Invitation to participate in procurement for a Project and portfolio management (PPM) -solution

VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland Ltd., herein referred to as “VTT” or “Contracting Authority” expects your request to participate in negotiated procedure as detailed in the contract notice published on the public procurement website Hilma and this invitation to participate and its Annexes. Subject-matter of the Contract is a …

CPV: 72000000 IT-diensten: adviezen, softwareontwikkeling, internet en ondersteuning, 48000000 Software en informatiesystemen
Plaats van uitvoering:
Invitation to participate in procurement for a Project and portfolio management (PPM) -solution
Toekennende instantie:
VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland Ltd
Gunningsnummer:
Ref. nro 42/206/2025

1. Buyer

1.1 Buyer

Official name : VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland Ltd
Legal type of the buyer : Public undertaking
Activity of the contracting authority : Economic affairs

2. Procedure

2.1 Procedure

Title : Invitation to participate in procurement for a Project and portfolio management (PPM) -solution
Description : VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland Ltd., herein referred to as “VTT” or “Contracting Authority” expects your request to participate in negotiated procedure as detailed in the contract notice published on the public procurement website Hilma and this invitation to participate and its Annexes. Subject-matter of the Contract is a project and portfolio management platform with related services. The procurement process is a negotiated procedure. A maximum of five (5) tenderers shall be selected by the Contracting Authority for the negotiations on the basis of the criteria described in this contract notice, unless there are fewer than five applications to participate in accordance with the invitation to participate. Candidates from countries outside the WTO GPA (Agreement on Government Procurement) will not be considered. The procurement object VTT is planning to procure a project and project portfolio management solution (PPM) that will support VTT in its core business process of research projects and their management. The objective of this procurement process is to find one (1) professional supplier who can guarantee high quality service and provide the service in its entirety as described in annex 1 ‘’Description of the procurement object’’. The PPM solution sought by VTT should be capable of integrating with several other core business IT solutions, including finance ERP, CRM, HCM and document management systems. The service will be delivered as software as a service (SaaS) model. The price for the PPM solution cannot exceed a maximum budget of 3 million euros in four years period. The price includes the following: o Software system licenses for a SaaS solution, o Implementation project, o Support and maintenance services, o Mandatory options. The objective of the contracting authority is to address the characteristics, detailed content, additional requirements, specific features and pricing of the offered PPM-system and its implementation during the negotiated procedure. A preliminary description of the service being procured is attached as Appendix 1 ’’Description of the procurement object’’ to this request to participate. Due to the nature of object of the procurement, it is not possible to prepare the request to tender and description of the procurement object in such detail that the most economically advantageous tender could be selected using either an open or restricted procedure. In addition, the pricing model is not possible to be defined without negotiations due to the nature of the procurement object. The contracting authority will further define the procurement object during negotiations with the selected candidates. The contracting authority may also modify the preliminary request to tender or negotiation invitation during the negotiated procedure and request adapted new preliminary tenders based on the negotiations. Preliminary schedule for the procurement The procurement schedule is preliminary and will be refined as the negotiated procedure process progresses. The preliminary schedule outlined by the contracting authority is as follows: — 5/2025: Publication of the procurement notice — 6/2025: Invitations to the negotiation procedure — 8-9/2025: Deadline to send a preliminary tender — 9/2025: Negotiation rounds with selected suppliers — 9-10/2025: Final call for tenders, with a reasonable time for suppliers to respond — 10-11/2025: Procurement decision and signing of procurement contracts — 11-12/2025: Preparation for the implementation project — 1/2026: Start of the implementation project — 4/2026: Start of pilot use — 8/2026: Start of production use, roll-out phase 1 — 10/2026: Start of production use, roll-out phase 2 Negotiation Topics As a preliminary estimate, the contracting authority estimates that 2-3 negotiations per candidate will be held. The need will be specified based on, among other things, the preliminary request to tender. The content of the negotiations will be refined during the procedure, based on the preliminary tenders of the suppliers. The topics identified for negotiation are: — Subject of procurement: functional aspects, including also mandatory options — Subject of procurement: technical aspects, including also integrations — Contractual matters — Pricing model and pricing. The negotiations are tentatively scheduled for 9/2025. The contracting authority reserves the right to change the content and number of negotiations. Contracts and Contract Period The contracting authority will enter into a contract with the supplier who wins the tender. The contracting authority’s aim is that the contract will be valid indefinitely from the date of signing, but the contract period can also be for a fixed period. The contracting authority aims to start the service implementation project as soon as possible after the contract is signed, ideally during 1/2026.
Procedure identifier : ddf25534-794e-4c7e-a19b-2f935c90f263
Internal identifier : Ref. nro 42/206/2025
Type of procedure : Negotiated with prior publication of a call for competition / competitive with negotiation
Justification for the accelerated procedure :
Main features of the procedure : General terms The contract will be awarded through negotiated procedure, stipulated by section 34 of Act on Public Procurement and Concession Contracts (1397/2016). This is a procurement exceeds the EU threshold value. The Contracting Authority will select at maximum five (5) tenderers to the negotiations in accordance with criteria defined in this invitation to participate. The Contracting Authority does not have the resources to negotiate with more candidates. The criteria for scoring the references are described in more detail in the annex 6 ''References''. No compensation will be paid to companies for preparing a request to participate, a preliminary tender, a final tender or for presenting or taking part in the negotiations. The contracting authority reserves the right to clarify or, to the extent permitted by the legal guidelines on public procurement, modify the information presented in this request to participate and its appendices as the procurement procedure progresses. “Contracting Authority” means VTT. “Candidate” means a company or other entity (also a group of companies, "consortium") who sends a request to participate to this public procurement processes. “Tenderer” means a company or other entity (also a consortium) who the Contracting Authority has selected to the negotiations based on the tenderer’s application to participate. In other words, a “candidate” becomes a “tenderer” after the selection of tenderers to the negotiations, if the said candidate is selected. "The winner of the tender" means a company or other entity (also a consortium) who the Contracting Authority selects as the Contracting Authority’s partner after the negotiations, based on the tenderer’s final tender. Stages of the procurement process Planned stages in the procedure are: Publication of the procurement notice and invitation to participate Question and answer ("Q&A") phase Deadline for submitting request to participate Comparison of candidates to be selected for negotiations Delivery of the preliminary request to tender and negotiation invitation to the selected candidates Deadline for submitting a preliminary tender Candidates return the NDA Negotiation phase Delivery of the final request to tender to the candidates Deadline for submitting final tenders Comparison of tenders and procurement decision Request and verify the certificates and statements regarding the suitability of the competition winner(s) Signing of the contract Implementation project pilot use production use Language used in the procurement process The procurement documents are available in English and the negotiations will be held in English and/or Finnish. If a candidate needs the documents in another language, the candidate is responsible for the translation and its costs.

2.1.1 Purpose

Main nature of the contract : Services
Main classification ( cpv ): 72000000 IT services: consulting, software development, Internet and support
Additional classification ( cpv ): 48000000 Software package and information systems

2.1.2 Place of performance

Anywhere in the European Economic Area

2.1.4 General information

Additional information : Based on the procurement process one tenderer will be selected. The procurement process will be carried out as a negotiated procedure as referred to in Sections 34–35 of the Procurement Act. The negotiated procurement procedure is chosen, because: 1. the needs of the contracting entity cannot be met without adapting existing solutions; 2. the procurement can include or need innovative solutions; 3. the contract cannot be awarded without prior negotiations, because of specific circumstances related to its nature, complexity or legal and financial form, or because of the risks pertaining thereto; or 4. the description of the procurement cannot be drafted with sufficient precision with reference to a standard, European Technical Assessment, common technical specification or technical reference.
Legal basis :
Directive 2014/24/EU

2.1.6 Grounds for exclusion

Analogous situation like bankruptcy under national law : The economic operator is in any analogous situation like bankruptcy arising from a similar procedure under national laws and regulations.
Bankruptcy : The economic operator is bankrupt.
Corruption : The economic operator itself or any person who is a member of its administrative, management or supervisory body or has powers of representation, decision or control therein has been the subject of a conviction by final judgment for corruption, by a conviction rendered at the most five years ago or in which an exclusion period set out directly in the conviction continues to be applicable.
Arrangement with creditors : The economic operator is in arrangement with creditors.
Participation in a criminal organisation : The economic operator itself or any person who is a member of its administrative, management or supervisory body or has powers of representation, decision or control therein has been the subject of a conviction by final judgment for participation in a criminal organisation, by a conviction rendered at the most five years ago or in which an exclusion period set out directly in the conviction continues to be applicable.
Agreements with other economic operators aimed at distorting competition : The economic operator has entered into agreements with other economic operators aimed at distorting competition.
Breaching of obligations in the fields of environmental law : The economic operator has breached its obligations in the field of environmental law.
Money laundering or terrorist financing : The economic operator itself or any person who is a member of its administrative, management or supervisory body or has powers of representation, decision or control therein has been the subject of a conviction by final judgment for money laundering or terrorist financing, by a conviction rendered at the most five years ago or in which an exclusion period set out directly in the conviction continues to be applicable.
Fraud : The economic operator itself or any person who is a member of its administrative, management or supervisory body or has powers of representation, decision or control therein has been the subject of a conviction by final judgment for fraud, by a conviction rendered at the most five years ago or in which an exclusion period set out directly in the conviction continues to be applicable.
Child labour and other forms of trafficking in human beings : The economic operator itself or any person who is a member of its administrative, management or supervisory body or has powers of representation, decision or control therein has been the subject of a conviction by final judgment for child labour and other forms of trafficking in human beings, by a conviction rendered at the most five years ago or in which an exclusion period set out directly in the conviction continues to be applicable.
Insolvency : The economic operator is the subject of insolvency or winding-up.
Breaching of obligations in the fields of labour law : The economic operator has breached its obligations in the field of labour law.
Assets being administered by liquidator : The assets of the economic operator are being administered by a liquidator or by the court.
Purely national exclusion grounds : Any person who is a member of the economic operator’s administrative, management or supervisory body or has powers of representation, decision or control therein has been the subject of a conviction by final judgment for work safety offence, working hours offence, work discrimination, extortionate work discrimination, violation of the right to organise or unauthorised use of foreign labour.
Conflict of interest due to its participation in the procurement procedure : The economic operator is aware of any conflict of interest, as indicated in national law, the relevant notice or the procurement documents due to its participation in the procurement procedure.
Direct or indirect involvement in the preparation of this procurement procedure : The economic operator or an undertaking related to it has advised the contracting authority or contracting entity or otherwise been involved in the preparation of the procurement procedure.
Guilty of grave professional misconduct : The economic operator is guilty of grave professional misconduct.
Early termination, damages or other comparable sanctions : The economic operator has experienced that a prior public contract, a prior contract with a contracting entity or a prior concession contract was terminated early, or that damages or other comparable sanctions were imposed in connection with that prior contract.
Breaching of obligations in the fields of social law : The economic operator has breached its obligations in the field of social law.
Payment of social security contributions : The economic operator has breached its obligations relating to the payment social security contributions, both in the country in which it is established and in Member State of the contracting authority or contracting entity if other than the country of establishment.
Business activities are suspended : The business activities of the economic operator are suspended.
Payment of taxes : The economic operator has breached its obligations relating to the payment of taxes, both in the country in which it is established and in Member State of the contracting authority or contracting entity if other than the country of establishment.
Terrorist offences or offences linked to terrorist activities : The economic operator itself or any person who is a member of its administrative, management or supervisory body or has powers of representation, decision or control therein has been the subject of a conviction by final judgment for terrorist offences or offences linked to terrorist activities, by a conviction rendered at the most five years ago or in which an exclusion period set out directly in the conviction continues to be applicable.

5. Lot

5.1 Lot technical ID : LOT-0000

Title : Invitation to participate in procurement for a Project and portfolio management (PPM) -solution
Description : VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland Ltd., herein referred to as “VTT” or “Contracting Authority” expects your request to participate in negotiated procedure as detailed in the contract notice published on the public procurement website Hilma and this invitation to participate and its Annexes. Subject-matter of the Contract is a project and portfolio management platform with related services. The procurement process is a negotiated procedure. A maximum of five (5) tenderers shall be selected by the Contracting Authority for the negotiations on the basis of the criteria described in this contract notice, unless there are fewer than five applications to participate in accordance with the invitation to participate. Candidates from countries outside the WTO GPA (Agreement on Government Procurement) will not be considered. The procurement object VTT is planning to procure a project and project portfolio management solution (PPM) that will support VTT in its core business process of research projects and their management. The objective of this procurement process is to find one (1) professional supplier who can guarantee high quality service and provide the service in its entirety as described in annex 1 ‘’Description of the procurement object’’. The PPM solution sought by VTT should be capable of integrating with several other core business IT solutions, including finance ERP, CRM, HCM and document management systems. The service will be delivered as software as a service (SaaS) model. The price for the PPM solution cannot exceed a maximum budget of 3 million euros in four years period. The price includes the following: o Software system licenses for a SaaS solution, o Implementation project, o Support and maintenance services, o Mandatory options. The objective of the contracting authority is to address the characteristics, detailed content, additional requirements, specific features and pricing of the offered PPM-system and its implementation during the negotiated procedure. A preliminary description of the service being procured is attached as Appendix 1 ’’Description of the procurement object’’ to this request to participate. Due to the nature of object of the procurement, it is not possible to prepare the request to tender and description of the procurement object in such detail that the most economically advantageous tender could be selected using either an open or restricted procedure. In addition, the pricing model is not possible to be defined without negotiations due to the nature of the procurement object. The contracting authority will further define the procurement object during negotiations with the selected candidates. The contracting authority may also modify the preliminary request to tender or negotiation invitation during the negotiated procedure and request adapted new preliminary tenders based on the negotiations. Preliminary schedule for the procurement The procurement schedule is preliminary and will be refined as the negotiated procedure process progresses. The preliminary schedule outlined by the contracting authority is as follows: — 5/2025: Publication of the procurement notice — 6/2025: Invitations to the negotiation procedure — 8-9/2025: Deadline to send a preliminary tender — 9/2025: Negotiation rounds with selected suppliers — 9-10/2025: Final call for tenders, with a reasonable time for suppliers to respond — 10-11/2025: Procurement decision and signing of procurement contracts — 11-12/2025: Preparation for the implementation project — 1/2026: Start of the implementation project — 4/2026: Start of pilot use — 8/2026: Start of production use, roll-out phase 1 — 10/2026: Start of production use, roll-out phase 2 Negotiation Topics As a preliminary estimate, the contracting authority estimates that 2-3 negotiations per candidate will be held. The need will be specified based on, among other things, the preliminary request to tender. The content of the negotiations will be refined during the procedure, based on the preliminary tenders of the suppliers. The topics identified for negotiation are: — Subject of procurement: functional aspects, including also mandatory options — Subject of procurement: technical aspects, including also integrations — Contractual matters — Pricing model and pricing. The negotiations are tentatively scheduled for 9/2025. The contracting authority reserves the right to change the content and number of negotiations. Contracts and Contract Period The contracting authority will enter into a contract with the supplier who wins the tender. The contracting authority’s aim is that the contract will be valid indefinitely from the date of signing, but the contract period can also be for a fixed period. The contracting authority aims to start the service implementation project as soon as possible after the contract is signed, ideally during 1/2026.
Internal identifier : Ref. nro 42/206/2025

5.1.1 Purpose

Main nature of the contract : Services
Main classification ( cpv ): 72000000 IT services: consulting, software development, Internet and support
Additional classification ( cpv ): 48000000 Software package and information systems

5.1.2 Place of performance

Anywhere in the European Economic Area
Additional information :

5.1.3 Estimated duration

Other duration : Unlimited

5.1.6 General information

Reserved participation : Participation is not reserved.
Procurement Project not financed with EU Funds.
The procurement is covered by the Government Procurement Agreement (GPA) : yes
This procurement is also suitable for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) : no
Additional information : Based on the procurement process one tenderer will be selected. The procurement process will be carried out as a negotiated procedure as referred to in Sections 34–35 of the Procurement Act. The negotiated procurement procedure is chosen, because: 1. the needs of the contracting entity cannot be met without adapting existing solutions; 2. the procurement can include or need innovative solutions; 3. the contract cannot be awarded without prior negotiations, because of specific circumstances related to its nature, complexity or legal and financial form, or because of the risks pertaining thereto; or 4. the description of the procurement cannot be drafted with sufficient precision with reference to a standard, European Technical Assessment, common technical specification or technical reference.

5.1.9 Selection criteria

Criterion :
Type : Economic and financial standing
Name : “General” yearly turnover
Description : see ESPD Part IV: Selection criteria B: ECONOMIC AND FINANCIAL STANDING
Use of this criterion : Used
Criterion :
Type : Economic and financial standing
Name : Indemnity insurance
Description : see ESPD Part IV: Selection criteria B: ECONOMIC AND FINANCIAL STANDING
Use of this criterion : Used
Criterion :
Type : Economic and financial standing
Name : Other economic and financial requirements, credit rating
Description : see ESPD Part IV: Selection criteria B: ECONOMIC AND FINANCIAL STANDING
Use of this criterion : Used
Criterion :
Type : Economic and financial standing
Name : Contractor’s obligations and liability when work is contracted out
Description : see ESPD Part IV: Selection criteria B: ECONOMIC AND FINANCIAL STANDING
Use of this criterion : Used
Criterion :
Type : Suitability to pursue the professional activity
Name : Enrolment in a trade register
Description : see ESPD Part IV: Selection criteria A: SUITABILITY
Use of this criterion : Used
Criterion :
Type : Technical and professional ability
Name : Technical and professional ability, references
Description : see ESPD Part IV: Selection criteria C: TECHNICAL AND PROFESSIONAL ABILITY
Use of this criterion : Used

5.1.10 Award criteria

Criterion :
Type : Price
Name : Price
Description : See Invitation to participate.
Category of award threshold criterion : Weight (points, exact)
Award criterion number : 0
Criterion :
Type : Quality
Name : Quality
Description : See Invitation to participate.
Category of award threshold criterion : Weight (points, exact)
Award criterion number : 0
Description of the method to be used if weighting cannot be expressed by criteria :
Justification for not indicating the weighting of the award criteria :

5.1.11 Procurement documents

Deadline for requesting additional information : 23/05/2025 09:00 +00:00

5.1.12 Terms of procurement

Terms of submission :
Electronic submission : Required
Languages in which tenders or requests to participate may be submitted : English
Electronic catalogue : Not allowed
Variants : Not allowed
Tenderers may submit more than one tender : Not allowed
Deadline for receipt of requests to participate : 09/06/2025 09:00 +00:00
Terms of contract :
The execution of the contract must be performed within the framework of sheltered employment programmes : No
Electronic invoicing : Required
Electronic ordering will be used : yes
Electronic payment will be used : yes

5.1.15 Techniques

Framework agreement :
No framework agreement
Information about the dynamic purchasing system :
No dynamic purchase system

5.1.16 Further information, mediation and review

Review organisation : Markkinaoikeus -

8. Organisations

8.1 ORG-0001

Official name : VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland Ltd
Registration number : 2647375-4
Postal address : PL 1000
Town : VTT
Postcode : 02044
Country subdivision (NUTS) : Helsinki-Uusimaa ( FI1B1 )
Country : Finland
Contact point : VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland Ltd
Telephone : +358 207603000
Roles of this organisation :
Buyer

8.1 ORG-0002

Official name : Markkinaoikeus
Registration number : 3006157-6
Postal address : Radanrakentajantie 5
Town : Helsinki
Postcode : 00520
Country subdivision (NUTS) : Helsinki-Uusimaa ( FI1B1 )
Country : Finland
Telephone : +358 295643300
Roles of this organisation :
Review organisation

8.1 ORG-0003

Official name : Hansel Oy (Hilma)
Registration number : FI09880841
Postal address : Mannerheiminaukio 1a
Town : Helsinki
Postcode : 00100
Country subdivision (NUTS) : Helsinki-Uusimaa ( FI1B1 )
Country : Finland
Contact point : eSender
Telephone : 029 55 636 30
Roles of this organisation :
TED eSender
Notice information
Notice identifier/version : ba92ce41-3f1c-425e-9b07-26138fcc464c - 01
Form type : Competition
Notice type : Contract or concession notice – standard regime
Notice dispatch date : 07/05/2025 14:19 +00:00
Notice dispatch date (eSender) : 07/05/2025 14:20 +00:00
Languages in which this notice is officially available : English
Notice publication number : 00298952-2025
OJ S issue number : 90/2025
Publication date : 12/05/2025