CCapability-led route

Inbetriebnahme eines KI-Serversystems und einer Pilotanwendung

Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft zur Förderung der angewandten Forschung e.V., Einkauf B12 / Fraunhofer IFF

Deadline
20 Aug 2026, 08:00
Value
Maximum available budget EUR 48,000 net, including all ancillary costs, plus statutory VAT.
Region
Magdeburg, Sachsen-Anhalt, Germany
Reviewed
16 Aug 2026
Portfolio verdict

Capability-led route

No-bid on current evidence. The technical scope is a strong competency match and the EUR 48,000 budget is explicit, but the mandatory recent comparable reference, full three-year turnover, headcount and liability policy are not evidenced. With submission due 2026-08-20 and fixed mobilisation on 2026-09-01, proceed only if those gates and a named delivery team can be resolved immediately.

Recommended actionNo-bid unless the owner can immediately evidence one comparable AI-assistance reference, confirm a suitably staffed Ollama/OpenWebUI delivery team with six-hour response and possible on-site support, provide insurance and 2023 turnover evidence, and approve a fixed-price submission before 2026-08-20 08:00 CEST.

What the opportunity means

Fixed-price two-month engagement to initialise and harden Fraunhofer-provided AI server/GPU hardware, deploy mandatory Ollama and OpenWebUI components for local multi-user LLM operation, and build an open-source RAG assistant covering building-renovation authority information in Sachsen-Anhalt.

Portfolio thesis

The RAG assistant, open-source public-administration architecture, security, observability and integration scope are strongly adjacent to demonstrated competencies. Eligibility remains unresolved because a qualifying recent reference, headcount, 2023 turnover, liability cover and bid-specific declarations are not evidenced; the fixed start and four-day bid window create high execution risk.

Qualification reality

Digital David demonstrates secure cloud, cited RAG, AI-assistant and public-sector AI architecture competencies, but the evidence pack does not establish an existing product for this local-server implementation or the mandatory recent comparable reference.

Portfolio evidence

Products and reusable delivery strengths

Products

RAKIPOEVTarget Research OS

Competencies

Cited RAG and semantic searchSecure cloud and AI platform architecturePublic-sector AI architectureOpen-source AI assistantsIdentity, access and tenant separationObservability and system hardening

Decision gates

Eligibility and delivery gates

  • Company matchUnknown
    recent comparable AI-assistance reference
    MustRequired

    At least one project from the preceding 12 months must demonstrate comparable AI-assisted work. Clarification 2 allows a non-public-sector reference if it covers comparable RAG, local LLM, multi-user and roles/rights scope. The portfolio map is not approved formal reference proof.

  • Company matchPartially met
    company profile and headcount
    MustRequired

    The bidder must state legal form and numbers of permanent and freelance staff in plain text. Digital David AG's legal form is evidenced, but expert-team and headcount evidence is explicitly deferred and cannot be inferred.

  • Company matchPartially met
    turnover for three financial years
    MustRequired

    The tender asks for turnover for the last three financial years. Preliminary BWA evidence supports 2024 at EUR 754,500 and 2025 at EUR 874,992.76; 2023 evidence is missing and the available statements are not audited.

  • Company matchUnknown
    liability insurance
    MustRequired

    Proof of liability cover with limits appropriate to the service-contract value is mandatory. Personnel expenses or BWA categories do not establish policy type, limits or validity, and no policy evidence is in the qualification pack.

  • Company matchUnknown
    signed exclusion and tariff declarations
    MustRequired

    Signed declarations on GWB sections 123/124 exclusions and the section 5 BTTG tariff commitment must accompany the offer. No completed tender-specific declarations are in the evidence pack.

  • Company matchUnknown
    technical and organisational measures
    MustRequired

    The performance specification requires the bidder's TOMs with the bid and an Article 28 GDPR processing agreement. The local company evidence pack contains no tender-ready TOM evidence.

  • Company matchPartially met
    secure RAG and platform delivery readiness
    DeliveryNot required

    RAKIPOEV, Target Research OS and the portfolio map show adjacent public-sector AI architecture, cited RAG, semantic search, secure integration and observability competencies. They do not prove the mandatory recent reference or specific Ollama/OpenWebUI expert availability.

  • Company matchUnknown
    six-hour response and on-site expert team
    ScoredNot required

    The service concept is scored on response within six hours, possible on-site attendance and the qualifications/reference projects of AI and IT experts. Named-expert evidence is deferred and cannot be inferred from portfolio descriptions.

  • Company matchMet
    German-language business delivery
    DeliveryNot required

    The supplier profile confirms German as the primary business language, matching the controlling German procurement package.

Official clarifications · selected by AI relevance

Relevant bidder questions

  1. Q1Are Ollama and OpenWebUI mandatory, and does Fraunhofer provide the server/GPU hardware while the contractor performs initialisation, secure configuration, hardening and commissioning?
    Buyer answer

    Yes. The listed components are mandatory. Fraunhofer IFF supplies the system; the contractor is responsible for initialisation, secure configuration, hardening and commissioning.

    Portfolio impact

    The bid cannot substitute an alternative open-source stack. Delivery planning and expert evidence must specifically cover Ollama, OpenWebUI and secure on-premises commissioning; hardware procurement is outside scope.

  2. Q2Can a comparable reference from a non-public-sector client satisfy the required recent AI-assistance reference if it covers RAG, local LLM operation, multi-user access and roles/rights?
    Buyer answer

    Yes, a reference of that kind is accepted.

    Portfolio impact

    This materially broadens the reference route beyond public-sector customers, but the company evidence pack still contains no approved formal reference proving the required recency and comparability.

Interpreted scope

Delivery shape

  • Commission Fraunhofer-provided AI server hardware: initialise the platform, install the operating system, ensure OpenAI-API compatibility such as vLLM, run multiple local LLMs, support concurrent users and provide an application marketplace before handover to Fraunhofer IFF IT.
  • Deploy mandatory Ollama and OpenWebUI components in a DMZ behind reverse proxy/WAF with only defined ports, minimised outbound traffic and no direct Internet-to-LAN connection.
  • Implement SSO where possible, MFA, role/group control, least-privilege service accounts, restricted file access and separation of users, vector indexes and document collections.
  • Provide controlled model management, model-source and integrity documentation, API/failure/security logging without unfiltered permanent prompt retention, Syslog integration, TLS 1.3, host firewall, patching, vulnerability scanning, minimal-privilege containers and endpoint protection.
  • Document risk assessment and data classification; public data is permitted, internal data requires assessment and confidential data is not approved for the defined Ollama DMZ configuration.
  • Build an open-source RAG assistant for citizens and companies seeking Sachsen-Anhalt renovation information across energy, asbestos, accessibility, heritage, permits, use changes, disposal, energy certificates and funding.
  • Define five use cases with an information-freshness concept, prioritise them with Fraunhofer and implement/test at least three.
  • Complete functional acceptance, open-source-condition verification and handover during the fixed two-month term.

Bid package

Required submissions

  • Detailed fixed-price offer within the EUR 48,000 net budget, including a responsible contact person and contact details
  • Completed price schedule
  • Maximum two-page renovation-wave assistant concept in Arial 11 without images
  • Maximum two-page service concept in Arial 11 without images
  • Plain-text company profile stating legal form and permanent/freelance employee counts
  • Turnover figures for the last three financial years
  • At least one comparable AI-assistance reference from the preceding 12 months
  • Signed GWB sections 123/124 exclusion declaration
  • Signed BTTG tariff-commitment declaration
  • Liability-insurance proof with coverage appropriate to the contract value
  • Bidder's technical and organisational measures for GDPR processing
  • Subcontractor identification, scope/share, availability confirmation and required declarations, or an explicit statement that none are used

Commercial reading

Contract and pricing terms

  • Fixed-price budget ceiling of EUR 48,000 net including all ancillary costs, plus VAT.
  • Acceptance uses a signed acceptance protocol covering completeness, open-source compliance and functionality of the user stories.
  • Invoice is issued after completion and acceptance; payment term is 14 days after acceptance.
  • Fraunhofer receives exclusive, worldwide, perpetual, irrevocable and non-terminable rights to contract work results without separate compensation.
  • Subcontracting requires prior Fraunhofer approval; the main contractor remains fully responsible.
  • Delay compensation is 0.1% per day for the unusable affected portion, capped at 5% of the net invoice value, without excluding further damages.
  • A BTTG breach may trigger a penalty up to 1% per breach and 10% in aggregate plus termination rights.
  • German law applies; Munich is the agreed forum, and bidder terms do not apply unless Fraunhofer expressly accepts them.

Evidence trail

Sources and bidder information

Authoritative Fraunhofer message catalogue checked on 2026-08-16 at approximately 22:30 CEST. Two published bidder clarifications dated 2026-08-12 and 2026-08-13 were available and both attachments were read; no additional public Q&A entries were shown.

Authoritative Fraunhofer publication notice ↗Official buyer, procedure, deadline, execution, eligibility and award metadata.Authoritative Fraunhofer package and message catalogue ↗Official versioned document package and two published bidder clarifications.Bidder clarification 1 ↗Confirms mandatory Ollama/OpenWebUI and the buyer-supplied hardware boundary.Bidder clarification 2 ↗Confirms that a comparable non-public-sector reference may satisfy the reference gate.IT-Ausschreibung discovery page ↗Aggregator used only to discover the authoritative Fraunhofer procedure.

Package reviewed 16 Aug 2026, 22:30

Research files

Documents used for this evaluation

PDFFragebogen zur Eignungsprüfung ↓Official suitability questionnaire used to assess all mandatory eligibility gates.PDFLeistungsbeschreibung KI-Serversystem ↓Official technical specification used for scope, budget, timetable, acceptance, award and data-processing requirements.PDFLeistungsverzeichnis und Wertungsschema ↓Official price and evaluation schedule.PDFAufforderung zur Angebotsabgabe ↓Official invitation used for buyer, dates, submission mode and required submissions.PDFMustervertrag Dienstleistungen ↓Official service-contract template used for term, fixed price, rights, subcontracting and compliance terms.PDFAllgemeine Einkaufsbedingungen April 2026 ↓Official purchasing terms used for delay, payment, acceptance, rights and governing-law risk.DOCXMuster Auftragsverarbeitungsvertrag ↓Official Article 28 GDPR template used for processing, TOM and subprocessor obligations.PDFBieterfragen 1 ↓Authoritative clarification on mandatory components and hardware responsibility.PDFBieterfragen 2 ↓Authoritative clarification broadening the acceptable reference route.