DIGIT SM

DIGIT-SM stands for External service provision in Service Mode for development, consultancy and support in the field of information systems.

A framework contract is a type of contract that sets out the legal, financial, technical, and administrative provisions for the relationship between the European Commission (or other EU institution) and contractors during the period of the contract's validity. It does not create any direct commitments or constitute orders in and of itself. Instead, actual orders are placed through specific contracts that are concluded in the performance of the framework contract.

In the case of the DIGIT SM framework contracts, there are two lots: one for project monitoring and quality assurance for software development in service mode, and one for software development in service mode. For Lot 1, the contractual relationship will be governed by a single framework contract, while for Lot 2, there will be a cascade mechanism involving up to two contractors.

Lots

For Lot 1, the contractor is responsible for providing quality assurance, effort estimation, and project monitoring services. They assess the compliance of the deliverables (such as software, technical design, and user manuals) with the requirements and guidelines of the European Commission, and estimate the effort required for projects to be developed under Lot 2. They also manage the day-to-day aspects of externalizing projects, including monitoring and managing the progress of projects in terms of scope, budget, and time.

For Lot 2, the contractor(s) are responsible for providing software development and maintenance services. They work on projects, which can be either new systems or major updates to existing systems. These projects are subject to effort estimation and quality assurance checks performed by the contractor for Lot 1.

Location

The work for these contracts is mainly being performed outside of the European Commission's premises, typically on the contractor's premises, with some services being provided on the Commission's premises. For activities that require onsite presence, the place of delivery is normally in Belgium and Luxembourg.