The Argo programme was established in 2000 as an ocean observation programme to link ocean observation capacities for climate monitoring internationally. Since its inception, Argo has made targeted use of profiling float robotic technology to document changes in temperature and salinity in the world's ocean and make them available in real time.

Since 2020, international work has been underway to expand the Argo program into a multi-disciplinary observation program covering the deep-sea area. In addition to so-called core floats, which carry out temperature and salinity measurements in the upper 2000 meters, two other float types are required:

- so-called BGC floats, which are equipped with a CTD and up to six defined sensors for biogeochemical parameters, and

- Deep floats equipped with a CTD capable of taking measurements to depths of 4000 or 6000 meters.

For the national implementation of the OneArgo strategy, it is planned to conclude a framework agreement with up to five contractors per lot, for a period of 24 months, during which the three different float types (Core, BGC and Deep) can be called up separately. The agreement can be extended twice for 12 months each to a maximum of 48 months. Over a maximum period of 48 months, a total of up to 300 floats will be called up from the framework agreement. The distribution among the lots is not specified.

Since the floats are intended as a contribution to the operational observation system Argo, strict procedures apply for the selection of the permissible CTD sensors for quality assurance of the data. Therefore, only devices from the manufacturers SBS and RBR can be considered as operationally approved CTDs and are therefore explicitly named in this tender.

The tender for the core floats in Lot 1, within the framework agreement, concerns floats that carry out temperature and salinity measurements in the upper 2000 meters of the world ocean. Since its inception, Argo has been using the robotic technology of profiling floats to document changes in temperature and salinity in the upper 2000 meters of the world ocean and to make them available in real time.

Floats that are equipped with up to six additional sensors in addition to the CTD sensor. These floats reach depths of up to 2,000 meters and measure the main biogeochemical Argo variables (pH, oxygen, nitrate, chlorophyll, suspended solids and downstream radiation). The combination of the sensors is carried out by the client according to the requirements of the area of application and is therefore variable. The biogeochemical sensors offered must be those that are already approved in the Argo program. The prices of the sensors must be proven individually and indicated with the name of the sensor make.

Floats that are equipped with a CTD sensor approved in the Argo program for use up to a depth of at least 4,000 meters.