The procedure for obtaining permission to use the registration may differ per programme. The main difference exists between proposals in competitive tenders and proposals that are submitted proactively. NSO aims for uniformity in terms of how a request is handled.
Competitive tenders are based on approved work plans. For ARTES and NAVISP, each published ITT that is applied for, requires approval. NSO has to be made aware of any such requests at least four weeks prior to the deadline. For the GSTP programme, approval for the deployment of Dutch resources is granted prior to publication of the ITT. If Dutch parties are interested in participating in a certain activity, they must submit an application within four weeks of publication of the work plan. The application must include an application form and an associated business case. Upon positive assessment, NSO will notify ESA that the Netherlands wishes to participate in the ITT process for this activity.
All activities offered to ESA proactively, are subject to two specific benchmarks in the ESA tender procedure, an outline proposal and a final proposal. A limited number of programmes require additional specific information items. The timing when NSO's consent has to be formally communicated to ESA differs from programme to programme. In view of uniform handling of all cases, a provisional approval decision is always based on an outline proposal. The decision will be communicated to the applicant. For GSTP, ESA will be formally informed of this decision. For ARTES, InCubed and NAVISP, an additional consistency check will be performed and ESA will be informed upon submission of the full proposal.
As available programme budgets are finite, NSO enforces conditions to limit the duration of the claim or the size of the budget reservation. Upon approval of an application based on an outline proposal, the full proposal must be ready within eight weeks. The approval lapses automatically after this period and a “letter of support” can no longer be claimed. Upon ESA Tender Evaluation Board’s positive assessment, contract negotiations must be completed and the contract with ESA signed within 12 weeks.
Supplied information based on which a decision is made, must be as uniform as possible. In addition to the completed application form, a concept of the proposal must be submitted without a work package breakdown or financial justification. The “outline proposal” template supplied by ESA will suffice. If no ESA template is available, this template (t.b.d.) can be used instead.
The form and additional information can be submitted to info@spaceoffice.nl. A receipt confirmation will be sent within two business days. The responsible ESA representative will respond within five business days to confirm whether the submission is considered complete or if any additional information is required.
NSO aims to make a decision within four weeks.
For the programmes below, NSO has drafted specific guidelines for granting their support.