European Commission invites bids for blockchain pre-commercial procurement

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The European Commission has opened up bids for its new European Union blockchain pre-commercial procurement, in the first steps towards greater implementation of blockchain tech across the bloc.

Known as a PCP, the tender process is inviting interest from suppliers who can provide research and development into a government blockchain system, and how the technology can be adapted to fit its requirements.

In particular, the Commission’s PCP focuses on the development of a new blockchain solution that would service elements of EU legal frameworks, specifically for General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), Electronic Identification, Authentication and Trust Services regulations, and the recent Network and Information Systems directive.

The European Commission is expected to award contracts to several suppliers running in parallel, based on the value for money offered by each service provider. Solutions are to be delivered in phases, with plans to filter contractors at each stage of the process.

The PCP will interface with ongoing work being carried out by the European Blockchain Partnership, as part of its ongoing commitment to developing a European Blockchain Service Infrastructure.

According to the European Blockchain Partnership, the aim of the blockchain service infrastructure is to create an EU-wide platform for delivering public services more efficiently.

At present, work on the platform is limited to use cases that can be best served by existing technologies. The PCP will explore new opportunities presented by blockchain in other areas of governance, as well as looking at the role of emerging technologies across a wider range of use cases. The tender process is expected to run until at January 28 2021, and underscores the EU’s commitment to developing a blockchain future.

Back in September, the European Commission announced plans to establish a new regulatory sandbox for blockchain development, which it expects to be up and running by 2022.

See also: Dr. Craig Wright’s presentation at CoinGeek Live, From Internet to Bitcoin: The Digital Ledger to Advance the World’s Technology Infrastructure