed of three phases: 1 solution design, 2 prototype implementation, 3 validation and demonstration. Winning companies will have unique competitive advantages in addressing global markets and attracting external investment and business opportunities.
Get ready!
The IMPRESS PCP Call for Tenders is expected to open in January 2024.
The PCP timeline. 4 easy steps.
IMPRESS follows the stages of the pre-commercial procurement process
as laid-out by the European Commission.
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PREPARATORY PHASE AND TENDER
Months 1-11Based on the findings of the Open Market Consultation (OMC)
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PREPARATORY PHASE AND TENDER
Preparatory phase - Months 1-11Based on the findings of the Open Market Consultation (OMC)
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PHASE 1 - SOLUTION DESIGN
Months 16-20Selected companies will design solutions for the interoperable platform and verify their technical and economic feasibility
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PHASE 1 - SOLUTION DESIGN
Phase 1 - Months 16-20Selected companies will design solutions for the interoperable platform and verify their technical and economic feasibility
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PHASE 2 - PROTOTYPE IMPLEMENTATION
Months 22-29
First prototypes will be developed by the companies and tested at the procurers’ premises
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PHASE 2 - PROTOTYPE IMPLEMENTATION
Phase 2 - Months 22-29
First prototypes will be developed by the companies and tested at the procurers’ premises
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PHASE 3 - VALIDATION AND DEMONSTRATION OF SOLUTIONS
Phase 3 - Months 32-40
Final prototypes will be tested and validated in operational environments
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PHASE 3 - VALIDATION AND DEMONSTRATION OF SOLUTIONS
Months 32-40
Final prototypes will be tested and validated in operational environments
WHERE ARE WE AT?
Preparatory phase. Open Market Consultation.
Before launching the IMPRESS PCP Call for Tenders, we have embarked on an Open Market Consultation (OMC). The OMC has consisted of an in-depth dialogue and has provided an overview of the procurement objectives, the PCP process and the main clauses of contracts.
Q&A. Our answers to your specific questions.
Technical Matters
Each technology provider is expected to deliver up to eight prototypes. By the end of the project, the prototypes will be made available to the entire IMPRESS consortium. The functionalities of the prototypes must satisfy the requirements specified in the tender documents (already announced during the open market consultation phase). They will be tested at IMPRESS test sites during phases 2 and 3 of the pre-commercial procurement (PCP) procedure.
This would be the ideal solution. It would also be the preferred solution during the evaluation. However, the integration of different combinations of functionalities in different hardware solutions will also be accepted.
Technology providers are encouraged to provide solutions that address all of the functional requirements that are specified in the tender document. Although solutions that include only some requirements will be considered, technology providers are strongly encouraged to form alliances to overcome any deficiencies and include any missing requirements.
Instruments from all major electron microscope column manufacturers will be available at the site of the lead procurer (Forschungszentrum Jülich). The electron microscope brands selected for initial tests are specified in the tender. In line with the aims of the project, the solutions should be designed based on standardized interfaces that will be compatible with electron microscopes from different column manufacturers.
Technology providers are expected to contribute with their expertise and existing knowledge, which should ideally include geometric dimensions of ports. Technology providers are also encouraged to form alliances to overcome any deficiencies in their expertise or knowledge.
The targeted synchrotrons are partners of the IMPRESS consortium. The primary techniques of interest are resonant inelastic X-ray scattering, X-ray absorption spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction and X-ray microscopy. However, this is not an exhaustive list. The intention of the project is to cover as wide as possible a range of correlative techniques, depending on the functionalities of the prototypes. The degree to which the prototypes are adaptable to other techniques will be addressed in phase 3 of the PCP procedure.
By the end of phase 1, interoperability (i.e. compatibility with different microscopes and/or other instrumentation) and standardised interfaces must be ensured in the design solutions of all prototypes. By the end of phase 2, each prototype must provide at least two (out of six) functionalities satisfying the technical requirements listed in the tender documents. Further details are provided in the tender documents.
Technology providers must provide open source control systems and basic user interfaces to operate the hardware components. The requirements are specified in the tender documents.
Cartridges should be designed to be compatible with the smallest available space in electron microscope columns and the thinnest rods that satisfy the requirements of electron microscope users. The standardised interface and cartridge-within-cartridge concepts are also intended to ensure compatibility of each prototype with TEM columns that have additional available space. The option of inserting larger cartridges through other ports, instead of through the microscope goniometer, can be considered.
Open Innovation
The FAIRcube platform follows the principles of open science. Technology providers are encouraged to share hardware and software information related to the project, with access intended for the broader scientific community. The aim is to promote open collaboration and innovation. Further information is provided in the tender documents.
Although the project favours an open science approach, technology providers can choose to keep existing patents intact. The project will carefully manage intellectual property rights, while encouraging open collaboration.
The level of support from column manufacturers will depend on their engagement and interest in the project. Support and technical information from column manufacturers will be sought, with the intention of achieving mutual benefit. The PCP procedure is open to cooperation with all manufacturers, regardless of their size. Several larger manufacturers have already provided strong endorsement for the project and the PCP approach.
PCP Procedure
Links to the tender document will not be sent automatically. In order to ensure equal treatment, all information will be made available only on the IMPRESS website. The submission and receipt of bids will take place through the Subreport platform.
Column manufacturers can participate in the tender. Their active involvement is encouraged.
Non-EU technology providers can participate in the PCP procedure, so long as they are based in a GPA (Government Procurement Agreement) country that is allowed to participate in Horizon Europe Innovation Actions. The list of eligible countries is currently as follows: Armenia, Australia, Canada, the European Union, Iceland, Israel, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Liechtenstein, Moldova, Montenegro, the Netherlands with respect to Aruba, New Zealand, Norway, Singapore, Switzerland, Taiwan, Ukraine, the United Kingdom and the United States. However, the majority of R&D services must be performed in the EU or countries associated to Horizon Europe.
Technology providers can submit a proposal either on their own or as part of a consortium. A technology provider can participate in more than one consortium if it has sufficient capacity to perform the work and to avoid conflicts of interest. If a technology provider participates in another consortium, then at least 50% of the partners should be different. A technology provider can participate in several consortia as a subcontractor, but only as the main contractor in one consortium.
Technology providers with R&D in the USA can participate and even lead consortia that include EU-based companies. However, the majority of R&D services must be performed in the EU or countries associated to Horizon Europe.
Research organizations can participate in the PCP procedure so long as they have not participated in the IMPRESS consortium, in order to avoid conflicts of interest.
Bids will initially undergo a formal evaluation by the Procurement department of Forschungszentrum Jülich. Technical and evaluation committees within the IMPRESS consortium will assess technical aspects of the bids and make final decisions.
Evaluation criteria will be specified in the tender documents. The scoring scheme will be available in the tender documents and will be transparent and objective. It will describe how proposals will be evaluated.
IP ownership within a consortium will be determined by the consortium members. A commitment to open science principles is essential.
Nothing prevents non-participating companies from adopting open solutions. However, the open parts of the solutions that will be developed during the IMPRESS PCP procedure will only be made open to the public at the end of phase 3.
Once they are published in the tender documents, the contractual setup and conditions are typically fixed, with limited scope for modification.
The link to the proposal submission template will be made available on the IMPRESS project website, together with instructions for using the Subreport platform.