MAIA Tender (EC-DIGIT/2024/OP/0019): Goals, Structure, Winners, and Competition Mechanisms

The MAIA Tender (EC-DIGIT/2024/OP/0019) is a European Commission framework contract for IT services with an estimated value of 900,000,000 EUR over 36 months. It covers development, cloud migration, maintenance, support, and operations across EU institutions.

The framework is structured into six Lots. Lots 1 to 5 are awarded to single contractors and limited to 300,000 EUR per contract, while Lot 6 allows competition between multiple contractors for projects up to 5,000,000 EUR.

Services are delivered under strict Service Level Agreements with measurable KPIs and financial penalties. In January 2026, the European Commission selected major IT providers as Lot 6 contractors, who will compete for projects through reopening of competition during the framework period.

Table of Contents

1. What is the MAIA Tender
2. Core Goals and Technical Scope
3. Structure of the 6 Lots
4. Service Elements
5. Required IT Profiles
6. Methodology and Delivery Modes
7. Competition Mechanisms and Ordering
8. SLAs and Performance Enforcement
9. Lot 6 Winners
10. Frequently Asked Questions
11. Closing Context

What is the MAIA Tender

The MAIA tender is an open call for tenders issued by the European Commission for the acquisition of IT professional services. It is governed by DG DIGIT and applies to multiple EU Institutions, Agencies, and Bodies.

The framework has an estimated value of 900,000,000 EUR excluding VAT and a duration of 36 months.

It covers both effort-based and outcome-based services across multiple IT domains, including:

• Information System development and analysis
• Maintenance and operations
• Cloud migration across public, private, and hybrid environments
• Applicative support and helpdesk services

The objective is to modernize and maintain the IT systems used by EU institutions, including legacy systems, cloud-native platforms, and data-driven applications.

Core Goals and Technical Scope

The MAIA tender aims to secure managed IT services that support large-scale digital transformation across EU institutions.

Contractors are responsible for designing, building, operating, and maintaining scalable Information Systems.

Cloud migration strategies

The framework defines three main migration approaches:

• Rehosting: Moving applications to cloud infrastructure with minimal changes
• Replatforming: Replacing selected components such as databases with managed cloud services
• Rearchitecting: Redesigning applications to use cloud-native architectures such as microservices

Replatforming is typically the default starting point, while rearchitecting is driven by specific performance or scalability requirements.

Modern IT practices

The tender requires the use of DevSecOps practices. Security must be integrated across the full lifecycle.

Key requirements include:

• CI/CD pipelines
• Infrastructure as Code
• Continuous monitoring

Containerization is also mandatory. Applications must run consistently across different environments using portable container images.

Structure of the 6 Lots

The MAIA tender is divided into 6 Lots. Lots 1 to 5 are single framework contracts. Lot 6 is a multiple framework contract.

Lot 1: AWS Cloud Focus

• Single contractor
• Up to 300,000 EUR per specific contract per year
• Focus on AWS-based development, migration, and operations

Lot 2: Microsoft Azure Cloud Focus

• Single contractor
• Up to 300,000 EUR per specific contract per year
• Focus on Azure-based services

Lot 3: Cloud-Agnostic and Alternative Clouds

• Single contractor
• Up to 300,000 EUR per specific contract per year
• Covers multi-cloud or non-AWS/Azure environments

Lot 4: Non-Cloud Development and Maintenance

• Single contractor
• Up to 300,000 EUR per specific contract per year
• Covers development and maintenance of non-cloud systems

Lot 5: Non-Cloud Support and Operations

• Single contractor
• Up to 300,000 EUR per specific contract per year
• Focus on support and operations
• Maintenance limited to 15% of contract value

Lot 6: Comprehensive IT Services

• Multiple contractors (up to 20)
• Up to 5,000,000 EUR per specific contract
• Total estimated value: 290,371,157 EUR

Lot 6 acts as a catch-all. It is used when:

• Project value exceeds 300,000 EUR
• A conflict of interest exists
• Scope spans multiple domains

Service Elements

Contractors must deliver a defined set of IT services.

Analysis and Design

Teams translate business requirements into technical solutions. This includes system architecture, risk analysis, and technical planning.

UX and UI

Teams design user interactions through research, wireframes, testing, and visual design.

Development and Testing

Software is delivered using Agile methods with structured testing, including security, performance, and automation testing.

Applicative Support

Contractors act as a Single Point of Contact. Responsibilities include:

• Incident management (Levels 1 to 3)
• Access management
• Ticket handling under ITIL processes

Operations and FinOps

Teams manage production environments and optimize cloud costs. This includes monitoring, backups, release management, and cost control.

Documentation and Training

Contractors must produce documentation and deliver training sessions for users and technical staff.

Required IT Profiles

The tender defines 9 pricing groups with strict requirements for education, experience, and certifications.

Key profiles include:

• Project and service managers with at least 8 years of experience
• Scrum Masters with Agile certifications
• Cloud specialists with up to 12 years of experience for senior levels
• Architects, business analysts, and UX specialists
• Developers and DevOps engineers
• Data engineers and data scientists
• Security specialists with certifications such as CISSP or ISO 27001

Methodology and Delivery Modes

Agile and DevSecOps

Projects must follow Agile methodologies. The European Commission recommends PM²-Agile, along with SCRUM or SAFe.

Work is organized in sprints, typically lasting 2 weeks. Teams work from a shared backlog and measure delivery using story points.

Architecture must align with the European Interoperability Reference Architecture.

Delivery modes

All services must be delivered within the EU.

Three delivery modes are defined:

• On-site: Work at Commission premises with limited teleworking
• Near-site: Work within 2 hours travel distance
• Far-site: Remote work within the EU

Contractors must support emergency on-site intervention within 2 hours when required.

Competition Mechanisms and Ordering

Service modes

Two main pricing models apply:

• Fixed Price: Payment after acceptance of deliverables
• Quoted Time and Means: Payment based on agreed daily rates and actual work delivered

Ordering process

For Lots 1 to 5, the Commission sends requests directly to the single contractor.

For Lot 6, each request triggers a new competition between framework contractors.

Contractors submit offers within defined limits. Evaluation follows:

• Lowest price
• Best price-quality ratio

The best price-quality ratio is calculated using a formula combining price and quality scores.

SLAs and Performance Enforcement

Performance is monitored through KPIs.

Global KPIs

These apply at contract level. Examples include:

• Timely reporting
• Data quality
• Contract compliance

Failure may lead to performance improvement plans or suspension.

Specific KPIs

These apply at project level and include financial penalties.

Examples:

• Start delays may trigger penalties up to 10% of contract value
• High staff turnover leads to financial penalties
• Late delivery incurs daily penalties
• Agile velocity below 85% triggers fines
• System availability must remain above 98.5%
• Critical incidents must be resolved within 1 hour

Penalties can reach up to 50% of contract value.

Lot 6 Winners

Lot 6 is the most significant component of the MAIA framework, covering projects up to 5,000,000 EUR per contract. The European Commission awarded this multi-supplier framework to a set of contractors who will compete through reopening of competition.

Each contractor operates either independently or as part of a consortium. The composition of these consortia is critical, as it determines the combined capabilities available during project execution.

Below are the awarded contractors and their consortium structures:

FINCONS BE (Leader)

• Consortium members: ALTIA CONSULTORES SA, ATECH ADVANCED SOLUTIONS SA, VASS EU SERVICES
• Subcontracting: 50%

NTT DATA BELGIQUE (Leader)

• Consortium members: NETCOMPANY-INTRASOFT SA, LEONARDO – SOCIETA PER AZIONI, CAPGEMINI TECHNOLOGY SERVICES
• Subcontracting: 55.5%

ENGINEERING INTERNATIONAL BELGIUM SA (Leader)

• Consortium members: QUALCO Monoprosopi Anonymi Etaireia Systimaton Pliroforikis, COSMOTE GLOBAL SOLUTIONS
• Subcontracting: 41%

SEIDOR CONSULTING SL (Leader)

• Consortium members: ARICOMA SYSTEMS, TWENTY8, Alten Belgium SRL
• Subcontracting: 19%

EUROPEAN DYNAMICS LUXEMBOURG SA (Leader)

• Consortium members: EUROPEAN DYNAMICS ADVANCED INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY AND TELECOMMUNICATION SYSTEMS SA
• Subcontracting: 2.8%

PRICEWATERHOUSECOOPERS (PwC) EU SERVICES EESV

• Consortium members: Bidding independently
• Subcontracting: 100%

ERNST AND YOUNG (Greece) – SINGLE MEMBER LIMITED COMPANY (Leader)

• Consortium members: UNISYS BELGIUM, NETWORK RESEARCH BELGIUM SA, EDDA INTERNATIONAL SA, CGI BELGIUM NV
• Subcontracting: 60%

ENTERPRISE SERVICES BELGIUM

• Consortium members: Bidding independently
• Subcontracting: 0%

DELOITTE CONSULTING AND ADVISORY BV (Leader)

• Consortium members: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES (IBM) OF BELGIUM, CEGEKA GROEP, CRONOS EUROPA, FUJITSU TECHNOLOGY SOLUTIONS
• Subcontracting: 72%

ARHS DEVELOPMENTS SA (Leader)

• Consortium members: ACCENTURE SA, SWORD SERVICES GREECE, INDRA SOLUCIONES TECNOLOGÍAS DE LA INFORMACIÓN
• Subcontracting: 60.3%

UNISYSTEMS LUXEMBOURG SARL (Leader)

• Consortium members: SOPRA STERIA BELGIUM, ATOS BELGIUM
• Subcontracting: 40%

ALMAVIVA THE ITALIAN INNOVATION COMPANY SPA (Leader)

• Consortium members: THALERIA, TREMEND SOFTWARE CONSULTING SRL, WESTPOLE BELGIUM, HIBERUS IT DEVELOPMENT SERVICES SL, AXIANS EU – DIGITAL SOLUTIONS SA
• Subcontracting: 41%

These contractors will compete for individual projects during the 36-month framework period, with each assignment awarded through structured competition based on price and quality criteria.

CV Templates in EU IT frameworks

In large European Commission IT frameworks, consultant selection is typically based on structured CV formats aligned with predefined profiles and requirements.

This approach has been applied across multiple frameworks managed by DG DIGIT and other EU institutions, including DIGIT-TM, ITS, EEAS, TAXUD, and FRONTEX, where standardised CV templates are used to ensure consistency and comparability.

Given the structure of the MAIA framework, particularly the profile-driven evaluation and competition mechanisms in Lot 6, similar CV standardisation practices are expected to apply.

Sprint CV – Enterprise CV Manager for consulting companies is already aligned with these requirements and is used to support structured CV management across EU framework environments, enabling vendors and recruiters to maintain consistent, compliant, and ready-to-submit consultant profiles.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the MAIA Tender (EC-DIGIT/2024/OP/0019)?

The MAIA Tender is a European Commission framework contract for IT services managed by DG DIGIT. It has an estimated value of 900,000,000 EUR and a duration of 36 months. It covers services such as development, cloud migration, maintenance, support, and operations across EU institutions.

How is the MAIA Tender structured?

The framework is divided into six Lots. Lots 1 to 5 are single framework contracts with one contractor each and a maximum value of 300,000 EUR per specific contract. Lot 6 is a multiple framework contract with up to 20 contractors and allows projects up to 5,000,000 EUR.

What is Lot 6 in the MAIA Tender?

Lot 6 is the only multi-supplier Lot in the MAIA framework. It is used for larger or more complex projects, typically above 300,000 EUR, or when conflicts of interest prevent the use of other Lots. Contractors compete through reopening of competition for each project.

How does reopening of competition work in MAIA?

For Lot 6, the contracting authority sends a request to all selected contractors. Each contractor submits an offer within predefined limits. The contract is awarded based on either lowest price or best price-quality ratio using a formal evaluation method.

What types of services are covered under MAIA?

The MAIA framework covers a wide range of IT services including system design, software development, testing, cloud migration, applicative support, operations, and user training. Services are delivered using Agile and DevSecOps methodologies.

What are the SLA requirements in the MAIA Tender?

Contractors must comply with strict Service Level Agreements based on measurable KPIs. These include delivery timelines, system availability, incident resolution, and team stability. Financial penalties apply if performance thresholds are not met.

Who are the Lot 6 winners of the MAIA Tender?

In January 2026, the European Commission selected multiple contractors for Lot 6, including companies such as NTT DATA, Deloitte, PwC, European Dynamics, and others operating in consortia. These contractors will compete for projects during the framework period.

Closing Context

The MAIA tender is a large-scale IT procurement framework, of 900M€, designed to support the digital transformation of EU institutions.

It combines structured service delivery, strict governance, and competitive mechanisms.

The 6-Lot structure separates specialized services from large-scale projects, with Lot 6 enabling ongoing competition between major providers.

Strict SLAs and financial penalties ensure performance and accountability.

The selected contractors will play a central role in delivering IT systems, cloud migrations, and operational services across EU institutions through 2026 and beyond.

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