A national authority seeks technical support to verify its air monitoring network, assess equipment health and plan upgrades to meet European air quality law.
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Romania’s Ministry of Environment, Waters and Forests has launched a contract for specialised technical assistance to check how well its national air-quality network performs. The Technical Assistance for Air Quality Monitoring brief covers compliance checks, an assessment of equipment condition, the development of a maintenance programme, and a modernisation plan aligned with European air quality legislation. It points to a wider shift across Europe towards service-based support that strengthens data quality and regulatory readiness.
Published in July 2025, the notice focuses on experienced technical support to test the current system and plan improvements. The scope includes:
The emphasis is on diagnosing the network and setting out a structured path to sustained, compliant operation. The notice does not state budgets or the size of the network.
Romania’s move mirrors a trend across the EU where authorities pair routine maintenance with tighter quality assurance and legal compliance. In October 2022, Lombardy commissioned an integrated maintenance service for its regional air-quality network that required continuity and data yield at or above thresholds set by national law, alongside quality assurance procedures for ambient measurements.
In June 2023, the Canary Islands put in place a maintenance and management service for their air-quality network that emphasised equipment checks and verifications to guarantee traceability of measurements, in line with national rules.
Data handling is just as important as equipment. In December 2023, Poland procured processing of air-quality data and collective assessments to track progress in air protection policy and to fulfil reporting duties to the European Commission and the European Environment Agency under EU law. Together, these examples show how compliance and validated data outputs are central to current procurement.
While Romania’s notice concentrates on assessment and planning, other authorities have already set out equipment and software upgrades that RNMCA’s modernisation could echo. In February 2024, Bulgaria launched a hardware and software delivery for the national real-time ambient air-quality system, covering installation, configuration, testing and user training to meet EU Directive 2008/50/EC.
In July 2024, the Region of Murcia moved to supply and install new pollutant analysers for fixed stations and a mobile unit, with technical improvements to ensure high-quality data for regional air-quality evaluation. Earlier, in May 2024, a prior information notice in the same region flagged a holistic scope that included de-installation, waste management, calibration and integration with existing SCADA systems (pollutant analysers supply and installation), underscoring the importance of seamless systems integration.
Network renewal is also being pursued at scale. In November 2025, the Port of Barcelona sought new air-pollution measurement equipment and technical assistance for the port’s automatic network, pairing renewal with maintenance and data management. In June 2025, Andalusia commissioned work to analyse air quality and produce a roadmap while updating plans to comply with new European air quality regulations, pointing to the planning work that often precedes capital upgrades.
The data backbone that ties these networks together is also getting attention. In November 2025, Flanders’ environment agency sought maintenance, adjustments and minor innovations to its air-quality data acquisition and processing system—an investment that can be just as critical as new analysers when it comes to compliant, validated reporting.
The Romanian brief also reflects the growing use of contracted technical assistance to keep networks resilient. In January 2023, Milan’s mobility, environment and territory agency ran a market consultation on maintenance and operational assistance for five compact, relocatable multi-parameter stations based on advanced sensors. The brief looked for practical support to keep near-reference stations running and producing usable data.
In August 2023, Navarra set out a maintenance programme for its monitoring network centred on calibration, verification, and preventive and corrective work, with clear expectations that instruments operate within manufacturers’ margins and generate data that meet validation criteria.
Technical assistance also supports planning and coordination. In September 2021, Bucharest procured an air-quality study and help to implement an Integrated Air Quality Plan, including dispersion modelling, source analysis and evaluation of measures. And in March 2025, Murcia flagged a need for integrated management, coordination and validation of its air-quality network, spanning data validation, incident management and public information. These service models—part operational, part analytical—are increasingly common.
Romania’s contract should clarify the state of RNMCA and map out maintenance and modernisation steps needed to stay aligned with European legislation. The experience of peers suggests three touchstones to watch: robust quality assurance of measurements, lifecycle maintenance that preserves data continuity and traceability, and modernisation plans that consider both instruments and the data systems behind them. How the ministry shapes its programme will indicate whether future procurements focus on new equipment, deeper data-management capability, or both.
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