Training resources and information

• ECSS
• Doing Business with ESA
• ESA Procurement Process
• PSS Forms
• Intellectual Property Rights (IPR)
• Best Practices
• ESA Ombudsman

ECSS
The European Cooperation for Space Standardization (ECSS) is an initiative established to develop a coherent, single set of user-friendly standards for use in all European space activities. A wide range of training materials, covering topics such as System Engineering Standards, Space Engineering Mechanisms, Quality Assurance and many more are available to train potential users in applying ECSS standards in space projects. The materials can be accessed here. 

Click here to access the online ESA standardisation guide for SMEs.

ECSS webinars covering the various ECSS branches are organised every two years. Registration is possible via the ESA Learning Hub. Recordings of the sessions can be accessed via the e-learning section of the hub.

Doing Business with ESA
The 'Doing Business with ESA' portal is ESA’s gateway to the most relevant IT Corporate Applications used by economic operators which are doing business with or are intending to interact with the Agency. The portal provides access to the esa-star toolset, in particular to applications such as esa-star Registration, Publication, Tendering, esa-match and esa-p.

esa-star Registration is dedicated to the registration and management of external entities. It is integrated with all other esa-star applications and handles all supplier and bidder entity information. Registration in esa-star is mandatory for all entities which wish to do business with ESA. The esa-star Registration user manual can be found here.

esa-star Publication is the module used for publishing upcoming Invitations to Tender, News, ESA Interacts, Invitations to Tender / Requests for Quotation open for bidding, as well as general information about ESA’s procurement process. The publication module also allows external entities to manage their Invitations to Tender under ESA Programmes in ESA’s Best Practice scheme. Potential bidders can access the tender documentation and notify ESA if they are interested in a particular Tender Action. esa-star Publication user manuals and video tutorials are available here.

esa-star Tendering is ESA’s fully electronic, integrated, online tendering system. It covers the end-to-end tendering process, including the preparation of tenders and submission of proposals. Logged in users can find the esa-star Tendering manual in the bottom bar under 'Help'.

esa-match is ESA's industry matchmaking tool. The platform supports the visibility of entities registered with ESA, facilitates partnering, teaming and cooperation between companies and brings together (potentially unknown) products, services or technologies and (latent) needs.

All Legal Entities and Business Units from ESA Member States, Associate States, Cooperating States, as well as EU Member States, registered in ESA’s system for tendering and registration, esa-star, have a profile in the esa-match Space Industry Directory .

Companies and organisations are encouraged to enrich their profile pages and to decide which information they make available in the internal and public part of the Directory:

• Information in the public part is accessible to anyone without the need to log in;
• Information in the internal part is open to esa-star registered users only.

Aside from the searchable Space Industry Directory, esa-match offers features such as:

• a Marketspace which lets companies and organisations advertise offers and needs;
• a B2B area which enables users to send messages to other entities via the tool;
• an ESA Calendar which lists important ESA events such as Industry Days, conferences and training courses;
• a Student Opportunities in Industry section which lets companies and organisation place ads to look for interns, trainees or thesis students;
• a Tender Action area which provides access to ESA and non-ESA tender actions in open competition and information about potential partners;
• a Dashboard which allows registered users to customise their esa-match experience and create their own homepage view with useful information (e.g. new tender actions published since last visit, Marketspace ads placed by others, ongoing B2B area conversations with other entities, profile views by other entities, number of personal “Favourites” marked in the system, “Recently added items” and much more).

Only registered entities and their users can make full use of all functionalities that esa-match offers. A more limited set of information and features is available via the external part of the platform.

esa-match user manuals and tutorials are available here.

esa-p is the supplier portal for ESA's contractual partners, with the following main features:

• Controlled access and visibility on ESA contracts (contractual, invoicing and payment information) to Prime and Sub-contractors directly paid by ESA.
• Submission and approval of electronic invoices and Milestone Achievement Certificates.

The esa-p help documentation is available here.

ESA Procurement Process
The ESA Procurement Process is described in detail here. 

PSS Forms
A company participating in an ESA Invitation To Tender (ITT) is required to complete a financial proposal that includes the ESA Procedures, Specification and Standards Forms – known as PSS forms. For those new to ESA, a presentation which gives an introduction to the PSS form terminology and demonstrates the links between the costing forms, is available here. Webinars on the subject are organised on a regular basis and participants can register via the ESA Learning Hub.

Intellectual Property Rights (IPR)
A short introductory video about ESA Industry and Intellectual Property Rights is available here. Courses on IPR in Technology Development contracts are organised via the ESA Learning Hub about twice a year.

Best Practices
ESA has a unique set of rules known as the Best Practices “For the selection of subcontractors by Prime Contractors in the frame of ESA’s major procurements” ref. ESA/IPC(2012)65,rev.2. This Code of Best Practices provides a minimum set of requirements to be implemented by a Prime Contractor or Subcontractor during the selection of subcontractors aiming at guaranteeing fair and equal treatment of all potential tenderers.

A detailed explanation of ESA’s Best Practices is available here.

ESA Ombudsman
The Industrial Ombudsman for ESA and Alternate Industrial Ombudsman provide an independent interface between ESA and industry or between industrial partners – the prime and their subcontractors. Information about their role and competences as well as additional information is available here.