EU Funding

The supply contract or pre-contract required in the dossier

Many calls require a signed supply contract or pre-contract in the dossier: proof that a supplier has been identified, with a firm price and a committed implementation deadline.

Northdan Soft is a software supplier, not a funding consultancy, and is not affiliated with any managing authority or development agency. Programme information is indicative — always check the conditions in the programme's official applicant guide.

The supply contract or pre-contract annexed to a dossier has a precise function: it shows the funder that the project is not an intention but a prepared purchase, with an identified supplier who has committed in writing to the object, the value and the delivery deadline. Not every call asks for one at submission — POCIDIF Action 2.1, for instance, asks for a minimum of two signed and dated price offers per budgeted cost plus the offer centraliser in Annex 7, and the contracts appear at the contracting stage instead. Where a call does ask for a commitment, evaluation looks at a handful of specific clauses: the description of the delivery must point back to the technical offer, the value must match the project budget, the implementation deadline must fit inside the maximum duration the call permits, and the payment terms must be compatible with the funding mechanism — you cannot have a 90% advance when money arrives through reimbursement. Northdan signs such contracts and pre-contracts as supplier, with clauses drafted around the requirements of the target call, and correlates them with the offer and the budget breakdown we also prepare. The final legal wording is validated by your lawyer or consultant; we guarantee the part we actually execute.

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How we help

An execution deadline we commit to

The implementation deadline in the contract is one we can genuinely meet, sized with a margin against the maximum project duration.

An object defined by reference to the offer

The contract's object takes over the modules and deliverables from the technical offer, so the two documents support each other at evaluation.

Payment terms adapted to the funding

We structure the payment tranches around the call's mechanism — reimbursement, payment request or advance — rather than a rigid commercial template.

The clauses the funder looks for

Beyond the standard legal elements, the check looks at: full identification of the parties, an object described precisely enough to be recognisable in the offer and the budget, the total value with a breakdown or a reference to an annex, a clearly expressed implementation deadline, the validity period of the commitment, and the acceptance and payment arrangements.

Some guides add specific requirements — warranty clauses, statements about ownership of the deliverables, confidentiality or maintenance obligations. We identify them in the guide of your call and include them from drafting, so you do not receive remarks at the administrative check.

Pre-contract or firm contract?

The practical difference: a pre-contract (or a contract subject to a condition) produces effects only if the project receives funding — common practice at submission, because the beneficiary does not want to be bound to a purchase it may not be able to pay for. A firm contract is usually signed after the financing is contracted, or when the company would make the investment anyway.

Which variant is used depends on the call's requirements: some guides accept simple offers at submission, others demand signed commitments. We read the exact requirement in the official guide and prepare the right form — and where the call allows it, we recommend the suspensive condition, which protects both parties without weakening the dossier.

From draft to signature, the concrete steps

Once the technical offer is agreed, we draft the contract correlated with it and send it for review by you together with your consultant and, where relevant, your lawyer. We incorporate the comments, sign electronically, and the dossier receives the complete piece within a few working days rather than weeks.

The value in the contract, the value in the chosen offer and the line in the detailed budget must say the same thing, because at reimbursement the invoice is reconciled against the budget line.

Frequently asked questions

My dossier requires a supply pre-contract — will you sign before I win?

Yes, we sign pre-contracts under a suspensive condition wherever the call accepts them: the commitment becomes enforceable only if the project is admitted to financing. You get the piece the dossier requires, and neither party stays bound if the project does not pass.

Which implementation deadline do you put in the contract for the dossier?

One we can actually execute, set after sizing the solution and checked against the maximum implementation duration the call allows. On POCIDIF Action 2.1 that is at most 24 months, extendable with justification but no later than 31 December 2029.

Can the supply contract carry a different value from the offer in the dossier?

It should not: a mismatch between the contracted value and the one in the offer or budget is a classic trigger for clarifications and can affect the eligibility of the cost. We generate the contract directly from the agreed offer, so the values coincide by construction.

Who bears the drafting of the contract — beneficiary or supplier?

With us, the draft contract is part of the supplier document pack, alongside the technical offer and the budget breakdown. Legal review on your side stays at your discretion and cost, and we always recommend it at high values.