Here you will find the common question about the suHCO PCP project. Any updates to the FAQ will be summarised here. Similarly, the questions received from any supplier, not covered here yet, will be added to the FAQs.
If you have any additional questions or feedback, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us at suhco@empirica.com.
General
What is suHCO aiming at?
The project aims to develop an AI-powered horizontal digital planning and execution-driven system enabling the healthcare sector to become more sustainable and circular. See for more detail the pitch deck.
How can one organisation become a Follower of suHCO?
Just submit a quick form and we will publish your organisation within 2 working days on our Follower page.
What are Followers?
Followers are health and care organisations, public procurers, regional authorities, ministries, (non-)governmental organisations, projects/clusters and other health and/or sustainability stakeholders that share the suHCO challenge. Benefits include insights into the solutions, access to testing in Phase III, procurement clause examples and financial support to visit pilot sites. Find out more.
How can I get updates on the project, Open Market Consultation events and the tender?
Keep an eye on the project website, subscribe to the newsletter and follow the project on LinkedIn.
suHCO Challenge
Can suppliers also propose innovations in managing relationships between doctors, patients and caregivers?
Patients are not expected to be primary end-users of the solution. The focus is on organisational and operational stakeholders within healthcare systems. However, the organisational building block (see Common Challenge) does include improving interaction between healthcare stakeholders where this supports sustainability objectives. Further details will be provided in Challenge Brief.
Are there any hard requirements for hosting beyond GDPR compliance and EU best practices?
Specific requirements regarding the challenge will be shared in the Challenge Brief.
How does suHCO ensure the solution allow smooth integration with existing software at the procurers' sites?
We will involve the procurers’ IT departments during the Challenge Brief development so that integration requirements are well prepared. As the solution sought in suHCO is intended to be standalone and not patient-facing, the integration complexity is expected to be limited.
PCP
What is Pre-Commercial Procurement (PCP)?
PCP is a form of public procurement of R&D services. It challenges industry to develop innovative solutions and provides an initial customer reference. PCP enables procurers to compare potential solutions and select the best. More information on our PCP page and pitch deck.
How is PCP structured?
PCP is implemented in three phases: Phase I focuses on solution design and selecting an initial set of suppliers; Phase II covers prototype development; Phase III scales up the solution based on previous iterations. More information on our PCP page and pitch deck.
What are the merits of a PCP approach compared with traditional needs analysis and market dialogue procedures used in daily procurement work?
Traditional procurement often does not involve exchange with the market. suHCO holds open market consultations and invites for feedback, but tender specifications are not designed jointly with the market. More information on our PCP page and pitch deck.
How does Spanish legislation affect the PCP rules?
EU legislation is leading. Spanish tender regulations are compliant with EU legislation. Details will be set out in the Call for Tenders.
How will the commercialisation process be after the end of the project? Will the suppliers share the IPRs with the consortium?
suHCO supports the pre‑commercial development. The IP remains with suppliers provided they commercialise their products or services. If they do not commercialise within four years, procurers gain access to the IP. The risk–benefit sharing arrangement is defined in the PCP Framework Agreement (to come). More information on our PCP page and pitch deck.
Will suppliers commercialise their solution themselves in Phase IV, or will suHCO be involved in commercialisation?
Phase IV lies outside the scope of suHCO, so the responsibility for further commercialising the product rests with suppliers. Suppliers are expected to work on their commercialisation strategy during Phase I-III, for which we will offer support and provide feedback. See the PCP timeline for a full overview.
Tendering process
When and where will the tender be published?
The launch of the tender is expected in July 2026. We will announce the publication via our website.
When and where should the tender be submitted? When can we expect to have a response if we are selected?
The submission deadline is expected to be 30 September and the tender evaluation is expected to be completed in November 2026. Details on the submission platform will be communicated in due course.
If we have an existing solution, is it possible to participate in the tender?
Only solutions not yet on the market may participate. The solution must include something discernibly new compared with existing offerings, although existing components and technologies may be used.
Who will select the initial set of suppliers?
The Evaluation Committee, nominated by the procurers, selects suppliers. Each procurer has one vote.
How are suppliers selected from one phase to the next?
Towards the end of each phase, suppliers submit an updated offer. The evaluation procedure described above is repeated and the procurers’ evaluations are consolidated.
What are the selection and award criteria for each phase? Does the European Commission participate in the evaluations?
The 1) exclusion criteria (2) selection criteria, (3) on-off award criteria and (4) technical weighted award criteria will be detailed in the tender documents. The European Commission does not take part in evaluations. Each procurer evaluates the offers, and results are consolidated.
How will you ensure confidentiality of suppliers ideas before and after proposal submission?
Access is limited to the Evaluation Committee on a need-to-know basis, and materials are stored and managed securely. Confidential information will not be disclosed or used outside the purpose of evaluating proposals, including after the process concludes and the people involved are made sure to sign NDAs. These arrangements are formalised and monitored through the project’s Data Management Plan, prepared in accordance with the European Commission template and will be made available as a public project deliverable.
Consortia and partners
How important is a geographically diverse consortium? What kind and how many partners do you recommend?
There is no requirement for geographic diversity.
Do you have recommendations for including an organisation from Ukraine in the consortium?
Ukraine is a Horizon Europe Associated Country and thus eligible. Potential risks should be addressed.
How will the procurement process enable smaller companies/SMEs to participate in the tender?
There are no specific rules for consortium composition. Members can structure their consortium based on needs and capabilities, and many previous PCPs have been supplied by SMEs.
Can the consortium be made of an SME and a research institute? Or does it need to be composed of only for‑profit companies?
There are no rules for consortium structure; members can form it according to their needs and capabilities.
Will there be minimum gross revenue requirements for companies to participate in the tender or lead a consortium?
No. There are no turnover constraints; the consortium must simply demonstrate that it can successfully execute the project.
Can a company or other kind of entity submit a tender alone or are you looking for consortia?
A single entity may submit a tender or join a consortium with subcontractors.
How important is the candidates’ experience in managing complex projects with European public partners?
Experience can improve the quality of a tender. The Selection Criteria in the Call for Tenders (to come) will provide further detail.
Is it possible to change or add members of the consortium in later phases of the project? Do we have to specifically name subcontractors in the initial offer?
Changes of partners are subject to strict conditions. Rules for subcontractors are more flexible. If subcontractors are not yet identified, the selection approach should be described in your technical offer (TD6, template co come).
Can you preview our company and advise us if we should participate in your tender?
suHCO cannot provide advice on participation. Interested parties should attend open market consultation events or review the documentation to assess their suitability.
Can a public entity or a publicly owned company be part of our consortium?
Yes, provided no conflict of interest arises with the procurers represented in the Buyers Group. Participation must also comply with EU funding rules and must not result in double financing or breach EU State aid rules.
Financial
What is the available budget per phase per supplier? With the term “supplier”, do you mean per consortium member or can subcontractors also be named as suppliers?
A preliminary overview is provided on the PCP page. “Supplier” refers to the entire consortium. The consortium may distribute the budget internally.
Is the budget equally shared among all suppliers in each phase?
The total budget for each phase is divided by the number of suppliers; this establishes the ceiling for offers.
If the tender is accepted, when is the funding provided: before or after the phases of the Pre‑Commercial Procurement? Will there be pre-financing available?
Payments for each PCP phase depend on satisfactorily completed deliverables and milestones. The payment schedule in the Call for Tenders (to come) may include pre‑financing for Phases II and III.
Is the approval of the European Commission needed for the payments for the selected suppliers?
No. The Lead Procurer (Consorci de Salut i d’Atencio Social de Catalunya, CSC) manages the budget.
Can the tenderer get funding from other public sources?
If accepting public funds would result in double financing or violate EU state‑aid rules, the tenderer will be excluded.
Is it possible that additional suppliers are selected if the budget allows?
As long as the overall budget permits, selecting more suppliers than anticipated in each phase would be possible. Please note that the number of suppliers per phase is still provisional.
Tender documents
Are suppliers involved in drafting the Call for Tenders?
They are not involved.
In what language will the tender information be published?
All documentation will be in English.
Project implementation
Will experts of the Buyers Group be available for regular calls during the project?
Yes. Monitoring calls will be organised. If specific meetings are needed, suppliers should describe the need and schedule in their tender.
Will it be possible to do user research during the solution design (Phase I)?
Suppliers will have access to procurers through monitoring calls. User testing is planned for Phases II and III, and limited user research during Phase III may be agreed on a case‑by‑case basis.
Is it possible that the duration of the project will be extended?
All suppliers must follow the same timeline. An extension is possible only if all suppliers and procurers agree.
Why is the Phase I of the project expected to start in December rather than January?
Phase I is scheduled to start in December in accordance with the timeline agreed under the PCP procedural requirements. The consortium must adhere to the approved timeline and has planned accordingly. We will account for the holiday period in December when planning Phase I workstreams and deliverables.
Revision history
The FAQ page records its revision and correction history at various dates, noting when new questions from e.g. tender question sessions, training and workshops have been added.
11.03.2026
- Added new questions asked during International OMC.
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25.02.2026
- Added new questions asked during national OMCs.
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29.01.2026
- First set of questions and answers.