European Space Agency Proposal Advice Service (ESA PAS)

ESA PAS is a new initiative from UK Space Agency designed to support UK-based organisations bidding for European Space Agency contracts

It is designed to improve the quality, completeness, strategic alignment and consistency of bids - thereby aiming to strengthen the bidder's application for funding - by providing free, non-technical advice to organisations through a thorough review of their draft bid (before submission).

Who is it for? 

The service is open to UK-based organisations, such as start-ups, SMEs, academic institutions, mid-caps, primes, and consortia.

Organisations may be bidding as prime (directly to ESA) or as a subcontractor into another organisation or as part of a consortium - either is eligible for ESA PAS. 

A set of criteria has been established to enable prioritisation, however, we will try and accommodate all applicants, if possible. 

How does it work? 

ESA PAS focuses on improving the clarity, structure, and strategic alignment of proposals by identifying common errors and areas for improvement. This is done by a thorough review of the draft bid submission (all volumes), read alongside the ITT/RFP. Detailed feedback is provided giving recommendations for improvements, for example highlighting inconsistencies and common mistakes. 

All information submitted to ESA PAS is treated in strict commercial confidence. It is not shared with any third parties outside of the UK Space Agency and its ESA PAS delivery partner KI Bid Consulting.

How to apply: 

Organisations should apply as soon as they have taken a decision to bid for a specific opportunity. 

To apply to use ESA PAS, organisations must complete the triage form. Triage forms are reviewed weekly, and successful applicants will be invited to upload their draft proposal to a dedicated UKSA portal (only accessible to the applicant and UKSA/KI Bid Consulting) roughly one week before the submission deadline. 

Detailed feedback specific to the reviewed bid will be provided to the organisation roughly four days prior to the submission deadline, allowing time to integrate recommendations into their proposal. 

Specific dates are communicated as part of the onboarding process - and we understand that bids can be stressful and time-pressured, so we work as flexibly as possible to accommodate bid extensions and last-minute changes. 

Applicants can request a verbal feedback session in addition to written feedback if they wish to discuss the comments or ask further questions.  

October 2, 2025