FAQs

The ACTIVE PCP Open Market Consultation process is open to all types of operators (companies including start-ups, SMEs, large industry, etc.) regardless of their size or governance structure. However, please note that only entities eligible for Horizon Europe PCP actions (i.e. established in EU Member States and/or Horizon Europe Associated Countries and committing to perform the R&D services within those countries) will be eligible to participate in the subsequent Pre-Commercial (PCP) procurement.

Yes. Research institutes and universities (or other R&D organisations) may participate as part of a consortium, where permitted under the Call for Tenders. In PCP procedures, it is common for R&D organisations to team up with companies (including manufacturers and technology providers) to jointly deliver the required R&D services. The specific eligibility conditions and consortium requirements will be defined in the Tender Documents once published for the subsequent Pre-Commercial (PCP) procurement.

Suppliers can form consortia or participate as individual tenderers to the upcoming Call for Tenders. Both participations are eligible. We encourage the use of the Innovation Procurement Platform in order to matchmake with other suppliers and post expertise requests and offers for the specific tender.

The specific documentation and evidence required to demonstrate relevant experience and expertise will be defined in the Tender Documents once the Call for Tenders is published. Potential tenderers should refer to the published procurement documentation for the applicable requirements, including any information or supporting documents that may be required to demonstrate relevant technical experience, expertise or previous projects.

Specialist SMEs and other technology providers may participate as part of a bidding consortium or as subcontractors to a tenderer, subject to the conditions and requirements set out in the Tender Documents.

Specific cost-sharing or payment arrangements between a contractor and its subcontractors are not prescribed by the tender and must be agreed directly between the parties. The lead contractor remains fully responsible for contract performance and for ensuring timely payments to subcontractors and other third parties.

Organisations interested in contributing specific expertise or technologies are encouraged to use the Innovation Procurement Platform (https://www.innovationprocurement.com/) to present their capabilities and identify potential partners with complementary expertise.

The applicable conditions for subcontracting, including the roles and responsibilities of subcontractors, are governed by the official Tender Documents.

No signature is required for the documents submitted on the Innovation Procurement Platform. For the cover letter that must be sent by post, the hand signature is accepted. Detailed information will be included in the Tender Documents once published for the subsequent Pre-Commercial (PCP) procurement.

The upcoming Pre-Commercial (PCP) procurement will be implemented through a Call for Tenders to award procurement contracts; the selected tenderers, based on best value for money criteria set, will be awarded a contract to provide the R&D services procured. Detailed information will be available as part of the ACTIVE PCP Tender Documentation once finalised and officially published.

Please see A4. Entities eligible for Horizon Europe PCP actions (i.e. established in EU Member States and/or Horizon Europe Associated Countries and committing to perform the R&D services within those countries) will be eligible to participate solely or jointly in the subsequent Pre-Commercial (PCP) procurement.

The launch of the upcoming Call for Tenders is currently planned for October 2026.
The final launch date and the detailed procurement schedule will be announced shortly through our official communication channels.

ACTIVE PCP is implemented through Pre-Commercial Procurement (PCP), under which selected suppliers are awarded contracts to provide R&D services. Remuneration is based on the agreed contract price and is subject to the satisfactory completion of predefined milestones and deliverables.

There is no mandatory percentage-based own contribution or co-financing requirement for participating suppliers.

For further information on pricing and payment conditions, please refer to Article 5 (particularly Articles 5.2 and 5.3) of TD1 “Call for Tenders”, Article 6 of TD7 “Framework Agreement” and Article 4 of TD8 “Specific Contracts”. Intellectual property rights are addressed separately in Article 2.8 of TD1.

A: The maximum contract amounts per contractor or bidding consortium are defined in Article 2.6 of TD1 “Call for Tenders” as follows:

PCP Phase Including VAT Excluding VAT
Phase 1 – Solution Design €58,333.33 €47,043.00
Phase 2 – Prototyping €600,000.00 €483,870.97
Phase 3 – Original Development and Testing €750,000.00 €604,838.71

These amounts represent the maximum contract ceilings for each phase, rather than guaranteed payments. The applicable contract value and payment conditions are governed by the Tender Documents and the respective contracts.

ACTIVE PCP does not provide advance payments before work begins. Payments are linked to the satisfactory completion and acceptance of predefined milestones and deliverables. The payment terms do not specify requirements for financial guarantees.

The payment schedule differs between the three phases:

 

Phase 1 – Solution Design: 100% of the contract price is payable following confirmation of the satisfactory completion of the entire phase.

 

Phase 2 – Prototyping: 50% is payable upon acceptance of interim deliverables, and the remaining 50% upon satisfactory completion of the phase.

 

Phase 3 – Original Development and Testing: 45% is payable upon acceptance of interim deliverables, 40% upon satisfactory completion of the phase, and the final 15% upon successful conclusion of the ACTIVE PCP project.

 

Payments are due within 30 days following acceptance of the corresponding invoice by the Lead Procurer.

For the detailed payment conditions, please refer to Article 5 of TD1 “Call for Tenders”, Article 6 of TD7 “Framework Agreement” and Article 4 of TD8 “Specific Contracts”.

In both TD 1 and TD 7 only errata regarding the numbering and cross-references were corrected. In particular:

  • In TD 1:
    • The identifiers (numbering) of the last two sub-criteria under 2.5 have been corrected C2.5.4 Monitoring (1 point) and C2.5.5 Interoperability (1 point). The weights remain unchanged.
    • In art. 5.1 references to The Framework Agreement has been corrected to Tender Document 7 (TD 7) and references to the Specific Contracts for Phases 1, 2 and 3 have been corrected to Tender Document 8 (TD 8
  • In TD 7:
    • Art. 6.5: the Performance Conditions (satisfactory completion of the phase) are those of TD 1, § 5.2 (not § 6.2);
    • Art. 3.1, 20.1(d): termination is regulated in Article 18 (not 16);
    • Art. 3.2: extension of the period of execution – amendments are regulated in Article 20 (not 17);
    • Art. 6.9, 9.2: confidentiality is regulated in Article 8 (not 6);
    • Art. 18.6(b)(ii): conflicts of interest are regulated in Article 11 (not 13); Art. 18.4: “this Article 18” (not 24); Art. 7.1.2: “as stated 7.1.1” (not 5.1.1)
    • Art. 22.2: the reference to “clause 22.1” (not 20).

An updated version of TD 5 has been uploaded on 30.10.2026. The Tenderers should use the updated version only.

Detailed information on the required number of garments will be available as part of the ACTIVE PCP Tender Documents once finalized and officially published

The Call for Tenders will include a structured requirements framework, expected to cover a list of requirements across different areas (approximately 100 requirements). The aim is to provide clear guidance on operational needs and performance expectations, while still leaving room for innovation and alternative technical approaches. The final requirements set and their level of detail will be specified in the Tender Documents, once published for the subsequent Pre-Commercial (PCP) procurement.

Sustainability considerations may form part of the evaluation, depending on the procurement strategy and the final tender design. The Call for Tenders will clearly describe the award criteria and the weighting applied to each criterion, so that all tenderers are informed in advance how proposals will be assessed. Any sustainability-related requirements and evaluation aspects will be reflected transparently in the Tender Documents once published for the subsequent Pre-Commercial (PCP) procurement.

This type of predictive functionality is indeed considered highly relevant and is a feature that is already being taken into account. It is closely linked to the broader objective of enhancing situational awareness during operations. In particular, in conditions involving high environmental temperatures or fire exposure, operational capacity can be significantly constrained, and the ability to anticipate physiological stress over time is of clear importance. From an operational perspective, forecasting thermophysiological responses would enable a more effective assessment of first responders’ capability to sustain activity over extended periods. In this regard, the thermal regulation performance of protective equipment, especially the fabrics used, represents a critical factor.

At the same time, it is recognised that such predictive capabilities must be assessed in light of current technological feasibility. Ongoing discussions with stakeholders, including fire service representatives, are aimed at identifying realistic thresholds based on what is currently available on the market. Feedback from market operators is therefore essential to determine the level of R&D efforts required and the extent to which such predictive features can be achieved within the scope of the project. The envisaged approach is to establish feasible performance thresholds in the current phase of the project and to progressively improve these capabilities in subsequent development stages or future initiatives. Overall, predictive monitoring of heat stress and operational endurance is considered a key priority for further exploration.

The introduction of advanced equipment and capabilities is expected to influence and potentially reshape existing SOPs. Current procedures often reflect existing limitations in equipment and operational capacity, for example, in hazardous environments, first responders may be instructed to withdraw and wait for specialised units. However, enhanced protective solutions could enable responders to safely operate in situations that are currently considered too dangerous. In such cases, SOPs would need to evolve accordingly, as improved equipment directly expands operational possibilities.

Real-life incident scenarios, including complex and multi-hazard environments, have highlighted gaps in current capabilities, particularly in prolonged operations or in remote areas where immediate specialised support may not be available. In these contexts, first responders are often required to take on multiple roles and remain operational for extended periods. Therefore, the development of new technologies is not expected to contradict SOPs, but rather to inform their adaptation. The evolution of procedures is seen as a natural and necessary consequence of improved operational capabilities, with the ultimate objective of enhancing both responder safety and effectiveness in the field.

CBRN protection involves multiple components, including detection systems, respiratory equipment, and protective gear, which can be deployed through different operational models. The present project focuses specifically on the development of advanced protective equipment based on a smart textile approach, following an “all-hazards” perspective.

The objective is not to replace specialised units, but to enhance the baseline capabilities of first responders through wearable and integrated solutions that support both protection and monitoring (e.g. vital signs, geolocation). While technologies for monitoring already exist on the market, the main challenge lies in effectively integrating these functionalities into protective equipment, particularly within the fabric itself, in a way that remains practical and reliable in operational conditions.

This project should therefore be seen as one component within a broader ecosystem of solutions. Other initiatives may address complementary aspects, such as detection technologies or operational procedures (SOPs). Ultimately, a combination of these elements will be required to develop a comprehensive response approach to everyday CBRN and multi-hazard scenarios.

The Tender Documents will provide the full set of information required for potential tenderers to understand the procurement objectives and expected solution, including the relevant technical and functional requirements and other applicable specifications.

At this stage, we are unfortunately not in a position to provide specific answers or indicate preferred technical solutions.

The Call for Tenders is currently tentatively planned for October. Once published, the complete set of requirements and relevant information will be available to all potential tenderers through the official procurement documentation.

Any further questions can then be submitted through the formal clarification process foreseen under the procurement procedure.

A clear distinction is made between background and foreground IPR. Background IPR refers to pre- existing intellectual property developed prior to the procurement. Suppliers will be required to declare these background IPRs as part of their technical offer, while retaining full ownership and the ability to further use and develop them. This also enables procurers to understand any dependencies related to the proposed solution. Foreground IPR, by contrast, relates to the results generated during the implementation of the PCP. These rights remain with the supplier, who retains the ability to commercially exploit the developed solutions. At the same time, procurers are granted usage rights to the results for their own purposes, on a long-term basis. Overall, this approach ensures a balance between protecting suppliers’ prior investments and providing incentives for innovation, while also securing access rights for public procurers.

At this stage, it is not possible to confirm whether a PPI will follow the completion of the PCP. This depends on a range of factors, including project outcomes, uptake by end users, and decisions at the European Commission level. Both PCPs and PPIs remain relatively limited in number, and future follow-up mechanisms will depend on how the broader policy and funding landscape evolves.

Nevertheless, the PCP is designed as a pathway towards market uptake. It enables the identification of needs, the development of prototypes, and the validation of solutions through pilot testing with end users. This process brings solutions close to market readiness and supports eventual procurement. © 2026 ACTIVE PCP In addition, the PCP provides suppliers with significant added value, including direct collaboration with multiple end users across Europe, access to operational feedback, and the opportunity to validate and refine their solutions in real-life conditions. This can strengthen their position for future commercialisation, regardless of whether a formal PPI follows.

Given the large and fragmented nature of the security market, successful solutions may find significant commercial opportunities beyond the PCP itself. Overall, while a follow-up PPI cannot be guaranteed, the PCP is intended to facilitate future deployment and market adoption of the developed solutions.

 

Yes, the recording will be made available on the activepcp.eu website under the Open Market Consultation section, along with the presentations in local languages, as well as in English.