Heat pump testing

ECOS Procurement and Purchase Policy

This tender complies with the ECOS Procurement and Purchase Policy adopted by the ECOS Executive Committee, and last updated February 2023. This policy covers general principles relating to transparency and fairness, value for money, and non-discrimination. It specifies thresholds relating to a competitive negotiated procedure with at least a specified number of candidates either with tender or selection, and sets out the procedure to be followed by ECOS. 

About ECOS

ECOS is an international NGO with a network of members and experts advocating for environmentally friendly technical standards, policies and laws. We ensure the environmental voice is heard when they are developed and drive change by providing expertise to policymakers and industry players, leading to the implementation of strong environmental principles.

Objective of this tender

ECOS seeks to subcontract a company/individual to deliver a service as outlined in the scope and output of this tender document.

Scope

The service will focus on providing expertise to ECOS about energy efficiency testing methods for heat pumps, and particularly on current and upcoming European standards that will support ecodesign and energy labelling requirements for heat pumps.

More specifically, the selected expert will assist ECOS in a newly approved Horizon project coordinated by Ghent University. This project supports European Standardisation Organisations in refining the so-called compensation method for heat pumps through Round Robin Tests, identifying product subtypes that pose testing challenges, and closing critical knowledge gaps before regulatory adoption.

Tasks & Outputs

The contractor will deliver the following services:

• Assist ECOS with technical expertise in the execution of the Horizon project on heat pumps testing;
• Contribute to all project’s work packages, and in particular the one led by ECOS meant to identify and resolve existing gaps in the testing methodology;
• Represent ECOS in CEN/TC 113/WG 8 meetings to liaise about specific project results and contribute to the drafting of the test method standard.

Budget

The budget available for this work is maximum € 22,800.00 (+21% VAT), and all other costs will be incurred by the subcontractor. The table below provides an indication of percentage of time against the headlines of the different activities.

Project implementation

Delivery of the service will involve active contribution from and regular coordination with ECOS. The key milestones include:

• Signature of the contract
• A kick-off meeting
• Delivery of WP1 and WP2 work, with regular check-in meetings with ECOS secretariat (monthly)
• Contribution to the project deliverable that ECOS is in charge of and specific project milestones (WP 1)
• Delivery of WP3 and WP4 work, with regular check-in meetings with ECOS secretariat (bi-monthly)
• Delivery of WP5 work throughout the project duration, including participation to CEN/TC 113/WG 8 meetings
• Final meeting with ECOS secretariat and contribution to interim and final project reporting

Throughout the implementation of the project, the subcontractor will prepare at least:

• Final knowledge gap report.
• Specific standardisation meeting reports when attending CEN/TC 113/WG 8 meetings.
• Contribution to interim and final project reports.

Timeline

The service should be carried out between April 2026 and March 2028. Therefore, the contract should be completed by the subcontractor by April 2028. A kick-off meeting will be held with the successful applicant(s) in the month of March 2026, depending on the management team and contractor’s availability.

Tender Assessment

Assessment of the tenders will be made by an appointed selection committee, using a pre-agreed evaluation template. The award criteria are:

• 70% quality:
  • delivery team expertise (CVs + relevant experience to be provided) and efficient coordination with ECOS,
  • relevance of application,
  • usefulness of the expected outcome for communication
• 30% price

Only short-listed tenderers will be contacted.

The fact of publishing a procurement procedure does not oblige ECOS to award the contract to a tenderer simply because its tender fulfils those criteria. It also reserves the right to decide not to award the contract to any tenderer and to cancel the procedure at any time before award.

Tender preparation

Tenderers are requested to submit a proposal by 23:59 CET 28/02/2026 to info@ecostandard.org outlining:

• A brief description of the tenderer’s understanding of the analysis demanded.
• A description of the anticipated activities to achieve the desired analysis.
• A description of how close coordination with ECOS will be ensured throughout the project.
• A description of the proposed outputs.
• Budgeting for each element of the work.
• Biographies and time availability of the key staff delivering the work, as well as their areas of expertise, as well as references if available.