Contributing to the whole
A company can contribute a module, a service or expertise. The approach makes clear how that contribution fits into the whole and what responsibilities come with it.
CAYS · Collaboration that goes further
From shared challenge to demonstrable delivery.
Major challenges require contributions from several parties. CAYS connects their knowledge, agreements and evidence in an approach that grows with the challenge — from the initial question to delivery, use and improvement.
Shared challengeTargeted contributionsDemonstrable delivery
Why CAYS
A new requirement.
No need to start from scratch.
A good idea is not yet a usable solution. Parties need to find one another, align their contributions and demonstrate what works. Every new call raises the same questions: who can do what, which agreements apply and what evidence is already available?
CAYS makes that foundation reusable, allowing attention to shift to what the next assignment actually requires.
Providing a basis for decisions
Connect requirements, agreements and test results to the correct version of a proposal or delivery. This keeps the basis of each decision and the person who made it traceable.
Targeted further development
New insights from testing, maintenance and use become a concrete follow-up requirement. Existing profiles and evidence remain reusable wherever they still apply.
The principles in practice
A shared approach.
Specific agreements for each assignment.
CAYS comprises the principles, the approach and the associated process and data schemas. They give parties a shared way to record their contribution, responsibility and evidence. Each application is tailored to the collaboration and the assignment.
01 · Participant profile
Who contributes what?
- Contribution
- Expertise, module, service or production capacity
- Foundation
- Identity, representation and available supporting evidence
- Agreements
- Rights, access and conditions for participation
02 · Work package schema
What do we agree on?
- Result
- A clearly defined contribution to the shared challenge
- Delivery arrangements
- Responsible party, price and milestones
- Acceptance
- Requirements, necessary evidence and authorised decision-maker
03 · Evidence overview
What has been demonstrated?
- Subject
- The exact configuration and version
- Supporting evidence
- Test results, source, conditions and limitations
- Follow-up
- Decision, outstanding issues and required next steps
Simplified examples of the CAYS schemas. Core data and evidence are reusable; participation, commissioning and acceptance are determined for each application.
From approach to application
BidCall Manager brings these connections into digital workspaces. Services help tailor the schemas, roles and processes to your needs.
Explore the productLearning during delivery
A delivery also marks
the start of the next question.
A test reveals a limitation. Maintenance exposes recurring wear. A user has a different need. CAYS helps connect these signals to the relevant work package and the agreements on improvement.
Supplier tests and field experience retain their own source and context. The authorised party decides on a follow-up assignment, acceptance or release.
Recurring activities
- Refine the needWhat needs to improve?
- Organise contributionsWhat work does this require?
- Test and assessWhat works, under which conditions?
- Feed experience backWhat follow-up requirement emerges?
↻ Multiple rounds, with explicit agreements at each step.
The product · In development
The CAYS approach,
applied in BidCall Manager.
BidCall Manager brings the principles into a Nextcloud app for consortia, cooperatives and commissioning organisations. The app connects calls, bids and derived calls, with separate workspaces and permissions for each party.
BidCall ManagerOne app · two connected capabilities
Respond together.
Organise your own calls.
Bring your consortium’s or cooperative’s contributions together in a confidential proposal. Organise your own calls for other parties within that context.
- Organise participants, documents and contributions
- Prepare a bid and submit it through a controlled process
- Manage derived calls and the bids received
A clear call.
A traceable decision.
Organise the call, assessment and decision-making on behalf of the authorised commissioning organisation. Keep the case file connected to the applicable requirements and agreements.
- Prepare the scope, procedure and publication
- Manage participation and bids received
- Record assessments, decisions and agreements
From bidder to issuer of a call
Call → Bid → Derived Call
A party responds to a call and can issue its own derived call within that context. Other parties can then respond in turn. Each call retains its own conditions, participants and decisions.
- Call
The original call
A commissioning organisation or programme requests a proposal.
- Bid
The joint response
A consortium brings its proposal, participants and contributions together.
- Derived Call
The consortium issues its own call
For example, through FSTP, a mini-competition or subcontracting.
Example: from a joint proposal to a derived call
A consortium responds to a call for a drone system. Its proposal connects contributions for the platform, sensor and data link. The consortium then issues a subcontracting call for part of the work, to which specialist parties respond. The derived call remains connected to the original assignment and its associated mandate.
In a project that permits financial support to third parties, the derived call may be an FSTP call. Under a suitable framework agreement, it may be a mini-competition. The available form depends on the specific agreements and procedure; a bid does not in itself confer authority to award contracts or funding.
The demo illustrates the workflow using synthetic data. No actual submission or storage takes place. The Nextcloud app is developed and evaluated separately.
Application · Services
From schema to
working collaboration.
A useful setup starts with the people and agreements in your organisation. The services help translate the CAYS approach into suitable workspaces, processes and everyday activities.
A concrete way of working
Map out objectives, parties and contributions. Define who prepares, who decides and what information is shared when.
Workspaces and agreements
Translate the way of working into roles, access, schemas and process steps. Determine how the product fits into the existing environment and which integrations are needed.
A first implementation
Users receive guidance during an initial application. Together, we test the setup against a concrete case, evaluate the result and agree on the support and administration needed going forward.
In depth · Technology & design specifications
Verifiable records.
Confidential collaboration.
The technical design connects every decision to the responsible party, the mandate and the correct version of the documents. Workspaces run within Nextcloud; confidential proposals and full supporting evidence remain off the blockchain.
EVM & Solidity
Smart contracts for the Ethereum Virtual Machine check recorded process rules. Signed actions refer to mandates, reasoning and evidence through digital fingerprints. Substantive judgements remain with the authorised people.
About the EVM ↗EBSI
The design provides for verification of digital identity credentials through the European Blockchain Services Infrastructure. A separate mandate check determines whether the representative may perform the action concerned.
About EBSI ↗SCITT
Supply Chain Integrity, Transparency, and Trust describes signed statements with verifiable registration receipts. The design uses this for subsequent verification, with separate permission for disclosure.
SCITT · RFC 9943 ↗Development status: a Nextcloud evaluation environment and local Solidity trials are available. Current EBSI and SCITT trials use simulated services. Operational integrations and production use require separate verification and approval.
In depth · Programmes & funding
A reusable approach.
Specific conditions for each application.
CAYS can guide collaboration across different assignments and programmes. The organisational model, form of funding and procedure for a specific call are recorded separately.
FSTP · Cascade funding
Financial Support to Third Parties provides a route for financial support to third parties within projects that allow it. An implementing consortium can organise its own calls for this purpose, with selection, awards and reporting in accordance with the grant conditions.
Example: FSTP within the EDF ↗EDIP & EDF
The European Defence Industry Programme and the European Defence Fund are possible contexts for industrial cooperation and defence projects. The approach connects programme requirements to participating parties and supporting evidence; eligibility and funding are determined for each assignment.
About EDIP ↗Collaborations
Commissioning organisation and development partner
The next step
Start with the challenge.
Which parties need to work together, what result do you want to achieve and where are things getting stuck? That is the starting point for a suitable application of CAYS.