Prepare the Procurement

III.B.3. Technical tender preparation: Definition of Functional and Non-Functional Requirements

Estimated Execution Time

3-4 months

Objective

To define a clear, measurable, and verifiable set of functional and non-functional requirements, grounded in the defined use cases, functional building blocks, and market insights.

These requirements guide suppliers on expectations while leaving room for innovation. They ensure alignment between procurement criteria, operational needs, and public value, translating the common challenge into feasible, assessable, and innovation-friendly specifications.

Who is Involved

  • Clinical, Technical, Operational, and Data Experts: define detailed functional requirements ensuring they reflect real operational needs. Oversee cybersecurity, privacy, and compatibility aspects.
  • Procurers / Contracting Authorities: ensure requirements are procurement-ready and coherent.
  • Project Department / Innovation Unit: coordinate consolidation and validation.
  • Facilitators / Knowledge Partners: support requirement structuring and quality assurance.
  • Legal Experts: Ensure compliance with PCP/PPI frameworks and public procurement law.
  • IT Security, Data Protection, and Interoperability Officers: Ecosystem & Support Actors.

Activities / Tasks

III.B.3.1. Define Functional requirements

  • Identify the main functional domains required to address the healthcare challenge. Respond to “what the system must do” statements.
  • Focus on functions that directly address unmet needs and user workflows. Express functions in outcome-oriented and technology-agnostic terms.

III.B.3.2. Define Non-functional requirements

  • Define cross-cutting requirements such as performance, scalability, interoperability, usability, security, reliability, maintenance and accessibility requirements.
  • Ensure requirements are verifiable and suitable for innovation procurement. All requirements are SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound).
  • Ensure consistency across sites and alignment with organisational constraints.

III.B.3.3. Validate and structure the requirements

  • To identify and define the core functional, technical, and strategic components (“building blocks”) that will form the foundation of the tender documents and the solutions to be procured.
  • Each building block must align with the identified needs, expected outcomes, and the procurement structure defined for the PCP or PPI process.
  • The creation of building blocks or parts of the solution, can help to structure the tender, create lots and envision the integration of them.
  • Review requirements for clarity, coherence, and non-ambiguity.
  • Categorize requirements as mandatory, preferred, or optional to guide evaluation weighting.
  • Include relevant legal, ethical, and environmental considerations (e.g., GDPR, eco-design).
  • Cross-check consistency with SOTA and Market analysis outcomes.
  • Consolidate requirements into a structured format ready for tender drafting.
  • Confirm endorsement from all procurers before finalizing the list.

Tips / Common Pitfalls

✅ Use standard templates (e.g., IEEE 830 or ISO/IEC requirement engineering standards) to ensure structure and clarity.

✅ Align requirements with TRL expectations and PCP/PPI objectives.

✅ Check feasibility with the market through the Open Market Consultation (OMC), verify clarity, realism, and innovation space.

❌ Using vague or subjective language (e.g., “system should be fast” or “interface must be user-friendly”).

❌ Overloading the requirement list with excessive, conflicting, or unrealistic demands.

Outcome / Deliverables

  • Complete and structured set of Functional and Non-Functional Requirements, linked with use cases, evaluation criteria, and KPIs.
  • Clear traceability between Functional Building Blocks and detailed requirements.
  • Final document ready to be included in the technical annex of the tender.

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