NP/EFSA/IDATA/2024/01 - MICROHAZ – Migration of the existing database on processing factor into IUCLID

Published:
Deadline:
Expired
Budget:
€100,000

Approximate launch date: beginning of December 2024

Call reference: NP/EFSA/IDATA/2024/01

Deadline to register interest: 29/11/2024

Background

Since 2018, EFSA has been developing and maintaining the “European database of processing factors (PF) for pesticides in food”. The database is a ready-to-use inventory of PF for pesticides in a variety of processed food items. It is a major source of information for scientific assessment bodies and for enforcement laboratories. Several updates have been made since 2018. The EU database on PF is provided as a flat Excel spreadsheet and is available to the public via Knowledge junction: https://zenodo.org/records/12685883.

EFSA aims at improving data quality and interoperability with IT tools in line with the “One Substance – One Assessment” (OSOA) approach as part of the Chemicals Strategy for Sustainability (CSS), thus using collaborative digital platforms delivered in a One Health EU ecosystem. Since 2022, EFSA has already initiated the development of OpenFoodTox (OFT) 3.0 with IUCLID 6 as a basis for the Common EU Repository of Health- and Environmental-Based Limit Values (HEBLVs). Under OFT 3.0 project, EFSA is currently migrating the OFT 2.0 database into a dedicated working context in IUCLID 6.

In line with this strategy, EFSA is currently aiming at migrating the EU database on PF into IUCLID 6. In 2024, a feasibility analysis of the migration of the EU database on processing factor into IUCLID 6 has been performed. In addition, EFSA proposed changes for the existing IUCLID formats (OHT 85-9 and its endpoint summary) to better align the EU PF data model with OHTs and EU_PPP documents in IUCLID 6. A first mapping between the EU PF data model and the IUCLID formats is also expected to be delivered by Q1 2025.

Objectives

The aim of this procurement procedure is to map and migrate the existing EU database on processing factors (currently provided as a flat Excel spreadsheet) to IUCLID 6 formats. Similarly, the objective is to use IUCLID 6 (latest publicly available version) as the new interface to collect and update the EU Processing Factor database.

The specific objectives are as follows:

  • Objective 1: Checking the quality of the EU PF database.
  • Objective 2: Mapping the existing PF data model to the latest publicly available IUCLID 6 formats.
  • Objective 3: Migrating the existing EU PF database on processing factor into IUCLID 6.
  • Objective 4: Maintaining the EU PF database on IUCLID 6.
  • Objective 5: Disseminating the EU PF database.

Selection criteria - technical and professional capacity:

The tenderer must have the following minimum professional capacity to perform the contract:

  • Requirement 1: Extensive and demonstrable experience in collection of pesticide residues data in food (magnitude of residues in plant and processed products). 
  • Requirement 2: Extensive and demonstrable experience in data management and analysis, data integration and interoperability, data curation and visualisation using automated workflow based on open-source software (e.g., KNIME, R-studio).
  • Requirement 3: Extensive and demonstrable experience in design of chemical databases including data models and in the provision of services described in the technical specifications.
  • Requirement 4: Ability to provide a team of experts compliant with these specific expertise requirements:
    • A Project Leader with at least 10 years of professional experience and proven record in project management. The Project Leader shall be responsible for the overall contact, management and coordination of the implementation of all services requested by EFSA in this call for tender
    • One junior expert with minimum 3 years’ experience and one senior expert with minimum 10 years’ experience working with scientific databases. 
    • One junior expert with minimum 3 years’ experience and one senior expert with minimum 10 years’ experience in supporting the data collection with a University degree/MSc in the area of chemistry/food science and technology/agronomy with evidence regarding their technical or scientific expertise in these areas. These may include of pesticide residue data analysis, dietary exposure and risk assessment and any other areas deemed relevant (i.e. a curriculum vitae including list of relevant scientific publications or reports).
  • Requirement 5: The team of experts (Project leader and senior experts) must have overall a good level of spoken and written standard UK English. For non-native speakers, this should be demonstrated by an Official certificate of English proving a B2 level OR at least 3 years of work in an English-speaking environment etc. 
  • Requirement 6: The tenderer must have access to:
    • IUCLID 6 for contract execution
    • Access and expertise in using databases (IUCLID 6, KNIME, NIEHS OPERA, DTU models, R etc.)
    • Expertise in using the EU database of processing factors

Procedure to register interest:

If you are interested in this procedure, please send an e-mail message within the deadline to EFSAprocurement [at] efsa.europa.eu (EFSAprocurement[at]efsa[dot]europa[dot]eu) quoting the reference of the procedure and specifying the following:

  • your name/organisation's name and full address;
  • whether you participate as a physical person or an organisation/private company.

If you intend to apply in joint offer with partners. In this case, you must clearly identify each member of the joint offer and which partner is appointed as the lead partner. The composition of the partners in a joint offer cannot be changed once the invitation to tender letter has been sent.

Pesticidi