1. SCOPE AND DESCRIPTION OF THE PROCUREMENT  1.1 Contracting authority: who is the buyer?  1.2 Subject: what is this call for tenders about?  • The REACH, CLP Regulations and the Biocides Regulation, the PIC Regulations; • The POP Regu lation; • Waste,  Drinking Water, Tobacco, Electronics, Directives; This call for tenders is inter-institutional. The following EU institutions, agencies and  bodies (hereafter the participating entities) will participate as contracting authorities to  the framework contract(s) resulting from this call for tenders: The lead contracting authority is the  European Chemicals Agency in Helsinki (ECHA) acting as an agent for the participating entities for the purposes of this call for tenders  and the resulting framework contract(s). ECHA will publish the call for tenders, organise  the evaluation, sign and manage the framework contract(s) (including any amendments  thereto) on behalf of all participating entities. The  European Commission, assisted by its Directorate General Environment (DG  ENV) , is a participating entity in  Lot 2 . Yet, the list of participating entities may be  extended to include any other institution, agency or body created on the basis of the  Treaties or secondary Union law after the launch of this procedure. Each of the participating entities may avail itself of the resulting framework contract(s)  autonomously by concluding specific contracts with the contractor(s). References to the  Contracting Authority in these Tender Specifications and their annexes shall be  understood, depending on the context, as referring to one of the following:  – the  European Chemicals Agency acting in its capacity as lead contracting authority;  –  all the  participating entities, in relation to their collective rights and obligations with the  contractor(s), as one of the parties to the framework contract(s);  – any of the  participating entities acting in its own capacity, in particular for matters related to the  conclusion, execution or termination of specific contracts with the contractor(s).  The subject of this call for tenders is the establishment of a Framework Contract (FWC) for  IT services that will support the development and maintenance activities of Scientific IT  tools supporting the regulatory processes currently entrusted to ECHA, without preclusion  of those that shall or are in the process of being entrusted to ECHA, on the basis of the  following legislation: In addition to the above, having regard to the evolving/expanding legislative context in  which ECHA’s operates, new tasks entrusted to ECHA and stemming from existing or new  piece of legislation, new initiatives (e.g. Drinking Water Directive), cooperation with other  organisation etc. will also be supported.  4