The procurement will take the form of a pre-commercial procurement (PCP) under which R&D service contracts will be awarded to a number of R&D providers in parallel in a phased approach. This will make it possible to compare competing alternative solutions.
Each selected operator will be awarded a framework agreement that covers 3 R&D phases.
The 3 phases are:
- R&D up to solution design
- R&D up to a prototype
- R&D up to original development, verification and testing of a limited set of first products or services.
After each phase, intermediate evaluations will be carried out to progressively select the best of the competing solutions. The contractors with the best-value-for-money solutions will be offered a specific contract for the next phase.
Testing is expected to take place in the three Buyers Regions:
- Region Västerbotten (Sweden)
- Extremadura (Spain)
- Agder Region (Norway)
This testing may also serve as a first customer test reference for the contractors. The procurement is expected to start in 31st August 2022 and end in 31st March 2026.
The selected operators will retain ownership of the intellectual property rights (IPRs) that they generate during the PCP and will be able to use them to exploit the full market potential of the developed solutions i.e. beyond the procurers. 70% to 80% of all healthcare costs in the EU - an estimated €700 billion - are currently spent 4 / 5 on chronic diseases.
The total budget for the PCP is 4,650,000 € covering all contracts to procurers in all phases.
In Phase 1, five contractors apply their solution design approach for the CRANE Challenge. The design level is schematic; planning and calculations are preliminary. During this phase, contractors and procurers will interact in a co-design and co-creation process where doubts and decisions will be agreed-upon. This phase aims to verify the conceptual, technological, organisational, regulatory, safety and budgetary feasibility of the solutions.
In Phase 2, three contractors refine and increase the level of detail of their designs and develop a prototype. The design level is as detailed as possible and calculations should be final. The use of the Co-Design procedure should be intensified. This phase aims to turn the schematic design to a prototype preparing all parties involved for rapid validation and implementation; and to give future users the opportunity to test the solution.
In Phase 3, two contractors implement their solution to be verified by Buyer Regions in the selected Pilot Sites in each country of the 3 Buyers. The solutions are installed, integrated, made operational, maintained and performance data collected.