Provision of Certificate Authority Services for GÉANT Trusted Certificate Services (TCS)

GÉANT

The principal objective of this joint procurement is to engage a service provider capable of delivering a managed certificate service for the certificates outlined in this tender. Through this tender, and via the service provider ultimately contracted (who in this tender will be referred to as the Certificate Authority or CA), NRENs must be able to act as service providers to their constituencies. This arrangement will enable NRENs to support their communities against the most favourable cost conditions and terms that align with the requirements of the European research and education (R&E) community. By leveraging the collective purchasing power of GÉANT, the NRENs, and their members across the wider R&E community, GÉANT fully expects to receive offers that are not only more competitive, but significantly better than those achievable by individual organisations negotiating on their own. This aggregated approach is anticipated to deliver substantial advantages—not only in terms of markedly improved pricing, but also through more favourable terms and conditions, as well as a heightened level of service and understanding tailored specifically to the unique needs of the R&E community. In effect, this joint procurement is designed to secure outcomes that far exceed what could be attained through isolated, individual negotiations. Scope. This tender aims to contract a Certificate Authority that will provide the certificate infrastructure and services needed for the GÉANT Trusted Certificate Service (TCS) against a set annual fee for the entities mentioned and described in Annexes 1a and 1b. The CA will issue and manage: • Publicly trusted TLS certificates (DV, OV, OV-IGTF). • S/MIME certificates. • IGTF-compliant certificate profiles, including support for private sub CAs where required. • A certificate management portal or API for lifecycle management. • Integration options for SAML-based identity vetting. • Automation features and modern certificate management workflows. • Ongoing policy and technical updates in line with CA/B Forum requirements. The scope covers all operational support, documentation, and technical processes required for GÉANT and the NRENs to operate within the existing federated service model. This means the CA provides the PKI and certificate platform, GÉANT maintains the overarching agreement, and NRENs function as Registration Authorities within their national communities. Potential future developments may include improvements to automation, user experience, integration capabilities, or support for emerging certificate types. While not guaranteed, the chosen supplier must be capable of supporting such developments over the duration of the contract. Out of scope are: • Any reseller or per-certificate pricing model that would classify GÉANT or NRENs as certificate resellers • Multi-supplier or backup-CA constructions, which do not align with the TCS cost and governance model • Organisations not included in Annexes 1A and 1B of the Tender document.

Deadline

Deadline 2026-06-15

Wie? Wat? Waar?
Aankoopgeschiedenis
Datum Document
2026-05-11 Aankondiging van een opdracht
2026-05-13 Aankondiging van een opdracht
Aankondiging van een opdracht (2026-05-11)
Object
Toepassingsgebied van de aanbesteding
Titel: Provision of Certificate Authority Services for GÉANT Trusted Certificate Services (TCS)
Referentienummer: c557bfc4-a3f8-4363-b9e6-a9ee5d83fbf0
Korte beschrijving:
The principal objective of this joint procurement is to engage a service provider capable of delivering a managed certificate service for the certificates outlined in this tender. Through this tender, and via the service provider ultimately contracted (who in this tender will be referred to as the Certificate Authority or CA), NRENs must be able to act as service providers to their constituencies. This arrangement will enable NRENs to support their communities against the most favourable cost conditions and terms that align with the requirements of the European research and education (R&E) community. By leveraging the collective purchasing power of GÉANT, the NRENs, and their members across the wider R&E community, GÉANT fully expects to receive offers that are not only more competitive, but significantly better than those achievable by individual organisations negotiating on their own. This aggregated approach is anticipated to deliver substantial advantages—not only in terms of markedly improved pricing, but also through more favourable terms and conditions, as well as a heightened level of service and understanding tailored specifically to the unique needs of the R&E community. In effect, this joint procurement is designed to secure outcomes that far exceed what could be attained through isolated, individual negotiations. Scope. This tender aims to contract a Certificate Authority that will provide the certificate infrastructure and services needed for the GÉANT Trusted Certificate Service (TCS) against a set annual fee for the entities mentioned and described in Annexes 1a and 1b. The CA will issue and manage: • Publicly trusted TLS certificates (DV, OV, OV-IGTF). • S/MIME certificates. • IGTF-compliant certificate profiles, including support for private sub CAs where required. • A certificate management portal or API for lifecycle management. • Integration options for SAML-based identity vetting. • Automation features and modern certificate management workflows. • Ongoing policy and technical updates in line with CA/B Forum requirements. The scope covers all operational support, documentation, and technical processes required for GÉANT and the NRENs to operate within the existing federated service model. This means the CA provides the PKI and certificate platform, GÉANT maintains the overarching agreement, and NRENs function as Registration Authorities within their national communities. Potential future developments may include improvements to automation, user experience, integration capabilities, or support for emerging certificate types. While not guaranteed, the chosen supplier must be capable of supporting such developments over the duration of the contract. Out of scope are: • Any reseller or per-certificate pricing model that would classify GÉANT or NRENs as certificate resellers • Multi-supplier or backup-CA constructions, which do not align with the TCS cost and governance model • Organisations not included in Annexes 1A and 1B of the Tender document.
Toon meer
Soort contract: Diensten
Producten/diensten: IT-diensten: adviezen, softwareontwikkeling, internet en ondersteuning 📦
Geschatte waarde exclusief BTW: 9 000 000 EUR 💰
Andere beperkingen op de plaats van uitvoering: Overal in de Europese Economische Ruimte
Beschrijving
Interne identificatiecode: 24e5f80e-8929-4a19-822b-a54b7d860c7d
Deze aanbesteding is ook geschikt voor kleine en middelgrote ondernemingen (kmo’s) ✅
Aanvullende producten/diensten:
Het gebruik van criteria inzake de toegankelijkheid voor personen met een handicap in de technische specificaties: Er zijn geen criteria opgenomen inzake de toegankelijkheid voor personen met een handicap, om de volgende reden
Rechtvaardiging:
The subject matter of this procurement concerns the delivery of a Trusted Certificate Service (TCS), including the provision of publicly trusted digital certificates, Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) services, and associated technical and operational support to GÉANT and its member organisations. The services procured under this tender are primarily system-level, infrastructure, and back-end services, delivered to National Research and Education Networks (NRENs) and their affiliated organisations, rather than directly to end-users. While certain components of the service (such as management interfaces or portals) may include user-facing elements, these are intended for professional users operating within organisational contexts, and are not designed as public-facing services or products intended for general consumer use. As a result, the inclusion of specific accessibility requirements for persons with disabilities, as referred to in Article 42 of Directive 2014/24/EU, is not considered applicable or proportionate to the subject matter of this procurement. Notwithstanding the above, GÉANT expects the contractor to adhere to generally accepted industry standards and best practices, including where applicable considerations relating to usability and accessibility within professional environments.
Toon meer
Hoofdlocatie of plaats van uitvoering: See documentation
Duur: 4 jaar
Maximumaantal verlengingen: 2
Overige informatie over verlengingen:
The agreement that GÉANT intends to award following this Invitation to Tender (ITT) has an initial term of four (4) years and may be extended twice for a period of two (2) years each. The maximum total duration of the agreement is therefore eight (8) years.
Toon meer
Titel
Identificatienummer van de partij: LOT-0000

Procedure
Soort procedure
Openbare procedure ✅
Rechtsgrondslag: Richtlijn 2014/24/EU
Belangrijkste kenmerken van de procedure:
A full description of the tender procedure is described in detail in the document named "Invitation to Tender - GÉANT Trusted Certificate Services - 2026".
Administratieve informatie
Termijn voor de ontvangst van inschrijvingen of verzoeken tot deelneming: 2026-06-15 11:00:57 📅
Talen waarin inschrijvingen of aanvragen tot deelneming kunnen worden ingediend: Engels 🗣️
Minimumtermijn gedurende welke de inschrijver de offerte gestand moet doen: 180 dagen
Voorwaarden voor inschrijving
Inschrijvers mogen meer dan één inschrijving indienen
Een geavanceerd(e) of gekwalificeerd(e) elektronisch(e) handtekening of zegel (zoals omschreven in Verordening (EU) nr. 910/2014) is vereist
Er zal gebruik worden gemaakt van elektronische betaling ✅
Termijn voor verzoeken om aanvullende informatie: 2026-06-12 09:00:00 📅

Aanbestedende dienst
Naam en adressen
Naam: Géant
Nationaal registratienummer: 40535155
Postadres: Hoekenrode 3
Postcode: 1102BR
Poststad: Amsterdam
Regio: Groot-Amsterdam 🏙️
Land: Nederland 🇳🇱
Contactpunt: Olaf Verschoor
E-mail: olaf.verschoor@geant.org 📧
Telefoon: +31611299145 📞
URL: https://www.geant.org 🌏
Adres van het kopersprofiel: https://s2c.mercell.com/buyer/2384 🌏
Type aanbestedende dienst
Publiekrechtelijke instelling
Hoofdactiviteit
Onderwijs
Informatie over gezamenlijke aanbestedingen
De opdracht wordt gegund door een aankoopcentrale ✅
Communicatie
Documenten URL: https://s2c.mercell.com/today/209332 🌏
Deelname URL: https://s2c.mercell.com/today/209332 🌏
Website-adres van de belastingwetgeving: https://www.belastingdienst.nl 🌏
ID van het document van de belastingwetgeving: FiscalDocID1
Website-adres van de milieuwetgeving: https://www.rijksoverheid.nl/ministeries/ministerie-van-infrastructuur-en-waterstaat 🌏
ID van het document van de milieuwetgeving: EnvDocID1
Website-adres van de arbeidswetgeving: https://www.rijksoverheid.nl/ministeries/ministerie-van-sociale-zaken-en-werkgelegenheid 🌏
ID van het document van de arbeidswetgeving: EmplDocID1
Elektronische indiening: Toegestaan

Aanvullende informatie
Beoordelingsorgaan
Naam: District Court of Amsterdam (Rechtbank Amsterdam)
Nationaal registratienummer: District Court of Amsterdam (Rechtbank Amsterdam)
Postadres: Parnassusweg 280
Postcode: 1076 AV
Poststad: Amsterdam
Regio: Groot-Amsterdam 🏙️
Land: Nederland 🇳🇱
URL: https://www.rechtspraak.nl/organisatie-en-contact/organisatie/rechtbanken/rechtbank-amsterdam 🌏
Dienst waar informatie over de beroepsprocedure kan worden verkregen
Zelfde als: Beoordelingsorgaan
Herzieningsprocedure
Precieze informatie over de termijn(en) voor herzieningsprocedures:
Expected duration evaluation phase submitted Proposals. June 30 to July 6
Aankondigingsinformatie
Voorkeursdatum voor publicatie: 2026-05-15Z 📅
Bron: OJS 2026/S 093-333712 (2026-05-11)
Aankondiging van een opdracht (2026-05-13)
Object
Toepassingsgebied van de aanbesteding
Geschatte waarde exclusief BTW: 9 000 000 EUR 💰
Bron: OJS 2026/S 094-336196 (2026-05-13)
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Regio:
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Producten/diensten:
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