SPACE4Cities ­Pre-Commercial Procurement (PCP) Call for Tenders: opening satellite data for city planning

A Pre–Commercial Procurement (PCP) launched by 6 European Local and Regional Procuring Authorities to purchase research and development services to utilise European satellite data to dynamically manage public urban spaces in municipalities. The purpose of the PCP is to trigger new solutions to be developed and tested to address the following challenge: "Via smart exploitation of space-­based data services through Galileo GNSS and Copernicus earth observation programs, the SPACE4Cities project aims to trigger replicable, new solutions for the dynamic management of public spaces. Better, more dynamic management of public areas is needed to answer a concrete need for cities and regions to adapt to fast-­changing requirements for infrastructure, public spaces and city maintenance, and to increase their resilience to cope with extreme and disruptive events or weather conditions." All interested operators are invited to take part in this Pre-Commercial Procurement, regardless of their geographic location, the size or governance structure of their organisation.

The Call for Tender will be open between 15.1.20225 and 9.4.2025. The Tender Documentation as well as the Forms needed to submit an offer are available on the project website space4cities.eu. The EU-funded SPACE4Cities project is offering €2.87 million to develop innovative solutions using satellite applications to make the cities more future-proof.

This initiative aims to tackle urban challenges like climate change and crisis mitigation by harnessing the power of European satellite data and space technologies. Traditionally, satellite data and other applications have been used to monitor natural environments like forests and oceans. Now, SPACE4Cities is exploring how space technologies can benefit Europe’s densely populated areas, helping city planners create more sustainable and resilient urban environments.

European satellite data, still very underused by cities, is expected to serve as an excellent addition to the data already available. This call for tenders, opening January 15th and closing April 9th, 2025, invites companies, research centers, and non-profit organisations to develop solutions addressing three key areas:

• Urban Planning and Management: Using digital tools for improving the accuracy and efficiency of dynamic urban space data collection, analysis and visualisation.
• Sustainable Mobility: Improving public transportation, active mobility (like walking and cycling), logistics, and emergency response while reducing CO2 emissions.
• Climate Adaptation: Enhancing city resilience to environmental risks such as floods and heat waves, promoting green spaces, and supporting the transition to cleaner energy sources.

The SPACE4Cities project has a total budget of €5.2 million, with a notable amount of €2.87 million specifically allocated for companies. The project will support the development of new solutions through three phases: concept design, prototype development, and real-world testing. In 2026–2027, the 5 winning innovations will be piloted in Helsinki, Amsterdam, Athens, Ghent, and Guimarães, as well as 10 other European cities selected during the process.

The City of Helsinki Innovation Company, Forum Virium Helsinki, a European leader in pre-commercial procurement, coordinates the 3.5-year-long project with partners: Buyers Group members City of Amsterdam, District09 (City of Ghent, Belgium), Regional Development Fund Attica (Greece), Municipality of Guimarães (Portugal), the international smart city network Open & Agile Smart Cities (OASC). Lastly, the technical expert partner is the leading European cluster in the aerospace sector, Aerospace Valley (France). This PCP is carried out by Lead Procurer Forum Virium Helsinki in the name and on behalf of the buyers group listed above.

The applicable national procurement law is Finnish. The initiative uses a “pre-commercial procurement” approach, which focuses on funding research and development to create various innovative solutions that do not yet exist on the market, simultaneously. As opposed to the more traditional way, this allows the public sector to guide innovation directly towards their needs and address challenges that cannot be met by existing products or services.

This approach holds significant promise for accelerating climate adaptation and emission reductions, addressing the urgent need for rapid and effective solutions. More information and application details can be found at space4cities.eu/call-for-tenders. About SPACE4Cities: SPACE4Cities, funded by Horizon Europe via the European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA), aims to use European satellite applications to solve urban challenges and create more sustainable urban environments.