EIC Innovation Procurement Programme: what the tender does and why it matters

The European Innovation Council published a call for tenders in March 2023 to set up an Innovation Procurement Programme as part of its Business Acceleration Services. The tender allocates an estimated budget of 4 million euros and asks bidders to build capacity on both the demand and supply sides of procurement markets. The objective is to make it easier for high-potential EIC-backed innovators to find and win business through procurement in Europe and beyond.

Tender snapshot

What the programme is asked to deliver

The tender brief focuses on a mix of market-shaping activities and direct support services. Contracted teams are expected to design and run a buyers community, strengthen public buyer capabilities to procure innovative solutions, pilot assistance to EIC beneficiaries preparing and submitting bids in public and private procurements, and create supporting materials such as an Innovation Procurement toolkit and academy-style training for suppliers.

Context: what is innovation procurement and why the EIC is interested

Innovation procurement covers practices where public authorities or large buyers use their purchasing power to shape markets and create demand for novel solutions. Two common forms are Pre-Commercial Procurement, used to procure R&D services before commercialization, and Public Procurement of Innovative Solutions, which buys market-ready innovation. The EIC aims to mainstream these approaches because procurement can be a stable route to scale for deep tech companies and SMEs, and because public buyers face complex societal challenges that often require new technologies.

Who the tender is aimed at and what bidders must demonstrate

The procurement documents require bidders to demonstrate professional, technical and financial capacity. Bidders are expected to have experience in business and management consultancy, procurement advice, ecosystem building and international procurement markets. The published annexes list forms for turnover, technical capacity statements, declarations on exclusion criteria, powers of attorney, lists of subcontractors and financial offers split by work packages.

What bidders will practically need to deliver and measure

Successful contractors will need a blend of skills. These include capability to convene and moderate buyer communities, deep understanding of public procurement law and procedures across EU member states, training design and delivery for SMEs, practical legal and bid-writing support for suppliers, and monitoring and evaluation capacity to show impact. Credible international networks will be important for the global procurement element.

Assessment and caveats

The EIC procurement initiative addresses a recognised gap. Many EU deep tech SMEs struggle to translate grant funding into commercial contracts with public buyers. However the budget and the nature of the contract suggest this procurement will fund coordination, capacity building and piloting rather than underwriting large-scale procurement commitments on behalf of buyers. The effectiveness of the programme will depend on the contractor's ability to turn engagement into concrete tenders and awarded contracts for EIC beneficiaries.

Practical challenges will include heterogeneity of procurement rules across EU member states, differences in buyers' risk appetites, and the complexity of opening procurement markets outside the EU. There is also a risk that workshops and toolkits produce awareness without measurable procurement outcomes if the pilot assistance is not sufficiently intensive and sustained.

Recommendations for prospective bidders

Bidders should show demonstrated experience in: convening buyer communities, designing procurement-ready tenders for innovative solutions, delivering hands-on bid support to SMEs, and monitoring results. Partnerships that bring legal procurement expertise, market access networks, and experience in capacity building for both public buyers and startups will be advantageous. Proposals should include realistic pathways to convert buyer interest into procurement actions, and clear indicators to measure impact.

Key dates and where to find full documentation

The call was published on 9 March 2023. The electronic submission deadline was 2 May 2023 at 10:00 CEST. All procurement documents, annexes and the full tender specification were published on the EU e-Tendering portal under procedure identifier EISMEA/2022/OP/0022. Annexes include forms for turnover statements, declarations on exclusion criteria, power of attorney, lists of subcontractors and templates for financial offers by work package.

Because the public summaries omit some operational details, potential applicants should consult the full tender dossier on the e-Tendering portal for precise selection criteria, required templates and contractual clauses. EISMEA is the contracting authority responsible for the process on behalf of the EIC.

Implications for the EU innovation ecosystem

If well executed, the programme could improve market access for EIC-backed SMEs and create replicable practices for public buyers to procure innovation. It aligns with broader EU efforts to use public demand to accelerate strategic technologies. Nonetheless, stakeholders should treat claims of immediate market transformation with caution. Lasting impact requires sustained investment by procurers and follow-through support for suppliers beyond capacity building and one-off pilots.